Growers now faced with summer rationing

Farmers along the western edge of the San Joaquin Valley are facing unprecedented water restrictions which could force some to idle land or let crops wither in the fields of one of the world’s most prolific agricultural regions.

Some are hoping relief is on the way following Gov. Schwarzenegger’s declaration of a state of emergency in nine Central Valley counties (including Merced and Stanislaus) due to the critical water shortage and its potentially devastating impact on agriculture and local economies.

Others are bracing for a long, hot and parched summer with lasting affects not only on agriculture but the communities whose economies rise and fall largely on farming.

The latest round of water cutbacks and restrictions, announced in early June, will impact all West Side farmers to a degree.

Those in the Del Puerto Water District, a long, narrow district which encompasses 45,000 acres and 170 growers along the Delta-Mendota Canal from Vernalis to Santa Nella, are particularly hard-hit.

Already prepared to make do with just 45 percent of the contract water supply from the federal government, growers learned recently that the allocation is being cut to 40 percent.

More importantly, they will be able to draw only a portion of that water during the summer months when many crops need it the most.

“Our 40 percent supply is about 1.25 acre-feet per acre, but the access from June to August is limited to .7 acre-feet, or about 8 inches of water per acre,” commented Bill Harrison, the district’s general manager. “That is far from enough to grow a tomato plant.”

Even growers in the Central California Irrigation District, with a favorable exchange contract and reliable water allocation, face rationing this summer in part due to the limited amount of water stored in San Luis Reservoir.

Chris White, CCID general manager, said that the district is limited to 1.5 acre feet per acre of water from the reservoir during the summer months.

In a typical year, White said, there are no seasonal restrictions tied to the annual water allocation.

“We have never seen this before,” he commented. “The Bureau of Reclamation came out and said that there was a restricted amount of water supply available primarily due to the low point of the water supply in San Luis, and we were given a reduced allocation over the summer.”

Some additional well water will be available to CCID growers who need more than 1.5 acre-feet during the summer.

White said that allocation is “difficult but manageable” for CCID farmers.

That isn’t the case for their neighbors in the Del Puerto District.

Steve Bell of Gustine, who has farmland in both districts, said he will let 65 acres of Del Puerto District land go fallow this year. “There’s no way I can plant it,” he commented. “I don’t have enough water.”

Those who had already planted acreage based on the original forecast of a 45 percent water supply are finding themselves in even more dire straits.

“A lot of those crops are planted between April and May. This hits them right between the eyes,” Bell said of the cutbacks. “I know there were people who had planted young almonds and tomatoes, and they had to disc their tomatoes under to have enough water to save their almonds.”

Newman almond grower Jim Jasper agreed that the water rationing will be devastating.

“Agriculture does not need a whole lot of water in the fall,” said Jasper, whose orchards are in the Del Puerto Water District. “We are not going to have enough water to produce a 100 percent crop this year, and it will affect the trees in the following years even if the water situation does get corrected. Your permanent crops are not going to die, but it will have an affect on them.”

Growers, he said, must watch every drop of water.

“You have to be extremely careful, and watch how much you are putting on. You are just trying to get to harvest,” he explained. “It is going to be very hard for the row crop people. They were expecting a certain amount of water to produce their cotton or tomatoes. It will be very difficult to grow the crop they have planted.”

In addition to the impacts on a large portion of the state’s almond acreage, Jasper said, the ripple effects from the water restrictions will fan out from growers of other commodities to processing plants to communities.

“It just goes on and on,” he reflected.

Environmental issues and court-ordered regulations on pumping water through the delta from Northern California are magnifying the seriousness of the drought, Jasper and Bell agreed.

“In previous situations, we just got less water. We knew it in advance and could plan for it, and the urban and rural areas were suffering the same,” Jasper commented. “This is different. To some degree there has been a drought in California for two years, but with these environmental issues it has really compounded the situation. The farming sector is bearing the brunt of it.”

“It’s not that the water isn’t there,” Bell agreed. “It’s that you can’t pump it.”

Even as they wait to learn if the governor’s declaration of an emergency helps free up water supplies and delivery, Harrison reflected, growers in the Del Puerto Water District face a dire situation.

“There is a lot of row crop land with transplants in the ground. I have not heard of somebody abandoning what they have planted yet, but they are trying to figure out ways to stretch the water supplies and it is not working,” he explained. “The extra hardship is that a lot of planting was done based on 45 percent, with no restrictions on the timing and the delivery of that water. Everybody is wondering how they are going to get through this year.”