California water agencies that serve 27 million people will get just 5% of what they requested from the state to kick off 2023, water officials announced Thursday.
The news of limited water comes as California concludes its driest three-year stretch on record and as water managers brace for a fourth year with below-average precipitation. It also means water-saving measures are likely to continue, including calls for people to rip up decorative grass, limit outdoor watering, take shorter showers and run dishwashers only when full.
A storm currently bringing snow and rain to the northern end of the state has been welcome news, but people shouldn't get too optimistic, warned Michael Anderson, the state climatologist. Last year two major storms in October and December were followed by months of bone-dry weather.
"Don't get too carried away by any one storm," Anderson told reporters.
Much of California's water supply comes from snow that falls in the mountains during the winter and enters the watershed as it melts through spring. Some of it is stored in reservoirs for later use, while some is sent south through massive pumping systems.
The system is known as the State Water Project, and it provides water to two-thirds of the state's people and 1,172 square miles (3,035 square kilometers) of farmland. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which services Los Angeles and much of Southern California, relies on the state for about one-third of its water supply.
Southern California's supply is further threatened by the ongoing crisis afflicting the Colorado River, another major source for the heavily populated region.
The allocations could go up if California has a wet winter. Last December, for example, water agencies were told they would get zero per cent of requested supplies beyond what was needed for activities like drinking, bathing and maintaining sanitation. The state later boosted that to 15 per cent before eventually settling at 5 per cent.
Some districts may get additional water if the 5 per cent isn't enough to cover critical health and safety needs, said Molly White, water operations manager for the State Water Project.
Given the uncertainty about how long the drought will last, the state wants to keep water in Lake Oroville, its largest reservoir. Right now, it's about half as full as it usually is at this time of year. So officials plan to tap excess water from winter storms to provide the 5% supply and take some water out of the San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, White said.
The federal government also controls some water supply in California, much of which goes to farmers in the vast Central Valley who grow fruits, nuts and vegetables. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation doesn't issue its first water allocations until February but on Monday warned farmers and cities to prepare for limited supplies.
"If drought conditions extend into 2023, Reclamation will find it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to meet all the competing needs of the Central Valley Project without beginning the implementation of additional and more severe water conservation actions," the bureau said in a news release.
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell Â鶹´«Ã½ at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
A handwritten book was seized from B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton's prison cell following his death earlier this year, raising hopes of uncovering new evidence in a series of unprosecuted murders.
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year's attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel's most wanted man.
The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges Thursday against an Indian government employee in connection with a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.
A handwritten book was seized from B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton's prison cell following his death earlier this year, raising hopes of uncovering new evidence in a series of unprosecuted murders.
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
B.C. NDP Leader David Eby slammed his billionaire constituent Chip Wilson – again – on the campaign trail, following the publication of an op-ed by the Lululemon founder.
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
Three men convicted of helping lead and co-ordinate the border blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 are to be sentenced next year.
Some doctors in Ottawa say the pile of paperwork they're doing every day has been steadily growing as more public service workers seek doctor's notes in order to receive accommodations to work from home.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reminded his troops to treat South Korea as a hostile foreign enemy and insisted that the North wouldn’t hesitate to attack its rival if the South infringes upon its sovereignty, state media said Friday.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived in Sydney for the first Australian visit by a reigning monarch in more than a decade, a trip that has rekindled debate about the nation's constitutional links to Britain.
A Texas appeals court lifted a judge's order that had delayed Thursday night's planned execution of a man who would become the first person in the U.S. put to death for a murder conviction tied to a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome.
Yahya Sinwar masterminded an attack on Israel that shocked the world, unleashing a still-widening catastrophe with no end in sight.
The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges Thursday against an Indian government employee in connection with a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.
Florida voters and election supervisors in hurricane affected areas will have extra time and flexibility to ensure they still have the ability to vote in November elections.
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell Â鶹´«Ã½ at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says it's very disturbing that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre won't get the top-level security clearance needed to view classified documents on foreign interference.
