Officials plan to cut water deliveries

A California drought entering its third year has led to reduced water shares for many farmers locally and statewide, federal and state officials announced Friday.

Water users receiving Lake Oroville water will receive just 15 percent of their normal annual cut, the Department of Water Resources said. Federal contracts for Shasta Dam water will be shaved to 75 percent the normal amount, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced.

State officials warned of the likelihood of reduced supplies earlier this year, citing three straight drier-than-normal years, a shrinking Sierra Nevada snowpack, and the resulting record-low levels in the North State reservoirs supplying both Central Valley farmers and much of Southern California.

The effect of the water supply cuts on Mid-Valley farmers is not yet clear. Numerous water districts crisscross Tehama, Glenn and Colusa counties, many of them with state or federal contracts for reservoir water.

Federal water allocations may change next month when the reclamation bureau revises its forecast. A storm brought more than 3 inches of rain over the Mid-Valley last weekend and dropped snow over the Sierra Nevada, but its impact on water supplies remains to be seen.

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