Central Valley Project (CVP) Operations: In Brief

Summary

California is in its fifth year of drought. Rain and snowstorms in Northern and Central California in the winter of 2015-2016 improved hydrologic conditions but did not eliminate the state’s ongoing drought. As of March 29, 2016, approximately 73% of the state was suffering from severe drought conditions. This figure represents an improvement from one year ago, when 93% of the state fell under the severe drought designation.

The stress on water supplies due to the drought has resulted in cutbacks in water deliveries to districts receiving water from federal and state facilities, in particular the federal Central Valley Project (CVP, operated by the Bureau of Reclamation within the Department of the Interior) and the State Water Project (SWP, operated by the state of California). These cutbacks are continuing in 2016, although their exact magnitude has yet to be finalized. In 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown mandated a 25% reduction in water use for nonagricultural users. In November 2015, Governor Brown directed the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to extend restrictions if drought conditions persisted. The SWRCB extended and revised emergency conservation regulations on February 2, 2016. A drought declaration made by Governor Brown on January 17, 2014, also remains in effect.

On April 1, 2016, the Bureau of Reclamation announced its initial allocations for CVP contractors for the 2016 water year. Despite the improved precipitation and water supplies in 2016, especially in the northern and central parts of the state, some CVP contractors (in particular those south of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers’ Delta) are projected to see a fourth straight year of significant curtailments to their water supplies.

Several bills proposed to address drought in the 114th Congress (as well as in previous Congresses) have included, among other approaches, CVP-related provisions that would alter the Bureau of Reclamation’s authorities to operate the project. The ongoing cutbacks to CVP contractors during a time of increased precipitation have caused some to criticize the Bureau of Reclamation and question the extent to which other factors beyond drought (e.g., restrictions to protect endangered species and other regulatory requirements) are the underlying cause of water shortages. Some supporters of the CVP-related provisions in these bills contend that the provisions would make available needed water for agriculture and municipal contractors. Opponents argue that the provisions would undercut environmental regulations, result in harm to fish and wildlife, and potentially lower water quality. Opponents further contend that operations related to protecting endangered species are guided by science and should not be altered to increase water supplies.

This report provides an abbreviated summary of hydrologic conditions (including precipitation and reservoir levels) in California as of early April 2016 and their effect on water deliveries, in particular those related to the federal CVP. The report also provides a table specifying initial water allocation estimates for water contractors associated with the CVP in recent years (see Table 1). In addition, it includes a summary of some of the issues pertaining to CVP operations that are being debated in the 114th Congress.