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Pumping fails to allay worries
| Monday, Jun 18 2007 10:20 PM
Last Updated: Monday, Jun 18 2007 10:26 PM
State officials increased pumping out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta this weekend but local water officials remain concerned Kern County farmers could still face a shortage this summer.
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"By no means are we out of the woods," said Jim Beck, general manager of the Kern County Water Agency, which contracts for state water on behalf of many agricultural irrigation districts in the county.
The situation with the pumps has been a concern for several weeks. In an unprecedented move, the state shut down the massive pumps May 31 to protect delta smelt, a threatened fish species that gets sucked into the pumps and killed.
Limited pumping began again June 10 and state officials increased operations Sunday, in part because the fish have now migrated to areas of the delta with cooler water.
Pumping was still at about 10 percent of normal Monday. State officials said they expect to increase to normal levels for this time of year later in the week.
But Beck said the situation is still precarious.
"We're still holding our breath every day, making sure we have enough water for Kern County's water needs," he said.
The problem comes at a time when farmers' demands for water have increased due to recent high temperatures, he said, so even a return to normal pumping levels may not be enough to satisfy local needs.
No disruptions in state water deliveries have happened despite the pump shutdown because water was being supplied from the San Luis Reservoir.