News Release Archive

Reclamation Announces March Systemwide Central Valley Project Water Supply Allocation

Media Contact: Jeffrey McCracken, 916-978-5100, 03/16/2007 17:16

For Release: March 16, 2007

The Bureau of Reclamation announces that the March systemwide allocation to Central Valley Project (CVP) agricultural contractors, municipal and industrial contractors, and Federal refuges has improved due to above- normal weather conditions in February.

The California Department of Water Resources' (DWR) March 1, 2007, forecast of 3.8 million acre-feet for Shasta Reservoir inflow increases Sacramento River Settlement Contractors, San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors, and contractors receiving water from the Mendota Pool to a normal 100 percent of allocation. 

Reclamation prepared two forecasts.  Water supplies projected in the first forecast are associated with dry hydrological conditions that have a 90-percent chance of exceeding the projection.  Water supplies in the second forecast are for median hydrological conditions that have a 50-percent chance of exceeding the projection.  Current allocations are listed below:

Ag = Agriculture     M&I = Municipal and Industrial     R = Refuges     WR = Water Rights
*M&I supply is based on historical use

February 2007 weather conditions produced better than normal precipitation conditions. As a result, statewide runoff indicators improved as of March 1, 2007.  However, the higher-than-average precipitation last year has allowed CVP reservoir storage to remain at near-normal for March 1, 2007. With the drier than normal runoff

conditions projected for the remainder of water year 2007, Reclamation forecasts that CVP reservoir storage will be utilized this summer to support CVP operations.  For the 90 percent exceedence projection, CVP reservoir storage conditions are sufficient to increase CVP North of Delta allocations to 100 percent.  To date, March 2007 precipitation conditions have been extremely dry and are running below the 90 percent projections, therefore CVP water service allocations are potentially subject to modification based on actual March hydrologic conditions.

The water supply available for the CVP Eastside Division contractors (Stanislaus River) for the Dry and Median Forecasts is projected to be 45,000 acre-feet (29 percent) and 155,000 acre-feet (100 percent), respectively.

The Friant Division deliveries for WY 2007 are projected to be 400,000 acre-feet or 32 percent of 1.25 million acre-feet, which is the Recent 5-Year Average Allocation.  The allocation for the Friant Division Contractors will be 50 percent Class 1 water and 0 percent Class 2 water.  The projected Friant Division delivery of 400,000 acre-feet is based on DWR's 90-percent probability of exceedence forecast dated March 13, 2007.  As of March 15, 2007, precipitation in the San Joaquin River Basin was 17.61 inches for the WY compared to 38.66 inches this time last year. 

Reclamation will continue to monitor hydrologic conditions and anticipates updating the CVP-wide allocation in mid-April 2007.

# # #

The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.