Water users of California’s Central Valley
Project (CVP) are likely to receive significantly higher water allocations this
year, with many users projected to receive 100 percent of their requested
allotments for the first time in more than 10 years.
The
Bureau of Reclamation, responsible for allotting the federal portion of the San
Luis Reservoir, has noted that the Central Valley has recently received record
levels of precipitation, leading to high projections for allocations going to senior
water rights holders in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys and Friant and
Eastside Divisions.
The bureau is still refining the
allocations for south-of-Delta users, leading to speculation on what users on
the west side of the San Joaquin Valley can expect to receive. More information
will be available in the coming weeks as the bureau evaluates the March 1 snow
survey results, though the Westside growers are expected to receive much more
than the 5 percent allocation given to them for the 2016 water year.
“With the improvement in hydrology and
snowpack in 2017, common sense would suggest that everyone’s water allocation
will be a vast improvement over the last few years,” said Westlands Water
District Deputy General Manager for External Affairs Johnny Amaral.
