California Water Outlook Encouraging

SACRAMENTO —

Continued releases of water from Folsom Resovoir and Nimbus Dam downstream is a sign that there might be adequete water supplies for growers and recreatonal water users in the spring and summer.  Rainfall in the northern Sierra is 180 percent of normal.  Snowfall is 200 percent of normal.

“That’s a great start considering winter is only about a week old,” said David Rizzardo, the snow survey chief with the Department of Water Resouirces.

Six of Nimbus Dam’s 18 gates are releasing water that in turn is being released at Folsom Reservoir upstream. Despite a series of wet winter strorms, the reservoir is only half full raising concerns by some that valuable water is being released.

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California issues 25 percent water delivery forecast

California water officials on Monday announced a 25 percent delivery forecast for customers who depend on the State Water Project.

The projection is preliminary, and usually increases over the course of winter. It primarily concerns urban areas in the south San Francisco Bay Area and in the Los Angeles-San Diego metro areas, which depend on the State Water Project for a significant share of their supplies. It has no bearing on the Sacramento area, except as a general guide to statewide precipitation amounts.

The allocation announcement is the first of the year and reflects a conservative approach that is customary for the Department of Water Resources. Even so, it is far better than last year’s initial forecast, which was just 5 percent.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/11/23/3205512/california-issues-25-percent-water.html#ixzz169U3ReXL

DWR Raises 2010 Water Delivery Projection

SACRAMENTO, April 23, 2010 – Citing April’s wintry Sierra storms, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) today increased its 2010 allocation of State Water Project deliveries to 30 percent.

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DWR Raises 2010 Water Delivery Projection

 

SACRAMENTO—-Citing April’s wintry Sierra storms, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) today increased its 2010 allocation of State Water Project deliveries to 30 percent. “The spring storms have been good to California’s snowpack, allowing us to increase our water deliveries to communities, farms and businesses this year,” said DWR Director Mark Cowin. “Still, three years of drought, low reservoir storage and regulatory limits on Delta pumping to protect fish keep our allocations far below average and underscore the need for ongoing conservation across the state.” Read more…