California Ag Network

Tag: California Water

  • DWR Increases Water Supply Allocation to State Water Contractors

    Sacramento, Calif., (May 2, 2018) – The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today announced a statewide increase in State Water Project (SWP) allocations for 2018. SWP contractors can now expect to receive 30 percent of their requests, up from the initial 15 percent allocation in December and the 20 percent announced in January.

    “Late precipitation and snow in March has brought us closer to an average year, however, this year has been anything but normal,” said Karla Nemeth, DWR Director. “While our storage is in good shape, our snowpack is low. California’s highly variable weather reminds us that prudent planning and water conservation is a necessity and is the new norm.”

    A 30 percent allocation amounts to 1,268,724 acre-feet of water, distributed among the 29 SWP contractors who serve more than 27 million Californians and about 750,000 acres of farmland.

    A 100 percent allocation is rare even in wet years due to Delta pumping restrictions to protect threatened and endangered fish species. The last 100 percent allocation was in 2006.

    One of the leading factors in determining allocations is snow water content. The statewide snow water content is currently 37 percent of average. Despite the above-normal precipitation received in March and April, warm temperatures increased runoff and snowmelt in the Northern Sierra, resulting in diminished snowpack for this time of year.

    The state’s major reservoirs continue to be well above their historical averages. San Luis Reservoir, the largest off-stream reservoir in the United States where water is stored for the SWP and Central Valley Project (CVP), is at 89 percent of capacity. Shasta Lake, the CVP’s largest reservoir, is at 92 percent of capacity. Lake Oroville is at 67 percent of capacity. New Melones Lake is at 86 percent of capacity.

    DWR’s California Data Exchange Center website provides current water conditions at the state’s largest reservoirs and weather stations and measures current rain and snow precipitation.

    For more information, follow us on Twitter or Facebook, read our news releases

  • Mandarin Drought Tips Featured in Final Video of Drought Series

    Oakland, Calif., (April 12, 2018) – Because periodic droughts will always be a part of life in California, the UC California Institute for Water Resources (CIWR) produced a series of videos to maintain drought awareness and planning, even in years when water is more abundant.

    The first of the three videos premiered Feb. 2 on the UCTV Sustainable California channel. The second video was launched March 2 on Sustainable California. View the trailer here.

    The videos are inspired by a collection of 19 drought tips produced by CIWR in collaboration with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources researchers during the drought of 2010-16. The tips cover a broad spectrum of California crops, from alfalfa to walnuts. Topics also include salt management, use of graywater in urban landscapes, and the use of shallow groundwater for crop production. Three topics – alfalfa, almonds and citrus – are featured in the three-episode CIWR video series.

    The drought tips collection and the drought tip videos were sponsored by the California Department of Water Resources. Following is the schedule for the video releases:

    The CIWR drought tip series opens with Cannon Michael of Bowles Farming in Los Banos. The alfalfa grower works with UCCE specialist Dan Putnam. “There’s a lot of misunderstanding about alfalfa as a crop,” Michael said. “It does take water to grow it, as with anything, but you get multiple harvests of it every year.”

    The second episode features almond producer Raj of Meena farms. He works with David Doll, UCCE advisor in Merced County. “One positive of this drought,” Meena said, “is that it has forced us all to be more efficient in how we use our water.”

    The series finale features Lisa Brenneis of Churchill-Brenneis Orchard in the Ojai Valley of Ventura County. She worked with UCCE advisor Ben Faber to install a new water-efficient irrigation system. “Irrigation is the only job we really have to do,” Brenneis said, “and we have to get it as right as we can.”

    For a complete list of drought tips, see http://ucanr.edu/drought-tips.

  • California State Board Of Food And Agriculture To Hear Updates On Current Water Conditions

    Sacramento, Calif., (April 4, 2018) – The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will hear updates by federal and state officials on current water conditions and the outlook for this summer at its upcoming meeting on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The meeting will be held at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 N Street – Main Auditorium, Sacramento, CA 95814. In addition to an update on California’s water situation, the board will hear perspective from South Africa on the impending ‘Day Zero’ in Cape Town – where drinking water supplies could run out in the coming months.

