Westside farmers receive higher water allocation from Central Valley Project in California
Recent atmospheric rivers and a supply of water in the state’s reservoirs has boosted the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s springtime water allocation to 35% for west side farmers in Central California.
The allocation, announced Tuesday, is 20% higher than the allocation this time last year.
Farmers on the west side of Fresno County are among those who receive their irrigation from the Central Valley Project operated by the federal Bureau of Reclamation.
The current water year has been somewhat inconsistent in California with an extremely wet November followed by an exceptionally dry January.
Reclamation officials will continue to review conditions and make updates as new information and data are analyzed, and assumptions are adjusted.
“We will continue to work closely with our Central Valley Project contractors and partners, monitor the forecasts, and adjust numbers accordingly as the remaining winter and spring months play out,” said Karl Stock, Reclamation’s California-Great Basin Regional Director.
“Further, both Reclamation and the Department of the Interior are committed to investing aggressively in projects such as Sites Reservoir and B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and San Luis Reservoir Expansion to improve water supply reliability for project contractors.”
Westlands Water District ‘encouraged’
At Westlands Water District, one of the largest water districts in the U.S. representing about 700 farmers, the increase in water allocation was welcome news.
“We are encouraged by the state and federal administration’s recent efforts concentrating on water maximizing water supply for Californians and spotlighting California’s complex longstanding water issues,” said Allison Febbo, Westland’s general manager.
“This allocation offers our farmers the opportunity to make critical planting decisions that optimize feeding the nation.”
