The Department of Water Resources Looks to Improve Runoff Forecasting as it Plans for Another Dry Year

/in , , /by /Maven's Notebook

At the September meeting of the California Water Commission, commissioners were given a briefing by the Department of Water Resources on their preparations for yet another dry year and the steps they are taking to prepare the State Water Project for climate extremes and the challenges of drought, flood, and wildfire.

Key takeaways from these presentations:

  • The Department of Water Resources is planning for another dry year; given recent years, the Department is learning to expect the unexpected.
  • Although conditions at Oroville are greatly improved over last this time last year, the Department is looking to have 1.6 MAF in Oroville before they will consider making some water available for export.
  • The Department is working to improve its forecasting by expanding its use of aerial snow surveys which are more accurate, and developing models that are less reliant on historic data and more reliant on modeling based on characteristics.
  • The 2023 State Water Project Delivery Capability Report will include climate change data and new risk-informed future projections.
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