California Water Allocation 'Underscores Water Crisis'
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) said the state's bleak forecast for 2008 water deliveries underscores the serious challenges facing California's water supply and delivery system.
"One of the most daunting problems confronting our state today is the growing uncertainty of our water system," ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn said. "This forecast is indicative of the widespread challenges we face in delivering a reliable supply of water to cities, farms, businesses and ecosystems."
On Nov. 26, the state Department of Water Resources released an initial water supply allocation for 2008 that calls for State Water Project contractors to receive 25 percent of their requested supplies. The allocation, less than the 60 percent supply initially projected for calendar year 2007, is due to dry conditions and operational constraints at the State Water Project pumping facilities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
Since September, ACWA has been conducting a statewide public education program to raise awareness among Californians of critical water challenges. The challenges include an ecological crisis in the delta, court-ordered cuts in deliveries from the state's largest water projects to protect an endangered fish, ongoing dry conditions and climate change.
More information about the public education program, "California's Water: A Crisis We Can't Ignore," can be found at www.calwatercrisis.org.