California IN BRIEF : FRESNO : Water Deliveries to Rise Significantly

After facing the prospect of receiving only 10% of their usual water allotment, districts that use Friant Reservoir can expect 53% of normal supply, officials said. During the worst of the drought in February, irrigation districts along the San Joaquin Valley’s east side from Madera to Kern counties had been told they would get only 10% of their water this season. But the series of storms called the “March miracle” helped fill Millerton Lake, as it did other reservoirs around the state. The Bureau of Reclamation has announced an increase in deliveries to 53%, the highest level of the past five years. That means 800,000 acre-feet of water will be delivered, regional director Lawrence F. Hancock said.