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Welcome to California Water Intelligence

Data through Feb 2026
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📍 Current Conditions as of November 2025
Status
Near Normal
In Drought
0%
of CA land (D2+)
Very Wet
1%
of CA land (W2+)
📊 Historical Trends 1895-Present
🔥
Drought Conditions
The annual rate at which severe drought coverage is changing. A positive value means droughts are covering more of California each year. The p-value indicates statistical confidence—values below 0.05 mean the trend is unlikely due to random chance.
Trend
+0.078%
per year (p=0.0047)
The average percentage of California experiencing severe drought (D2 or worse) during the historical baseline period before 1960. This represents conditions before significant climate change impacts.
Pre-1960
8.1%
D2+ baseline
The average percentage of California experiencing severe drought (D2 or worse) since 1990. Comparing this to the pre-1960 average reveals how drought conditions have changed in the modern era.
Post-1990
14.7%
D2+ modern
The percentage increase in severe drought coverage comparing the post-1990 period to the pre-1960 baseline. This shows how much more of California now experiences severe drought compared to the historical norm.
Change
+82%
severity increase
💧
Wet Conditions
The annual rate at which very wet conditions coverage is changing. A positive value means wet conditions are covering more of California each year. The p-value indicates statistical confidence—values above 0.05 mean the trend may be due to random variation.
Trend
+0.030%
per year (p=0.4060)
The average percentage of California experiencing very wet conditions (W2 or wetter) during the historical baseline period before 1960. This represents typical wet conditions before significant climate change impacts.
Pre-1960
8.5%
W2+ baseline
The average percentage of California experiencing very wet conditions (W2 or wetter) since 1990. Comparing this to the pre-1960 average shows whether wet periods have changed in the modern era.
Post-1990
10.7%
W2+ modern
The percentage change in very wet conditions comparing the post-1990 period to the pre-1960 baseline. Unlike drought, this change is not statistically significant, meaning wet conditions have remained relatively stable.
Change
+27%
not significant
Key Findings from 130 Years of Data

🔴 Drought Severity: Getting Much Worse

+82% increase in severe drought. Highly significant (p=0.0047).

📊 Drought Frequency: No Change

Droughts occur at same frequency. Problem is severity, not frequency.

💧 Wet Conditions: Modest Increase

+27% increase, but not statistically significant (p=0.406).

⚖️ Asymmetric Intensification

Droughts intensifying 2.6× faster than wet periods.

🎯 Bottom Line

Asymmetric climate intensification: dry extremes worsen, wet stays flat.

Data: NOAA NCEI SPI (nClimGrid-Monthly) | 9-month SPI | 1895-Present
🌧️ California Regional Precipitation
🏔️
Northern Sierra (8SI)
Cumulative precipitation for the Northern Sierra 8-Station Index. This is the primary indicator for California's water supply.
YTD Total
33.0"
through January 2026
Current precipitation compared to historical average for this point in the water year.
% of Avg
123%
above normal
🌲
San Joaquin (5SI)
Cumulative precipitation for the San Joaquin 5-Station Index (Central Sierra).
YTD Total
21.3"
through January 2026
Current precipitation compared to historical average for this point in the water year.
% of Avg
111%
above normal
🌾
Tulare Basin (6SI)
Cumulative precipitation for the Tulare Basin 6-Station Index (Southern Sierra).
YTD Total
14.7"
through January 2026
Current precipitation compared to historical average for this point in the water year.
% of Avg
106%
above normal
Water Year 2026 Progress Cumulative precipitation vs. historical range
Analog Years: Dotted lines show historical years with the most similar precipitation pattern at this point in the water year. ● Blue = ended wet (>110% of avg), ● Red = ended dry (<90% of avg), ● Gray = ended normal. Hover for details.
🏔️ Northern Sierra (8SI)
🌲 San Joaquin (5SI)
🌾 Tulare Basin (6SI)
🎯 Water Year Outcome Forecast Projected end-of-year precipitation based on historical patterns
How to read: The cone shows the range of possible outcomes based on how similar past years finished. The dark band shows 25th-75th percentile (likely range), light band shows 10th-90th percentile (possible range). The dashed line shows the median projection.
🏔️ Northern Sierra
🌲 San Joaquin
🌾 Tulare Basin
📈 Long-term Trends 100+ years of data — is precipitation changing?
Northern Sierra (8SI) →
No significant trend
(not statistically significant)
San Joaquin (5SI) →
No significant trend
(not statistically significant)
Tulare Basin (6SI) →
No significant trend
(not statistically significant)

