‘Water-short’ district gets wet

Farmers pumping from the Orland-Artois Water District can breath a little easier – for now.

Water from an irrigation transfer from the Orland Unit Water Users began flowing Friday, according to Sue King, district manager for the Orland-Artois Water District.

“With this purchase we should be able to meet everyone’s water demands for this season,” King said Monday.

King said the district purchased 5,000 acre-feet from the Orland Unit Water Users and could purchase an additional 5,000 acre-feet if needed.

The price of the sale was not available, but King said the district would absorb the cost without raising prices for farmers.

The district is considered a “water-short” district, which means each year there is not enough local water to meet grower demands. She said all Central Valley Project water supplies have been cut by 60 percent, but Orland-Artois has been effectively cut by 80 percent this season.

She said the transfer was critical for a successful growing season and likely would not have happened without help from the governor.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in July asked the state Bureau of Reclamation to expedite drought relief specifically for the Orland-Artois Water District. The request followed a statewide drought declaration by Schwarzenegger in June. The Republican governor cited two straight years of below-average rainfall and low snowmelt runoff as the primary causes.

King said the transfer effectively saves this growing season, but said the real concern is for next year.

“There are big questions about next season, if we don’t get rain, it could get very, very ugly,” King said.