    “Over the last two years I’ve had the opportunity to visit several countries impacted by drought as well as limited groundwater supplies,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “What sets California apart, is our forward thinking approach to long term challenges and a commitment by farmers and ranchers to be part of the solution. Water availability is critical to all sectors of our economy, including cities, agriculture and the environment.”

    Invited speakers include: Region Director David Murillo, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Region, Director Karla Nemeth, California Department of Water Resources; Erik Ekdahl, State Water Resources Control Board; Ronald Samuelian, Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group; Jason Pucheu, Maricopa Orchards; and Christina Babbitt, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

    The board will also hear presentations by Jeremy Gorelick (USAID Program/South Africa) and Anton Rabe (HORTGRO) via skype discussing ‘Day Zero’.

    In addition, the board will hear an update on sustainable groundwater management.  Representative from Maricopa Orchards and Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group will provide perspective on groundwater challenges from a critical over drafted groundwater basin.

    “While recent weather conditions have been beneficial, we are still below average on statewide snowpack,” said President Don Cameron, California State Board of Food and Agriculture. “Hearing from federal and state water officials on our water outlook is critical to growers not just in the Central Valley, but throughout the state as we plan for the next water year.”

    The California State Board of Food and Agriculture advises the governor and the CDFA secretary on agricultural issues and consumer needs. The state board conducts forums that bring together local, state and federal government officials, agricultural representatives and citizens to discuss current issues of concern to California agriculture.

    All meetings are open to the public and attendance is welcome.

    Follow the board on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/Cafood_agboard

  • Real Facts on Water Supply

    Fresno, Calif., (October 30, 2017) – “There’s not enough water in California.” It’s a common refrain from anti- farming activists who are using that argument to promote restrictions on agricultural water use. Although the state’s water supply is at a high level, there is no doubt that when the supply is reduced, the activists will return to their e ort to restrict water to Westlands and other agricultural districts. And they will rely on the same misinformation to make the case that California’s water supply is insu cient to provide enough water for urban, agricultural, and environmental water use.

    These same activists claim that agriculture is using 80% of the state’s water resources and that as a result, policies such as land retirement, crop dictation, and groundwater restrictions need to be imposed to protect urban and environmental water use.

    Westlands and other agriculture districts have pushed back against the misinformation but this false narrative continues to have an impact on the debates that shape policy-making.

    For that reason, the Westlands’ public a airs sta is accelerating e orts to educate policy-makers and the public about water supply allocations. We intend to show that when our water is properly managed, the state has adequate supply to for residential, agricultural and environmental uses. While the activists want to discount a substantial amount of the water supply to arrive at a high usage number for agriculture, Westlands will be using accurate numbers that show how much water is available for all uses.

    Here’s the di erence between “fake news” and reality: the Water Agency Inc. reports that between October 1, 2016 and August 6, 2017, the water supply and allocation system experienced the following:

    • 52,102,700AF of water owed into the Delta and was available for the environment, residential, and agricultural use
    • 2,247,400AF (which equals 3% of the Delta in ow) owed to Central Valley Project (CVP) contractors and 2,931,100AF (which equals 5.6% of the Delta in ow) owed to State Water Project (SWP) contractors.
    • 46,742,500AF (which equals 7% of the Delta in ow) owed to the ocean.

    Contrary to the claims of the activists, and despite experiencing almost NO water delivery restrictions in 2017 because of this year’s historic hydrology, almost 90% of the water that ows into the Delta ends up in the ocean.

    This is only one example of the ongoing e ort to provide a fact- based narrative to the public and decisionmakers. As a priority matter, Westlands will be educating policy-makers about the facts about agriculture and urban jobs that rely on a stable water supply.

    By Johnny Amaral, Deputy General Manager of External A airs Westlands Water District

  • Contradiction in Water Policy

    Fresno, Calif., (March 23, 2017) – In 2016, annual precipitation was average for the Central Valley and above average for northern California. But the allocation of Central Valley Project water to public water agencies that serve farmers south of the Delta was
    only 5%. The federal government blamed the low allocation of water on hydrological conditions, rather than environmental regulations that limited pumping of water and prevented water from being moved through the system to communities south of the Delta.

