Californians to Get More Water Following Recent Storms in Northern California

California residents can expect an increase in their water allocation next year, the Department of Water Resources announced Monday.

Supplies from the State Water Project have risen from 5% earlier this month to 15%, providing more water for 27 million Californians.

The DWR said strong storms in the last months of 2024 have helped boost statewide precipitation and reservoir levels.

“The past several weeks has brought welcome rain and snow to Northern California and these improved conditions have allowed the State Water Project to increase the allocation forecast to the benefit of millions of Californians,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth.

“While we typically wait to provide an update until January, we felt it important to let our State Water Contractors know of the increase as soon as possible to allow them to better plan their water supply for the year ahead.” 

The project, which is one of the largest water systems in the world, collects water from rivers in Northern California and redistributes it to cities and farms from the Bay Area through the Central Valley to Southern California via a network of aqueducts and pumping stations. 

As the winter progresses, if California sees an increase in rain and snowfall, the allocation forecast may increase again, the agency said.

The next update will likely come in January and will use information from the first snow surveys of the season.