Section 215 Water
The Bureau of Reclamation announced the availability of Section 215 water for south-of-Delta water service contractors that can deliver water from the Mendota Pool. Section 215 Water could be available beginning Monday, January 23, 2017. It is anticipated that this temporary supply will discontinue on February 15, 2017, but its availability could be terminated at any time, depending on hydrologic conditions and project operations. This water is available now because Reclamation released previously-stored water from Friant Dam into the Mendota Pool. Section 215 refers to a section in the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 that defines temporary water supplies and allows non-storable water to be applied to lands otherwise ineligible to receive federal water.
The District anticipates that 3,000 AF of Section 215 water will be conveyed from the Mendota Pool to the San Luis Canal. Water users that can generate demand and take delivery of Section 215 water as it is pumped from the Mendota Pool could submit the attached agreement to purchase Section 215 water. If water users currently do not have water in their accounts, they should contact the District about use. Water users will be required to deliver this water prior to February 28, 2017, and will not receive a refund for any undelivered Section 215 water. The cost for this water is estimated at $200 per acre-foot.
The District plans to pre-allocate the Section 215 water into the accounts of those water users who request Section 215 water in order to provide an estimate on the volume of water available for delivery. The amount of Section 215 water allocation will depend on the number of water users that submit agreements and the requested amount in each agreement. If the total requested amount exceeds the available supply, then each water user that submits an agreement will receive an equal share of the supply, not to exceed the amount requested in the agreement.
The District plans to take delivery of Section 215 water and substitute it for deliveries made by water users that agreed to purchase the water until the Section 215 water is discontinued by Reclamation. Water users that can do so are encouraged to shift their irrigation and preirrigation schedule to January and February and/or refrain from using groundwater in order to avoid the risk of loss and to enjoy the aforementioned Section 215 Water. Moreover, water users who are considering the use of Section 215 water should consider how taking Section 215 water will affect the potential loss of rescheduled water or water that they will reschedule into the 2017-2018 contract year.
The deadline for submitting this form has passed. If you have questions, please call customer accounting at: (559) 241-6250