Western Growers criticizes 65 percent water allocation for farmers south of Delta

Western Growers issued a harsh response to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamations following the announcement that Central Valley Project farmers south of the Delta will receive a water allocation of 65 percent this year.

“With record-level precipitation and flooding, and fear of more to come, a 65 percent Central Valley Project initial water allocation for farmers south of the Delta defies logic,” said Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif. “While an improvement over the zero to five percent allocations of the past three years, the stark reality is inescapably obvious: Regulatory actions are depriving farmers and millions of Californians dependent on the farm economy of their livelihoods."

Nassif criticized the intended purpose of the rationed water allocation—to protect certain fish populations—as lacking results and pointed out that local water managers are struggling to stay within groundwater pumping limitation set forth by state law but are still not able to replenish those basins.

“It is time for California to get serious about the building of additional storage capacity, as directed by the voters in approving the 2014 water bond,” Nassif said. “It is equally important for our elected officials to work with the appropriate government agencies to remove the punitive and unjustified regulatory chains jeopardizing the future of thousands of California farmers and the economic and social vitality of millions of our fellow Californians.”