a) The state’s major reservoirs were at about one-third of capacity in late 2008 at a time when they would typically be at about two-thirds. State water officials say it will take more than one extremely wet winter for storage levels to recover.
b) On Oct. 30, the Department of Water Resources announced its initial allocations to State Water Project contractors for 2009 – just 15% of requested amounts will likely be delivered. The allocation is the second lowest in the history of the project.
c) In June, 2005 the elevation of Lake Oroville was 897.12 feet. By February, 2008 the elevation had dropped to 719.86 feet. The lake lost 2,079,738 Acre Feet of water during that time.
d) State reservoirs as of January 31, 2009 were at 39% overall capacity. Compare that to the last major drought of 1987 to 1992 when the overall capacity was 53% and you can see we are in a much more critical situation. State water officials say it will take more than one extremely wet winter for storage levels to recover.
e) Regulatory measures are also restricting delivery of State Water Project water. This is likely to forever change the way we use water, particularly for landscaping in Southern California.
f) As of March 11, 2009, the elevation of Lake Oroville was 752.05 feet.
Drought - We are in the 8 driest years ever recorded. Lake Mead and the Colorado River (which supply a significant portion of Southern California’s water) have experienced the eight driest years ever recorded.
Back-to-back dry years and low reservoir levels have put California squarely in a statewide drought. State water officials say key reservoirs such as Lake Oroville will dip to record low levels later this fall. Mandatory rationing is in place in certain urban areas, and growers in some of California’s most productive agricultural regions are seeing dramatic cuts in water deliveries.