The Associated Press reports that California will be cutting its 2009 commitment for water deliveries to a near-record low of 15 percent of the amounts requested by local water agencies throughout the state. The last time the state Department of Water Resources scheduled deliveries at this low a level was 1993, and in that year heavy rains allowed the department to deliver full allotments despite the low quota; if this year’s schedule holds up it will be the lowest level of delivery since California began state water projects in 1962.

Farmers are already chafing under the low delivery provided in 2008, when the state delivered only 35 percent of the amounts requested by local boards. Central Valley farmers report they intend to leave many fields unplanted, with one fourth-generation Kern County farmer saying he will have no choice but to leave 1,000 acres of his 5,000 acre operation fallow in order to conserve water for permanent crops like cherry and almond trees.

California’s state water projects deliver irrigation water for 750,000 acres of farmland throughout the state. In recent years, deliveries have suffered even after heavy precipitation because of court orders restricting water pumping for environmental reasons. A wet winter could provide more waters directly to farmers, but will not impact the court orders in place, leaving farmers in quite a bind.

Governor Schwarzenegger has called for building more dams and finding ways to funnel water around the protected area to bypass the court-ordered restrictions, but has had little luck in securing legislative backing for his proposals. Local officials say that if the water problem continues, there could be substantial layoffs in the agricultural sector, with even long-term workers being forced to leave the agricultural regions of California in order to find work elsewhere.

 

Previous post on this water issues facing farmers below:

August 21, 2008: Water for Ag Use, Change is Inevitable

August 15, 2008: Water – 80% to 90% of Global Freshwater Used for Irrigation; Sustainable?

August 6, 2008: Water – Agriculture and Changing Weather Patterns

July 30, 2008: Water – US Farmers, Count Your Blessings

July 23, 2008: Water - The Next Farm Crisis