Statement by the California Farm Water Coalition on Upcoming State Water Board Action That Will Cut Water Supplies to Thousands of Farms

Statement by the California Farm Water Coalition on Upcoming State Water Board Action That Will Cut Water Supplies to Thousands of Farms

“It is unbelievable that just two short years after our reservoirs were largely full, California is so water short that the State Water Resources Control Board is seriously considering completely eliminating water supplies for thousands of family farms throughout the Central Valley. Those families grow the safe, healthy food California families depend upon and these water supply cuts come right before the harvest season.
“Drought conditions are significant this year, however, we can’t ignore our state and federal leaders’ failure to meaningfully prepare for this drought. Science told us this pattern was inevitable, and those same experts insist it will become more frequent as a result of our changing climate. 
“During California’s six-year drought, from 1987 to 1992, farm water allocations never fell below 25 percent. When the next drought came along, from 2012-2016, water supplies were cut to zero for more than a million acres of farmland, starting in just the second year of a five-year drought.
“Our water system is so stressed that the State Water Resources Control Board’s upcoming action on August 3 could completely eliminate surface water supplies for farms in much of the state.
“Drought years like this reveal the weaknesses in our water supply system. California’s climate is now punctuated by wetter wet years and drier dry ones. We’ve known for years that we need to increase our ability to capture water during the wet years so it is available when dry years return, as well as increase recycling, fix our aging infrastructure and provide for habitat restoration.
“Immediate federal and State infrastructure investments are needed to stop California’s continued spiral into perennial water shortages and situations that force Californians to choose water winners and losers.”

Updated Map – 2021 Farm Water Supplies Cut Again

Updated June, 2021:

California farms are bearing the brunt of this year’s short water supply and have been forced to reduce the acreage of popular California crops, such as asparagus, melons, lettuce, rice, tomatoes, sweet corn, and others.

Water supply reductions mean fewer fresh fruits and vegetables for consumers, massive farm-related job losses, and billions in lost economic activity, impacts that go beyond rural and disadvantaged communities. View the map here.

About 2 million acres of California’s irrigated farmland, or one out of every four acres, has already had its water supply cut by 95 percent or more. More than half of that is getting 0 percent. Another million acres has lost 80 percent of its water supply this year with much of the remaining farmland experiencing cuts of 25 percent or more.

Conditions are similar to those that occurred in 2015. According to a 2015 drought report issued by UC Davis, ERA Economics, and the UC Agricultural issues Center, water supply cuts led to the fallowing of 540,000 acres of farmland, 21,000 lost jobs, and an economic loss of $2.7 billion.

Critical reservoirs, including Shasta, Oroville, Folsom, Millerton, and San Luis combined have reached record lows. They are essential to supplying rural communities with drinking water, irrigating farms, supplying water to wildlife refuges, and recharging aquifers in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys where a majority of California-grown food products originate.

It is a distressing time for farmers, farm workers, and businesses that depend on agriculture all across California and illustrates the need to invest in infrastructure that will increase our ability to capture more water during wet years when it is abundant to save for dry years like this. It also puts a strain on consumers who want local, California-grown fresh food choices for their families.

Learn more:

 

Map Shows 2021 Farm Water Supply Cuts

Click here to see the latest map. Updated: June 2021

California farms are bearing the brunt of this year’s short water supply and have been forced to reduce the acreage of popular California crops, such as asparagus, melons, lettuce, rice, tomatoes, sweet corn, and others.

Water supply reductions mean fewer fresh fruits and vegetables for consumers, massive farm-related job losses, and billions in lost economic activity, impacts that go beyond rural and disadvantaged communities. View the map here.

About 2 million acres of California’s irrigated farmland, or one out of every four acres, has already had its water supply cut by 95 percent. Another million acres has lost 80 percent of its water supply this year with much of the remaining farmland experiencing cuts of 25 percent or more.

Conditions are similar to those that occurred in 2015. According to a 2015 drought report issued by UC Davis, ERA Economics, and the UC Agricultural issues Center, water supply cuts led to the fallowing of 540,000 acres of farmland, 21,000 lost jobs, and an economic loss of $2.7 billion.

Critical reservoirs, including Shasta, Oroville, Folsom, Millerton, and San Luis combined have 1.1 million acre-feet less water in storage today than they had at the end of March in 2015, California’s last critically dry year. Levels in these reservoirs are currently at 56 percent of average, compared to 72 percent of average at this time in 2015. They are essential to supplying rural communities with drinking water, irrigating farms, supplying water to wildlife refuges, and recharging aquifers in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys where a majority of California-grown food products originate.

It is a distressing time for farmers, farm workers, and businesses that depend on agriculture all across California and illustrates the need to invest in infrastructure that will increase our ability to capture more water during wet years when it is abundant to save for dry years like this. It also puts a strain on consumers who want local, California-grown fresh food choices for their families.

Learn more:

 

2017 Snow Survey Results Off the Charts- Must Improve Water Supplies

Snow Survey Results Off the Charts- Must Improve Water Supplies

When state snow surveyors visited the Sierra Nevada today, they found a snowpack well above average for the date, and the biggest in more than 20 years. California agricultural organizations say they hope that translates into improved water supplies for the state’s farmers and ranchers.

