OID considers drought surcharge

If irrigation leaders decide later to sell water to Fresno-area buyers, terms of the purchase deal agreed on in January could change.

A staff report for Tuesday’s Oakdale Irrigation District board meeting says unidentified “options of the revised program” could be reviewed after federal water officials firm up how much the district might get from the Stanislaus River in this fourth consecutive drought year.

OID had expected to sell surplus water for about $4.8 million. Also today, the OID board is scheduled to formally declare drought conditions and impose a $6.10-per-acre drought surcharge on farmers, which could bring $414,500 in extra revenue to be used toward OID’s costs for pumping groundwater.

The board meeting starts at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the chamber at 1205 E. F St., Oakdale.

This story was originally published March 2, 2015 at 4:34 PM with the headline "OID considers drought surcharge."