{ "id": "R44456", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R44456", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 460724, "date": "2017-04-26", "retrieved": "2017-08-22T14:59:46.229177", "title": "Central Valley Project Operations: Background and Legislation", "summary": "After five years of drought, rain and snowstorms in Northern and Central California in the winter of 2016-2017 significantly improved water supply conditions in the state in 2017. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of late April 2017, less than 1% of the state was in severe drought conditions. This represents an improvement from one year prior to that date, when 73% of the state was in severe drought conditions, and two years prior, when 92% fell under this designation. \nStress on water supplies due to drought resulted in cutbacks in water deliveries to districts receiving water from federal and state facilities, in particular the federal Central Valley Project (CVP, operated by the Bureau of Reclamation) and the State Water Project (SWP, operated by the State of California). In 2015, California mandated a 25% reduction in water use for nonagricultural water users, and overall SWP deliveries were limited to 20% of contractor requests. Some of these restrictions have since been relaxed.\nReclamation estimated its initial water allocations for CVP contractors for the 2017 water year in a series of announcements in February, March, and April 2017. For the first time in years, initial water allocations for most CVP water contractors were 100%. Contractors south of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers\u2019 Delta (Bay Delta) initially received lower allocations in March 2017 (65% for agricultural contractors and 90% for municipal and industrial contractors, respectively), but Reclamation subsequently revised these allocations upward to 100% in April. The allocations represented a drastic change from recent years, in which no supplies were made available to many of these contractors, who farm some of the most valuable irrigated agricultural land in the country. \nMost expect that the historically wet conditions of 2016-2017 will not continue in future years and that future water years will continue to see deliveries limited to some extent. Previous cutbacks to CVP deliveries (in particular during periods of increased precipitation) have caused some to criticize Reclamation\u2019s management of the CVP and question the extent to which factors beyond limited water supplies (e.g., restrictions to protect endangered species and water quality) influence water management and the quantity of water delivered to contractors. They argue that congressionally directed changes in the operation of the CVP that would result in increases to water allocations are needed. Other stakeholders argue that some of these changes could undercut environmental regulations, harm fish and wildlife, and potentially lower water quality. They also worry that legislative proposals that would alter the implementation of the Endangered Species Act could harm species in the region and set a precedent that could be used to affect other listed species in the future. \nLegislation enacted in the 114th Congress (Subtitle J of S. 612, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation [WIIN] Act) incorporated provisions from multiple California drought-related bills that had been considered dating to the 112th Congress. Among other things, these provisions directed pumping to \u201cmaximize\u201d water supplies for the CVP (in accordance with applicable biological opinions), allowed for increased pumping during certain high water events, and authorized expedited reviews of water transfers. \nSimilar to recent congresses, the 115th Congress is considering legislation that proposes additional changes to CVP operations. H.R. 23, the Gaining Responsibility on Water Act (GROW Act) incorporates a number of provisions that were included in previous legislation but were not in the final version of the WIIN Act. Congress may consider this and similar legislation, as well as oversight of CVP operations and implementation of WIIN Act CVP provisions. \nThis report provides an abbreviated background on the CVP and SWP. It also provides a summary of recent hydrologic conditions in California and their effect on water deliveries.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44456", "sha1": "fb1ce18149015f2da1f6ca140f598acb10a14790", "filename": "files/20170426_R44456_fb1ce18149015f2da1f6ca140f598acb10a14790.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44456_files&id=/0.png": "files/20170426_R44456_images_cf434df642255fad00ba0e4c5e2eea9a813ac8b1.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44456_files&id=/1.png": "files/20170426_R44456_images_5a428d68179419cb3633cdfad10c93ff4ab155ab.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44456_files&id=/2.png": "files/20170426_R44456_images_32d632bd04a9b6ba0ddc88635cbb2a56580d7816.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44456", "sha1": "5f8a16be9308742a9ea37011ee604f68c739b280", "filename": "files/20170426_R44456_5f8a16be9308742a9ea37011ee604f68c739b280.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4909, "name": "Water Resource Management" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 460296, "date": "2017-04-05", "retrieved": "2017-04-11T15:01:11.879691", "title": "Central Valley Project Operations: Background and Legislation", "summary": "After five years of drought, rain and snowstorms in Northern and Central California in the winter of 2016-2017 significantly improved water supply conditions in the state in 2017. