DWR Sets Initial 2012 Water Estimate at 60%

The Department of Water Resources today announced an initial allocation of 60% of requested deliveries to State Water Project contractors for 2012. The initial allocation -- or water delivery estimate -- is always conservative because it is made before the major winter storms that supply reservoir storage. Today's initial 60% allocation is relatively high due to carryover storage from unusually wet conditions last winter.  Just a normal winter will significantly increase today's allocation of 60% of the slightly more than 4 million acre-feet requested by the 29 public agencies (contractors) that supply water to more than 25 million Californians and nearly a million acres of irrigated farmland. <more> Dec. 1, 2011 CA Farmer