DWR project allocation increases heading into summer
On May 15, 2026, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced an increase to the State Water Project (SWP) allocation for 2026. The allocation establishes how much water the state plans to deliver to the 29 public water agencies served by the SWP, which provides water to 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland.
The allocation is now 45% of the requested supplies, up from the previous allocation of 30% announced on January 29, 2026. The challenge remains that California’s snowpack, the state’s frozen reservoir, is essentially gone. Currently, the statewide snowpack is just 12% of average. The snowpack peaked in mid-February and has since melted off.
“California’s reservoirs are full, but most snowpack melted off weeks ago,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “We must use this stored water carefully because there’s no backfill until next season.”
