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Water allocation increases slightly, but drought remains

Posted by: Maven on May 2, 2009 at 7:55 am

From the California Farm Bureau Federation:

Westley farmer Matt Maring considers himself to be one of the lucky ones. Of the 1,600 acres he farms on the Westside of the San Joaquin Valley, only about half of it relies on federal Central Valley Project water for irrigation. The other 800 acres has other, more reliable water sources.

But even with that, Maring is fallowing 120 acres of his farm that would have been planted to processing tomatoes, cantaloupes or dry beans.

“The 10 percent that they gave us last week helps a little bit. A lot of us are living by the skin of our teeth on our irrigation plan and that kind of strengthened it,” he said.

The 10 percent that Maring was referring to was the late-April announcement by the Bureau of Reclamation that farmers in the Central Valley Project would receive 10 percent of their contracted water deliveries, an increase from the zero allocation that had earlier been announced.

“I’m a lot better off that some of the guys farther south who have to rely solely on CVP water deliveries,” he said. “There is some water available, depending on where you are farming, but it is very expensive. I had an opportunity last fall to buy some federal carryover water at $200 an acre-foot and I feel fortunate that I bought it because now it is a strong $400 if you want some water.”

Read more from the California Farm Bureau Federation by clicking here.

May 2, 2009 · Filed Under Agriculture

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