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.<\/p>\n
“Less water led to fewer jobs and less economic activity. We’re talking about declines of 25%,” Westlands’s consultant, Michael Shires, said.<\/p>\n
Westlands is the largest agricultural irrigation district in the country, covering parts of Fresno and Kings counties.<\/p>\n
The study compares 2019 and 2022, when water allocation fell from 75% to 0%.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Westlands says allocations depend on state and federal decisions.<\/p>\n
“It’s driven by the by the amount of rainfall, estimates of the snow pack and also other environmental considerations,” Shires explained.<\/p>\n
The study finds that water shortages resulted in nearly 7,500 job losses and a 28% decline in crop production.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Westlands says fallowed land creates dust and is correlated to a rise in valley fever.<\/p>\n
It adds that dry fields also attract rodents, which draw more birds, leading to more bird strikes at NAS Lemoore.<\/p>\n
The district says solutions include more water storage.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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