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End Of Month Looks Wet

Friant Water Contractors Hold Out Hope

Screen Shot 2014-03-17 at 8.25.41 AMNational Weather Service has published this map showing the likelihood of wet weather in California from March 24 – 30th while other sources say it looks good for early April too.

PG&E forecaster John Lindsey confirms the opinion saying today “ The long-range models suggest a return to wet and unsettled  weather by the middle of next week. At this time, rain may develop by March 25.”

One factor – warming water temps in the Pacific are fueling expectations of an El Nino pattern.

California got a good dose of wet weather in February and early March but has been dry since. Farmers are desperate for these late storms to help bring the water-year up to some higher fraction of normal rainfall. Some farmers are in the position of receiving no surface water deliveries (zero allocation) this year.

The state says as of today California snowpack water content is 28% of normal for this date.

Friant Water Users general manager Ron Jacobsma says he holds out some small hope they can retain the water stored above Fresno ( about 200,000 acre ft ), to use in the Friant Kern Canal this year but only if the Exchange Contractors near Los Banos get water shipped south of the Delta by the Bureau of Reclamation. They are about 300,000 acre/ft short of that goal he says.

If that does not happen the Exchange Contractors will take some or all of Friant’s 200,000 acre feet since their water right precedes the construction of Fraint Dam. That could still leave Friant contractors where they are today – at a zero allocation. Friant irrigates about one million acres in Fresno,Tulare, and Kern counties, to some irrigation districts that have little or no ground water.

“We can get creative with 200,000 acre ft” says Jacobsma, with water trades to those who really need it to keep trees alive. “That’s more than we had in the 1977 drought year,” he says.

Without some relief “we may be looking as much as $1 billion in damages from the drought” he worries.

Besides more rain Jacobsma calls on all parties to allow pumping when water is available  rather than all of it go out to sea.“Achieving maximum flexibility in Delta export operations will be key in allowing the Bureau to meet Exchange Contractor substitute water supply operations, which is critical for Friant to be able to use whatever supplies may be generated in the upper San Joaquin River watershed,” Jacobsma said.

Screen Shot 2014-03-17 at 12.27.08 PMKey reservoirs to watch are Shasta where rainfall stood at 4 inches February 1 but climbed by 21 inches in 5 weeks. That reservoir has gained nearly 400,000 acre ft since. In Tahoe, February precipitation was 163% of average.

Screen Shot 2014-03-07 at 11.30.44 AM At San Luis Reservoir where water is stored after it is pumped from the Delta, the reservoir has gained nearly 200,000 acre ft since Feb 11. These are hopeful signs but these pending March and April storms could make the difference.

While California experiences drought – our neighbors to the north and even Arizona are looking much better now.

In Arizona,the Lake Powell reservoir, which provides water to parts of Nevada, Arizona and California, is now forecast to receive 109 percent of normal streamflow, up 15 percent from last month. When snow melts in the mountains, it flows down rivers and streams, and it will help relieve water shortages in those areas.

Northern California has seen above average rain  late in the season. Now it is the end of the season and it is do or die.

Screen Shot 2014-03-07 at 11.06.44 AM

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