Feds Deny Water to Central Valley Farmers

The drought is taking a heavier toll on California agriculture as the state enters the fourth year of a severe drought.

The Federal Bureau of Reclamation has announced it will not release reservoir water for most Central Valley farmers for the second straight year.

Farmers are scrambling to find other water sources, uprooting or not planting their fields, while others are using unregulated groundwater wells that are quickly drying up.

Some farms are exempt from complete cuts under California’s antiquated water rights system dating to Gold Rush-era days.

California’s snow pack, the main source of water across the state, is just one-fifth its normal level.

State Water customers on the Central Coast are actually seeing their annual allotments increase to 15 percent this year, up from five percent last year.

The three-fold increase in State Water should help parched communities like Santa Barbara and Montecito get through 2015 with the help of additional water supplies being bought in other parts of the state.

Local water officials say despite the extra State Water this year, its still a dire situation for water across California going into the fourth year of the drought.

They say what’s needed now is a string of hard, cold rain and snow storms in March, or what’s become known as a March miracle.

Water officials stress the importance of continued conservation and reduced consumption by commercial and residential users.

Reduced agricultural production in the Central Valley, the largest agricultural region in the state, is expected to lead to higher food prices and shortages in the coming year.