For Immediate Release
Contact: Elizabeth Jonasson
(559) 241-6233
Westlands Water District Lauds the Lower Yuba River Accord as Model for Collaborative Water Management
Fresno, Calif. —Westlands Water District (Westlands) welcomes the State Water Resources Control Board’s unanimous approval of a 25-year extension of the Lower Yuba River Accord (Accord), a landmark, multi-benefit agreement that will remain in effect through 2050. The Board’s vote extending the Accord’s points of diversion and places of use demonstrates that collaborative, science-based solutions deliver stronger environmental and water-supply outcomes than prescriptive, one-size-fits-all mandates.
The Lower Yuba River Accord is widely recognized as a national model for resolving complex water challenges through collaboration. Developed as an alternative to prescriptive regulatory requirements, the Accord brought together state agencies, local water managers, environmental interests, and water users to create a durable, science-based, flexible framework that benefits fish, communities, and farms alike. This model serves as a template for future endeavors to tackle California’s intricate water challenges.
“California’s complex water issues are often framed with winners and losers,” said Allison Febbo, General Manager, Westlands Water District. “The Lower Yuba River Accord proves there is another path, one where shared goals, sound science, and adaptive management can support a healthy environment while ensuring family farms have the reliable water supplies they need to help feed the nation; that’s the winning formula.”
Under the Accord, participating Yuba Water member agencies and their landowners may make water released for environmental benefit available for purchase by downstream users. The program also allows groundwater to be used in lieu of surface water, enabling surface water to be transferred through a conjunctive use approach that improves flexibility, particularly during dry years, while maintaining environmental protections. These surface water purchases and groundwater substitutions have long provided an important supplemental supply for State Water Project and Central Valley Project contractors, including Westlands.
Since 2008, Westlands has received approximately 250,000 acre-feet of water through Yuba Accord transfers, offering a lifeline to growers during critically dry periods and now, under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, providing opportunities to offset groundwater pumping when supplies are available. The continuation of the Accord’s water transfer program, including groundwater substitution transfers, ensures continued water supply reliability for Californians while protecting fisheries, river health, and the agricultural production that feeds communities across the country.
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About Westlands Water District
Westlands Water District is recognized as a world leader in agricultural water conservation and has served the farmers and rural communities on the west side of Fresno and Kings counties for more than seven decades. As stewards of one of California’s most precious natural resources, Westlands continually invests in conservation and champions farmers deploying innovative irrigation methods based on the best available technology.