Water restrictions

California rainfall is at historic lows, water restrictions handed down this week

Andrew Chamings

It may feel like it's been pretty cold and wet in the Bay Area recently, but California is parched and drought restrictions are incoming.

The State Water Board handed down drastic water supply notices this week, putting thousands of water users on notice that water draws may soon be cut off completely.

Data from the U.S drought monitor reveals that over 90% of California is suffering through a moderate drought or worse, and there isn't a lot of help coming from the mountains, with the snow water content across the Sierra running at 60% to 75% percent of average.

While Southern California is the most arid, the whole state is facing another dry year. San Francisco's precipitation between July 2020 and March 2021 was at just 38% of normal, per data from Golden Gate Weather Services.

Northern California is stuck in one of the worst two-year rainfall deficits seen since the 1849 Gold Rush, per The Guardian, and beyond the water restrictions this has raised the risk of another dangerous year of wildfires. The current precipitation in the state is only 30% to 70% of what the state would expect to have seen during a normal year, without much rainfall on the horizon.

To attempt to get ahead of the problem, the California Department of Water Resources has lowered initial allocations from the State Water Project for the 2021 water year following the second consecutive dry winter.

The department said Tuesday it expects to deliver 5% of requested supplies instead of the initial allocation of 10% announced in December.

“Initial allocations are based on conservative assumptions regarding hydrology and factors such as reservoir storage,” a department statement said. “Allocations are reviewed monthly and may change based on snowpack and runoff information. They are typically finalized by May.”

The department said the 5% allocation amounts to 210,266 acre-feet of water, distributed among the 29 long-term State Water Project contractors who serve more than 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland.