A Step Forward, But More Is Needed
This week, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced an increase in the Central Valley Project (CVP) water allocation for south-of-Delta agricultural contractors, raising it from 50% to 55% for the 2025 water year. While this modest increase offers some relief to farmers, farm workers, and rural communities in the San Joaquin Valley, it underscores the ongoing challenges of California’s unreliable water supply system. Insufficient water allocations have far-reaching consequences, not only for agriculture but also for the nation’s food supply.
California has favorable water supply conditions this year, the case for higher allocations is strong, yet systemic issues continue to hinder progress.
It’s time for California and the federal government to prioritize a resilient water system for all Californians.
California’s Unreliable Water System vs. Other Infrastructure
Increasing Expectations-Lagging Investment
California’s largest water supply systems, the CVP and State Water Project (SWP) are engineering marvels but have become increasingly unreliable due to outdated regulatory constraints, aging infrastructure, and are being asked to shoulder even more responsibilities, all while facing an uncertain climate.
The CVP’s 20 dams, 500 miles of canals, and 11 power plants manage 9 million acre-feet of water annually, yet its ability to deliver water is hampered more and more by inflexible, outdated regulations. For example, even in wet years, regulation-driven restrictions on Delta pumping intended to protect endangered fish like Chinook salmon, Delta smelt, and steelhead, often reduce water supplies for Central and Southern California, despite the regulations’ lack of measurable specific environmental benefits.
Sadly, water infrastructure investments have lagged for both agricultural and domestic water users.
More than a decade ago, voters authorized more than $7 billion in investments in water infrastructure, ecosystem restoration, and drinking water protections when they passed Proposition 1. The measure, intended by voters to provide financial assistance to crucial water projects, has been slow to produce results.
One project, finally entering the construction phase in 2025, Sites Reservoir, could have provided more than a million acre-feet of water for farms, the environmental, and cities during our last drought.
The Delta Conveyance Project, a proposed tunnel to improve water supply reliability, could capture an additional 909,000 acre-feet in wet years but faces more delays and opposition.
Tens of millions of Californians and millions of acres of farmland working to produce our food, increasingly rely on a fragile water network of aging levees, canals, and dams, some built in the 1930s, which struggle to handle “weather whiplash,” or the swings between drought and floods which the state expect to become more common.
Compare this to other major infrastructure systems.
California’s high-speed rail project, while controversial, has secured more than $11 billion in funding during the last decade to modernize transportation, and is projected to cost more than $100 billion by 2045 for Phase One of the project.
The state’s energy grid receives enormous investments in renewable energy and storage to meet climate goals. In 2023, the California Independent System Operator approved more than $7 billion in new transmission infrastructure alone, as it seeks to replace systems mostly built in the 1950s and 1960s.
Unlike transportation or energy, water infrastructure lacks consistent investment, leaving farmers and communities vulnerable.
In California’s “Alice-In-Wonderland” world, farmers who have been starved for water for decades are turning dry, fallowed farmland into solar projects in order to stay in business. Imagine the productivity and crop diversity that would still exist in the San Joaquin Valley if the same level of investment had been plowed into the water systems that help grow our food.
Current Water Supply Conditions Support Higher Allocations
The 2025 water year has shown promising hydrologic conditions, particularly in Northern California. Atmospheric river events in late 2024 and early 2025 boosted reservoir levels, with Lake Shasta, the CVP’s largest reservoir, currently at 110 percent of YTD average. The SWP’s Lake Oroville, is at 99 percent capacity and 121 percent of its historical average. Sierra Nevada snowpack, a critical water source, is also in good shape and is continuing to deliver runoff into these and many other reservoirs.
Despite favorable conditions, the Bureau of Reclamation’s allocation remains cautious. South-of-Delta agricultural contractors are still receiving just 55 percent of their contracted amount, while many other CVP users are cruising along at 100 percent.
Prioritizing Water for All Californians
The recent increase to 55 percent is a welcome step, but it’s not enough to fully support the San Joaquin Valley’s agricultural engine or ensure equitable water access.
California’s water system must balance the needs of agriculture, urban users, and the environment while adapting to an uncertain climate. Infrastructure like the Delta Conveyance Project, new storage at Sites Reservoir and expanded storage at San Luis Reservoir are critical but require urgency and bipartisan support.
The State of California and the federal government must prioritize water supply for ALL Californians—farmers, farm workers, rural communities, urban residents, and the environment. Only through long-overdue investments in modern infrastructure, sensible management, and an end to regulations that provide no measurable environmental benefits can we ensure a sustainable, resilient water future for the Golden State.
