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A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
March 23, 2007
2. Supply
Canals running high early this year
Los Banos
By Kim Yancey
A warm, dry winter has pushed irrigation water demands in the
According to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's systemwide Central Valley Project water supply allocation report issued Feb. 23, January was the third driest month in
Weather conditions in February produced better than normal precipitation, but not enough to bring allocations to all users of project water to 100 percent.
The Bureau's March 16 report raised exchange contractor and wildlife refuge allocations from 75 to 100 percent in February, but did not change the percentage for municipal and industrial supply.
Federal agricultural contractors south of the Delta received a slight reprieve from the 35 percent allocation estimate in February, but will still only receive 50 percent of their contract this year if the Bureau's March projection holds true.
Allocations to contractors in the Friant Division remained unchanged in March at 50 percent of Class 1 water and no Class 2.
"There's not a whole lot of snow, especially above the Friant system," said Central California Irrigation District General Manager Chris White at the district's board meeting last week. "This time last year we had 10,000 second feet (cubic feet of water per second) coming down, going to the ocean."
Unlike last year when farmers fought mud and rain as they tried to get ground ready for planting, January and February 2007 have been relatively warm and dry leaving fields with little deep moisture, and winter crops and orchards in need of irrigation.
A memorandum issued March 7 by Tom Boardman, water resources engineer for the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority indicated water demands on the Central Valley Project south of the Delta in February nearly broke a record set in 1987.
During the record year, water demands in February were about 271,000 acre-feet compared to 260,000 acre-feet for the same month this year.
An acre-foot of water is about 326,000 gallons.
Water deliveries in January and February from the Central California Irrigation District exceeded projections by more than 300 percent with 58,718 acre-feet being sold.
Demands in March for that district continue to be strong but deliveries to growers in the northern portion of CCID are now greater than those to the south as farmers irrigate winter row crops and orchards.
San Luis Canal Company General Manager Chase Hurley said deliveries to growers in that district in January were the greatest on record.
Hurley said average water usage in January is about 800 acre-feet, but this year some 5,000 acre-feet was delivered to growers.
"Farmers needed water to bring up winter crops that were planted dry - usually rain brings up those crops," he said.
February deliveries were about 175 percent of normal, but demand has slowed as pre-irrigation of fields is being completed, he said.#
http://www.losbanosenterprise.com/local/story/13415218p-14031626c.html
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