Shasta Dam at Sunset

Central Valley Project Operations Timeline

2024 Memorandum of Understanding Establishing a South of Delta Drought Resiliency Framework

2025 Central Valley Project Water Operations Timeline

October

  • The water year begins October 1 each year and ends September 30. California’s 2025 water year begins with relatively good conditions in major Central Valley Project reservoirs, with 7.43 million acre-feet of water in storage, about 120% of the 15-year average. Shasta, the anchor of the CVP and California’s largest reservoir, is at a robust 2.78 million acre-feet of water, 113% of the 15-year average.

November

  • Nov. 4 - The California Department of Water Resources receives a new Incidental Take Permit to operate the State Water Project. The permit covers five species protected under the California Endangered Species Act, including Delta smelt, longfin smelt, white sturgeon, winter-run Chinook salmon and spring-run Chinook salmon.

  • Nov. 15  -  Reclamation releases the final Environmental Impact Statement for the Long-Term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project, which analyzes five alternatives reflecting a reasonable range of options for the operation of dams, powerplants, and related facilities of the Central Valley Project and Delta facilities of the State Water Project.

December

  • Dec. 2 – The California Department of Water Resources announces its initial State Water Project allocation forecast of 5 percent of requested supplies for 2025. The December initial water supply forecast is the first allocation of the new water year and is based on current reservoir storage and conservative assumptions for precipitation to come.

Last Updated: 12/2/24