All the Tools in the Toolbox

There’s a lot to be encouraged about in the Department of Interior’s announcement of initial water allocations for the CVP – as well as the reactions coming from many quarters.  The focus of discussions today has been on solutions that can protect the Bay-Delta, salmon and fishing jobs while helping water users meet their supply needs.  (That’s what we call co-equal goals.) 

DOI’s announcement today confirms what all water users know, that water allocations are driven primarily by weather.  Interior announced that, coming out of three dry years, if the rainfall this year remains on the current track, we will end up in a below normal year, with the most junior water users in the CVP system receiving 30 percent of their maximum allocation.  Most other CVP farmers in the San Joaquin Valley will receive 100 percent of their total allocations.  On balance, the Bureau projected that “should precipitation continue so that a median forecast is realized, Reclamation expects to deliver 5.7 million acre-feet, representing 96 percent of deliveries over the past 5 years.”  That five year period extends back before the current dry period and before the issuance of the new Biological Opinions issued pursuant to the ESA. 

The announcements today also show an encouraging broadening of horizons within the water community.  The CVP and SWP are enormous water projects, but together, they still provide a minority of California’s water supply.  Water users have many tools in their toolbox to meet their needs.  Last year, the Westlands Water District used those tools to reach a supply equal to 80% of their maximum allocation of CVP water.  This year, thanks to discussions over the past few weeks, they will have more tools at their disposal.

Ultimately, crops will grow when they get water – and it doesn’t matter whether that water is from the CVP or from another source.  The bottom line is that the junior water users in an overallocated system will always need to work to secure supplemental supplies.  Senator Feinstein, the Department of Interior, water users and a great many others (including NRDC) have been working hard to identify those potential supplies – supplies that can be obtained without harming other water users or the environment. 

Here’s NRDC’s list of candidate options.  Most of these options have been developed by other water users.  It’s particularly interesting that the restoration of the San Joaquin River creates opportunities to operate the CVP systems on the East and West sides of the Valley together in a way that can benefit junior water users without interfering with the restoration of the river.  The newly restored flows in that river provide the aquatic artery that has reconnected these two systems. 

The tools in the Westlands toolbox fall into five categories:

• CVP supply – which from this point forward will largely be determined by rainfall and their junior status in the system. 
• Voluntary water transfers from their water rich neighbors with senior rights. 
• The reoperation of the State Water Project and the CVP Friant system in a manner that helps junior water users without harming others.  (This is explained more in the fact sheet.)   The Metropolitan Water District and the State Water Project deserve credit for stepping up and being the first to volunteer to help implement a reoperation program. 
• Carryover storage.  Westlands and other junior water users have worked hard to build up supplies over the past six months to have water “in the bank” – more specifically stored in the San Luis Reservoir. Currently, they have more than 400,000 acre-feet of stored water in San Luis.   
• Groundwater.  Yes, California has a major groundwater overdraft problem, because farmers are pumping at rates greater than recharge over the long-term.  However, there is a safe level of groundwater pumping.  In wet years, groundwater should be allowed to recharge.  And in dry years, Westlands should pump more than their long-term yield.  That’s how conjunctive use works.  Given California’s lack of groundwater management requirements (a topic for another day) it is all but certain that Westlands and its farmers will pump between 200,000 and 600,000 acre-feet of water this year.  The more they can squeeze from other sources, the less pressure will remain on groundwater. 

We’re confident that, working together, Senator Feinstein, the Department of Interior and various other interests can get the most from those tools – largely by persuading neighbors in the Valley to help junior water users.

Today has been an eventful day in the water world.  But the bottom line is simple.  Salmon and other fish don’t have a choice.  They swim in the water we leave in the Bay-Delta ecosystem.  If we don’t leave enough, they won’t survive.   Water users, however, have lots of choices.  We just need to use all of the tools in the box. 

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