• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
California Government Logo
  • Log In
  • Contact Us
  • Calendar
  • Notices
  • Employment
Westlands Water District

Westlands Water District

Fresno, CA

  • Home
  • About
        • Administration
          • Human Resources
          • Class Descriptions
        • Resources
          • Additional Information
          • Rules & Regs
          • Fact Sheets & Infographics
          • FAQ
        • Board of Directors
        • Financials
        • History
        • Maps
        • Mission/Goals
        • Organization/Staff
        • Procurement
        • We Are Westlands Videos
  • Sustainability
        • Agricultural
        • Environmental Restoration
  • Water Management
        • Water Use
          • Water Use Efficiency
          • Expanded Irrigation System Improvement or Recharge Program (EISIRP)
          • Expanded Irrigation System Improvement or Recharge Program (EISIRP)/Public Purpose Program (P3) Grant
        • Groundwater
          • Groundwater Management
          • Groundwater Management Program
          • Temporary Diversions
          • SGMA
        • Water Supply & Rates
          • Water Supply
          • Annual Water Use and Supply
          • Municipal & Industrial
          • Rescheduled Water Forecast
          • Water Transfers
          • Water Rates
          • CIP – DIP
        • Water Management & Handbooks
          • Additional Water Management
          • Water Management Plan (5 Year Update)
          • Water Management Plan 2017
          • Water Management Handbook 2013
        • Irrigation Guide
  • Resource Management
        • Irrigation
          • Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program
          • Worksheet Document Templates
        • Drainage Resources
          • Drainage
          • Drainage Settlement Docs
        • Power Resources
          • Power
          • ISM Program
        • Land Management
  • News & Reports
        • Documents
          • Environmental Docs
          • Activities or Approvals by Westlands Water District Pursuant to ¶11 of the May 10, 2021 Governor’s Proclamation
          • Activities or Approvals that are implemented pursuant to ¶5 of the Governor’s Executive Order N-7-22, dated March 28, 2022.
          • Activities or Approvals that are implemented pursuant to ¶13 of the Governor’s  Executive Order  N-7-22, dated March 28, 2022
        • Media
          • Media Center
          • Education & Outreach
          • Newsletters & Blogs
          • Fact Sheets & Infographics
        • Notices & Additional Documents
          • Notices
          • Prop 218 Info
          • Covid-19 office closure
          • E-Statement Access
        • Crop Reports
        • Drought Info
        • Economic Reports
        • Meetings
        • Presentations
        • Relevant Links
  • Investor Relations
  • Show Search
Hide Search

You are here:

  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Resource Management
  4. /
  5. Land Management

Land Management

In an agricultural community, land is a prized and irreplaceable resource. As such, Westlands’ growers place a high value on farmland and employ advanced land management techniques to ensure farmland is sustainably maintained. These techniques include the Irrigation System Management Program (ISMP), which allows growers to enroll pressurized drip and/or sprinkler systems. By encouraging efficient irrigation through drip and sprinkler systems, Westlands is able to improve supply reliability and minimize total water costs.

Water users may download an application package from the District’s website here, Irrigation System Management Program. There is a six-month lead time, beginning the month following receipt of an application, unit a pump becomes effective on the ISMP.

Airplane View of Green Fields

A second crucial element in land management is drainage. Without proper drainage, a salt-soil balance cannot be effectively maintained. Westlands’ Water Conservation Program actively provides growers with drainage information and assistance directed at achieving higher irrigation efficiencies. Despite the lack of drainage outlets for Westlands’ farms, by utilizing advanced irrigation practices, Westlands growers currently manage salinity through proven intense irrigation management, crop rotation and salinity testing.

Lease of District Owned Land

Periodically Westlands Water District has land available for lease in Fresno and Kings Counties. Mr. Cork McIsaac of Agriculture Industries, Inc. can be contacted for a detailed list of any available land at (916) 372-5595 or (800) 822-1415.

Temporary Diversions

Not all lands are served by the District’s permanent distribution system.  In some areas, rowers have installed their own distribution systems to deliver water from the San Luis Canal to their fields.  Click through for additional detail regarding Westlands’ temporary diversions system.

Temporary Diversions Details

Solar Development

In recent years Westlands has innovated parts of our land management practices when select areas of District land are retired from farming purposes due to lack of drainage services and salt accumulation in the soil. Working with private companies, Westlands has redeveloped these retired lands to produce solar energy which is then sold into the California Electrical Grid for the benefit of the entities that contracted to purchase energy from the solar development.

By the end of 2011, PG&E had completed three solar projects on 328 acres of drainage impaired Westlands’ lands, and scheduled three additional solar projects for 2012. Additionally there are 14 solar projects planned on privately owned lands within Westlands, and seventeen solar projects planned by private-owned companies on Westlands’ owned lands. Among them is a proposed state-of-the-art solar farm on 24,000 acres of retired farmland in the southeastern portion of Westlands Water District. The privately-owned project, known as the Westlands Solar Park, is expected to be completed by 2025 and will generate up to 2.4 gigawatts of solar power, greater energy potential than the combined output of several large nuclear power plants.

Primary Sidebar

Search the Site

PDF Accessibility

One or more of the PDF files on this site fall under E202.2 Legacy Exceptions and may not be completely accessible. You may request an accessible version of a PDF using the form on the Contact Us page.

Copyright © 2025 · Westlands Water District

  • Privacy Policy
  • Conditions of Use/Disclaimer
  • Voter Registration
  • WWD Accessibility
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us
  • Intranet
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn