Drought is back. How cities and irrigation districts in Stanislaus are limiting water
The drought won’t force sudden cuts in water use by city residents in Stanislaus County, because they are in conservation mode all the time.
You know the drill: Water only on the assigned days of the week, and never in the afternoon. Irrigate the lawn, not the sidewalk. And wash the car with a hose valve that you can turn on and off readily.
Over the years, those rules have helped sustain groundwater, the main source for residential users in the county. And they have stretched the Tuolumne River water that makes up much of the city of Modesto’s supply.
The drought has varying effects for farmers, who use the vast majority of the county’s water. Most are getting at least 75% of their accustomed amount from local rivers this year, and many can use wells to supplement this. But parts of the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley are getting nothing this year from the federal system.
Rain and snow were just 47% of average this year in the central Sierra Nevada watersheds that feed the north valley, the California Department of Water Resources reported Wednesday. Last year was just 61%.
But the past half-decade also has had wet years to help recharge aquifers and reservoirs. The wettest by far was the 181% of average in 2017. The storms were 74% of average in 2018 and 125% of average in 2019.
The upshot is that reservoirs in the region have less water than the historical average for this time of year. But most water agencies are putting only modest limits on users, with the hope that 2022 will be wetter. If it’s dry, they could be forced into cuts like those in the latter part of the 2012-2016 drought.
Don Pedro Reservoir on the Tuolumne holds 84% of its historical average for this time of year, DWR said. It is owned by the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts.
New Melones Reservoir on the Stanislaus River was at 87% of average. About a quarter of its inflow is claimed by the Oakdale and South San Joaquin irrigation districts. The rest goes to the federal Central Valley Project and to enhancing flows through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Meters have saved water
Residential use has declined thanks in part to water meters replacing the flat rates used for decades. In Turlock and Ceres, rates went up to pay for a river treatment plant scheduled for completion in 2023.
Details on water use limits for cities and other local agencies around the county:
Modesto: Addresses ending in even numbers can water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Odd addresses are Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Watering is not allowed from noon to 7 p.m.
Salida: Supplied by Modesto, with the same rules.
Empire: Supplied by Modesto, same rules.
Ceres: Even-number addresses water on Tuesday and Saturday, odd numbers Sunday and Wednesday. No watering from noon to 7 p.m.
Keyes: Even addresses water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, odd on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. No watering from 1 to 7 p.m.
Turlock: Even addresses water on Tuesday and Saturday, odd on Wednesday and Sunday. No watering between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Hughson: Even addresses water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, odd on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. No watering from noon to 7 p.m.
Denair: Residents can water any day of the week but never between 1 and 7 p.m.
Waterford: Even addresses water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, odd on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. No watering between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Oakdale: Odd addresses water on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Even addresses can do it Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. No watering from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Riverbank: Even addresses water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, odd on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. No watering between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Patterson: Even addresses water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, odd on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. No watering between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Newman: Even addresses water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, odd on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. No watering between 1 and 6 p.m.
Irrigation districts take varying hits
MID capped its growers at 36 vertical inches of river water per acre over the irrigation season. TID is at 34 inches. Both are about 80% of the usual deliveries. They got down around 40% in 2015, after multiple dry years drew Don Pedro low.
OID and SSJID do not have caps on their growers, but they are urged to conserve in case 2022 is dry. They had planned to sell surplus water to the West Side, but it was canceled due to worsening conditions in the watershed.
Zero federal water will flow this year to many West Side irrigation districts from the Delta down to Kern County. They include the Del Puerto Water District, which now meets part of its demand with recycled wastewater from Modesto, Ceres and Turlock.
Four districts between Crows Landing and Mendota are getting 75% of their federal supply because of water rights predating the federal system. They are the Central California Irrigation District, the San Luis Canal Co., the Firebaugh Canal Water District and the Columbia Canal Co.
This story was originally published June 11, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
