Feds sent zero water last year to parts of Stanislaus’ West Side. See what’s changed

Farmers on the West Side of Stanislaus County can expect 35% to 100% of the water in their contracts with the federal government.

The Central Valley Project announced the tentative allocations Wednesday, late in a wet winter that followed three years of drought.

Some irrigation districts had zero federal water in 2021 and 2022 due to weaker rights to the system. They welcomed the latest news while urging that California capture more storm runoff in years like this.

The 100% deliveries will go to four districts with senior rights, stretching from Crows Landing to Mendota.

The announcement drew protest from the salmon industry. It argues that fish hatched on Valley rivers need higher flows to get out to the Pacific Ocean.

The CVP operates several reservoirs, including New Melones, that hold runoff from mountains flanking the Valley. Much of the water is pumped south from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to users as distant as Kern County.

Drought and Delta fish protections have curtailed the deliveries in many years. The latest allocations from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation came with a caveat that the drought threat remains.

“While we are cautiously optimistic,” Regional Director Ernest Conant said in a news release, “we are also cognizant of the uncertainties that exist and the fluctuating nature of California’s climate with the possibility that dry conditions will return.”

Fallowed farmland

Areas subject to zero federal allotments in the past have fallowed farmland, pumped groundwater or purchased supplies from districts in better shape. The Del Puerto Water District now meets some of its demand with highly treated wastewater from Modesto, Ceres and Turlock.

The tentative 2023 allocation from the CVP is 35% for areas that zeroed out last year. That drew cautious praise from the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, representing districts from the Delta to Kern.

“In an era of increasing climate whiplash, we must advance long-term and sustainable solutions,” Executive Director Federico Barajas said in a news release. “... We must increase our ability to store water during the limited, but more extreme hydrologic events like those in January 2023, and we must improve the operational flexibility of our system so that we can adapt to the challenges presented by each water year.”

Four districts got 100% allocations because of a 1930s agreement to give up direct diversions from the San Joaquin River in exchange for CVP water. They are the Central California Irrigation District, the San Luis Canal Co., the Firebaugh Canal Water District and the Columbia Canal Co. They work together as the Exchange Contractors Water Authority.

Plenty along tributaries

The CVP allocations do not involve districts along the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers, all tributaries to the San Joaquin. They expect full supplies in 2023 thanks to senior rights and ample reservoir storage.

The CVP announcement was panned by the Golden State Salmon Association, representing commercial and recreational anglers. It also noted Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order last week to hold more storm runoff in state-owned reservoirs.

“Since Newsom’s announcement, water flowing out of the Delta has dropped by almost half,” President John McManus said in a news release. “That water is needed to safely deliver this year’s baby salmon from the Central Valley to the ocean.”