California Farm Water Coalition

The Westlands Water District in Fresno County finalized the first phase of a new groundwater storage system, the Pasajero Project aiming to replenish groundwater basins in the nation’s largest irrigation district at 614,000 acres.
Learn more here: https://ow.ly/Qrnt50T8W9h

The Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley and the Southern California Water Coalition have submitted a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, urging the suspension of the Fall X2 component of the Summer Fall Habitat Action for 2024. Scientific findings reveal that this action has failed to benefit the delta smelt, its intended target, and is causing significant water supply reductions that impact our agricultural industry, rural communities, and Southern California residents.

Learn more here: https://ow.ly/SoBZ50T8VXG

💧 Key Facts:
- Water Loss: An estimated 300,000 to 400,000 acre-feet of water could be lost in the next two months, water that could otherwise support our farms, communities, and wildlife refuges.
- Economic Impact: In 2023, this action cost the state 734,000 acre-feet of water, valued at $557 million.
- Scientific Evidence: Over the last decade, data shows this measure is not achieving its intended environmental benefits.

Water coalitions push to suspend regulation that will cost 400,000 acre-feet of water Two water coalitions are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom and the federal government to stop reducing water supplies this year.

According to a study titled The Magnitude of California's Water Challenges, the state's annual water supply losses over the next few decades are expected to be caused by:
- reducing groundwater overdraft by 2-3 million acre-feet (MAF)
- reducing water from the Colorado River by 0.5-0.8 MAF
- increasing required environmental flows by 1-2 MAF
- and the effects of climate change by 1-3 MAF.
With a total amount of losses equaling 4.6 to 9 MAF annually.

Improving how water is managed in California will be crucial to facing the challenges of a changing climate. Important projects are underway now- like building Sites Reservoir, raising Sisk Dam, systemic groundwater recharge- all aimed to help manage expected changes in precipitation and secure water during wet years for use in future droughts.

California Farm Water Coalition Food Grows Where Water Flows

A newly approved conservation agreement signed by Imperial Irrigation District's Board of Directors strengthens efforts to cooperatively resolve water issues on the Colorado River while also advancing projects to improve the Salton Sea. IID's efforts can serve as an example across the Colorado River basin- building meaningful partnerships that produce results not only for local communities, but the nation as a whole.

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According to a recent report released by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), a 23 percent reduction in water supplies would equate to around 496,000 acre-feet annually, which is sufficient to supply 1,736,000 houses in 20 years.

In a recent commentary article in AgAlert, Fritz Durst, chair of the Sites Project Authority Board of Directors stated, “If it were already operational, Sites Reservoir—a 1.5 million acre-feet off-stream water storage project planned for rural Glenn and Colusa counties north of Sacramento—would be 100% full as of this past spring.”

CFWC - CFWC Food Grows Where Water Flows Coalition Blog More Blog Posts About Us The California Farm Water Coalition is a non-profit, educational organization committed to sharing fact-based information about the important role water plays in the food, fiber, and nursery products grown in California. Learn More

As agencies identify more species struggling to adapt to the changing environment in California's Bay-Delta, fisheries scientists continue to explore the roles that ecosystem restoration, predator reduction, and increased food web abundancy can play to develop more holistic approaches to protect threatened and endangered species. https://www.sfchronicle.com/climate/article/tiny-fish-bay-19604481.php?

Tiny inhabitant of San Francisco Bay gets federal protection after decades of lobbying Environmentalist says SF Bay ecosystem “disappearing before our eyes” — but there’s a sliver of hope

A Superior Court judge has put a temporary stop to state enforcement operations against Kings County growers that were ordered to install water meters to report annual pumping and perhaps incur state groundwater extraction costs.

In the San Joaquin Valley in 2023, more than 5.3 MAF of water was recharged into groundwater, despite ongoing surface water constraints.

As temperatures in the North state rise, the water levels do the opposite. The hotter the air, the more evaporated water disappears from lakes. The Area Manager at Shasta Dam, Don Bader said over the past two weeks just in July, over 3 million gallons of water have evaporated over Shasta Lake.

The Friant-Kern Canal Middle Reach Capacity Correction Project is jointly funded by the Bureau of Reclamation, the California Department of Water Resources and Friant Water Authority. Ultimately, it will restore conveyance capacity from 1,600 cubic feet per second to the original 4,000 cubic feet per second. Restoring surface water capacity helps meet SGMA goals and keeps farms in business!