The representative plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against Canada are urging First Nations chiefs to accept a landmark $47.8-billion child welfare reform deal.
Patients who are older, don’t speak English, and don’t have a high school education are more likely to experience harm during a hospital stay in Canada, according to new research.
Health Canada released an advisory Wednesday warning that baby walkers available online may pose a risk of injury and reminding consumers the items are already banned in Canada.
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Meta has launched a new campaign to protect teens and children from social media sextortion scams. It’s designed to help teenagers and their parents easily spot online scammers, who trick young people into sending intimate photos and use financial blackmail, threatening exposure.
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At the heart of the ancient city of Petra, Jordan, carved into pink sandstone cliffs, lies an elaborate monument known as the Khaznah, or the Treasury. And buried beneath that edifice, archeologists recently discovered, is a tomb with at least 12 human skeletons and artifacts that are estimated to be at least 2,000 years old.
Mitzi Gaynor, the effervescent dancer and actor who starred as Nellie Forbush in the 1958 film of 'South Pacific' and appeared in other musicals with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, has died. She was 93.
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Meta says it has laid off some employees, including staff at WhatsApp And Instagram, to realign its resources with its “strategic goals.â€
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Dozens of people rallied outside the Michigan headquarters of WK Kellogg Co. Tuesday, demanding that the company remove artificial dyes from its breakfast cereals in the U.S.
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The game against the San Jose Sharks is Hellebuyck Night – a night to recognize Connor Hellebuyck and his success last season winning both the Vezina and William M. Jennings trophies.
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Canada’s border guards have seized more than 1,900 stolen cars so far this year at railyards and ports, which is over a hundred more than in 2023.
The Ontario Provincial Police says the number of fatal collisions caused by distracted driving on the roads it patrols has increased by 40 per cent compared to this time last year.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled on Thursday his vision of a 'a fun, exciting future,' an 'age of abundance' full of his company’s self-driving cars without steering wheels, parking lots turned into parks and robots that will walk among the population – that he once again promised would be available within a few years.
A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the ‘Fellow in Yellow.’
John Cantin vividly remembers opening day for his Victoria diner. Stress levels were high, tables were full, and one of the most popular menu items couldn’t be freed from the unyielding grip of the waffle maker.
A Manitoba professor is warning the public after a book on regional mushrooms that he suspects is AI-generated was delisted from Amazon.
A B.C. judge has issued a decision in a years-long dispute between neighbours that began with a noise complaint over barking dogs, crowing roosters and quacking ducks – awarding $15,000 in damages to the plaintiffs in the case.
An Ottawa man was arrested after taking a shower in a stranger's house, Ottawa police say.
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Chef Paul Natrall, the man behind Indigenous food truck Mr. Bannock, is bringing cooking classes on First Nations fare to schools and offices throughout Metro Vancouver.
The Celtic Colours Festival is taking place at venues around Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia from Oct. 11 to 19.
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Canadian hip hop artist Dillan King says running 100 marathons in 100 days was not only the hardest thing he has ever done, but the 'proudest accomplishment' of his entire life.
B.C. NDP Leader David Eby slammed his billionaire constituent Chip Wilson – again – on the campaign trail, following the publication of an op-ed by the Lululemon founder.
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The agency that regulates real estate agents in B.C. has cancelled the licences of a man and his personal real estate corporation after he admitted to using an unregistered mortgage broker and submitting "falsified income and savings information" on two mortgage applications.
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) has released a statement in response to a recent CTV W5 investigation into an alleged sexual assault in 2014.
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Calgary police say despite an autopsy being conducted, it's not yet known what caused the death of a young woman at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
A Calgary dad is pleading to have his modified 1999 Honda Civic returned after it was stolen by thieves in the community of Legacy over the Thanksgiving long weekend.
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Nurses and other Quebec health-care workers voted 66.3 per cent in favour of a conciliator's recommendation to renew their collective agreement after several months of negotiations with the provincial government.
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RCMP are looking for witnesses in what they believe was the criminal death of a five-year-old girl at Wabamun Lake on Sunday.
