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Water Supply Conditions

Aerial view of a river winding through farmland, with fields of crops and plowed land on both sides.
The California Aqueduct brings LVMWD water from the Northern Sierra's.

The water year is October 1 through September 30 of each year.   Relying solely on potable water delivered from the State Water Project (SWP) and through the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), the state of the snowpack and reservoir levels are important to the total allocation of potable water LVMWD receives.  At the height of the last drought, water supplies were stretched so thin LVMWD customers faced a 73% mandatory reduction in water use. 

Current Water Supply Conditions: 

To gauge current water supply conditions from a high level see the current status of 3 important pieces to the State Water Project, and LVMWD's drinking water supply.

U.S. Drought Monitor:

The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) is a map released every Thursday, showing where drought is and how bad it is across the U.S. and its territories. The map uses six classifications: normal conditions, abnormally dry (D0), showing areas that may be going into or are coming out of drought, and four levels of drought: moderate (D1), severe (D2), extreme (D3) and exceptional (D4). 

Northern Sierra Precipitation: 8-Station Index:

An average of the conditions at 8 sites scattered around the Northern Sierras.  This shows a snapshot of the overall wetness, including snowpack and rain, of the major watersheds that feed reservoirs that are part of the SWP, including Lake Oroville.

California Major Drinking Water Supply Reservoir Levels:

Provided by the Department of Water Resources, this shows the current water levels at important storage sites in the SWP. 

For additional information on LVMWD's and California's water supply conditions, explore the resources below.

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Southern California Drinking Water Supplies 

California Department of Water Resources, Statewide Reservoir Conditions

The National Drought Resilience Partnership, Drought Map of California

State of California Drought and Water Conservation Information

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