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North San Diego County growers prepare for water cutbacks

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 26, 2007 at 9:04 pm

From the North County Times:
Local water officials said they were dusting off plans that could put month-by-month caps on agricultural customers’ water use and penalties for exceeding the caps. “We are doubling our prayer efforts for a wet winter,” said Chuck Badger, a lemon and orange grower in the Encinitas/Rancho Santa Fe area and president of the San Diego County Farm Bureau. Supply reductions of at least 30 percent, compared with a still-undetermined reference year, could go into effect in January, barring exceptional weather before then.

The official call for cuts from Southern California’s main water supplier, the Metropolitan Water District, is not expected until August or September, local water officials said.

Water can be one of a San Diego County grower’s largest expenses, including labor. Some North County operations have yearly bills of several hundred thousand dollars. “If we have 30 percent less water, we’ll have to cut our crop by 30 percent,” said Donnie Dabbs, manager of Briggs Tree Company in Vista. “Less product means hiring fewer people, from field workers to salespeople.”

To read the rest of this article from the North County Times, click here.

June 26, 2007 · Filed Under Agriculture, San Diego

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