The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has announced an initial State Water Project (SWP) allocation forecast of five percent of requested supplies for 2025.  The December initial water supply forecast is the first allocation of the new water year and is based on current reservoir storage and conservative assumptions for precipitation to come. For comparison, last year, the initial allocation for Water Year 2024 was 10 percent of requested supplies and it eventually increased to 40 percent by the end of the season.

The initial allocation forecast announced today does not take into account the series of strong storms that brought precipitation to above average across Northern California in the last two weeks of November. These storms will be taken into account along with other variables for future allocation updates. Prior to these storms, the start of the water year had been dry and warm.  “Based on long-range forecasts and the possibility of a La Nina year, the State Water Project is planning for a dry 2025 punctuated by extreme storms like we’ve seen in late November,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “We need to prepare for any scenario, and this early in the season we need to take a conservative approach to managing our water supply. Our wettest months of the season are still to come.”