Water Supply Boosted For Central Valley Farmers

The US Bureau of Reclamation says the sprawling agricultural districts on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley will now receive a full supply of water from the Central Valley Project.

It’s been 11 years since those farmers and agricultural districts have received a 100 percent allocation. In March, the bureau announced that those growers would receive 65 percent of their requested water.

The April snow survey found water content in the snow at 164 percent of its historical average. The bureau says that makes plenty of water available.

The boost in supplies comes too late for farmers to plant additional crops. But they’ll be able to avoid pumping overdrafted groundwater basins. The federally-run system of reservoirs and canals provides water to irrigate roughly one-third of California's farmland.