BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Despite the rain we have been getting, the state of California is still in the third year of a drought. The state recently announced water allocation for the upcoming year. This water is meant to provide for the 29 public water agencies across the state that altogether serves 24 million Californians.
Here in the Central Valley, water fuels the crop production Kern County depends on. The county has been allocated 5 percent of the state's water for 2023, and entities like the California Farm Bureau and the Kern County Water Agency expressed their concerns over the lower projected water allocation.
The allocation can change depending on snowpack and runoff water amounts, but if it does not, the Farm Bureau says it leaves farmers with another year of uncertainty and economic hardship.
In addition to that, water policy expert Bruce Babcock with the University of California at Riverside says the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which limits how much groundwater agencies can use, is also expected to reduce water availability in the coming year.
"I think it is pretty clear that agriculture is going to be smaller," said Babcock. "There is going to be fewer acres in production simply because we don't have enough water."
Babcock added that with fewer acres in production, farm income may drop, as well have a trickle-down effect on food processing, farm labor, and far machinery, all tied to the economic impact of the agriculture industry.
Babcock also explained that the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act will be gradually implemented over the next ten years, so this will be a change over time, but that water allocation will prompt changes for the coming year.
Farmers, however, are already being forced to make tough decisions, like ripping out almond trees and other water-heavy crops, all of which they say has an impact on other industries as well.
Fourth generation farmer and second Vice President of the Kern County Farm Bureau Jason Giannelli says for decades, the water allocation has been low, and the 5 percent set for 2023 comes as no surprise to him.
"It's a drop in the bucket," said Giannelli.
Although the 5 percent allocation is higher than last year's initial zero percent allocation, some farmers will not be able to plant or irrigate their crops due to how little water they will be allowed to use. According to Giannelli, the allocation means farmers will get just 5 percent of the water they need despite still paying for 100 percent usage, making it difficult to plan for the upcoming year.
"We are going to start fowling ground, going to start going back to different cropping patterns, looking at what ground we have to fallow, what ground we have to put resources towards," said Giannelli.
With a majority of California agriculture dependent on irrigation, when there isn't enough surface water available, farmers typically resort to pumping groundwater from beneath their fields.
Not only is that practice costly, the state's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act also limits the amount of water that can be pumped to avoid an overdraft, which then trickles down to other industries.
"As long as we are smart about how we store our water and release our water and give it to the people who actually need it, because it affects communities," said Giannelli. "It affects everybody."
