Water help coming soon for West Side farmers

By JOHN HOLLAND
jholland@modbee.com
and DENNIS POLLOCK
THE FRESNO BEE

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The thirsty West Side of the San Joaquin Valley soon will get a boost in its water supply but not enough to ward off all the effects of the drought.

The California Department of Water Resources this week announced the first water transfers under last month's emergency declaration by Gov. Schwarzenegger.

At least 87,500 acre-feet of water is expected to be moved around to aid areas with severe shortages. An acre-foot is enough to cover an acre 1-foot deep.

The beneficiaries will include the Del Puerto Water District, a 45,000-acre strip next to Interstate 5 in Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. It stands to get about 3,500 more acre-feet, helping to make up for a 10,000-acre-foot shortage, general manager Bill Harrison said.

Just when the water will be delivered is not yet known, he said.

"We're still suffering from shortages and restrictions, and in spite of the emergency declaration, we have seen no real relief," he said.

Del Puerto is in especially tough straits because its usual supply comes entirely from the federal Central Valley Project. The allotment has been cut to 40 percent this year because of the drought and protections for fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where the wa- ter is pumped into the Delta- Mendota Canal.

Most other districts have access to groundwater or rights to rivers. The Turlock and Modesto irrigation districts, for example, tap the Tuolumne River, though the TID has capped its deliveries this year to help assure a supply for 2009.

Start of a new water year

The emergency transfers were announced Tuesday, which also was the start of a new water year for California. Farmers and other users bid a less-than-fond farewell to the previous water year, which looked to be an abundant one until the rain and snow stopped in late February.

The West Side boost will come in three ways:

37,500 acre-feet from the State Water Project, delivered from San Luis Reservoir, which it shares with the federal system

25,000 acre-feet from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which is postponing some of its deliveries from the California Aqueduct but expects to get an equal amount later to make up for the transfer

At least 25,000 acre-feet from farmer-owned wells in the Westlands Water District, west of Fresno. The water will go to water-short parts of the huge district. A total of 50,000 acre-feet has been authorized, but only half that might be available because the pumping is a slow process.

Harrison said the boost is not yet a certainty because a court could soon rule on further protections for salmon and steelhead in the delta.

For now, he said, the district's 170 farmers are skimping on water, keeping trees and other crops alive but probably reducing the 2008 harvests.

"They will make an almond crop," he said. "It just won't be as much as they would like."

The additional water will help alleviate pressure on permanent crops such as nuts and grapes, said Westlands spokeswoman Sarah Woolf. But she said it will not be enough to save crops that have been abandoned and are wilting in the sun.

Mark Borba, a Fresno County grower, said the additional water still will fall short of the amount needed by at least 150,000 acre-feet.

"But when you're dying of thirst, even a thimble full of water is helpful," he said.

More control on east side

The east side of the valley has less water than usual, too, but irrigation districts have more control over the river supplies.

Nonetheless, the TID has capped deliveries at 3.5 acre-feet per acre. Most tree crops can get by with that, but it is hard on dairy farmers trying to grow a second feed crop this year.

The MID does not have a cap, but it does charge extra for water beyond the base allotment of 3 acre-feet per acre. The allotment is higher in wetter years.

District workers are trying to stretch the supply by cutting down on canal spills and other measures, spokeswoman Kate Hora said.

As of Wednesday, the MID and TID had about 1.35 million acre-feet in Don Pedro Reservoir, down about 200,000 from last year.

"We do have enough water in Don Pedro to get us through this irrigation season," Hora said. "Everyone is going to be looking at the skies very anxiously this winter."

Bee staff writer John Holland can be reached at jholland@modbee.com or 578-2385.