The California Department of Water Resources increased the State Water Project allocation to 45% for 2026, up from 30% in January, due to improved runoff from April rains. - Lake Oroville is at 99% capacity, and statewide reservoirs are 117% of average.
- Snowpack is only 12% of average, having melted weeks ago. - Flexible operations captured an extra 400,000 acre-feet of water.
- DWR urges careful water use as no backfill is expected until next season. This allocation supports 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland, with a focus on maintaining carryover storage for potential dry conditions next year.