DWR Announces Initial 2007 State Water Project Allocation
The Department of Water Resources has announced its initial allocation for water delivery to the State Water Project (SWP) Contractors in calendar year 2007.
The initial allocation is 60 percent of Contractors’ requested amounts, or 2,465,529 acre-feet, and may increase during the winter months. This is slightly more than the initial allocation for calendar year 2006 of 55 percent and, since most of the period of heavy precipitation lies ahead, is considered a good start on water supply projections.
Hydrologic conditions this year are similar to last year with the SWP coming off a wet year with high storage.
The 2006 allocation was later raised to 100 percent of Contractors’ Table “A” amounts, as a result of last year’s wet conditions.
SWP water is distributed among 29 long-term SWP Contractors who serve more than 23 million Californians and about 750,000 acres of irrigated farmland.
In making this allocation of State Water Project water, a major source of water for many Californians, the Department considered a conservative projection of hydrology, State Water Project operational constraints, and 2007 Contractor requests. SWP Contractors’ Table A water for 2007 totals 4.13 million acre-feet, of which 4.07 million acre feet were requested. Table A water is the maximum contractual amount that SWP Contractors can request each year. The Department will revise the allocation as hydrologic and water supply conditions develop and provide for additional deliveries.
A Notice to SWP Contractors appears on the DWR’s State Water Project Analysis Office Web site at:
http://www.swpao.water.ca.gov/notices/
The Department of Water Resources operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs.
Contact the DWR Public Affairs Office for more information about DWR’s water activities.