California Fruit Growers Thank Water Department for Projected 35% in Water Supplies

The California Department of Water Resources announced an expected increase in State Water Project deliveries this year. Thanks to the early gains in the Sierra snowpack, the department expects to deliver 35% of requested water supplies, a bump from the 30% forecast in January. The California Fresh Fruit Association shared gratitude for the announcement, citing two years of receiving an initial 0% allocation.

California’s fruit growers rely on a consistent water supply. Ian LeMay, president of the association, said the state needs improvements to storage and infrastructure and changes to how water systems are managed. After receiving significant rainfall in December and January, LeMay says how much further those drops could have gotten with the ability to capture more water.

While hopeful the 35% will remain, the forecasted allocation could be lowered if extreme dry conditions warrant.

Read more on California’s water supply here.