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of March 21, 2017, about 1% of the state was in severe drought conditions. This represents an improvement from one year prior to that date, when 73% of the state was in severe drought conditions, and two years prior, when 92% fell under this designation.\nStress on water supplies due to drought resulted in cutbacks in water deliveries to districts receiving water from federal and state facilities, in particular the federal Central Valley Project (CVP, operated by the Bureau of Reclamation [Reclamation] in the Department of the Interior) and the State Water Project (SWP, operated by the State of California). In 2015, California mandated a 25% reduction in water use for nonagricultural water users, and overall SWP deliveries were limited to 20% of contractor requests. Some of these restrictions have since been relaxed. \nReclamation estimated its initial water allocations for CVP contractors for the 2017 water year in a series of three announcements in February and March 2017. Although many contractors received 100% allocations due to the wet winter, some CVP water contractors south of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers\u2019 Delta (Bay Delta) did not. After several years in which no supplies were made available to these contractors (many of whom farm some of the most valuable irrigated agricultural land in the country), the initial 2017 allocation was for 65% and 90% of contracted supplies for South-of-Delta agricultural and municipal contractors, respectively. In contrast to prior wet years, Reclamation noted that the reduced allocations were for the most part not the result of drought and/or environmental restrictions but were due to rescheduled water from the prior year. \nCutbacks in water deliveries to CVP contractors, especially during periods of increased precipitation, have caused some to criticize Reclamation\u2019s management of the CVP and insist that more water be delivered to contractors. Some also question the extent to which factors beyond drought (e.g., restrictions to protect endangered species) influence water management and the quantity of water delivered to contractors. They argue that congressionally directed changes in the operation of the CVP are needed and would result in increases to water allocations for agriculture and municipal contractors. Other stakeholders argue that some of these changes could undercut environmental regulations, harm fish and wildlife, and potentially lower water quality. They also worry that legislative proposals that would alter the implementation of the Endangered Species Act could harm species in the region and set a precedent that could be used to affect other listed species in the future. \nLegislation enacted in the 114th Congress (Subtitle J of S. 612, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation [WIIN] Act) incorporated provisions from multiple California drought-related bills that had been considered dating to the 112th Congress. Among other things, these provisions directed pumping to \u201cmaximize\u201d water supplies for the CVP (in accordance with applicable biological opinions), allowed for increased pumping during certain high water events, and authorized expedited reviews of water transfers. \nSimilar to recent congresses, the 115th Congress is considering legislation that proposes additional changes to CVP operations. H.R. 23, the Gaining Responsibility on Water Act (GROW Act) incorporates a number of provisions that were included in previous legislation but were not in the final version of the WIIN Act. Congress may consider this and similar legislation, as well as oversight of CVP operations and implementation of WIIN Act CVP provisions. \nThis report provides an abbreviated background on the CVP and SWP. It also provides a summary of recent hydrologic conditions in California and their effect on water deliveries from these projects.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44456", "sha1": "999fdb9998e559b4e1e1086f14fc4327aea215cd", "filename": "files/20170405_R44456_999fdb9998e559b4e1e1086f14fc4327aea215cd.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44456", "sha1": "e9e90e083ca2d751c8b3bf7462a99bdda27aaf7c", "filename": "files/20170405_R44456_e9e90e083ca2d751c8b3bf7462a99bdda27aaf7c.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4909, "name": "Water Resource Management" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 457568, "date": "2016-12-09", "retrieved": "2016-12-22T16:33:47.483229", "title": "Central Valley Project Operations: Background and Legislation", "summary": "California is in its fifth year of drought. Rain and snowstorms in Northern and Central California in the winter of 2015-2016 improved but did not eliminate drought conditions in the state. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of November 29, 2016, approximately 60% of the state was in severe drought conditions. This represents an improvement from one year prior to this date, when 92% of the state was under a severe drought designation.\nThe stress on water supplies due to the drought has resulted in cutbacks in water deliveries to districts receiving water from federal and state facilities, in particular the federal Central Valley Project (CVP, operated by the Bureau of Reclamation within the Department of the Interior) and the State Water Project (SWP, operated by the state of California). In 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown mandated a 25% reduction in water use for nonagricultural water users, and overall SWP deliveries were limited to 20% of contractor requests. In 2016, the state relaxed some of these restrictions and set new requirements for drought operations and planning, although the 2014 drought declaration made by Governor Brown remains in effect. The California Department of Water Resources expects to be able to meet 60% of requested SWP deliveries in 2016. \nThe Bureau