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A drone view of the Canyon Creek bridge at Lake Oroville in Butte County, California. On this date, the water storage was 3,062,583 acre-feet (AF), 89 percent of the total capacity. Photo taken April 4, 2025 by Nick Shockey / DWR
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DWR: State Water Project allocation increases to 50% as winter runoff flows into California’s reservoirs; State Water Contractors respond …

Department of Water Resources (DWR)

From the Department of Water Resources:

As snow begins to melt in the mountains and make its way to California reservoirs, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) today announced an increase to the State Water Project allocation forecast for 2025. The allocation has increased to 50 percent of requested water supplies, up from 40 percent last month. The State Water Project provides water to 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland.

California’s snowpack peaked on April 4 at 100 percent for the season. With the weather warming up, that snowpack is now starting to melt and flow into California’s watersheds and further filling up reservoirs. Lake Oroville, the State Water Project’s largest reservoir, is 120 percent of average for this date and 95 percent full. DWR anticipates that Lake Oroville could reach capacity this spring, which would mark the third straight year the reservoir has filled. San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, a critical storage space for Southern California water, is 101 percent of average for this date and 83 percent full.

“This winter, water managers were able to navigate extreme swings between wet and dry conditions thanks in part to new operating permits that allow increased flexibility in operations to move water into storage while protecting endangered species,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “Our full reservoirs will allow us to help meet the needs of the State Water Project contractors and their customers this year as well as provide some water supply next year in the event that dry conditions return.”

California’s water system is complex and requires real-time adjustments to balance the needs of our state’s cities and farms and the natural environment. Earlier this month, the State Water Project reduced pumping in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to minimum levels to protect endangered fish species. These reductions are required as part of the operating permit for the State Water Project. Operators will likely maintain that lower rate through the end of May unless San Joaquin or Sacramento River flows increase beyond certain high-flow thresholds.

These constraints reinforce the need for California to invest in additional water supply infrastructure to provide operational flexibility. The proposed Sites Reservoir and Delta Conveyance Project would have been hugely beneficial to water supply had they been in place this season. The Delta Conveyance Project could have captured more than 867,000 acre-feet of additional water supply this winter, which would have translated to a 20 percent increase in the current State Water Project allocation, on top of the increase announced today.

Each year, DWR provides allocation forecasts based on available water storage, projected water supply, and water demands. Learn more about how the State Water Project allocation process works at https://water.ca.gov/News/Blog/2025/Jan-25/Get-the-Facts-About-the-State-Water-Project-Allocation.

The allocation forecast notice to State Water Contractors and historical data on SWP allocations are available at https://water.ca.gov/programs/state-water-project/management/swp-water-contractors.

The State Water Contractors respond …

Statement from Jennifer Pierre, General Manager of the State Water Contractors:
“The State Water Contractors welcome the most recent allocation increase to 50% of contracted State Water Project supplies, but we remain convinced that California needs more operational flexibility to make the most of the storms that are critical to our water supply each year.
This year, California’s reservoirs are nearing capacity, to the point that Lake Oroville is planned to spill, and DWR’s most recent snow survey measured statewide snowpack at 90% of average. Despite that, Delta exports have been running at less than half capacity while the State Water Contractors continue to pay for 100% of the system’s operation and maintenance. This mismatch in hydrology and supplies requires immediate attention and science-based action to retain environmental protections while also increasing stored supplies when reservoirs are spilling and there is significant sustained runoff through the Delta.”
The State Water Contractors is a statewide, non-profit association of 27 public agencies from Northern, Central and Southern California that purchase water under contract from the California State Water Project. Collectively the State Water Contractors deliver water to more than 27 million residents throughout the state and more than 750,000 acres of agricultural land. For more information on the State Water Contractors, please visit www.swc.org.

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Department of Water Resources (DWR)
Department of Water Resources (DWR)
The Department of Water Resources is charged with managing the state's water resources. The Department operates the State Water Project, regulates dams, provides flood management and emergency operations, implements the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), and provides grants and technical assistance to local agencies.