Westlands: zero surface water likely for growers

Responding to worsening drought conditions and pumping cutbacks to protect endangered fish, Westlands Water District informed growers Monday that they will likely receive no surface water for irrigation during the summer months.

The district normally pumps water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta southward to thirsty farmers an the dry western side of the San Joaquin Valley.

The announcement was confirmed by Westlands spokeswoman Sarah Woolf, though she cautioned that it was a preliminary warning to help growers decide what to plant.

The official announcement would have to be issued by the Bureau of Reclamation and won't come until mid-February, Woolf said.

Water allocations typically begin March 1 for the summer season, Woolf said.

Approximately 30,000 acres of Kings County farmland at Lemoore Naval Air Station and in areas west of Highway 41 and north of Interstate 5 is in the Westlands Water District.

One of those growers is Mike Kochergen, owner of Kochergen Farms, which comprises 1,300 acres of citrus and almonds along the Avenal Cutoff Road in Kings and Fresno counties.

Kochergen said he heard about in a conference call at 1 p.m.

"I wasn't expecting zero, but I guess it is what it is," he said.

Last year, Kochergen used some of his 40 to 45 percent Westlands allocation to plant winter wheat in addition to watering his citrus and almond trees.

This year, if the drought holds, he'll let the open ground lie fallow and use well water to keep his trees alive.

"We were hoping for heavy rains and a good snowpack. We've still got the end of February and all of March, so we'll see," Kochergen said.

Other Kings County growers in the district couldn't be reached Monday for comment.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2432.

(Jan. 20, 2009)