    This year, hydrological conditions are vastly di erent–there is great hope that the allocation will be di erent as well. Indeed, California is experiencing one of the wettest years on record. But just two weeks ago, the Federal Bureau of Reclamation was unable to make an allocation to those same public water agencies. It did estimate that it would be able to supply approximately 900,000 acre-feet of water, which amounts to a 25% allocation. But nal word on the allocation has been delayed until late March, more than a month after allocations are to be made under the terms of water service contracts. Why? Because the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) was unable to approve the allocations.

    A 25% allocation represents an improvement over the 0% allocation in 2014 and 2015, dry years, and the 5% allocation in 2016, an average year, but is completely antithetical to the extremely wet conditions that exist in the state. Reservoirs are in distress because of too much water, rivers are over owing their banks, water tables are replenishing, and more than 8 trillion gallons

    of water has already been sent to the ocean in the past 5 months. Mother Nature has done her share to lift the state from a water crisis, but it appears the broken system is still unable to deliver water to communities in desperate need. So what’s the problem?

    The answer is simple. The laws, regulations, and biological opinions, namely the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan, the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, and the Endangered Species Act, which are designed to balance water delivery with environmental protection have failed. Regardless of the amount of snow and rain the state receives, the laws have created regulatory water shortages across the entire state, and ironically, they have failed the species they were designed to save. The impacts of these laws vary based on circumstances present in a particular year, but the impacts of an unreliable water delivery system are felt no matter how much it rains. This situation is a classic case of government unable to change in the face of failed policies.

    Also, the process itself is awed. Under a biological opinion issued in 2009, the Bureau of Reclamation is required to confer with the NMFS regarding the hydrological conditions to determine the appropriate amount of water allocated to contractors. But rather than improving the operations, the consultation process has delayed decision-making-–to
    the detriment of farmers who must make real world decisions about nancing, labor, and water supply. For example, this year the consultation process has delayed the initial allocation announcement to allow the sh agencies to further develop their cold water plan, despite the fact that Shasta is full and the Sierra snowpack is massive.

    Sometimes it is hard to pinpoint the cause of a problem; but other times, conditions arise that reveal a point of clarity and the cause of the problem is exposed for everyone to see. We are at that point now. The laws governing California water supply are not functioning properly or with any common sense in a year of overwhelming precipitation and snowpack. And if they cannot function this year, after record precipitation and 2016 Congressional action to improve the process, fundamental changes must be made for them to ever function correctly. It is obvious we need greater reform of the laws governing our water system. Let’s not wait until the next drought.

    Johnny Amaral
    Deputy General Manager of External A airs Westlands Water District

  • More Than a Slogan – The urgent need to work together for a better water future

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 23, 2017) – Posted on March 16, 2017 by Karen Ross, Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture; Earlier this week I joined people representing a diverse group of interests for a panel discussion about water. The event, in Clovis, was organized by Sustainable Conservation, and its title, The Common Good: Working Together for a Secure Water Future, represents much more than a simple, optimistic slogan. As our discussion made clear, working together is absolutely essential to maintain and build sustainability for California agriculture as well as the state’s ongoing development in all facets.

    I was honored to join former Fresno mayor Ashley Swearengin, Sustainable Conservation’s Ashley Boren, the Public Policy Institute of California’s Ellen Hanak, and Central Valley Farmer Cannon Michael. Between the four of us and moderator Mark Keppler of the Maddy Institute, we covered the waterfront, so to speak – all of the modern demands for water were represented. Our group symbolizes the type of partnerships that must come together and move forward to effectively manage our future.

    We know that demand for food worldwide will grow significantly over the next several decades, and we know that available natural resources are becoming more scarce – so to reach a point where sustainability can be achieved, all sides in the water discussion must truly communicate with one another. This is no longer about Farms v. Fish. Rather, it’s about building a California where we’re all vested in each other’s success. I hope you’ll take the time to view this video recording of our discussion and then join us in working together for a better water future.

  • State is on the Wrong Path to Achieve Ecosystem Health

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 22, 2017) – In 2016, California’s State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) began the process of updating the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan. The public comment period officially closed at noon on March 17. (Read CFWC’s comment letter here.)

    During that time, loud and sustained objections to the proposed policy have been raised.

    “The State of California is simply on the wrong path to achieve ecosystem health on the San Joaquin River and its tributaries,” said Mike Wade, executive director of the California Farm Water Coalition.

