Leaders say low water projections for the Central Valley Project (CVP) are unexplainable and have limited high projections for this year’s cotton production.
Allocation Limiting Big Cotton Year
Industry leaders say they expected a lot more water than the 5 percent allocation the west side of the Central Valley is forecast to receive this year. California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association President Roger Isom says the water allocation announcement was tough to take.
Isom says California cotton production is set to have its biggest season in the last five years with a projected 20 percent increase. He says the low allocations for west-side growers kept that number from possibly being in the 40 percent range.
More on CVP Allocations
The Bureau of Reclamation announced the initial 2016 water supply allocation for Central Valley Project contractors. This allocation is based on a cautious estimate of the amount of water that will be available for delivery to CVP water users and reflects current reservoir storages, precipitation and snowpack in the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada.
This initial CVP allocation is also based on conservative assumptions regarding Delta operations over the next couple of months; however, should conditions improve, CVP supplies could also improve, with increased supplies to Reclamation contractors in the hard-hit San Joaquin Valley. Reclamation will continue working with the California Department of Water Resources, federal and state fishery agencies, our contractors, and others to effectively carry out project operations and improve water supply consistent with all applicable laws. Read more and see the numbers.