Edmonton education support staff could be heading to the picket lines.
A profane anti-Israel message on a digital billboard in Moncton, N.B., has been turned off, but the question of how it got there in the first place remains.
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Over the past several years, the Winnipeg has been the backdrop for dozens of Hallmark holiday movies and this year several more are being added to the growing list of feel-good, seasonal films that are Manitoba-shot.
An Amber Alert issued by Waskesiu Lake RCMP for a 5-day-old baby boy has been cancelled.
Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe announced Thursday that if re-elected his party's 'first order of business' would be to introduce a policy that would ban 'biological males' from changing with 'biological females' in school changerooms.
Yorkton’s Chamber of Commerce hosted an “All Candidates Forum†Wednesday evening. With over 200 people in attendance, residents said they feel more confident in who to vote for in the upcoming provincial election.
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
Two police officers took the stand Thursday to describe what they found on Erick Buhr's clothing after his grandmother, Viola Erb, was attacked.
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
An Amber Alert issued by Waskesiu Lake RCMP for a 5-day-old baby boy has been cancelled.
Saskatoon mayoral candidate Cary Tarasoff says it's time for the city to get its finances back on track after building a reputation of overspending and mismanaging costly projects.
The Prince Albert Police Service is investigating after unidentified human remains were found in the city.
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
A Quebec-based company that supplies hydro turbines and generators has been fined $80,000 after a millwright was critically injured at a job site last year in Iron Bridge, Ont.
An intoxicated person living on Highway 17 in Spragge, Ont., has been arrested for making repeated false 911 calls in a span of several hours Oct. 11.
West Elgin fire crews say flames were pushing through the roof when they arrived on Graham Road just after 2:00 p.m.
OPP closed a section of road in Middlesex County on Thursday morning following a crash.
The first day of testimony at the fatal bush bash shooting trial heard from a 21-year-old woman who was at the party when things turned deadly.
An Orillia man has been arrested four months after a collision on Highway 12 in Ramara Township that police say claimed the life of a senior.
On Thursday, provincial police issued a reminder to the public about the warning signs of fraud involving online transactions and financial transfers.
At 17 years old, Myles Kozinski is making a difference by creating the Orillia community fridge program.
Windsor police are investigating shots fired in a quiet east Riverside neighbourhood.
Closing arguments are complete in a careless driving trial in Chatham.
The revival and relaunch of Maple Leaf Wrestling, under the new name, Maple Leaf Pro (MLP) Wrestling, is set to take shape this weekend at St. Clair College in Windsor.
B.C. NDP Leader David Eby slammed his billionaire constituent Chip Wilson – again – on the campaign trail, following the publication of an op-ed by the Lululemon founder.
Forecasters have elevated their warnings about an atmospheric river system that is expected to hit coastal British Columbia on Friday, bringing potential flooding, heavy rain and high winds.
The Transportation Safety Board says a mistake by a Canadian Pacific Railway supervisor set off a crash between a freight train and a railway work vehicle in Cache Creek, B.C.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
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Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
With Halloween just around the corner, the Lethbridge Bulls staff have been hard at work getting Spitz Stadium ready for a different sort of fall classic.
Lethbridge post-secondary schools are trying to navigate recent changes to the cap on international students, announced by the federal government in January.
More than 600 students on the Piikani Nation will soon have a new space to learn after the federal government announced funding Thursday morning.
Surveillance cameras that are used to both deter crimes and help investigations will soon be installed throughout Sault Ste. Marie.
A Quebec-based company that supplies hydro turbines and generators has been fined $80,000 after a millwright was critically injured at a job site last year in Iron Bridge, Ont.
A physician shortage is again forcing the closure of the emergency department at the Thessalon Site of the North Shore Health Network.
A five-hour drive from St. John's, N.L., and well off the beaten path, Point Leamington seems an unlikely spot for a one-of-a-kind tourist attraction.
A Conservative MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says some small towns in his rural riding are overrun with crime, but police say they haven't received reports to that effect.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
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