Westlands Water District learned that Central Valley Project and State Water Project pumping from the Delta will be reduced beginning Tuesday, March 12. The Federal and State fisheries agencies are concerned by the number of steelhead and winter run salmon taken at both Jones and Banks Pumping Plants. The pumping restriction is planned to last five (5) days and will be coordinated with a scientific monitoring effort to support adaptive management. After the 5-day
action, the regulatory agencies will reassess. The reduced pumping due to the 5-day action is expected to reduce 2024-25 CVP water supply by approximately 10 TAF.
Even with the pumping reduction, there is potential that the federal share of San Luis Reservoir (SLR) will fill. If the federal share of SLR fills, Reclamation states that it plans to surcharge (store) into the State share of SLR, which will prevent Rescheduled Water losses due to foregone pumping.
Given these conditions, the District will consider SLR not full while implementing the District’s Rescheduling Policy this year. The Rescheduling Period will extend to February 28, 2025, and the Cap Loss will be applied after adjusting for internal transfers received and approved on or before 5 p.m., March 11, 2024.
Water users are reminded that according to the District’s Rescheduling Policy, loss is prorated based on volume per acre, from highest to lowest, and is applied in the following order and manner:
1) Any remaining Rescheduled Water in excess of the Acreage Based Cap (0.5 acre-feet per irrigable acre)
2) Water rescheduled by the District
3) Remaining Rescheduled Water
4) Delivered Rescheduled Water in excess of the Acreage Based Cap
5) Delivered Rescheduled Water within the Acreage Based Cap
Although the District’s Rescheduling Policy permits rescheduling water in excess of the Acreage-Based Cap, staff expects that after Cap Loss is applied, there will be 0.26 – 0.35 acre-feet per acre of Rescheduled Water remaining in water user accounts for use throughout the 2024-25 Water Contract Year, assuming all eligible acres participate in rescheduling water.
As a reminder, water users will be billed for all costs associated with lost water.
No. 735