Farmers in the Westlands Water District got a surprise addition to their annual water allocation after the Bureau of Reclamation announced Tuesday it would increase the allocation of Central Valley Project contractors from 28% to 31% of their contract total. Westlands’ General Manager, Allison Febbo, said in a statement, “While allocation increases this late in the water year are unusual, the latest hydrologic data shows there is water available in our reservoirs that can be put to beneficial use now.” The increase of three percentage points of the district’s total contract (1,195,000 acre-feet) is 37,450 acre-feet, which is close to the amount growers told Westlands they would need to pump beyond what the Bureau had initially allocated to the west Fresno district. 

Related:

• The Fresno Bee (Calif.): West Fresno County farmers’ water allocations increased, reducing groundwater pumping need
• The San Joaquin Valley Sun (Fresno, Calif.): Reclamation gives Central Valley farmers late boost to water supplies
• Bureau of Reclamation: News release: Reclamation further increases Central Valley Project water supply allocations for south-of-Delta contractors