Water supplies not looking good for 2016 (December 3, 2015)
FRESNO — Public water agencies that serve millions of residents in drought-weary California might only receive 10 percent of expected supplies in 2016 — half the amount that flowed to them this year through the state’s massive system of reservoirs and canals, state officials say. However, the early estimate could change, depending on the rain and snow that falls this winter, the state’s Department of Water Resources said Tuesday. Forecasters have said a strong El Nino weather system could drench California in the coming months. But one good winter might not be enough to rehydrate the parched state that has endured four bruising years of drought.
The State Water Project supplies 29 public water agencies that serve nearly two-thirds of California residents and irrigate nearly a million acres of farmland.
Source: Daily Press