No Federal Water for California Farmers, Either

Earlier this month, state water authorities revealed that many California farmers would receive none of their annual water allocation from the State Water Project. Now, federal water authorities have announced that the farmers will receive no water from the Central Valley Project. There will still be partial allocations for those with pre-existing water rights, as well as to waterways that provide habitat to endangered fish species.

There is a modest amount of good news. Some rain and snow have fallen in February, pushing up the snowpack from 12 percent of average levels to 29 percent. There is also still ample time for late winter storms to arrive from the Pacific Northwest, provided a high pressure system over the Pacific that has wrought havoc in weather patterns across North America shifts from its stubborn, anomalous position.