The drought picture has improved dramatically as snow pack levels are well-above their seasonal averages and most reservoirs have recovered to normal or slightly-above normal levels. But the impact of the "regulatory drought" on Delta water deliveries is becoming even more evident. The State Water Project (SWP) and the Central Valley Project (CVP) are operating as if we faced severe drought conditions.

The US Bureau of Reclamation today enhanced its final allocations for the CVP. Contractors south of the Delta will receive 40% of their contracted supplies, in spite of the fact that Lake Shasta water levels are now at 110% of the seasonal average. In fact, the lake is nearing its capacity and operators are preparing to spill additional water in anticipation of spring snowmelt.

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) also announced today an increase in its delivery projections for the State Water Project (SWP) to 40%. A final allocation will be made at the end of this month. The SWP is being hit hard by smelt and salmon regulations (see Delta Restrictions), and dry conditions in the Feather River watershed. Lake Oroville still stands at just 74% of normal.

Hydrologic Conditions

Statistics as of May 4 (Dept. of Water Resources)
Northern Sierra precipitation: 107% of normal
Southern Sierra precipitation: 113% of normal
Statewide snow pack water content: 143% of normal
Northern Sierra snow pack: 188% of normal
Statewide water storage: 96% of normal

State Water Project (SWP) allocation: 40%

Central Valley Project (CVP), south-of-Delta allocations: 30% (ag); 75% (urban)

Current Delta Restrictions

Due to smelt and salmon regulatory constraints, both projects have already lost a significant portion of storm runoff this year. Through April 15, the projects lost an estimated 722,000 acre-feet of water, with over 500,000 acre-feet of that attributable to the SWP. By comparison, the SWP is scheduled to deliver a total of just 1.25 million acre-feet of water this year. The SWP’s largest contractor, Metropolitan Water District, reports it has lost enough of its SWP contract to serve the City of Anaheim (pop. 350,000) for three years. Accordingly Met is ordering a second straight year of mandatory conservation and raising rates. The pace of SWP and CVP cutbacks is expected to increase, as April 15 also marked the beginning of two full months of new salmon-related restrictions that will severely limit pumping capacity.

Later this month, Judge Oliver Wanger will rule whether to grant a permanent injunction against the Delta Smelt and Salmon biological opinions. Water exporters have charged that those opinions are not based on the best available science.

The Senate and Assembly today approved a major water package that includes an $11 billion bond that must be approved by voters.

“The agreement would implement a strategy that includes conservation, storage facilities, recycling and Delta protection measures,” said Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth of Murrieta.

The package of bills approved today included Senate Bill X7 2, the Safe, Clean, Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010, authored by Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, who serves as vice chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.

“Today’s historic agreement is the most significant step that the state has taken in decades to invest in its crumbling water infrastructure. Nothing is more important to the state’s economic prosperity than ensuring that we have water to meet California’s needs now and into the future. With this plan, we can improve the state’s water supply and protect the environment, without destroying our economy,” said Sen. Cogdill.

“This agreement also delivers on the expectation that California taxpayers have for lawmakers to put aside partisan differences to achieve common sense solutions that benefit the entire state,” added Cogdill. [Cogdill Release] [Hollingsworth Release]

Senator Cogdill audio #1 (117kb mp3)
Senator Cogdill audio #2 (108kb mp3)

Click here view video of Senator Dave Cogdill (R-Modesto) delivering remarks at a joint informational hearing of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.

Senate Billx7 2, the Safe, Clean, Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010, by Senator Cogdill, is a comprehensive solution which invests $9.4 billion in General Obligation bonds in our state's aging water infrastructure – focusing on storage, conservation and environmental protections.

The proposal includes:

Effective Water Management: Reserving Water in Wet Years to Survive Dry Years

The measure includes $3 billion for the public benefit portion of environmentally responsible water storage. These funds would be used to build new facilities and expand existing sites to ensure excess water from wet years is available to use in dry years. In addition, this investment will allow the state to leverage matching funds from other sources. This legislation also contains $1.9 billion for regional water supply, conveyance, and drought relief projects and $500 million for groundwater cleanup, particularly in disadvantaged communities and other economically distressed areas.

Responsible Environmental Protections: Helping the Environment without Devastating the Economy

The plan also contains $2 billion to preserve the Delta and other fragile ecosystems -- including restoration projects for rivers, the ocean and fish barriers. Another added benefit is that these projects in the Delta will improve conveyance and help make California’s water system more reliable.

Resource Conservation: Making Every Drop Count

While increasing storage will help reduce shortages in the future, the measure also includes building water supply in the short term through water conservation and water-use efficiency programs.

As published in the Flash Report on September 18, 2009.

President Ronald Reagan was no stranger when it came to making tough choices. He was a true leader not only in words, but in actions, and helped inspire a generation of new leaders.

He once told us that; “A leader, once convinced that a particular course of action is the right one, must be undaunted when the going gets tough.” This is the kind of leadership we need in Sacramento when it comes to crafting a solution to California’s water crisis.

Democrat Governor Pat Brown had that kind of leadership when he pushed for building the California Aqueduct, but unfortunately, that kind of Majority Party leadership hasn’t surfaced on the issue of water for many years.

We know – all too well now – what the problems are. A lack of water storage and an endangered species law that judges have used to restrict delivery of water supplies to users south of the Delta resulting in a massive economic jolt to Central and Southern California this summer.

Unemployment in the Central Valley shot up and losses to agriculture-related businesses were estimated at $1 billion. 35,000 jobs were lost this year alone due to water shortages according to the Ag Water Council. Worse yet, the crisis is bound to repeat itself next year.

Leaders like Senator Dave Cogdill and the other Republicans I served with on the Legislative Conference Committee on Water know what needs to be done. We need new water storage. We need new reservoirs. We need a way to move that water to the consumers who need it. A water system built for 16 million people 50 years ago cannot provide for the needs of the 50 million Californians we’ll have in 10 years.

We know what we need. We know how to get the job done.

Unfortunately, we lack the Majority Party leadership needed to make those key decisions.

The series of hearings held by the Legislative Conference Committee drew input from every water-vested interest in California. And, like a scenario with too many cooks in the kitchen, what resulted from those hearings pleased no one. Senator Cogdill’s bond package, by far the boldest and most practical solution, was never considered. Ultimately, the five-bill package that came out of these hearings died from a lack of support on the final night of Senate session.

It failed for a variety of reasons. Several legislators from the Delta and the Bay Area and others representing coastal areas found the proposed bills did not go far enough on behalf of the environment. Other legislators voiced strong objections to unrealistic conservation mandates spelled out in AB 49, while others, myself included, were concerned about the protection of critically-important water rights.

No Republican was prepared to support the proposed bond on the final night of Legislative Session because it did not carry any guarantee – let alone language – that would have resulted in the construction of one new reservoir. Let me make this point very clear: you cannot conserve your way out of this water crisis. Additional storage is the only answer to solving the water shortages facing users south of the delta and it’s the only answer for the environmental problems facing the Delta.

This is a hard pill to swallow for the interests who oppose any new reservoir construction in California, but it is bitter medicine that must be taken.

Interestingly, we did have the water. During a “Fabulous February” of winter storm activity last year, the inflows at Folsom Lake were so strong that it would have filled a 2,000 square foot home from top to bottom in one second. In the space of just two weeks, the major reservoirs in my Northern California district were nearly at full capacity after they had sunk to levels not seen since the 1977-1978 drought.

What happened to most of that water? The sad thing is – most of that February rainfall went to waste. It washed into the Northern California rivers and streams that feed the Sacramento River, flowed into the Delta and out to sea.

We could have just as easily captured that water. It could have been stored in a proposed off-stream reservoir project called Sites Reservoir in Colusa County. It could have been saved and stored for later use in another proposed facility called Temperance Flat Reservoir in Fresno County. It could have been stored in a vastly expanded Shasta Lake Dam in Shasta County.

Unfortunately, we missed that opportunity. If we are fortunate enough to experience another heavy rain event this coming winter, or a record snow pack in the mountains, much of that will go to waste as well.

Although last minute negotiations failed to produce an agreement on a water bond acceptable to all stakeholders, the fight isn’t over. Negotiations continue. The Governor, to his credit, knows what needs to be done, and he can call the State Legislature back into session to work on the problem once again.

All we need now is the leadership, from both sides of the aisle, to make it happen.

Senator Sam Aanestad represents the watershed that supplies 80% of the water going south through the Delta to southern California -- the 4th Senate District that covers 12 Northern California counties.

Senator Dave Cogdill (R-Modesto), who also serves as the vice chairman of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, today issued the following statement after legislative action on water stalled:

“We have an obligation to get a comprehensive water solution accomplished but what’s on the table is not a serious attempt to get water flowing in our state and help our economy get back on track.

“There are quite a few hurdles to overcome – but they are not insurmountable. The proposals that the majority were putting up for a vote would have not added a single drop of new water in our state. Republicans agree our fragile Delta needs to be fixed, but we have been clear that environmental protection should not come at the price of economic destruction. We also need to better manage our water resources and the way the bond is currently written only creates trap doors to surface storage projects that will significantly improve the state’s water reliability.

“Despite today’s setback, we are making progress and I will continue to work until we achieve a complete solution that meets California’s water needs now and into the future.”

Cogdill has carried legislation for the past three and a half years to implement reforms to California’s water supply and delivery systems. This year, Senator Cogdill introduced the Safe, Clean, Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act, comprehensive legislation focusing on water supply, conveyance and Delta protection.