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Early projection of water deliveries for Central Valley Project set at 25%

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 28, 2008 at 7:35 am

For the uninitiated, there are two major water projects operating in the Central Valley. The State Water Project, which delivers water to cities and farms, and the federal Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project, which delivers water primarily to agricultural users in the San Joaquin Valley. The Central Valley Project is twice the size of the Satate Water Project in terms of both reservoir storage and average water deliveries.

Here’s the forecast for water deliveries from the CVP, from the Central Valley Business Times:

Water shortages loom for many Central Valley farmers, according to a preliminary forecast Friday by the federal Central Valley Project. The CVP estimates it can deliver only 25 percent of contract water supplies to its farm customers. Its forecast reflects uncertainty about changes in operations required to benefit a protected fish, the Delta smelt, it says. But the Bureau of Reclamation, which runs the CVP, says allocations could rise because of storms that have boosted the Sierra snowpack.

central-valley-agriculture-by-dadoll.jpgLike the State Water Project, the Central Valley Project also operates pumps in the Delta, and so the CVP pumps are also subject to the same smelt restrictions as the SWP:

Reclamation is implementing interim court-ordered measures this year to provide additional protection for Delta smelt. The minnow-like fish were thought to be killed when sucked into the giant water pumps near Tracy. The actual actions will vary depending on a real-time assessment of Delta conditions and the location and maturity of the Delta smelt, the Bureau of Reclamation says.

This current allocation of 25% does not factor in the recent storms. The official allocation for the CVP will be made on February 15. To read the full text of this story from the Central Valley Business Times, click here.

Central Valley Agriculture photo by flickr photographer dadoll.

January 28, 2008 · Filed Under Central Valley Project

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