California Announces Another Boost in Water Supply From Recent Storms

Water flows through the California Aqueduct, which moves water from northern California to the state's drier south, as it passes through the Mojave Desert in Pearblossom, Calif., on May 4, 2022. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Southern California water agencies will receive a modest boost in water supply due to recent storms, the state Department of Water Resources announced Feb. 22.

The department now expects to deliver 35 percent of requested water supplies, up from 30 percent forecasted in January, to the state’s water agencies.

In December, the state projected only being able to deliver 5 percent of requested supplies. But record rainfall in parts of California in January bumped that number.

The new allocation, according to the department, equates to an additional 210,000 acre-feet of water, which could fill over 100,000 olympic-sized swimming pools.

“We’re hopeful that more storms this week are a sign that the wet weather will return, but there remains a chance that 2023 will be a below average water year in the northern Sierra,” department Director Karla Nemeth said in a statement.

The state has 29 public water agencies, which serve around 70 percent of the state’s residents.

The department cited early gains in the Sierra snowpack for the increased numbers.

California’s wet season ends in April, according to the department, which is—upon a return to warmer weather—when the snowpack peaks and melts.

“We are hopeful that our snowpack continues to grow as the winter season progresses, and that it translates into the runoff we need to have a healthier water supply this year,” Adel Hagekhalil, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said in a statement in response to the Department of Water Resources’ announcement.