From Office of the Governor:
What you need to know: California has worked with the federal government to manage water delivery and increase the amount of water flowing to our farmers and southern regions – even when federal and state law require pumps to be slowed down.
Despite recent misinformation, California is delivering more water to farmers and Southern regions of the state than under the Trump Administration. Thanks to strategic negotiations with the Biden administration, California has worked with the federal government to manage water delivery and increase the amount of water flowing to farmers and southern regions – even when federal and state law require pumps to be slowed down. Regardless, these water flows have zero impact on the ability of first responders to address the fires in Southern California.
Under the Trump administration’s 2019 biological opinions, which help safeguard and protect species such as the Delta smelt, the state was required to hold back on pumping in even larger quantities as compared to the current policies under the Biden administration. This is because the Trump administration’s biological opinions used outdated methods, blocking the transport of water in greater quantities and for longer periods of time, rather than allowing local water managers to temporarily slow water transport based on current water conditions.
Since the new policies went into effect on December 19, the State Water Project — source of about 30% of Southern California’s water supply — has gained 12,500 acre-feet of additional water supply beyond what would have been possible under the 2019 Trump policy and a previous state endangered species permit. The additional supply is approximately enough water to meet the needs of 37,500 households for a year.
To be clear, the flow of water in the Delta has nothing to do with the availability of water in addressing the current firestorms in Los Angeles. There is an abundance of water in reservoirs in the Los Angeles area. The state reservoirs are full, continue to be replenished, and water is available — enough to supply the entire population of California for a year.