From the Bureau of Reclamation:
The Bureau of Reclamation is increasing Central Valley Project 2026 water supply allocations for south-of-Delta contractors reflecting improved water supply conditions and operational flexibility.
“Increasing water allocations means more reliable water for California’s farmers, families and communities, supporting food production, local economies and greater affordability,” said Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Andrea Travnicek. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are making the most of available water supplies and improving delivery certainty so the Central Valley Project can better serve the people and communities that depend on it.”
This action underscores the ongoing commitment of the Trump administration to improve water supply reliability, enhance system resilience, and reduce regulatory delays, consistent with the directives outlined in Executive Order 14181. Efforts under this Executive Order are supporting food production, strengthening economic stability, and fostering community resilience throughout California.
In addition, it will align with existing Central Valley Project upstream reservoir operations and associated water temperature management operations at those facilities.
“Reclamation continues to carefully monitor hydrologic conditions and operate the Central Valley Project to make the most efficient use of available water supplies,” said Reclamation’s California-Great Basin Acting Regional Director Adam Nickels. “While conditions this year have been dynamic, careful monitoring and water supply management provide for updated water allocations to our south-of-Delta contractors while continuing to meet project operational requirements. We remain committed to working closely with our water users and partners to maximize water supply reliability for California communities, agriculture, and the environment.”
Based on current hydrology and updated forecasts, Reclamation is announcing the following changes to CVP water supply allocations:
South-of-Delta Contractors
- Irrigation water service and repayment contractors south-of-Delta are increased from 25% to 28% of their contract total.
- Municipal and Industrial water service, and repayment contractors are increased from 75% to 78% of their historic use, or public health and safety needs, whichever is greater.
All other allocation amounts announced May 19 remain unchanged.
Reclamation manages the Central Valley Project, one of the nation’s largest water storage and delivery systems, providing water to farms, cities, and wildlife refuges, and other beneficial uses throughout California.
Water supply updates are available on Reclamation’s California-Great Basin Region website.
Westlands responds …
In response, Allison Febbo, General Manager of Westlands Water District, issued the following statement:
“We appreciate this increased allocation and want to acknowledge the hard work the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) puts into managing the Central Valley Project. Balancing competing demands across a complex, aging system is not easy, and we appreciate that Reclamation is committed to finding ways to improve water availability for Central Valley growers as the season progresses.
At the same time, a 3 percent allocation increase this late in the year only underscores the need to modernize California’s water management system. Even when hydrologic conditions improve, our current system too often falls short of delivering available water to the people, farms, and communities that depend on it.
In this strained system, every drop counts and this increase is meaningful to the farmers on the west side of Fresno and Kings counties. Our growers produce food for our region, our state, and the country’s tables. Every additional acre-foot of surface water helps them maintain operations, preserve farm jobs, keep agricultural land in production, and reduce pressure on groundwater pumping. We do not take that for granted. This additional allocation will directly help avoid pumping critical groundwater reserves that are essential to the survival of our farms during periods of surface water shortages.
We look forward to continue working with Reclamation and federal and state leadership as we work together toward a more reliable and responsive water supply system that can better serve the family farmers and rural communities of the San Joaquin Valley for years to come.”
Westlands continues to work with the Bureau of Reclamation, federal leadership, and policymakers to develop new methods and tools that will secure earlier, increased allocations and improve operational flexibility in the future.
