The state of California may be in for the worst drought year in California history, according to the Department of Water Resources.
The rainy season is over and state snowpack levels are still 20 percent below normal levels. Lake Oroville, the principal storage reservoir of the State Water Project, is only 56 percent full, state officials warned last month.
“Our most critical storage reservoirs remain low, and we face severe water supply problems in many parts of our state,” California Department of Water Resources Director Lester Snow said in an April media release.
The city of Ventura has dodged the brunt of the water shortage.
Karen Waln, management analyst for the city of Ventura, said that Ventura’s water comes from local sources. It is pumped from local wells and purchased from Casitas Municipal Water District.
According to Ron Merckling, water conservation and public affairs manager for Casitas Municipal Water District, Lake Casitas is 82 percent full.
Waln said the city is not planning on mandating water restrictions.
“The city’s water supply is healthy,” Waln said.
The eastern part of the county isn’t so lucky.
Calleguas Municipal Water District, which supplies water to Moorpark, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and part of Oxnard, relies on imported water from the State Water Project.
The project supplies water from Northern California to Southern California. The Department of Water Resources stated in a media release that it expects it will only be able to deliver 20 percent of requested project water this year.
Residents in Calleguas Municipal Water District’s area may soon face water restrictions, said Steve Sabbe, resource specialist with Calleguas Municipal Water District, but the water district has not yet determined their extent.
Besides having lower than normal rainfall for a third straight year, water supply is also being curtailed by environmental regulations.
In 2007, a federal court ruled that the Department of Water Resources must reduce the amount of water it pumps through the San Francisco Bay Delta due to its effect on the delta smelt, a threatened species.
Henry Graumlich, manager of special projects at Calleguas Municipal Water District, called these two factors a “double whammy” on water supply.
Merkling said that Governor Schwarzenegger declared a drought state of emergency earlier this year and asked all water agencies to use 20 percent less water statewide.
There are water-saving tips and information on free and discounted water-saving devices on the Casitas Municipal Water District’s website, www.casitaswater.org, Merkling said.