Damage to the Oroville Dam spillway is preventing the State Water Project from providing 100 percent allocations. State Water Resources says the 60 percent allocation is based on how much water is being stored, not how much is produced by rain and snow. The level of Lake Oroville is being kept low as work takes place until the next wet season and they must also leave room for when the heavy snow pack starts melting. All the water that could be moved to the San Luis Reservoir near Los Banos has been moved and it’s at 100 percent capacity. There may be a chance to increase the SWP allocation after the rainy season ends. Federal water contracts for the Central Valley Projects are getting 100 percent allocations, but the state supplies most of Kern County’s water agencies.

Sean Michael Lisle