As 2024 has come to a close, I want to take a moment to recap the recent water years we have had and look ahead to what 2025 has in store for us.
2023 was a tremendous wet year throughout California that filled up our reservoirs and provided maximum carryover storage for the 2024 water season. Though we entered the year in a strong position, 2024 was only an average water year, particularly in the Shasta Watershed.
Last year was a non-critical year for our water supply and we are optimistic that 2025 will be the same. The current projections from the Department of Water Resources show an estimated 4.3 million acre-feet (AF) of inflows into Shasta, well above the 3.2 million AF threshold to qualify as a non-critical year.
With that said, there is still plenty of time left in the year and forecasts can always change quickly in California. We will be much more confident once we receive updated projections in February.
Our west side neighbors, however, dealt with significantly reduced allocations that gradually increased throughout the year from an initial February allocation of 15 percent to finally a 50 percent allocation in June.
This was the result of major operational uncertainties in the water system resulting from regulations and court orders already in place. The result, however, was an inability to properly plan for the growing season, with additional certainty for their water deliveries coming only after it was too late to be of real use.
So while early 2025 season projections look favorable for our allocations, we are hopeful that our neighbors also receive early reliable allocations this year as well. This ever-increasing uncertainty overhanging our water supplies, impacted by new operations plans, new biological opinions and voluntary agreements, is why we continue to push forward multiple new projects to capture and store more water and prepare for future dry years.
This year, we finalized an agreement for the South of Delta Comprehensive Drought Plan and began work on a pilot project with our partners at Friant Water Authority, San Luis and Delta- Mendota Water Authority, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. As a result, we were able to jointly store 82.5 thousand Acre-Feet of water to be available during the next drought.
Our 2025 extension of this pilot project will build upon the progress we made this year while improving operations and looking at additional storage options for future use.
Over the summer, we participated in a signing ceremony for a $16 million grant for the Los Banos Creek Recharge and Recovery Project, which will begin Phase 1 of development in early 2025.
Additionally, this year Central California Irrigation District and Del Puerto Water District neared completion of the Orestimba Creek Recharge and Recovery Project, aided by an additional $1 million grant this year to complete construction. We continue to push forward the Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir Project and are making good progress in the design of the project.
To maintain reliable water supplies, we know that we need to keep pushing forward these projects and others like them, while working collaboratively with our local, state and federal partners and providing continued support for disadvantaged communities in our own backyard.
California’s water system is not a winner-take-all contest. Rather, we all benefit through collaboration, strategic planning and long-term investments. We look forward to building on the progress we have made in the coming year.
— Chris White is the Executive Director for San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority.
