BOR Urges Farmers To Prepare Again For Limited Water Supplies
Sacramento, CA — Federal officials are telling farmers who rely on water from the Central Valley Project to brace for a potential fourth consecutive drought year.
The Central Valley Project’s 400-mile network of dams and reservoirs, including New Melones, provides water to downstream municipalities and valley farmers. The Bureau of Reclamation put out a statement this morning calling for those who rely on the water to “begin planning for potentially extremely limited water supply conditions in 2023.”
The BOR goes on to state, “Despite the early storms that California experienced this month, drought conditions continue. Conservative planning efforts will help better manage the limited water resources.”
It is too early to say if California will experience a fourth consecutive year of drought, but many of the state’s larger reservoirs are only at around 30 percent capacity.
More rain and high-country snow is expected to arrive in California late this week and continuing through the upcoming weekend.
The initial water supply allocations for the Central Valley Project will be announced in February.
