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1 1 (February 28, 2017)

handle is hein.crs/govcbyy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 01;0i E.$~ & Updated February 28, 2017 California Drought: Water Supply and Conveyance Issues o'wie Despite recent rain, snowstorms, and severe flooding, portions of California-primarily the south-central coast and Southern California-continue to experience moderate to severe drought. (See Figure 1.) Compared to a year ago, however, statewide conditions have improved greatly. The 2015-2016 winter was the driest since recordkeeping began in the 1950s, but the 2016-2017 winter is shaping up to be one of the wettest. Although recent months have brought intense precipitation, more may be needed to replenish groundwater supplies depleted by five years of drought. Ongoing drought conditions in California are of continued interest to Congress. Despite the recent precipitation and even flooding in some areas, some portions of California may be entering a sixth year of drought; water deliveries to municipal water and irrigation districts from federal and state water projects may still be curtailed. It is not clear if, or by how much, above- normal precipitation in 2017 will ease drought conditions in remaining dry areas or how water supply will be affected. A drought declaration made by the governor on January 17, 2014, remains in effect, as do statewide water conservation measures. Figure I. California Drought: Feb. 2017 and Feb. 2016 Source: U.S. Drought Monitor at http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA. U.S. Department of Agriculture secretarial drought designations also remain in place for approximately two- thirds of the state (24 primary and 8 contiguous counties), as of February 22, 2017. Such federal declarations make available emergency loans, which partially compensate for losses for producers who cannot obtain commercial credit. Unlike many other states, California has a vast water- supply system composed of the State Water Project (SWP) and the federal Central Valley Project (CVP). Both projects supply water to irrigation and water districts throughout much of the state. The SWP primarily provides water to municipal and industrial (M&I) users and some agricultural users. The SWP announced an increase in water deliveries for 2017 over 2016, but deliveries remain curtailed (60% of contracted supply), as of January 18, 2017. The CVP supplies water to hundreds of thousands of acres of agricultural land throughout the state, as well as to some wildlife refuges and M&I water users. In 2015, water deliveries to some entities with CVP water contracts were cut by 100% (i.e., the users received no CVP water). For senior water rights contractors, CVP supplies were reduced by 25% in 2015. In 2016, the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation cut back water deliveries to some CVP water users. Water deliveries for many CVP contractors were announced at 100% on February 28, 2017; however, allocations for some water service contractors have not yet been announced. Congress funds and oversees the Central Valley Project, which in a normal water year delivers an average of approximately 7 million acre-feet of water-an estimated 20% of California surface water withdrawals. Major CVP and SWP pumps that move water to Central and Southern California are located at the southern portion of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers' Delta confluence with the San Francisco Bay (Bay-Delta). Approximately 22 million people receive water from the Bay-Delta annually. Curtailed operation of the pumps and the CVP water deliveries have been the subject of much congressional debate; Congress directed increased flexibility in pumping levels in the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act (P.L. 114-322, Subtitle J), enacted in December 2016. Whtsat Sae Drought conditions in California over the past five to six years, combined with restrictions on CVP and SWP operations to protect water quality, fish, and wildlife, affected several sectors and areas. Many cities and counties instituted water rationing, some fish and bird populations declined, and the governor mandated a 25% cutback in nonagricultural water use statewide. California agriculture remains the nation's largest producer in terms of cash farm receipts-accounting for 12.5% ($47 billion) of the U.S. total in 2015, the last year for which data are available. Although California's 2015 receipts were down 17% from 2014, producers with access to groundwater or other water supplies saw receipts grow February 23, 2017 February 23, 2016 .O 'T gognpo 'popmm- , goo 'S a X 11LULANJILiN,

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