    Flow-based approaches in the past have failed; “By focusing solely on the amount of water flowing through the river, the SWRCB staff proposal is relying on outdated science that has been proven ineffective at halting the decline of endangered fish populations.

    “If adopted in its present form, the policy will have a devastating impact on drinking water, sanitation needs, food production, groundwater, the economy and jobs for people stretching from the Northern San Joaquin Valley throughout the Bay Area.

    “That’s why this proposed regulation is opposed by schools, health departments, farmers, cities, economic development officials, and water agencies throughout the state including the Central Valley, Bay Area, Central Coast, Los Angeles, and the Inland Empire.

    Opposition to SWRCB plan is growing; Opposition to this wrong-headed policy has continued to grow and now includes statewide groups like the California Chamber of Commerce and the Association of California Water Agencies, regional organizations such as the Orange County Business Council as well as hundreds of individual Californians. Not even a drought-busting water year like this one could diminish the impacts of this unequivocally bad policy.

    “What we need instead is a comprehensive, outcomes-driven, science-based, collaborative approach that includes ‘functional’ flows as well as non-flow solutions that contribute real benefits to ecosystem recovery.

    “As the Board goes behind closed doors to deliberate the draft proposal we urge them one more time to listen to the voices representing millions of Californians opposed to the plan and open the door to collaborating on a real solution,” he said.

  • Western Growers Statement on Waters of the United States Rule Executive Order

    Irvine, Calif., (March 2, 2017) – In response to President Trump’s executive order regarding the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule released during former President Obama’s administration, Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif issued the following statement:

    The health of our nation’s water is of paramount importance to Western Growers and its 2,500 members who grow more than half of the country’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts. Our collective livelihoods depend on the abundant availability of clean water, which has been protected over the years by the reasonable application of the Clean Water Act.

    However, we believe the 2015 WOTUS rule exceeded the federal government’s jurisdiction as defined by Congress in the Act, which only intended to give the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) authority over navigable waterways affecting interstate commerce. Indeed, this interpretation has been confirmed by the Supreme Court in Rapanos v. United States.

    We are pleased with President Trump’s executive order directing the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers to formally reconsider WOTUS. While we recognize this order will not immediately repeal the rule, it will provide adequate space for these federal agencies to engage state and local governments to craft an alternative solution that both fits within the boundaries prescribed in the Act and serves the best interests of the environment and key stakeholders. “More importantly, we believe the order should spur Congress toward much-needed legislation clarifying the reach and extent of federal jurisdiction under the Act. Since the Rapanos decision, there has been significant inconsistency in interpretation and application of the Act, which has resulted in harmful unintended economic consequences for landowners. After decades of inactivity, we call on Congress to enact legislation defining the limits of the Clean Water Act.

  • Fresno County Farm Bureau Issues Statement On Water Supply for County’s Federal Water Contractors

    Fresno, Calif., (March 1, 2017) – Statement by CEO Ryan Jacobsen:

    “Mother Nature has provided a bountiful precipitation season-one that will be near the top of the record books.  After the historic five-year drought, the snowpack and rain are a tremendous blessing to an agricultural industry hammered by the critical water shortage.  Most farmers and ranchers with surface supplies will experience an increased water allocation as a result of these storms’ resurgences across the state.

    “While the short-term relief of this year’s water outlook should have our industry optimistic, reality says something much different.  The implications of the governmental-imposed drought continue with a vengeance.  How, with reservoirs at their brim, flood releases happening by the hundreds of thousands of acre feet a day, snowpack levels in most areas 150 percent plus for this date and Delta outflows cumulatively adding up to over 24 million acre feet since October 2016, can Fresno County’s Westside federal water contractors still have no initial allocation?  Historically, this announcement has come in the middle of February.  And, at this point, these farmers do not even expect to reach anywhere near their contracted amount.

    “Unfortunately, but as this region has come to expect, the answer is bureaucratically-related.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), under the United States Department of Commerce, has yet to complete their fisheries’ temperature management plan for Shasta Lake.  While they take their time in completing this report, our Valley loses jobs and economic activity.  Cropping decisions are taking place now!  Farmers cannot make choices on what might be an allocation…they need real numbers.  Every day that passes without an announcement, as well as anything short of a 100 percent allocation in a year like this, takes some of the world’s most fertile fields out of production.  This is completely unacceptable.

