Federal officials announced Friday that without a lot more rain and snow, many California farmers caught in the state’s drought can expect to receive no irrigation water this year from a vast system of rivers, canals and reservoirs interlacing the state.
“This is unprecedented,” said Louis Moore, spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the system that includes Folsom Lake, Shasta Lake and Millerton Lake near Fresno.
The Bureau of Reclamation released its first outlook of the year, saying that the agency will continue to monitor rain and snow fall, but the grim levels so far prove that the state is in the throes of one of its driest periods in recorded history.
Folsom Lake, which rose nearly 28 feet after storms earlier this month, is still low and has started to level off once again.
“We could see this depletion occurring and if we don’t make some tough decisions right now, that will persist, that will continue,” said Moore.
Unless the year turns wet, farmers can expect to receive no water from the federally-run Central Valley Project.
Central Valley farmers received only 20 percent of their normal water allotment last year and were expecting this year’s bad news.
Some farms do have access to groundwater and other sources, but many will fallow their fields.
Fresno County supervisor Phil Larson said he knew of a 3,000-acre lettuce farm that would be left bare and dry.
“That’s 72 million heads of lettuce that won’t be on the table tonight. I mean, that’s how serious it is,” said Larson.
Some communities and endangered wildlife that rely on the federal water source will also suffer deep cuts.
The cities of Folsom, Roseville and Tracy have been told to expect half their normal supply.
Roseville has restarted some of its groundwater wells to make up for some of the lost supply, but that will likely cost more to the city and its customers.
“Right now, it could actually be anywhere from a 15 to a 40 percent increase,” said Ed Kriz, Roseville’s director of Environmental Utilities.
Kriz said those increases and mandatory water-use cutbacks could take effect as early as next month.
“It’s going to have an impact on the lawn. Might not be able to keep it very green,” said Roseville resident Steve Hawks.
The city of Sacramento also receives much of its water through the Bureau of Reclamation system.
However, the city has a 1957 contract with the bureau that guarantees a set supply of water, regardless of availability.
A spokeswoman for the city of Sacramento said the bureau’s decision would have no effect.
“We will monitor the hydrology as the water year progresses and continue to look for opportunities to exercise operational flexibility,” Reclamation Commissioner Michael L. Connor said in a written statement, noting that the state’s snowpack is at 29 percent of average for this time of year.
Gov. Jerry Brown last month declared California’s drought emergency, and both state and federal officials have pledged millions of dollars to help with water conservation and food banks for those put out of work by the drought.
California officials who manage the State Water Project, the state’s other major water system, have already said they won’t be releasing any water for farmers, marking a first in its 54-year history.
In 2009 the dry weather caused federal authorities to announce many Central Valley farmers would receive no water, but the wet weather that followed moved that up to 10 percent.
Ryan Jacobsen, of the Fresno County Farm Bureau, said no Fresno County farmers were spared of bad news this time, marking a sad historical first. Fresno County leads the nation in agriculture production with $6.6 billion in annual economic activity.
There is still time for the situation to improve.
By late Wednesday the National Weather Service expects a storm to sweep through the region, bringing significant showers.
The weather is expected to break Thursday, with rain continuing Friday and Saturday.
“The state needs a succession of storms dumping mountain snow,” said Pete Lucero of the Bureau of Reclamation. “Rain is nice, but snow is where the money is,” he said.
Gayle Holman, of the Fresno-based Westlands Water District, the nation’s largest supplier of water for agricultural use, said she fears farmers will be stuck with no increases to the federal water distribution.
The district had been preparing farmers for Friday’s announcement.
“They’re all on pins and needles trying to figure out how they’re going to get through this,” Holman said, adding that Westland’s 700 farmers will choose to leave fields unplanted, draw water from wells or pay top dollar for water that’s on the market. “We would need those buckets of rain now.”
Contractors that provide farmers with water and hold historic agreements giving them senior rights will receive 40 percent of their normal supplies.
Some contracts date back more than a century and guarantee that farmers will receive at least 75 percent of their water.
One of those is the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority in Los Banos that provides irrigation for 240,000 acres of farmland.
The Water Authority’s executive director, Steve Chedester, said farmers he serves understand that the reality of California’s drought means it’s going to be tough to find enough water for them. “They’re taking a very practical approach,” he said. “If it’s not there, it’s just not there.”
Source: KCRA.com
