Reclamation announces initial 2026 water supply allocations for Central Valley Project contractors

Today, the Bureau of Reclamation announced initial 2026 water supply allocations for Central Valley Project water users. The Central Valley Project serves over 270 contracts that provide water for ~3 million acres of highly productive farmland, communities across the Central Valley and Bay Area, and Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley wildlife refuges.

Water supply allocations are based on an estimate of water available for delivery and reflect current reservoir storage, precipitation, and snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, as well as contractor-rescheduled water from the last water year.

While early-season storms brought some precipitation to the Sierra, a dry and warm January significantly reduced snow accumulation. Recent measurements show statewide snowpack at roughly 59% of the historical average with key high-elevation basins below median snow-water equivalent for this time of year.

Reservoir storage, however, remains stronger than average due to recent wet years and active water management efforts, providing a buffer as hydrologic conditions continue to evolve ahead of the critical spring runoff season. Executive Order 14181 has driven operational improvements that delivered more than 200,000 acre-feet of additional water to the Central Valley Project, enough to supply more than 500,000 people for a year, by streamlining operations and capturing storm flows that historically could not be stored.

“While current snowpack conditions remain below average, we are encouraged by the recent storm activity and the additional precipitation it has brought to the state,” said Acting Regional Director Adam Nickels. “As we receive and analyze updated data from these storms, particularly snowpack and runoff forecasts, we are hopeful conditions may improve. We will continue to closely monitor hydrologic developments and update allocations accordingly to reflect the most accurate and up-to-date information available.”

Based on current hydrology and forecasting, Reclamation announces the following initial Central Valley Project water supply allocations:

North-of-Delta Contractors

Sacramento River

• Irrigation water service and repayment contractors north-of-Delta are allocated 100% of their contract total.
• Municipal and industrial water service and repayment contractors north-of-Delta are allocated 100% of their contract total.
• Sacramento River Settlement Contractors’ water supply is based upon settlement of claimed senior water rights. The 2026 water year is determined as non-critical, as defined in their Settlement Contracts, which allows for 100% of their contract water supply.

American River

• M&I water service and repayment contractors north-of-Delta who are serviced by Folsom Reservoir on the American River are allocated 100% of their contract total.

In-Delta Contractors

• M&I water service and repayment contractors who are serviced directly from the Delta are allocated 100% of their contract total.
• Cross Valley water service and repayment contractors are allocated 15% of their contract total for irrigation; M&I water service and repayment contractors are allocated 65% of their historic use of public health and safety needs, whichever is greater.

South-of-Delta Contractors

• Irrigation water service and repayment contractors south-of-Delta are allocated 15% of their contract total.
• M&I water service and repayment contractors south-of-Delta are allocated 65% of their historic use, or public health and safety needs, whichever is greater.
• San Joaquin River Settlement Contractors and San Joaquin Exchange Contractors’ water supply is based upon settlement/exchange of claimed senior water rights. The 2026 water year is determined as non-critical, as defined in their contracts, which allows for 100% of their contract supply.
• In addition to this allocation, Central Valley Project contractors south-of-Delta are expected to reschedule approximately 180,000 acre-feet of unused allocated water from 2025 for use in 2026. South-of Delta allocation and rescheduled water supply accounts for 100% of the total south-of-Delta Water Repayment Contractors contract supply.

Eastside Water Contractors 

• Eastside water service contractors (Central San Joaquin Water Conservation District and Stockton East Water District) will receive 0% of their contract total.

Friant Division Contractors

• Friant Division contractors’ water supply is delivered from Millerton Reservoir on the upper San Joaquin River via the Madera and Friant-Kern canals. The first 800,000 acre-feet of available water supply is considered Class 1; Class 2 is considered the next amount of available water supply up to 1.4 million acre-feet. The Friant Division water supply allocation 100% of Class 1 and 0% of Class 2.

Wildlife Refuges

• The 2026 water year is determined as non-critical, as defined in their contracts, which allows for 100% of contract supply for wildlife refuges (Level 2), both north- and south-of-Delta.

“These initial allocations reflect a cautious but realistic assessment of water availability,” said Acting Regional Director Adam Nickels. “There is still a portion of the traditionally wet season in front of us, and we are committed to delivering as much water as possible to our Central Valley Project contractors.”

Reclamation reserves about 93,000 acre-feet of water in San Luis Reservoir that is attributed to a drought reserve pool and is not considered available for water supply allocations in non-critical years. Further, Reclamation recognizes around 203,000 acre-feet of previous year water rescheduled by Central Valley Project contractors for use this water year. This rescheduled water, representing enough to support around an additional 10% south-of-delta irrigation water service and repayment contract allocation, is not considered available for current year water supply allocation, though it may be used by these contractors this year.

As the water year progresses, changes in hydrology, actions that impact operations, and opportunities to deliver additional water will influence future allocations. Reclamation will continue to monitor hydrology and may adjust basin-specific allocations if conditions warrant an update. Water supply updates are posted on Reclamation California-Great Basin Region’s website.

Background

The Central Valley Project is one of the largest water storage and conveyance systems in the world, extending 400 miles through California, from the Cascade Range near Redding to the Tehachapi Mountains near Bakersfield. The project’s complex, multipurpose network of dams, reservoirs, canals, and hydroelectric powerplants provide benefits to communities, farms, and the environment. With more than 270 contracts, the Central Valley Project delivers water for     3 million acres of highly productive farmland, serves over 6 million Californians, produces 4 billion kilowatts of hydropower in an average year, provides flood protection, and supplies water for fish and wildlife.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation’s largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits.