'Dire' prediction for California water allocation

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

As the first significant rain of the season fell on Northern California Wednesday, the state Department of Water Resources issued an ominous water supply estimate that makes it clear that much more precipitation is needed this winter.

In its annual water allocation estimate, usually issued around Dec. 1, the department projects that it will be able to fill only 5 percent of the water requests it has received from the 29 water agencies it contracts with - agencies that serve about two-thirds of California's population. Only once before - in 2010 - did the department issue a similarly low estimate of available water.

"No drought has been declared," said Ted Thomas, a spokesman for the department. "But it is not a good figure to start."

The initial allocation is a conservative estimate, he said, based primarily on water storage in the state's major reservoirs. Lake Oroville, the State Water Project's main reservoir, is at 41 percent of capacity compared with a historical average of 66 percent. Other reservoirs are at similarly low levels after the driest rainy season on record.

"We hope things improve with this winter's storms," said Mark Cowin, department director. "But there is no guarantee that 2014 won't be our third consecutive dry year. Today's allocation is a stark reminder that California's fickle weather demands that we make year-round conservation a way of life."

Click here to read more.