SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Thousands of Central California farmers are being warned of possible water cutoffs this summer as the state deals with a drought that's already curtailed federal and state irrigation supplies.
On Tuesday, the State Water Resources Control Board warned about 6,600 farmers in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed of “impending water unavailability” that may continue until winter rains come.
Gov. Gavin Newsom last month declared a drought emergency for much of the state, including the Central Valley.
The Sierra Nevada snowpack that is a crucial water supplier was extremely sparse this year. It's not only impacting farmers, but the state's reservoirs, too.
Reservoirs should be full this time of year as the sun melts snowpack from a wet winter. But this past year was the third driest on record in terms of precipitation. California's reservoirs are about 50% lower than they should be. And it's only going to get worse as the summer drags on.
State officials say one of their most important reservoirs, Lake Oroville, could reach record lows by late August or September. That poses problems for farmers, fish, tourism and energy production.
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