Press Release Provided by Friant Water Authority
On July 8th, the Bureau of Reclamation increased the 2022 water allocation for Friant Division Class 1 contractors from 15% to 20%. As in the prior two years, Friant Division Class 2 contractors did not receive an allocation, which continues to reflect that the hydrology for the 2022 water year is very dry. The increase in the Class 1 allocation is a welcome change, especially given other challenging conditions in the Friant Division, such as the deliveries of water supplies from Millerton Lake to the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors that began on April 1. As those deliveries ramp down, it increases our certainty that the remaining water in Millerton Lake can be allocated to the Friant Contractors. Based on current reservoir levels and forecasts, it appears that there may be an opportunity to increase the Class 1 allocation to 30% if no additional water in Millerton is required by the Exchange Contractors. FWA is optimistic that today’s revised allocation is the first step towards achieving that number.
