The California drought has reduced the share of the state’s electricity drawn from hydropower from 20% to 10%, Climate Central reported this week.
“Nearly all of California’s reservoir levels are below average for this time of year, with the water level of Lake Shasta, one of the state’s largest reservoirs, currently sitting at 42% of historical average,” Magill reports, citing California Department of Water Resources spokesman Ted Thomas. “Conditions are so dire that the California State Water Project, which provides supplemental water to 29 public water agencies, can only deliver 5% of the amount of water those agencies requested this year.” To compensate, U.S. Energy Information Administration data show the state relying more heavily on renewable energy and natural gas generation.
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