Northern California has been blessed this year with generally full reservoirs and good snowpack in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade. This has led to full water allocations throughout the Sacramento Valley, which has been welcomed by cities and rural communities, farmers, refuge managers, and fish—all of which have suffered in different ways from reduced supplies during the past several years. In addition to benefitting all these beneficial purposes, the availability of surface supplies this water will also help rest and recharge the groundwater aquifers that have been heavily relied upon for the past several years.
Other parts of the state have not received as much precipitation and have more limited access to water. Water suppliers in the Sacramento Valley have a long track record of helping transfer water to other areas of the state with critical demands. Yet, this year, even though there are additional demands for water in the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, there is not an ability to transfer any water from the Sacramento Valley to these areas with the pumping limitations in the Delta. Sacramento Valley water suppliers will continue to monitor this situation and be prepared to help other areas where possible.
Photo by Jim Morris
