Drought cutting off water to state's farms
| Friday, Feb 20 2009 07:58 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Mar 25 2009 06:16 PM
Federal water managers said Friday that they plan to cut off water, at least temporarily, to thousands of California farms as a result of the deepening drought gripping the state.
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials said parched reservoirs and patchy rainfall this year were forcing them to completely stop surface water deliveries for at least a two-week period beginning March 1, and that municipal and industrial users would get just half of what they’ve requested. Authorities said they haven’t had to take such a drastic move for more than 15 years.
The situation could improve slightly if more rain falls over the next few weeks, and officials will know by mid-March if they can release more irrigation supplies to growers.
The Central Valley Project usually announces an initial allocation in February and updates it in March and sometimes again in April to reflect the latest weather conditions.
“This allocation doesn’t take into account the rain we’ve had in February, and there’s supposed to be more coming,” said spokeswoman Janet Sierzputowski. “So we’re hopeful, hopeful, we’ll be able to increase it.”
Mike Young, president of the Kern County Farm Bureau, called the situation “ugly.”
“It’s going to make a lot of people rethink their plans,” he said. “Luckily, we’re early enough in the growing season for people to deter water to their permanent crops to keep those alive.”
Permanent orchards are harder to replace than row crops that are planted every year.
Farmers in the nation’s No. 1 agriculture state predicted the water shortage would cause consumers to pay more for fruits and vegetables, which would have to be grown using expensive well water.
“Water is our life — it’s our jobs and it’s our food,” said Ryan Jacobsen, executive director of the farm bureau in Fresno County. “Without a reliable water supply, Fresno County’s No. 1 employer — agriculture — is at great risk.”
The drought would cause an estimated $1.15 billion dollar loss in agriculture-related wages and eliminate as many as 40,000 jobs in farm-related industries in the San Joaquin Valley alone, where most of the nation’s produce and nut crops are grown, said Lester Snow, director of the Department of Water Resources.
California’s agricultural industry typically receives 80 percent of all the water supplies managed by the federal government — everything from far-off mountain streams and suburban reservoirs. The state supplies drinking water to 23 million residents and 755,000 acres of irrigated farmland.
Meanwhile, the California Department of Water Resources has decided not to increase its State Water Project delivery allocation.
The state allocation will remain unchanged at 15 percent of what was requested by water contractors who supply water to more than 25 million Californians and about 750,000 acres of farmland.
State allocations have been lower than 15 percent on just two occasions since the Department of Water Resources began allocating water in 1968: in 1991 and in 1993.
In related news, The Coalition for a Sustainable Delta Friday filed a lawsuit against the City of Stockton and San Joaquin County alleging they are discharging toxic chemicals and other pollutants into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The legal action accuses Stockton and San Joaquin County of illegally using a storm sewer systems to exceed pollution and contaminant limits in the delta in violation of the federal Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. Water pumped from the delta is a major water source for Central Valley growers, and pumping has been restricted to protect endangered fish.
— The Associated Press and Californian staff writer Courtenay Edelhart contributed to this report.
