This status report was prepared in response to a commitment to Governor Schwarzenegger that the Department of Water Resources (DWR) will monitor and report on water supply conditions and drought impacts.
Following a dry 2007 and 2008, California is now in its third year of a drought. These years also mark a period of unprecedented restrictions in State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project (CVP) diversions from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect listed fish species. Together, these factors are having a significant impact on the ability to meet the state’s water supply needs.
Drought impacts from this year’s water shortages are most severe in the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. CVP deliveries for that area are at 10 percent of contractors’ allocations this year, following deliveries of 40 percent in 2008 and 50 percent in 2007. The resulting water shortages are causing major economic impacts to agriculture and communities that depend on agriculture for employment. Demands for social services – food banks and unemployment assistance programs – have stretched the ability of local agencies to respond, as described in the Governor’s recent request for a presidential declaration of major disaster in Fresno County.
One conclusion that is evident from this review of year-to-date conditions is the importance of preparing for the possibility of a dry 2010. DWR will continue to monitor water supply conditions and drought impacts to identify any necessary supplemental response actions this year and will move aggressively forward to plan for a potentially dry 2010 in coordination with other state, federal and local agencies and the water community.
Lester A. Snow
Director, Department of Water Resources
This is a California Department of Water Resources Drought Report update from June of 2009. Its a pdf file around 98 pages. It states that we are in the 3rd year of a drought, check it out.
You are at www.paveroadsfirst.com based in Hesperia California. Our goal is to improve the quality of life in Hesperia for the people who live in Hesperia.
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