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<P>California Farm Bureau Federation </FONT>Ag Alert </P>
<P><A
href="http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=371&ck=41F1F19176D383480AFA65D325C06ED0">http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=371&ck=41F1F19176D383480AFA65D325C06ED0</A>
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<BR><B>Wet weather precipitates increased water allocations</B> <BR>Issue Date:
June 1, 2005
<P>By Christine Souza <BR>Assistant Editor
<P>This is California's best water year since 1998. Storms that hammered
California in the past several <BR>weeks will exert a beneficial ripple
effect--increased water allocations for farmers this growing <BR>season. From
the Central and Imperial valleys to the Klamath Basin, the wet spring has given
<BR>growers reason to breathe sighs of relief.
<P>As a result of recent wet weather in Northern California and in the San
Joaquin River Basin, the <BR>Central Valley Project water allocation for
agricultural contractors south of the delta has been <BR>increased from 75
percent to 85 percent of federal contract deliveries, according to the U.S.
Bureau <BR>of Reclamation.
<P>"We haven't seen an allocation of 85 percent since 1998, so it is a big
benefit to the area because it <BR>means that we stop using groundwater as a
supplement to the short canal water supply that we've <BR>been getting over the
years," said Fresno County farmer Dan Errotabere, who grows almonds, garlic,
<BR>cantaloupe and other crops. "I was surprised that we went all of the way up
to 85 percent. I was <BR>hoping that we would get to 80 percent, so 85 percent
is a nice bonus."
<P>Errotabere, who is a member of the Fresno County Farm Bureau and serves on
the Westlands Water <BR>District board of directors, said he looks forward to
using a water source other than groundwater.
<P>"Using the allocated water helps in that it is less expensive than using
groundwater and the quality <BR>of the water is better than groundwater, which
is typically saltier. The allocated water is just a <BR>better source of water
and helps improve the fertility of the land," Errotabere said.
<P>Jeff McCracken, spokesman for the Bureau of Reclamation, explains that
California has not <BR>experienced such a great abundance of wet weather for
many years.
<P>"The weather certainly has played the big role. One of the things that helps
us is we don't have to <BR>pump the water (through the delta) to get to the 85
percent because the water is already south of the <BR>delta in many cases,"
McCracken said. "We still have limitations on how much water we can export,
<BR>but the federal portion of San Luis Reservoir is full. So with all of these
releases that we are making <BR>for flood control, there is really no place we
can put it. We can't really pump it south; our reservoir <BR>down there is
already full."
<P>Last week, the bureau increased releases from its reservoirs to river
channels to accommodate heavy <BR>inflows from Sierra snow melt. People using
rivers for recreation were warned of changing flow <BR>conditions and were
cautioned about rivers running higher, faster and colder than usual for this
<BR>time of year.
<P>Search-and-rescue units throughout the state were geared up last week for the
fast, frigid stream <BR>flows. Emergency service agencies were putting employees
through extra training and deploying <BR>equipment and personnel to the swiftest
watercourses.
<P>Another element that can be factored into this year's plentiful water supply
for Westside farmers is <BR>basic supply and demand. The plentiful rainfall this
spring itself diminished farmers' general <BR>demand for water, McCracken said.
<P>Imperial Valley farmers, who depend on water from the Colorado River, also
fared well this water <BR>season. Interior Secretary Gale Norton decided to
maintain the 8.23 million acre-foot allocation <BR>routinely released to
California, Arizona and Nevada because precipitation yielded 10 percent more
<BR>runoff than expected.
<P>Norton's decision to maintain Colorado River water deliveries came after she
considered making <BR>possible adjustments to the formula for moving water
between the reservoirs upon which California <BR>water users depend.
<P>Federal authorities will cap California's pumping and distribution allotment
of Colorado River water <BR>at 4.4 million acre-feet this year, in accordance
with new federal goals. McCracken explained that <BR>California routinely pumped
closer to 6 million acre-feet per year from the Colorado River before <BR>2004.
<P>"California used to get 6 million acre-feet every year but all of a sudden
Arizona said, 'We finished <BR>building the pipes so we can now take our full
allocation,'" McCracken said. "(Former Interior <BR>Assistant Secretary) Bennett
Raley and Secretary Norton worked on a plan to try to get California <BR>down to
its contracted 4.4 million-acre feet, which was agreed to."
<P>The increased precipitation entering the Colorado River is replenishing low
water levels in the <BR>reservoirs and has given the Bureau of Reclamation a
chance to recover lost water storage.
<P>"The long-range benefit to California irrigators who get their water from the
Colorado River is the <BR>big storage of the Colorado River system is going to
be more reliable once the reservoir is recovered," <BR>McCracken.
<P>Klamath Water Project irrigators who get their water from Upper Klamath Lake
also are satisfied <BR>with this year's powerful showers, although the weather
could prove to be a double-edged sword.
<P>"It has been raining a lot in the Klamath Basin, almost enough to change the
water year. The water <BR>year is based on how much water flows into Upper
Klamath Lake and that change in water year <BR>would have been bad for the
farmers," McCracken said. "The designation would have gone from a <BR>'dry' year
to a 'normal' year and that is bad, because a 'normal' year requires more water
<BR>downstream. When those things generally happen, the farmers are left holding
the bag."
<P>Klamath Basin farmers, who experienced a devastating water shut-off in 2001,
have been nervous <BR>about every water year since. McCracken said that this
year, however, irrigators are likely to be <BR>granted a water allocation of 75
percent.
<P>"Some of the Klamath farmers got involved in the water bank. They put much of
their water in this <BR>bank for fish, and for that they get paid. So I think we
are going to have a decent year," McCracken <BR>said. "It should be a good year
for the fishery and for our customers."
<P>(Christine Souza is a reporter for Ag Alert. She may be contacted at
csouza@cfbf.com.)
<P>Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California
Farm Bureau <BR>Federation when reprinting this item. (Top) <BR>
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