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The California State Water Project (SWP) is an engineering marvel. Planned, built, and operated by the state’s Department of Water Resources (DWR), it is a multi-purpose water storage and delivery system that extends across two-thirds of the state, bringing together canals, pipelines, reservoirs, and hydroelectric power facilities.
“The State Water Project provides a water supply to 27 million Californians and about 750,000 acres of farmland,” says Molly White, the DWR’s water operations manager for the State Water Project.
Most of California’s water comes from rain and snowfall in the northern part of the state, but the highest areas of demand are urban centers and agricultural areas in the Bay Area, the central coast, and the south. SWP engineers utilize natural waterways and constructed conveyance facilities to move water from where it’s most abundant to where it’s most needed. They also maintain storage facilities that capture and hold water from wetter times and deliver according to demand throughout the year. Altogether, the SWP supports two-thirds of California’s $2.8 trillion economy, reinforcing how crucial proper water management is to the state’s livelihood.
“Californians really have to keep in mind that we should be moving away from the concept that drought is just an occasional emergency that happens and goes away to continuing to recognize the importance of making water conservation a way of life in California,” White says.
During drought years, the California DWR prepares and implements a drought contingency plan. That has included temporary petitions seeking modifications to certain water rights requirements and empowering the SWP to manage the limited water supply to meet suitable water quality in the San Francisco Bay-Delta to meet minimum human health and safety needs. The Delta watershed covers more than 75,000 square miles and includes the largest estuary on the West Coast. DWR also installed a drought barrier: a rock-filled channel closure across West False River in the western Delta to minimize salinity intrusion in the area.
“In addition to actions taken in Water Years 2021 and 2022, DWR is also taking steps to improve water supply through new infrastructure and expedited groundwater recharge,” White says.
Not all infrastructure is brick-and-mortar: the Groundwater Accounting Platform is a state-supported data tool that enables groundwater sustainability agencies across California to track water availability and use. The platform works with other state efforts such as the Open and Transparent Water Data Act, the Newsom Administration’s Water Resilience Portfolio and Water Supply Strategy, and the DWR Water Accounting team’s Water Budget Handbook.
The most important new water management proposal in California is the Delta Conveyance Project. The Delta is an integral component of California’s water distribution system: 50 percent of California’s water supply flows through it. Seismic threats, a rising sea level, and other consequences of climate change threaten it. The proposed Delta Conveyance Project would protect and preserve the Delta’s water supply by rehabilitating critical infrastructure and building new conveyance methods.
“If the Delta Conveyance Project had been in place, we could have captured an additional 228,000 acre-feet between January 1 and January 31 of 2023 to be moved to storage to meet future water supply needs,” White says. “That is about 35 percent of the total volume exported by the SWP in Water Year 2022.”
Drought is complex. Like any environmental issue, it is the result of a wide variety of inputs and relates to several fields of study. Engineers need to collaborate across different disciplines to enable effective water management and collect more accurate data.
The DWR collaborates with research partners to analyze post-fire impacts on snow and hydrology and to better model snowmelt and runoff, soil conditions, sublimation, and landscape changes from climate change, fire, and tree mortality. Staff in DWR’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting are coordinating with hundreds of scientists, researchers, and partner agencies to present the best possible picture of runoff conditions amid unprecedented drought and climate change.
“As California experiences more extreme wet and dry periods, it is critical for the State to deploy innovative forecasting and water management strategies to adapt to our changing climate,” White says.
DWR is making big investments in its forecasting capabilities. It pulls data from aerial flights over the state’s river basins. DWR and federal and local water agencies have developed a Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) program to use scientific improvements in forecasting atmospheric rivers to better anticipate and manage large storm events while maximizing opportunities to increase water supply. Machine learning allows DWR to consider and analyze more variables in its forecasting.
“We must continue investments in new technologies, like advancement in forecasting, atmospheric river research, aerial snow surveying, groundwater recharge, water recycling, and desalination, as well as the importance of modernizing our infrastructure and flood management system,” White says.
In addition to upgrading sensors to enhance data collection, a significant effort is underway to replace the aging physical infrastructure at many hydrometeorological data collection stations. Many of the towers, poles, and buildings that house sensor equipment are at risk of failure under the harsh conditions in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the winter. DWR has identified a structural solution engineered to withstand extreme wind events while also making it safer for DWR staff to repair and maintain.
Drought isn’t a problem exclusive to California, but it is an endemic one. New and aspiring engineers would do well to take note of what the state has accomplished regarding its water supply and where it’s headed next. Further interdisciplinary collaboration, both formal and informal, can lead to more effective outcomes.
“As new innovative tools to address climate change impacts are developed by the next generation of engineers, this will further our work to sustainably manage California’s water supply,” White says.
California’s drought persists, but its character continues to oscillate. So far, the spring of 2026 is looking a lot like the spring of 2021, with a snowpack that’s approximately half the historical average. Long stretches of hot and dry weather at the beginning of the year limited snow accumulation, while a warm atmospheric river in February, followed by unusually high March temperatures, accelerated snowmelt.
“This pattern reflects what California is seeing more frequently: warm storms that produce more rain than snow and increasing swings between wet and dry conditions,” says Akiela Moses, media and public information supervisor at the Department of Water Resources (DWR). “Despite these challenges, it’s important to note that current reservoir storage is above average for this time of year, which provides a buffer heading into the dry season.”
DWR can’t control how much rain will fall, or how much snow will melt, but they can anticipate, with increasing accuracy, the overall water supply. With continued investment in forecasting and data collection, planning for and responding to dry conditions becomes easier.
DWR now factors in six-to-ten-day weather outlooks when forecasting its models so that short-term events like extreme rain or heat are better reflected. A new snow hydrology model (called iSnobal) gives more explicit information on snowpack, like when snow has become warm enough to melt. Along with UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab, DWR funds an experimental method for measuring snowpack temperature at various depths, providing a more accurate overall picture. And a multi-source runoff-forecast dashboard now includes forecasts from a variety of federal, private, and academic partners.
Meanwhile, the Delta Conveyance Project is pushing forward and making progress as it proceeds through environmental review, permitting, and design. Major milestones since 2023 include CEQA certification, key permits, and community benefit commitments.
“Additional approvals are expected in 2026, including the Delta Stewardship Council’s Certification of Consistency decision, as well as continued progress on permitting,” Moses says. “DWR is actively advancing all environmental compliance and permitting steps required before construction can begin.”
The DWR Statewide Monitoring Network has completed upgrades at several stations. While a significant portion of the network still needs to be updated, the completed upgrades have measurably improved forecasting and water management. The work is ongoing, but DWR expects approximately five more upgrades to be completed this summer, with additional sites planned for the following year. And DWR continues to innovate its forecasting and water management to better prepare for the state’s increasingly dynamic climate.
“DWR has expanded the use of cutting-edge tools such as high-resolution weather models, enhanced snowpack monitoring, and advanced airborne technologies that measure snow water equivalent with greater accuracy,” Moses says. “These improvements allow water managers to better anticipate rapid seasonal changes and make more informed decisions about reservoir operations, flood preparedness, and drought planning.”
Matt Zbrog is a writer and researcher from Southern California. Since 2018, he’s written extensively about a wide range of engineering disciplines, with a particular focus on the potential impacts of major technological breakthroughs. His work largely centers around conversations with engineering faculty at top universities, highlighting their research in areas such as nuclear power, artificial intelligence, soft robotics, and semiconductor design. He’s also worked with leaders and subject matter experts at the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
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