Drought-hit California cities to get little water from state

The Carlsbad, Calif. desalination plant, seen in a Friday, Sept. 4, 2015 photo, borders Interstate 5 on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other in Carlsbad, Calif. There’s far more riding on the Americas’ largest seawater desalination plant than the 50 million gallons of drinking water it will produce for the San Diego area each day. The plant, which opens this year, will help determine the future of seawater desalination in the United States. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -

California water agencies that serve 27 million people will get just 5% of what they requested from the state to kick off 2023, water officials announced Thursday.

The news of limited water comes as California concludes its driest three-year stretch on record and as water managers brace for a fourth year with below-average precipitation. It also means water-saving measures are likely to continue, including calls for people to rip up decorative grass, limit outdoor watering, take shorter showers and run dishwashers only when full.

A storm currently bringing snow and rain to the northern end of the state has been welcome news, but people shouldn't get too optimistic, warned Michael Anderson, the state climatologist. Last year two major storms in October and December were followed by months of bone-dry weather.

"Don't get too carried away by any one storm," Anderson told reporters.

Much of California's water supply comes from snow that falls in the mountains during the winter and enters the watershed as it melts through spring. Some of it is stored in reservoirs for later use, while some is sent south through massive pumping systems.

The system is known as the State Water Project, and it provides water to two-thirds of the state's people and 1,172 square miles (3,035 square kilometers) of farmland. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which services Los Angeles and much of Southern California, relies on the state for about one-third of its water supply.

Southern California's supply is further threatened by the ongoing crisis afflicting the Colorado River, another major source for the heavily populated region.

The allocations could go up if California has a wet winter. Last December, for example, water agencies were told they would get zero per cent of requested supplies beyond what was needed for activities like drinking, bathing and maintaining sanitation. The state later boosted that to 15 per cent before eventually settling at 5 per cent.

Some districts may get additional water if the 5 per cent isn't enough to cover critical health and safety needs, said Molly White, water operations manager for the State Water Project.

Given the uncertainty about how long the drought will last, the state wants to keep water in Lake Oroville, its largest reservoir. Right now, it's about half as full as it usually is at this time of year. So officials plan to tap excess water from winter storms to provide the 5% supply and take some water out of the San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, White said.

The federal government also controls some water supply in California, much of which goes to farmers in the vast Central Valley who grow fruits, nuts and vegetables. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation doesn't issue its first water allocations until February but on Monday warned farmers and cities to prepare for limited supplies.

"If drought conditions extend into 2023, Reclamation will find it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to meet all the competing needs of the Central Valley Project without beginning the implementation of additional and more severe water conservation actions," the bureau said in a news release.