CFWC - CFWC Food Grows Where Water Flows Coalition Blog More Blog Posts About Us The California Farm Water Coalition is a non-profit, educational organization committed to sharing fact-based information about the important role water plays in the food, fiber, and nursery products grown in California. Learn More

A key component of the , Folsom Dam in California is 480.5 ft. high with a reservoir capacity of 976,000 acre-feet. Providing water & power to the region while catching runoff from the American River, Folsom Dam is key to flood control in the Sacramento area.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation increased CVP South of Delta water allocation from 40% to 50% after a bi-partisan letter from eight congressional representatives urged Reclamation to provide a significant increase. San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority Executive Director Federico Barajas commented about the continuing low water supply: “This year taught us a lesson – that we must strike a better balance in scientifically supported decision-making to adaptively manage California’s water system, which supports drinking water for more than 30 million people, the world’s 5th largest economy, and one of Earth’s most fertile and productive food producing regions.”

California Farm Water Coalition Food Grows Where Water Flows

Happy 4th of July from your friends at the California Farm Water Coalition!

Museum Educates Public About How Farmers Work Hard to Use Less Water Press Release - Cultivate California's Exhibits Tell the Story at Sacramento's Museum of Science and Curiosity

The combined water usage of Arizona, California, and Nevada has decreased to the lowest level in forty years. The three states used a little less than 6 million acre-feet of water in 2023. It's the lowest water consumption since 1983 and is 13% less than in 2022 when Lake Mead and Lake Powell hit record-low levels.

California Farm Water Coalition Food Grows Where Water Flows

Agriculture in Solano County is looking at a devastating reduction in their water supply as “55 percent unimpaired flows of water through the area and mandate a minimum level of 900,000 acre-feet in Lake Berryessa for cold water storage supply for the Sacramento River” Read more below.

https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2024/04/25/state-hears-feedback-on-controversial-water-plan/

California Farm Water Coalition Food Grows Where Water Flows

Families across the country face rising prices in the grocery store, while farmers across the globe experience mounting difficulty producing the fresh fruits and vegetables that are key to a healthy lifestyle. Check out the new CFWC fact sheet on sustainability and imports here.

https://farmwater.org/farm-water-news/sustainable-food-supplies-and-imports/

Sustainable Food Supplies and Imports - CFWC Sustainable Food Supplies and Imports America’s grocery stores may seem brimming with fresh fruits and vegetables year-round, but behind the vibrant displays lies a sobering truth: a significant portion of these products are imported from other countries. The new CFWC fact sheet, “Our Food Suppl...

Have you read the newest article in the Wall Street Journal on the agricultural water supply in California?
“… many farmers in Central Valley, America’s fruit and vegetable basket, will get just 40% of the federal water they are supposed to this year.” Link below.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/california-is-finally-awash-in-water-but-its-farmers-can-t-get-it/ar-BB1ogTZJ?mc_cid=13a9ca5fe9&mc_eid=e5c5369ff3

California Farm Water Coalition Food Grows Where Water Flows

Due to significant economic impacts to farmers and others in the Klamath Basin, county leaders are urging water officials to provide a full water allocation to irrigators this year.

Water agencies within the Kern River Basin stored a combined 2.9 million acre-feet of water, accounting for a little more than half of the valley's total recharge volume in the historically wet year that was 2023.

California Farm Water Coalition Food Grows Where Water Flows

USBR has announced that another $67.5 million will be invested in the Sites reservoir off-stream storage project. Sites reservoir will develop another 1.5 million acre-feet of storage in the Sacramento Valley.

California Farm Water Coalition Food Grows Where Water Flows

The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority has received $75 million to raise Sisk Dam. The expansion will result in around an additional 130,000 acre-feet of storage.

You might not often think about investments in infrastructure as a form of environmental protection, but a healthy network of water infrastructure directly supports a healthy environment. Learn more this at QuenchCA.com

After months of consistent storms, California's largest reservoir, Shasta Lake, is almost full for the second year in a row. And yet, inflexible regulations in the Delta continue to limit CVP and SWP allocations to 40%. Disappointing, to say the least.

As we remember and honor the brave men and women who served our country, we also recognize the significant contribution of veteran farmers to American agriculture.

🌾 11% of the country's 3.4 million producers have military service.
🌾 These dedicated individuals manage 129,144,965 acres of farmland.
🌾 They contribute an impressive $41 billion in agriculture sales.

This Memorial Day, let's continue to salute all of our nation's veterans and their dedication to our country.

California attained 4.1 million acre-feet of controlled groundwater recharge during Water Year 2023, almost matching Shasta Lake's water storage capacity, according to statistics from DWR's Semi-Annual Groundwater Conditions report.

California Farm Water Coalition Food Grows Where Water Flows

A revised Record of Decision (ROD) addressing the Lower Basin's commitment to save 3 million acre-feet to address significant elevations in Lakes Powell and Mead in the near term through 2026 was signed by the Department of Interior on May 9, 2024.