Farmers are scratching their heads trying to figure out why - with a serious shortage of water on the horizon - the Bureau is considering releasing additional water from New Melones to conduct seepage studies along the Stanislaus River.
Those who farm along the Stanislaus River were informed by the Bureau of Reclamation to kick up flows to 1,500 cubic feet per second in a bid to research how it would impact seepage. The notification went out to farmers who have orchards that would be impacted by the increased flows.
The Bureau proposal is on the heels of the Department of Water Resources announcement last week that snow levels based on an electronic survey in the crucial Sierra watershed have now dropped to 30 percent of normal. They are projected at 25 percent of normal on April 1. The first of April is critical as it is the date snowmelt is calculated to determine exact deliveries to cities, farms, and for environmental purposes. The Sierra snowpack typically represents a third of the state’s overall water supply.
The Bureau also has informed agricultural water contractors on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley that they should only expect 30 percent of the water they requested, Municipal and industrial water contractors relying on Central Valley Project water would receive 75 percent.
It also comes as the South San Joaquin Irrigation District is bracing for the worst. Based on current condition, the SSJID is putting in place strategies to get by with just 34 percent of the water they need to get through the next 10 months. That would curtail irrigation deliveries by as much as 66 percent and reduce water to Lathrop, Manteca and Tracy by at least 10 percent.
SSJID General Manager Jeff Shields said he was made aware of the seepage study proposal by farmers.
Shields said “it doesn’t make much sense” releasing water or a study in what is shaping up as one of the most serious dry years in decades.
The SSJID is in the process of questioning what happened to their “conservation account” in New Melones Reservoir. Based on the 1988 agreement that essentially allowed the Bureau to wipe out Melones Dam owned by Oakdale Irrigation District and the SSJID to build New Melones, the two districts should have 50,000 to 75,000 acre feet now in storage that should be theirs to use.
The Bureau informed the two districts there is no water in the carryover account. The three agencies are in talks over the water. If the water is indeed there, that would provide SSJID with enough for three irrigation runs after it is split with OID. That would be almost enough for three SSJID to experience a near normal year for deliveries if conditions don’t change.
“It’s bleak,” Shields said of the weather outlook.
The 15-day forecast calls for only one day of potentially substantial rain before mid-March. Even so, Shields noted one day of rain won’t make much of a difference. Making matters worse is the temperatures are expected to start climbing toward 80 degrees.
“We could still have good snowfall in March and April.” Shields said. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
The SSJID board has already decided not to start the irrigation season until April 1 to conserve water. Typically it starts in mid-March.
The district had a rare mid-January run due to the lack of rain and concern that trees and other crops would be severely compromised if they didn’t receive moisture.
