Report: 95% of Calif. rainwater runs to ocean

A bipartisan group of lawmakers from California's Central Valley is urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax pumping restrictions from the Sacramento-San ...

January 23, 2023
5:42 PM

A bipartisan group of lawmakers from California's Central Valley is urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax pumping restrictions from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta as rivers and streams have been swollen by recent storms.In the delta — the heart of the state's vast water system — nearly 95% of incoming water has flowed into the Pacific Ocean, according to U.S. Bureau of Reclamation data cited by the Los Angeles Times.The newspaper reports that nearly a dozen lawmakers have written strongly-worded letters complaining that too much of California's stormwater is being washed out to sea instead of being pumped to reservoirs and aqueducts.