California's Water Supply Situation Worsened by Low Snowmelt Runoff

Adds to Growing Water Supply and Delivery Crisis

SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Snowpack levels and the volume of actual snowmelt runoff are down in California. The California Department of Water Resources has reported that snowpack is at 67 percent of normal and the statewide water supply runoff is forecasted to be only 55 to 65 percent of normal, adding to the state's growing water supply and delivery challenges.

Snowmelt runoff from the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada is the primary source of water supply for residents, farms and businesses throughout California. Runoff levels are currently low because last year's dry conditions have caused the ground to soak up some of the snow that would have otherwise produced runoff. Additionally, rainfall, which also factors into total runoff, has been below average.

"It's important for everyone in California to realize that although we may have gotten more snow this year than last, that doesn't necessarily translate into increased water supply," said Laura King Moon, assistant general manager of the State Water Contractors. "Not only are we facing severe restrictions under the Endangered Species Act on how much water we can deliver, less than average runoff means that water supplies are down as well. California water agencies will therefore have to look at tougher restrictions and increased water rates as the crisis worsens."

The California Department of Water Resources regularly tracks the state's snowpack and runoff levels. This information can be found at, http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/reports/EXECSUM.

Many of the state's reservoirs started out far below normal this year because of last year's dry conditions. With below average runoff, reservoirs throughout California will stay low despite snowfall.

In addition to the water supply problems we face, California's main water delivery system, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta), is in failing condition. It is an increasingly unreliable pathway for delivering water to 25 million Californians, businesses and farms throughout the state. Aged and deteriorating levees, climate change, mounting regulatory uncertainties and a struggling ecosystem are plaguing the Delta more so today than ever before.

The Delta's condition adds to California's water delivery woes. A federal court last year ordered a massive reduction in our state's water supplies -- up to nearly one-third -- from the State Water Project and Central Valley Project, the state's two largest water delivery systems, to protect an endangered fish species in the Delta. As of March 2008, enough water to serve 4.8 million people had been cut.

State leaders and scientists agree that a long-term solution is needed to restore the Delta and protect California's water supply. Water agencies, environmental organizations and state and federal agencies are now mapping out a comprehensive conservation plan for the Delta, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). The BDCP takes a holistic approach to protecting fish species and creating a sustainable water delivery system.

"The only way we can put an end to this growing water crisis is to implement a comprehensive solution like the Bay Delta Conservation Plan," added Moon.

Separating water supply movement from the estuary through a new conveyance facility would divert Sierra mountain water from the Sacramento River north of the Delta and route it around the fragile Delta to the delivery facilities. With the BDCP, California could protect and restore this valuable estuary and water supplies could be delivered more reliably to people, businesses and farms.

The State Water Contractors is a non-profit association of 27 public agencies from Northern, Central and Southern California that purchase water under contract from the California State Water Project. Collectively the State Water Contractors deliver water to more than 25 million residents throughout the state and more than 750,000 acres of agricultural lands. For more information on the State Water Contractors, please visit http://www.swc.org/.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: The State Water Contractors

CONTACT: Fiona Hutton or Ann Newton, both for The State Water
Contractors, +1-818-760-2121

Web site: http://www.swc.org/

2008-05-01 20:30:50 0351144 PRNEWSWIRE