Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that will allow for more water supplies to remain in the Delta. According to the order, “the Water Board shall consider modifying requirements for reservoir releases or diversion limitations in Central Valley Project or State Water Project facilities.” That effectively means the State Water Resources Control Board is no longer bound to requirements centered on endangered fish.
The order comes after heavy criticism from a variety of interests, including lawmakers and farmers, regarding how the state addressed the recent floodwaters. Around the start of the new year, California experienced one of the wettest three-week periods in the state’s history. Much of that water was sent into the ocean as a result of failing to appropriately capture it, combined with overall California water regulations.
Newsom points out in the order that even with the substantial rain and snow that came through California, there is cause for concern. Significant rains in the fall of 2021 resulted in an optimistic outlook for the remainder of the water year. However, that was followed up by the driest start to a calendar year in more than 100 years. “The frequency of hydrologic extremes experienced in the State is indicative of an overarching need to continually reexamine policies to promote resiliency in a changing climate,” Newsom states in the order.
The executive order is intended to provide more flexibility to maximize the value of the state’s existing water supplies. The state snowpack currently sits at 186 percent of the average for this point in the year, and 138 percent of the April 1 average. Additionally, California’s major reservoirs have more water stored compared to February 2022. Shasta is at 85 percent of the average, Oroville is at 114 percent of average, and San Luis is at 93 percent of average. However, since the storms earlier in the year, February has thus far been relatively dry.
About the Author
