The Department of Water Resources announced the initial allocation for water delivery to the State Water Project Contractors in calendar year 2006.
The initial allocation is 55% of Contractors' requested amounts and will likely increase during the winter months. This initial allocation is slightly more than the initial allocation for calendar year 2005 of 40% and, since most of the period of heavy precipitation lies ahead, is considered a good start on water supply projections.
The 2005 allocation was later raised to 90% of Contractors' requested amounts. The 55% initial allocation amounts to 2,269,757 ac-ft, distributed among the 29 long-term SWP Contractors who serve more than 20 million Californians and about 750,000 ac of irrigated farmland.
In making this allocation of State Water Project water, a major source of water for many Californians, the Department considered a conservative projection of hydrology, State Water Project operational constraints and 2006 Contractor requests.
Source: California Department of Water Resources
