Central Basin hosted the monthly Central MWD Caucus this week at its Commerce headquarters. More than 60 participants from across the region joined us this month to hear speakers from the Metropolitan Water District and the Long Beach Water Department give updates on the California drought and the state’s water supply outlook for 2009.

For our readers, here are a few key points from the presentations:

This week, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) issued the results of its third snow survey of the winter season, and the numbers aren’t so bad. The Sierra Nevada snowpack is 80% of normal for this time of year.

In related news, the California Data Exchange Center indicates that precipitation in the Northern Sierra is on the rise (which means more snow), although current conditions are still a far ways off from taking us out of the drought.

Looks like our reservoirs have a lot of catching up to do before they reach average levels. With DWR estimating cutting deliveries from the State Water Project to Southern California by 15% this year, regional water managers are facing serious water supply reductions on all fronts.

Worse still, rising costs of operating pumps and treatment facilities; reduced water sales; and costs associated with protecting the Delta habitat seem to be moving us all closer to an increase in water rates. For more information about the Central MWD Caucus, please visit our website.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 6th, 2009 at 1:55 pm and is filed under Central Basin News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.