of Reclamation announced its initial water allocations for CVP contractors for the 2016 water year on April 1, 2016. Despite the improved precipitation and water supplies in 2016 (especially in the northern and central parts of the state), some CVP contractors were subject to a fourth straight year of curtailments to their water deliveries. Water contractors south of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers\u2019 Delta (Bay Delta), who represent some of the most valuable irrigated agricultural land in the country, have been among the most severely affected by these cutbacks. \nCutbacks in water deliveries to CVP contractors, especially in a period of increased precipitation, have caused some to criticize the management of the CVP by the Bureau of Reclamation and insist that more water should be delivered to contractors. Some also question the extent to which factors beyond drought (e.g., restrictions to protect endangered species) are influencing water management and the quantity of water delivered to contractors. They argue that congressionally directed changes in the operation of the CVP are needed and would result in increases to water allocations for agriculture and municipal contractors. Other stakeholders argue that some of these changes could undercut environmental regulations, harm fish and wildlife, and potentially lower water quality. They also worry that legislative proposals that would alter the implementation of the Endangered Species Act could harm species in the region and set a precedent that could be used to affect other listed species in the future. \nThe 114th Congress is considering legislation that proposes to address western drought issues, including operations of the CVP. These bills include provisions that would change the Bureau of Reclamation\u2019s authorities to operate the CVP, among other things. The two bills proposing to address CVP operations that have received the most attention are H.R. 2898 and S. 2533; however, several related bills have incorporated CVP- and drought-related text. This includes FY2017 appropriations legislation and proposed omnibus energy legislation (S. 2012). Most recently, the text of S. 612, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, incorporated existing and amended text from H.R. 2898 and S. 2533, among other things. \nThis report provides an abbreviated background on the CVP and SWP, as well as a summary of recent hydrologic conditions in California and their effect on water deliveries from these projects. It also summarizes some of the issues pertaining to CVP operations that are being debated in the 114th Congress and discusses selected legislation that proposes to address these issues.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44456", "sha1": "e78e2861cbae4ae2bfccee8b9f9886ca48c25f7e", "filename": "files/20161209_R44456_e78e2861cbae4ae2bfccee8b9f9886ca48c25f7e.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44456", "sha1": "efb8c1d88f2f5ba2265cbdc7d48ff2cce049097f", "filename": "files/20161209_R44456_efb8c1d88f2f5ba2265cbdc7d48ff2cce049097f.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4909, "name": "Water Resource Management" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 453290, "date": "2016-06-10", "retrieved": "2016-10-17T19:53:44.979313", "title": "Central Valley Project (CVP) Operations: In Brief", "summary": "California is in its fifth year of drought. Rain and snowstorms in Northern and Central California in the winter of 2015-2016 improved but did not eliminate drought conditions in the state. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of May 31, 2016, approximately 59% of the state was suffering from severe drought conditions. This figure represents an improvement from one year ago, when 94% of the state was under a severe drought designation.\nThe stress on water supplies due to the drought has resulted in cutbacks in water deliveries to districts receiving water from federal and state facilities, in particular the federal Central Valley Project (CVP, operated by the Bureau of Reclamation within the Department of the Interior) and the State Water Project (SWP, operated by the state of California). In 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown mandated a 25% reduction in water use for nonagricultural users. In 2016, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) relaxed some of these restrictions and set new requirements for drought operations and planning. However, the drought declaration made by Governor Brown on January 17, 2014, remains in effect. \nOn April 1, 2016, the Bureau of Reclamation announced its initial water allocations for CVP contractors for the 2016 water year. Despite the improved precipitation and water supplies in 2016 (especially in the northern and central parts of the state), some CVP contractors are projected to see a fourth straight year of curtailments to their water supplies. Particularly hard hit have been contractors south of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers\u2019 Delta (Bay Delta). \nCongress is considering legislative proposals that would attempt to address western drought issues in several pending bills in the 114th Congress. These bills include, among other approaches, provisions that would alter the Bureau of Reclamation\u2019s authorities to operate the CVP, as well as provisions that would affect Bureau of Reclamation projects throughout the West. The two bills that have received the most attention to date are H.R. 2898 and S. 2533; however, several related bills have incorporated drought-related text and could be acted upon in 2016. \nCutbacks in water supplies to CVP contractors during a period of increased precipitation have caused some to criticize the management of the CVP by the Bureau of Reclamation and insist that more water should be pumped to users. Some also question the extent to which other factors beyond drought (e.g., restrictions to protect endangered species and other regulatory requirements) are the underlying cause of water shortages. Some supporters of these bills contend that the proposed congressionally directed changes in the operation of the CVP would result in much-needed increases to water allocations for agriculture and municipal contractors. Opponents argue that some of the proposed changes would undercut environmental regulations, harm fish and wildlife, and potentially lower water quality. Opponents further contend that some of the proposed provisions in these bills would alter the implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), potentially resulting in a precedent for all listed species. However, supporters of the bills note all provisions would be implemented in a way that is consistent with existing laws, including ESA. \nThis report provides an abbreviated summary of recent hydrologic conditions (including precipitation and reservoir levels) in California and their effect on water deliveries, in particular those related to the federal CVP. In addition, it summarizes some of the issues pertaining to CVP operations that are being debated in the 114th Congress.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44456", "sha1": "9184d6757c78688da01856e093076b5086658127", "filename": "files/20160610_R44456_9184d6757c78688da01856e093076b5086658127.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44456", "sha1": "1b7b2fdafc659bd51e120f5c4c80bac69e9631e9", "filename": "files/20160610_R44456_1b7b2fdafc659bd51e120f5c4c80bac69e9631e9.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4909, "name": "Water Resource Management" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 451622, "date": "2016-04-13", "retrieved": "2016-05-24T19:24:11.789941", "title": "Central Valley Project (CVP) Operations: In Brief", "summary": "California is in its fifth year of drought. Rain and snowstorms in Northern and Central California in the winter of 2015-2016 improved hydrologic conditions but did not eliminate the state\u2019s ongoing drought. As of March 29, 2016, approximately 73% of the state was suffering from severe drought conditions. This figure represents an improvement from one year ago, when 93% of the state fell under the severe drought designation.\nThe stress on water supplies due to the drought has resulted in cutbacks in water deliveries to districts receiving water from federal and state facilities, in particular the federal Central Valley Project (CVP, operated by the Bureau of Reclamation within the Department of the Interior) and the State Water Project (SWP, operated by the state of California). These cutbacks are continuing in 2016, although their exact magnitude has yet to be finalized. In 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown mandated a 25% reduction in water use for nonagricultural users. In November 2015, Governor Brown directed the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to extend restrictions if drought conditions persisted. The SWRCB extended and revised emergency conservation regulations on February 2, 2016. A drought declaration made by Governor Brown on January 17, 2014, also remains in effect. \nOn April 1, 2016, the Bureau of Reclamation announced its initial allocations for CVP contractors for the 2016 water year. Despite the improved precipitation and water supplies in 2016, especially in the northern and central parts of the state, some CVP contractors (in particular those south of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers\u2019 Delta) are projected to see a fourth straight year of significant curtailments to their water supplies. \nSeveral bills proposed to address drought in the 114th Congress (as well as in previous Congresses) have included, among other approaches, CVP-related provisions that would alter the Bureau of Reclamation\u2019s authorities to operate the project. The ongoing cutbacks to CVP contractors during a time of increased precipitation have caused some to criticize the Bureau of Reclamation and question the extent to which other factors beyond drought (e.g., restrictions to protect endangered species and other regulatory requirements) are the underlying cause of water shortages. Some supporters of the CVP-related provisions in these bills contend that the provisions would make available needed water for agriculture and municipal contractors. Opponents argue that the provisions would undercut environmental regulations, result in harm to fish and wildlife, and potentially lower water quality. Opponents further contend that operations related to protecting endangered species are guided by science and should not be altered to increase water supplies. \nThis report provides an abbreviated summary of hydrologic conditions (including precipitation and reservoir levels) in California as of early April 2016 and their effect on water deliveries, in particular those related to the federal CVP. The report also provides a table specifying initial water allocation estimates for water contractors associated with the CVP in recent years (see Table 1). In addition, it includes a summary of some of the issues pertaining to CVP operations that are being debated in the 114th Congress.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44456", "sha1": "e5ede5c1f796e6e2419a71be3d31037206aefd50", "filename": "files/20160413_R44456_e5ede5c1f796e6e2419a71be3d31037206aefd50.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44456", "sha1": "5cb5881b7536ec77272704dfd474032a0b3d5828", "filename": "files/20160413_R44456_5cb5881b7536ec77272704dfd474032a0b3d5828.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "Energy Policy" ] }