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1 (May 15, 2015)

handle is hein.crs/crsuntaahed0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 1Congressonal Research Service ~I nmhg the iegislative debate since 1914 0 May 15, 2015 California Drought: Water Supply and Conveyance Issues Overview More than 94% of the state of California is experiencing severe drought, with 67% experiencing extreme drought and 47% exceptional drought-the most severe drought classification (see Figure 1). Although winter months brought some precipitation, recent snowpack data indicate that the winter of 2015 was the driest since recordkeeping began in the 1950s. The 2014 water year ended September 30, 2014, and was the third-driest year on record in terms of precipitation. Prior to 2014, precipitation during winter and spring 2013 was the lowest on record, leaving water storage reservoirs unusually low. With California now in its fourth year of drought, water deliveries to districts receiving water from federal and state facilities have continued to be curtailed. Some areas have seen wells go dry. Following the record-low snow water content survey, California Governor Jerry Brown on April 1, 2015, mandated a 25% reduction in water use for nonagricultural users. A drought declaration made by the governor on January 17, 2014, also remains in effect. Figure I. California Drought Conditions S. Drought Monitor California May 12, 2015 Source: U.S. Drought Monitor at http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced disaster declarations for most California counties. Such federal declarations make available emergency loans designed to partially compensate for losses producers who cannot obtain commercial credit. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Reclamation (part of the Department of the Interior) announced cutbacks to Central Valley Project (CVP) water users for 2015. The CVP supplies water to hundreds of thousands of acres throughout the state, as well as to some wildlife refuges and municipal and industrial (M&I) water users. The State Water Project (SWP) announced a slight increase in water deliveries for 2015 over 2014, but deliveries remain very low. The SWP primarily provides water to M&I users and some agricultural users. Major CVP and SWP pumps that supply water for 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. What's at Stake? The widespread nature of drought conditions, coupled with low water supplies in the state's major reservoirs and regulatory restrictions on CVP and SWP operations to protect water quality, fish, and wildlife, have affected many sectors and areas. Many cities and counties have instituted water rationing, species populations have declined, and a mandatory 25% cutback in nonagricultural water use has been put in place. Controversy has ensued over limiting the cutback to nonagricultural users; however, the governor has noted that water supplies already have been curtailed for some of the largest agricultural users. For example, for 2015 the projected water deliveries for CVP junior water rights contractors have been cut by 100% (i.e., they will receive no water from the CVP unless conditions improve). Senior water rights contractors have had their CVP supplies reduced by 25%. Similar reductions have occurred for SWP supplies. Some contractors have pumped groundwater or purchased water through water transfers or other means to offset reductions. Congress funds and oversees the Central Valley Project, which in a normal water year delivers, on average, approximately 7 million acre-feet of water annually. CVP 2015 water deliveries are severely curtailed due to drought and other factors. Although a much smaller percentage of the California economy than historically, California agriculture is still the nation's largest producer in terms of cash farm receipts- accounting for 11% (nearly $45 billion) of the U.S. total in 2012, the last year for which data are available (see http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/statistics/). The drought has affected crop and rangeland conditions and required livestock producers to use supplemental hay and grain. Hundreds of thousands of acres have been fallowed because sufficient water was not available. However, fruit and nut orchards continue to need irrigation during drought or the trees will die. The effects of drought on California agriculture could have ramifications beyond the state, with reduced supplies and higher product prices for some www.crs gov 1 7-5700

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