CENTRAL VALLEY, Calif. (KFSN) — Westlands Water District is sounding the alarm for Central California as a new study shows that the low water supply is hitting the region hard.
“Less water led to fewer jobs and less economic activity. We’re talking about declines of 25%,” Westlands’s consultant, Michael Shires, said.
Westlands is the largest agricultural irrigation district in the country, covering parts of Fresno and Kings counties.
The study compares 2019 and 2022, when water allocation fell from 75% to 0%.
“When we don’t have water, it goes further than loss of crops; the economic impact affects real families,” Fresno Chamber of Commerce Chair Nick Rocca said.
Westlands says allocations depend on state and federal decisions.
“It’s driven by the by the amount of rainfall, estimates of the snow pack and also other environmental considerations,” Shires explained.
The study finds that water shortages resulted in nearly 7,500 job losses and a 28% decline in crop production.
“The impact associated with the loss of production in just the Westlands Water District, we estimate to be almost $100 million of lost tax revenue,” Shires stated.
Westlands says fallowed land creates dust and is correlated to a rise in valley fever.
It adds that dry fields also attract rodents, which draw more birds, leading to more bird strikes at NAS Lemoore.
The district says solutions include more water storage.
“We do get snow in some years. We get a lot of water, and we get more than we can handle,” Shires said. “We need to find ways to handle more of it, to save it for a dry day.”
Despite setbacks, Westlands says it remains vital to the state’s food supply and economy, providing 28,000 jobs and $3.6 billion in activity.
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