California Snow Survey Results: 173% of Normal, Water Supply Improvements Should Correlate

Map showing how much water is in the Sierra snowpack today.

“You would think that a snowpack in the range of 175 percent of average would assure plentiful water supplies, but that link has long ago been severed,” said Tom Nassif, president of the Western Growers Association.

“Wildlife agencies often hold the key to determining how much water is available, because endangered-species laws reserve
water for protected fish.”

WIIN Act Can Help Maximize the Benefits of California Storms in 2017 and Beyond.

Nassif noted the passage of federal legislation called the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act,
which included short-term provisions to increase flexibility of the state’s water system.

“Among its provisions, the WIIN Act allows water agencies to capture more water during winter storms and requires them to maximize supplies consistent with law. This winter will be a good test of how agencies adhere to that law,” said Paul Wenger, president of the California Farm Bureau Federation.

Proposition 1 Water Bond Reservoirs Would Save Storm Water for Families, Farms, and Environment

The WIIN Act also invests in California water storage and desalination projects, complementing the investments California voters made when they passed the Proposition 1 water bond in 2014.

“We’ve had to let too much water run out to sea this winter, because we didn’t have any place to store it,” said Bill Diedrich, president of the California Farm Water Coalition. “We should be doing everything we can to save today’s rain and snow for use tomorrow.”

The California Water Commission will decide later this year on water projects to be funded through the bond.

“We will continue to urge the commission to put that money to work as quickly as possible to build new storage facilities that can capture more water during future winters such as we’ve seen in 2017,” Diedrich said.

Treated recycled water added to farmers’ arsenal of water supplies

(The following is a statement by Mike Wade, Executive Director of the California Farm Water Coalition, in response to the North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program that is planned to deliver treated recycled water to farmers.)
SACRAMENTO—“The California Farm Water Coalition applauds the cities of Turlock and Modesto as they celebrate the certification of the Environmental Impact Report for the North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program (NVRRWP). The partnership of the cities with Del Puerto Water District will provide a new source of both agricultural and environmental water. The partnership should be seen as an example of the benefits that can result from working together where possible for the shared goal of providing for California’s citizens, its wildlife, and its farms.

“The current drought has been disastrous for many farmers: with no surface water allocation and groundwater supplies dwindling, providing the crops that keep Californians fed has become a challenge. With strengthened alliances and innovative technologies, the partners of the NVRRWP have identified an innovative way to recycle water and provide for all of the region’s stakeholders. Improving water management across regions in a basin helps to ensure water resources are being responsibly overseen and that critically important basin-level efficiency is enhanced.

“Farmers in the area, and across the state, have sought other sources of surface water where possible, through transfer agreements between regions with available water to areas of need. Locally, farmers continue to expand the use of water smart technology for use on their farms, improving not only the water efficiency, but often the market quality of the products being demanded by consumers. Farmers are not only accelerating the installation of drip irrigation systems, but use automation-assisted tractors to aid in planting and growing, and are adopting scientific irrigation scheduling and soil moisture monitoring that assist farmers in knowing when and how much water to apply to their crops.

“The North Valley Regional Recycled water Program is a good model of urban, agricultural, environmental, and regulatory cooperation on water supply issues.”

California drought affects farms and consumers

Farmers and consumers share a unique relationship. The California drought is helping people understand how important it is for farms to have the water they need to grow the food we all find at the grocery store. Serious water supply cuts affect our food supply as well as the people in rural communities who depend on agriculture for their jobs.

 

Over 41 percent of California’s irrigated farmland loses nearly entire surface water supply

Over 41 percent of California’s irrigated farmland will lose 80 percent or more of its normal surface water allocation this year, according to a new survey by the California Farm Water Coalition.

The survey of agricultural water suppliers conducted the first week of April shows that 3.1 million acres, or 41.6 percent of California’s irrigated farmland, is expecting deep cuts to the water delivered in a normal year. That is an area 10 times the size of Los Angeles.

April2015Infograph
Info graph – 2015 farm water supply cuts

The survey also revealed that almost 30 percent of the irrigated farmland in the state, 2.2 million acres, will get no surface water deliveries this year.

Because of significant agricultural water supply cuts that have happened over the past two years, large amounts of land going unplanted will occur in 2015. According to the survey, approximately 620,000 acres are estimated to be fallowed this year. Associated job losses could reach 23,000 with an economic hit to the state’s economy exceeding $5.7 billion.

California farms have taken a severe hit to water supplies for two years in a row. Researchers at the University of California issued a report last year based on computer modeling that estimated the Central Valley’s surface water supply diminished by about one-third, or 6.6 million acre-feet with 410,000 acres estimated to be fallowed.

Some farmers last year received no surface water deliveries at all and turned to groundwater pumping to offset the losses. Recent levels of groundwater pumping are expensive and not sustainable.

 

August 5, 2014 Drought Fact Sheet

2014 California Drought Fact Sheet

California Needs to Modernize its Water Infrastructure to Grow, Not Shrink, our Agricultural Output. California’s agricultural industry provides jobs and economic activity and plays a crucial role in global food production. But this position is at risk due to the drought and unreliable water infrastructure.

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