The Department of Water Resources today announced the initial allocation for water delivery to the State Water Project Contractors in calendar year 2005.

The initial allocation is 40 percent of Contractors' requested amounts, and will likely increase during the winter months. This initial allocation is slightly more than the initial allocation for calendar year 2004 of 35 percent and, since most of the period of heavy precipitation lies ahead, is considered a good start on water supply projections. The 2004 allocation was later raised to 65 percent of Contractors' requested amounts. the allocation as hydrologic and water supply conditions develop.

The 40 percent initial allocation amounts to 1,651,194 acre-feet, distributed among the 29 long-term SWP Contractors who serve more than 20 million Californians and about 750,000 acres of irrigated farmland. In making this allocation of State Water Project water, a major source of water for many Californians, the Department considered a conservative projection of hydrology, State Water Project operational constraints, and 2005 Contractor requests. SWP Contractors' Table A water for 2005 totals 4.13 million acre-feet, of which all was requested. Table A water is the maximum contractual amount that SWP Contractors can request each year. The Department will revise

A Notice to SWP Contractors appears on the DWR's State Water Project Analysis Office Web site at http://www.swpao.water.ca.gov/notices/index.cfm.

The Department of Water Resources operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs.