Kern County and SGMA Presentation to: California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley
Kern County Agriculture About one-third of Kern’s area is on the valley floor, which is intensively cultivated. There are 850,000 irrigated acres on the valley floor, one-third of which are permanent crops (trees and vines). Kern County is known for being ranked #1 Agricultural producing county in the US for the last three years. In 2017, the gross value of Agricultural commodities produced was estimated at $7.25 billion.
KERN COUNTY SOURCES OF WATER 10-Year Supply Average (2002-2011) in Acre-feet Kern River Other Local Water Available CVP SWP Groundwater Kern River 710,630 Misc. Local 20% Groundwater Water Supplies 205,930 1,231,910 6% 36% CVP 433,800 12% SWP 890,990 26%
KERN COUNTY WATER DISTRICTS Delano-Earlimart ID Lost Hills WD Devils Den WD Isabella Southern Kern-Tulare WD Reservoir San Joaquin Berrenda Mesa MUD Semitropic WD 5 43 North WSD 46 Kern 46 33 Cawelo WSD WD Belridge Shafter- WSD 178 Wasco ID I5 5 Rosedale-Rio Bravo 5 4 Olcese WSD 3 Bakersfield WD Cross Valley Canal 58 KCWA ID4 Arvin- Edison WSD 33 Kern Delta 119 WD Henry 99 West Kern Miller WD I5 5 Sources of Supply WD 5 Tehachapi-Cummings Wheeler Ridge- CWD Maricopa WSD KERN RIVER DISTRICTS 166 I5 CVP FRIANT-KERN DISTRICTS Tejon-Castac WD CVP CVC DISTRICTS Lebec CWD 4 4 8 0 KCWA SWP MEMBER UNITS
Source: KCWA
California's Water Supply Situation CAUSE EFFECT State Water Project – Imported Water Supply Trend
90% Reliability 58% Reliability
Import Reliability Vs Groundwater Levels (SWSD) 47% Reliability 78% Reliability SWP 91% Reliability 58% Reliability SWP
Two Sides of the Water Equation Supply : Demand • Surface Supply Challenges/Restrictions – All Kern Surface Water Sources have been impacted • Kern River – Isabella Dam Safety Modification Project • SWP - Delta Issues and declining reliability • CVP – San Joaquin River Restoration – Declining yield from surface supplies results in greater dependence upon groundwater to sustain agricultural economy • Kern Demand – Ag: Changes in Demand Patterns (Permanent Crops) – Urban: Increasing Population
Points to Remember • Kern County subscribed to the SWP and the CVP to reduce our collective reliance upon the groundwater basin and mitigate over-draft – And it Worked • Kern has invested significantly to develop water banking to address supply volatility and to increase access to water in wet years. The capacity of GW banking for all Kern Programs is: • Recharge: Approx. 1.7 MAF/yr • Recovery: Approx. 1 MAF/yr • Due to the loss of our surface water supplies (Kern River, CVP, SWP) Kern has increased reliance on groundwater pumping to maintain agricultural production • For Kern County, every 10% reduction in SWP Table A allocation results in the equivalent of 25,000 Acres being driven to reliance upon groundwater
With the County Withdrawal Approx. 240,000 Acres within the Basin not covered by a GSA
BULLETIN 118 Published in January 1980 • “The Kern County Water Agency, which covers the Kern County Basin, presently receives about half of its maximum annual entitlements from the State Water Project. If no new lands were to go into production, and the full entitlement of the State Water Project were delivered today, there be no overdraft in Kern County as a whole.”
Kern County’s Situation (SGMA) • The Kern Basin has been designated as “Critically Overdrafted” • At this time, Kern estimates the annual Average Overdraft, under Baseline conditions (1994 to 2015), as being up to 350,000 AF/y • Plans at this point identify more than 150 projects and management actions which will reduce the deficit by 2040. – Combination of Supply side and Demand Side projects • The overdraft amount of the basin is the amount of loss of delivery of the State Water Project.
Change in Groundwater Storage Time Series Baseline Conditions with and without SGMA Projects (TODD Groundwater - Model)
SGMA Related Projects • Supply Side: – Expansion of Recharge Capabilities • Conventional Recharge • Subsurface Recharge • In-lieu Recharge – Enhanced Conveyance – Access to Water Supply when available • SWP • Friant • Local – New Water Acquisition – Brackish Water Desal – Produced Water Programs – Water Markets
SGMA Related Projects (Cont.) • Demand Side – Land Fallowing • Permanent • Rotational – Financial Incentives – Enhanced Irrigation efficiency – Cropping Patterns – Water Markets
Ground Water Legislation One link in a vicious cycle -Subscribed to the SWP and CVP to address groundwater overdraft -Over time we have lost access to surface water supplies (SWP and CVP) -Increased reliance upon ground water to maintain production -Now faced with ground water legislation which mandates all groundwater basins are to achieve sustainability in 20 years: -Increase Surface Water Supplies, and -Decrease Demand for Water
“California is presently faced with problems of a highly critical nature -the need for further control, protection, conservation, and distribution of her most vital resource – water. While these problems are not new… Their critical nature stems not only from the unprecedented recent growth of population, industry, and agriculture in a semi-arid state but also from the consequences of a long period during which the construction of water conservation works has not kept pace with the increased need for additional water.” “A Critical need for supplemental water supply now exists in many areas, including: Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Benito Counties; the east, west, and south portions of the San Joaquin Valley; Antelope Valley; Santa Maria Valley; and Ventura County. The ground water basins in these areas are being pumped to the point of dangerous overdraft which threatens their welfare.”
“The State Legislature in 1947 authorized Comprehensive state-wide investigations and studies, which have culminated, after 10 years of intensive effort, in “The California Water Plan,” a master plan to guide and coordinate the planning and construction by all agencies of works required for the control, protection, conservation, and distribution of California’s water resources for the benefit of all areas of the State and for all beneficial uses.” “Finally, and this cannot be emphasized too strongly, the solution of the water problems of California lies in the construction of physical works – not alone in laws and reservations of water, however necessary these may be as steps in the process.”
SGMA IS A SURFACE WATER ISSUE IN KERN SWP reductions of 400,000 Acre-feet (annual average) will result in $4.2 Billion in ANNUAL Economic Impacts in Kern County. KERN AG ECONOMY Investment by the State of California (Conveyance and Storage) to meet its contractual commitments to the State Water Project contractors is a better business / financial decision than to suffer the reduction in the central valley economies. - $4.2 BILLION per YEAR Economic Output
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