Mid-Pacific Region

Central Valley Project Water Supply

The Central Valley Project was built primarily to integrate California's water way to protect against crippling water shortages and hazardous floods; it also produces hydroelectric power and provides flood protection, navigation, recreation and water quality benefits. The CVP serves farms, homes and industry in the Central Valley, San Joaquin Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. This multiple-purpose project plays a key role in California's powerful economy, providing water for 6 of the top 10 agricultural counties in the nation's leading farm state. The CVP is the largest single source of irrigation water in the state while also dedicating 800,000 acre-feet per year to fish and wildlife pursuant to the 1992 Central Valley Project Improvement Act.

General Information

News Release
(click to go to press release)

Central Valley Project Begins Water Year 2017 with 4.9 Million Acre-Feet of Storage

Oct 7, 2016

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project (CVP) began water year 2017, which runs from Oct. 1, 2016, to Sept. 30, 2017, with 4.9 million acre-feet of water in six key CVP reservoirs (Shasta, Trinity, Folsom, New Melones and Millerton reservoirs and the federal share of the joint federal/state San Luis Reservoir). This is 82 percent of the 15-year average annual carryover of 6.0 million acre-feet and 2 million acre-feet more than the amount with which the Mid-Pacific Region began WY 2016 on Oct. 1, 2015.

“Although overall CVP water supply conditions improved in WY 2016 compared to WY 2015 and WY 2014, we continue to face difficult circumstances as we deal with the ongoing effects of the drought,” said Mid-Pacific Regional Director David Murillo. “We got through WY 2016 by working closely with our water users and their willingness to work together to develop creative solutions to a multitude of challenges. We hope that water supply conditions improve as we move into WY 2017 but know we could be facing a sixth consecutive year of drought. Regardless of conditions, we will continue to collaborate with our water users, stakeholders and agency partners to best manage our critical water resources.”

The below table shows capacities and end-of-year storages in WY 2015 and WY 2016 for key CVP reservoirs; the next table compares end-of-year storages from WY 2012 to WY 2016. The amount of stored water at the end of the water year reflects the amount carried over into the new water year. One acre-foot is the volume of water sufficient to cover an acre of land to a depth of one foot, enough water to sustain a typical California household of four for one year. In spring 2017, Reclamation anticipates making a preliminary assessment of WY 2017 CVP water supply conditions.

CVP Reservoir Capacities and End of WY 2015 & 2016 Storage in Million Acre-feet
Reservoirs	Annual Storage Comparisons						15-Year Average Storage
CVP Reservoirs and Capacities	2016	% of  Capacity	% of 15 Year Avg	2015	% of  Capacity	% of 15 Year Avg	2002-2016
Shasta  4.552	2.8	62	117	1.6	35	68	2.39
New Melones  2.420	.53	22	43	.27	11	21	1.23
Trinity  2.448	.97	40	69	.55	22	38	1.41
Folsom  .977	.31	31	67	.17	18	38	.46
Millerton  .520	.23	44	94	.19	37	79	.25
Federal San Luis  .966	.071	7	28	.074	8	27	.257
Total  11.8	4.9	41	82	2.9	24	46	6.00

 

Comparison of Previous End-of-Year Storage in Key CVP Reservoirs
Million Acre-feet
2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	1977 (Driest Year)	1983 (Wettest Year)
4.9	2.9	3.1	5.1	6.9	1.5	9.8

 

 

 

The CVP is the largest single source of irrigation water in the state, typically supplying water to about
3 million acres of agricultural land in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys and along California’s central coast. The CVP also provides urban water for millions of people and industrial water essential to the San Francisco Bay Area’s economy. Water from the CVP is also crucial for the environment, wildlife and fishery restoration, and hydroelectric power production.

During WY 2016, CVP powerplants generated about 3.5 billion kilowatt-hours. Project use consumed about 25 percent of this energy; the remaining energy was made available for marketing. The Mid-Pacific Region’s hydroelectric generators have a combined capacity of approximately 2.1 million kilowatts.

During the course of 2017, Reclamation will continually monitor and evaluate hydrologic conditions and will adjust water supply allocations, as warranted, to reflect updated snowpack and runoff. Current allocations and background information are available at www.usbr.gov/mp/cvp-water/.

For additional storage information, please visit www.usbr.gov/mp/cvo or contact the Public Affairs Office at
916-978-5100 (TTY 800-877-8339) or mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov.

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Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 western states. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov.

Related Links

• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• California Department of Water Resources

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