Yesterday, the Bureau of Reclamation announced an updated water allocation for Central Valley Project agricultural contractors south of the Delta of 65%. Here’s what some of those water contractors had to say.
From the San Luis-Delta Mendota Water Authority:
Today’s announcement that south-of-delta CVP water supplies have increased from 55% to 65%, while positive, is disappointing in a water year like this. There is every indication that California water supplies are abundant and yet the system is unable to deliver sufficient supplies when they’re needed. That means the farms that produce a significant portion of the nation’s food supply, important wildlife refuges, and the municipal and industrial water users in the Silicon Valley can’t count on receiving reliable water supplies from year to year.
This reflects the regulatory challenges water managers face when making allocation decisions. The inability to allocate full contract supplies in one of the best water years in the historical record points to how broken our water system currently is. Water management decisions are based on a regulatory regime that is inflexible and a lack of investment in storage and conveyance infrastructure means we cannot capture water in years of abundance and at a time when it is less harmful to the environment. We want to work with Reclamation on determining what it is exactly that is preventing a larger allocation. We need to streamline the regulatory process as well as invest in infrastructure.
Nature has given us abundant water supplies this year. There is no question that existing regulations are not achieving their intended goals for the environment. It’s time to try something new. President Roosevelt started building this great water project 80 years ago. Its management over the last 25 years has crippled its ability to serve 1.2 million acres of California farms, 2 million urban water users, and 200,000 acres of managed wetlands in the Pacific Flyway.
The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority serves 28 member public agencies, 26 of which contract with Reclamation for water supply from the CVP. These agencies deliver water to approximately 1.2 million acres of farmland, 2 million California residents, and millions of waterfowl dependent upon the nearly 200,000 acres of managed wetlands within the Pacific Flyway.
Banta-Carbona ID, Broadview WD, Byron Bethany ID, Central Calif. ID, City of Tracy, Columbia Canal Co. (a Friend), Del Puerto WD, Eagle Field WD, Firebaugh Canal WD, Fresno Slough WD, Grassland WD, Henry Miller RD #2131, James ID, Laguna WD, Mercy Springs WD, Oro Loma WD, Pacheco WD, Panoche WD, Patterson ID, Pleasant Valley WD, Reclamation District 1606, San Benito County WD, San Luis WD, Santa Clara Valley WD, Tranquillity ID, Turner Island WD, West Side ID, West Stanislaus ID, Westlands WD
From Westlands Water District:
Today the Bureau of Reclamation announced the allocation for south-of-Delta Central Valley Project agricultural water service contractors is being increased to 65%. In light of current hydrologic and reservoir conditions, this minor increase is astonishing.
Thomas Birmingham, Westlands Water District’s general manager, stated: “This announcement begs the question, what has to happen before south-of-Delta farmers served by the Central Valley Project can get a full supply?”
Since October 1, 2018, the beginning of the current water year, California has been blessed with abundant precipitation; the 2018-19 water year is now classified as wet. As of April 8, 2019, the snow water content in the northern and central Sierra Nevada were 160% and 163% of the long-term average, respectively. Storage in every CVP reservoir used to supply south-of-Delta CVP agricultural water service contractors was more than 100% of average for that date. Indeed, these reservoirs were and remain in flood control operations.
Birmingham added, “I know that Reclamation staff understands the consequences of the decisions they make. Reclamation staff understands reduced allocations in a year like this needlessly increases overdraft in already overdrafted groundwater basins. Reclamation staff understands delayed allocation announcements make it nearly impossible for farmers to effectively plan their operations. If Reclamation’s leadership could, they would make a 100% allocation. But Reclamation’s hands are tied by restrictions imposed by biological opinions issued under the Endangered Species Act. These restrictions have crippled the CVP and have provided no demonstrative protection for listed fish species, all of which have continued to decline despite the draconian effect the biological opinions have had on water supply for people.”
Birmingham concluded, “Notwithstanding the restrictions imposed by the biological opinions, Westlands firmly believes that there is sufficient water to allocate to south-of-Delta agricultural water services contractors 100%. Today’s announcement by Reclamation is disappointing for every south-of Delta farmer served by the CVP, and we hope Reclamation will increase the allocation quickly to enable farmers to quit pumping groundwater.”
After 2019, no one will be able to argue that water supply reductions for south-of-Delta CVP agricultural water service contractors are a result of hydrologic conditions. This year demonstrates only too well the crippling consequences of ineffective and unchecked regulations. Because of restrictions imposed on operations of the CVP under the guise of protecting fish, the CVP cannot be operated to satisfy on of the primary purposes for which it was built, supplying water to farmers.
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