FAIRFIELD -- The state Department of Water Resources on Monday announced its initial State Water Project allocation for 10% of requested supplies for the new water year.
This allocation represents the first water supply forecast of the season for the 29 public water agencies - including the Solano County Water Agency - served by the SWP which provides water to 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland.
"Recent history has shown us that anything can happen during a California winter, so it's important that our early season allocation for the State Water Project is conservative," DWR Director Karla Nemeth said in a statement.
"Traditionally our wettest months are yet to come. With improvements to forecasting and science, we are better prepared to capture water supply during wet periods if Mother Nature delivers," Nemeth added.
The SWP is contractually required to make an initial allocation forecast by Dec. 1 each year.
"Since it is so early in the season, the initial allocation typically reflects current hydrological conditions, existing reservoir storage, and an assumption of dry conditions through the rest of the year. So far, the wet season is off to a good start with beneficial rain falling in Northern California and Southern California already seeing significant rainfall following a dry year last year," the agency reported.
Statewide reservoir storage is just above average at 114%. Lake Oroville, the SWP's largest reservoir, is at 100% of average for this time of year, slightly above where it was at last December.
Last year, the SWP's initial allocation began at 5% and increased to 50% by the end of the season.
"As winter progresses, if the state sees an increase in rain and snowfall totals, the allocation forecast may increase as well," the agency reported.
Alexander Rabidoux, assistant general manager at SCWA, said the initial allocation is about what was expected.
"Because we are north of the Delta, we are at about 20%," Rabidoux said. "It's not high, but it's not bad."
The Solano County Water Agency is contracted to receive 47,756 acre feet through the North Bay Aqueduct; 20% would be 9,551.2 acre feet.
He said the bigger issue right now is what the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan is going to look like when the latest update is released this month.
The SWP water allocation is based on available water storage, projected water supply and water demands. Allocations are updated monthly as snowpack, rainfall and runoff data is analyzed, with a final allocation typically determined near the end of the season in May or June.
Historical data on SWP allocations is available at https://water.ca.gov/programs/state-water-project/management/swp-water-contractors.