Drought Watch 2014
Lake Oroville,
2014
Conservation Action Committee
April 17, 2014
What’s Happened Since We Last Met?
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Not Much Good News for California
 Jan. 17 – Governor Brown
declares state of
emergency
 Jan. 30 – State snowpack
level dwindles to 12% of
normal
January 18,
2013
 Jan. 31 – 2014 State
Water Project delivery
estimate reduced to zero
 No “March Miracle”
January 18,
2014
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Water Agency Drought Response
 Feb. 11 - MWD of S. California
declares “water supply alert”
 Calls for voluntary conservation,
doubles conservation budget
 Feb. 14 – Water Authority
activates drought response plan
 Declares “Drought Watch” condition,
increased voluntary conservation
 Most local agencies have activated
drought response ordinances
Levels of Water Authority
Model Drought Response
Ordinance
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Current Water Supply Conditions
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Northern Sierra 8-Station Precipitation Index, April 14, 2014
We’re a little better,
but not much
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Statewide Snowpack Conditions
 DWR snow survey on April 1
 Typical date of season’s maximum
snow accumulation
 Statewide snowpack was 32% of average
Snowpack Conditions on April 14, 2014
Region
North
Central
South
Statewide
Inches
4”
10”
6”
7”
% Normal
16%
33%
25%
26%
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Colorado River Basin - Inflow to Lake Powell
140%
120%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
*US Bureau of Reclamation WY 2014 forecast made on April 2, 2014
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Source: April 8, 2014 MWD Water Planning and Stewardship Committee
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Fiscal Year Potable Water Use
Water Authority Service Area
Acre-Feet
80,000
70,000
July – March of FY 2014 is 4% more than in FY 2013
% Average Rainfall at Lindbergh Field
FY 2013
FY 2014
Dec – Feb: 71%
Dec – Feb: 26%
Ave. Daily Max.Temp.
January 2013: 64.6º F
January 2014: 70.5º F
Normal:
65º F
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Water Use FY13 (AF)
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Water Use FY14 (AF)
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What’s Happening Next?
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Fed/State Drought Operations Plan
April - November 2014
 USBR, DWR coordinating major water systems
 Addresses health and safety needs, salinity control in the Delta,
and fish and wildlife protection
 Conservative assumption that drought persists into 2015
 No new water expected in 2014 from State Water Project
 Agencies will update plan as conditions change
 Report on http://ca.gov/drought/
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National Weather Service Outlook
April – June 2014
Precipitation Outlook
A = Above Average
Temperature Outlook
B = Below Average
EC = Equal Chances
Made March 20, 2014
• Over 50% chance of El Niño developing in summer
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Campaigns for Increased Conservation Ramping Up
 Statewide:
 “Save Our Water” outreach (ACWA/DWR) increasing in June
 Southern California
 MWD effort in development, expected June launch
 Coordinating messages in San Diego region
 Water Authority
 Launching late April
 Coordinating with member agencies (city of San Diego, etc.)
 Securing additional grant funding for incentives
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Thank you!
Jason Foster
Director, Public Outreach and Conservation
San Diego County Water Authority
jfoster@sdcwa.org
(858) 522-6701
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