    “Federal water policy is failing this region.  It has failed to protect fish species, and, most importantly, it has failed to provide water to the communities and businesses who need it most, even when water is plentiful.

    “On the Friant system, while news of a 100 percent Class I allocation is welcomed, we are once again reminded of the importance of Temperance Flat Dam.  Around 350,000 acre feet of water has already been released to date with much more flows expected this season.  Over the long-term, California does receive ample precipitation, but it’s weather patterns are cyclical.  Without investments in our water infrastructure, it will be economically devastating to the Valley to make it through the dry times, particularly with the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

    “FCFB will continue to push for additional surface water and groundwater storage; improved conveyance through the state, specifically in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta; and a return to common-sense water policies that bring back into balance water allocated for food production, municipal and rural communities, the economy and the environment.”

  • Farmers Monitor Storms’ Impact On Crops, Water Supplies

    Sacramento, Calif., (February 23, 2017) – Strong storms during the Presidents’ Day holiday weekend flooded farm fields, caused several dairy farms to relocate their animals and brought other impacts on California farms and ranches. The storms also added more water to an already overtaxed system, and led to renewed calls to modernize the system.

    “In the long term, the surge of storms should bring an improved water outlook,” California Farm Bureau Federation President Paul Wenger said, “but it has definitely brought worries to farmers and ranchers whose land is inundated or whose crops may be at risk. We remain hopeful that weather in coming days will minimize any problems.”

    Wenger noted that many reservoirs have filled and have had to release water, which underlines the need to enhance California’s water storage capacity.

    “Believe it or not, there are people who think we don’t need more water storage, and that we should even tear down many of the facilities we now have,” he said. “These activists don’t care how many people suffer from devastating floods in winters like this. They don’t care how many people suffer from water shortages during droughts.”

    Wenger said California must move as quickly as possible to allocate money from the 2014 water bond, Proposition 1, to create more storage both aboveground and underground.

    “Environmentalists say we can solve water problems by conserving more water and storing more underground. But we’re not able to conserve most of the water flowing through the system now—we have had to let it go. And moving water into the ground takes time. You can’t replenish groundwater if you don’t have aboveground reservoirs and canals to hold and move water to where it can effectively filter underground,” Wenger said.

    Farm Bureau said farmers of a number of crops and commodities will be assessing the impact from the weekend storms, including:

    • Almonds—The storms hit just as almond trees were blooming. Bees that pollinate almond blossoms don’t fly in the rain and prefer temperatures higher than 55 degrees. In addition, a number of almond trees were blown down by strong winds during the weekend. But farmers said the tree losses weren’t as bad as feared, and expressed hope pollination would still be successful.
    • Berries—The rains delayed strawberry harvest along the Central and Southern California coast. Production may be temporarily reduced as farmers wait for waterlogged fields to dry and discard rain-damaged berries.
    • Dairy farms—Several dairy farms located near the Tuolumne and San Joaquin rivers needed to move their animals to higher ground as river levels rose. Other farmers are watching river levels carefully and preparing to move their animals if needed.
    • Field crops—Fall-planted grain crops that have germinated could take on too much water, which could ultimately reduce yields. Hay fields have also flooded. Soggy or flooded fields will delay planting for a number of crops.
    • Grapes—Vineyards in various grape-growing regions have been flooded. Farmers say that could leave vines vulnerable to root-rot damage if they remain flooded for too long.
    • Vegetables—Rains and muddy fields slowed vegetable harvest in Southern California and delayed planting in the Salinas Valley. Rain generally benefited vegetable crops in the Imperial Valley.
    • Walnuts—Flooded orchards that remain waterlogged for too long could be vulnerable to root diseases that can kill trees.
    • Miscellaneous—Heavy rains in foothill regions have washed out privately maintained roads, making it hard for cattle ranchers to reach their animals, and muddy pastures limit ranchers’ ability to reach herds on horseback. Pear orchards in Lake County have been flooded. Citrus fruit harvest was temporarily delayed. The storms brought large amounts of rain to Santa Barbara County farmers who have remained in severe drought. One farmer there reported losing about half an acre of avocado trees to a mudslide.