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Water flows to drought areas: Groundwater going into aqueduct for water transfers

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 5, 2008 at 6:01 am

From the Capital Ag Press:

More water is flowing to drought-stricken Westlands Water District farmers as state conveyances are being used to transport district groundwater and other water supplies where needed. The Department of Water Resources water transfer agreements have come after Gov. Schwarzenegger’s state of emergency proclamation on June 12 for counties affected by severe water shortages.

Up to 50,000 acre feet of groundwater will be pumped into the California Aqueduct from wells in the Westlands district and delivered to areas where there is no groundwater.

In addition, Department of Water Resources is lending 37,500 acre feet of water to Central Valley Project contractors out of the San Luis Reservoir. An additional 25,000 acre feet are being made available by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for the benefit of both Central Valley Project and State Water Project contractors.

Westlands spokeswoman Sarah Woolf said Tuesday, July 1, that the water will be used on permanent crops that were already in a deficit irrigation situation. The water won’t be cheap. Farmers that receive the water will pay fees for conveyance and pumping as well as the acre-foot charge and that may add up to more than $300 per acre foot.

The additional water available will only be a small percentage of the water needed for annual and permanent crops in the district, Woolf said. In June the district noted that 200,000 acres would be idled this year.

Lack of adequate water in the state and federal water systems plus restrictions on pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta were blamed for the shortages.

The groundwater going into the aqueduct is coming from seven wells in the district that have passed state regulations for water quality. Woolf said as other wells are tested and approved they will add to the water supply, but the process will take more time. No water quality regulations were relaxed, she added.

Read the full text of this story from the Capital Ag Press by clicking here.

July 5, 2008 · Filed Under Agriculture, Water Transfers

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