California slashes State Water Project allocation to 5% as year begins with record dryness

Drained reservoirs. Dwindling snowpack. Bone-dry soils.

After a record-dry start to 2022, California water officials announced Friday that they were cutting State Water Project allocations from 15% to 5%, and warned residents to brace for a third year of drought.

The news came only months after a rainy December offered temporary drought relief and prompted officials to announce a modest increase in previously allocated supplies to 15%. But after the driest January and February on record — and a March on track to follow suit — officials said they had to cut it down.

Read more at the Los Angeles Times.