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California Drought: Water Supply and Conveyance Issues (CRS Report for Congress)

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Release Date Oct. 22, 2014
Report Number IF00008
Report Type In Focus
Source Agency Congressional Research Service
Summary:

Nearly 60% of the state of California is experiencing “exceptional drought”—the most severe drought classification (see Figure 1, below). The 2014 water year ended September 30 as the third-driest year on record in terms of precipitation. Additionally, precipitation during the winter and spring months in 2013 was the lowest on record, leaving water storage reservoirs unusually low going into 2014. Water deliveries to water districts receiving water from federal and state facilities throughout the state were cut due to hydrological and regulatory factors. Some areas relying on groundwater saw wells go dry. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts below-normal precipitation again for this winter.