After a 44-day streak of no rainfall, the federal government announced Wednesday that the Central Valley Water Project, which provides water to multiple Bay Area counties, will be severely limited in the following year.
Currently, the state's biggest reservoirs are severely below average. Due to the shortage, municipal agencies that use federal water will only receive 25% of their historical use, including Santa Clara Valley Water and Costa Contra Water District, the Bureau of Reclamation revealed.
Extending 400 miles through central California, the Central Valley Project is made up of a network of dams, reservoirs, canals, hydroelectric powerplants and other facilities. It is responsible for supplying valley domestic and industrial water, as well as providing water to major urban centers in Sacramento and the Bay Area.
Along with a cap on municipal and industrial water services, farms are likely to receive no water in 2022, the Bureau revealed, dealing a large blow for the California agriculture industry.
The predictions may turn around if Northern California is blessed with a "miracle March," bringing a much-needed spring downpour, but meteorologists say it is unlikely.
From Feb. 1 to Feb. 15, the Bureau recorded a 1.2 million acre-feet decrease in project annual inflow to Shasta, Oroville, Folsom and New Melones reservoirs.
"Losing over a million acre-feet of projected inflow in two weeks’ time is concerning," said Ernest Conant, Bureau of Reclamation Regional Director. "We've got our work cut out for us this year; strengthened collaboration and coordination among agency partners, water and power users, and stakeholders will be instrumental."
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