Improving water conditions in the state mean that San Benito
County farmers and ranchers will receive more water from the
Central Valley Project, reducing
– but not eliminating – the need to draw water from local
aquifers.
Improving water conditions in the state mean that San Benito County farmers and ranchers will receive more water from the Central Valley Project, reducing – but not eliminating – the need to draw water from local aquifers.
The San Benito County Water District expects to receive 25 percent of its contract for ag water, compared with the 10 percent allocation it received last year.
“It will mean there will be less groundwater pumping,” said Jeff Cattaneo, the water district’s executive director. “Because the quality of water is so significant [in the CVP water compared to local groundwater] the long-term impacts it’ll have include less salt build-up in soil and farmers will be able to grow more crops that are salt-sensitive, if they choose to. Typically, yields are higher with the higher quality water.”
This week’s sporadic rains were a continuation of a fairly wet winter that has raised storage in local reservoirs “significantly,” according to Cattaneo.
“We’re at about 50 percent in Paicines and I’d expect that Hernandez is about three-quarters full, if not more,” he said, noting that new measurements were expected to be taken mid-week. “Seventy-five percent storage in Hernandez would be about 12,000 to 13,000 acre-feet, which is significantly more than we started out with last year, when we had 6,000 acre-feet.”
An acre-foot of water is equal to 325,851 gallons.
“All things considered, it’s looking better,” Cattaneo said. “This week there has been more rain and snow around Shasta and the Sierras, so it all looks good. Surface water conditions can change dramatically from year to year, but groundwater storage takes longer to affect a change.”
San Benito County’s groundwater basin is “in very, very good condition” in terms of capacity, he added, though the district’s plan is to continue not to over-use that resource.
For the full story, see the Pinnacle on Friday.