🚧 Coming Soon to Supply Tab

❄️ Snowpack CDEC

Sierra Nevada snow water equivalent

🏞️ Streamflow USGS

Major river flows & inflows

🕳️ Groundwater CASGEM

Depth to groundwater levels

Data: NOAA PSL (1920-present) + CDEC (real-time) | Northern Sierra 8-Station, San Joaquin 5-Station (Central Sierra), Tulare Basin 6-Station (Southern Sierra)
🏔️ California Reservoir Storage as of 2026-02-25
20,112 / 24,973 TAF
17 Major Reservoirs Tracked
Status Breakdown
Full (90%+) 3
Good (70-90%) 10
Moderate (50-70%) 4
Low (30-50%) 0
Critical (<30%) 0

🚧 Coming Soon to Storage Tab

🗺️ Groundwater Basins DWR

Basin boundaries and storage anomalies

📉 Subsidence Tracking InSAR

Land subsidence from overdraft

Data: CDEC (California Data Exchange Center) | Daily storage updates | 17 major reservoirs
🏛️ California Water Management Agencies
🏢 Water Districts 1918 districts | 118,650 sq mi
🌊 Groundwater Sustainability Agencies 362 GSAs | 52,058 sq mi

Water Districts include irrigation districts, municipal utilities, community service districts, and other local agencies that manage water supply and distribution.

Source: DWR GIS Services — i03_WaterDistricts

GSAs are local agencies responsible for developing and implementing Groundwater Sustainability Plans under SGMA (Sustainable Groundwater Management Act).

Source: SGMA Portal — GSA Service Areas
Data Sources: DWR GIS Services (gis.water.ca.gov) for water district boundaries | SGMA Portal (sgma.water.ca.gov) for GSA boundaries | Data as of December 2025
🔧
Water Infrastructure
Map and analyze California's water conveyance infrastructure including canals, aqueducts, and distribution systems.

🗺️ Canal Systems DWR/USBR

Major CVP and SWP conveyance: California Aqueduct, Delta-Mendota, Friant-Kern canals.

⚡ Pumping Plants DWR

Key lift stations, capacity, and energy consumption data.

🔀 Diversions eWRIMS

Point of diversion locations, permitted volumes, and actual usage.

🏗️ Condition Assessment Research

Infrastructure age, maintenance needs, and modernization projects.

📜
Regulation & Policy
Navigate California's complex water rights system and groundwater sustainability regulations.

⚖️ Surface Water Rights eWRIMS

Appropriative and riparian rights, priority dates, and allocation status.

📑 Groundwater Sustainability Plans SGMA Portal

GSP summaries, sustainability indicators, and implementation milestones.

🌾 Ag Water Management Plans 90+ PDFs

District-level water use efficiency, conservation measures, and demand projections.

📢 Policy Tracking Research

Emerging regulations, curtailment orders, and legislative updates.

💰
Water Pricing
Track wholesale and retail water prices across California's agricultural sector. Data availability is limited—this tab is exploratory.

🏛️ USBR Contract Rates Scattered

Central Valley Project contract rates by district and water class.

💹 Water Market Transactions WestWater

Spot market prices, transfer volumes, and price trends.

🌾 Irrigation District Rates AWMPs

Final delivery costs to farmers by district and crop type.

📈 Price Indices Nasdaq Veles

California water futures and index pricing where available.