California’s Water Crisis – An Overview for: CALAFCO’s Annual Conference

1. California’s Water Crisis – An Overview for: CALAFCO’s Annual Conference

2. 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 were permanent crops, in process of expanding permanent and decreasing annual. • Kern consistently ranks 3rd or 4th in the state in value of production. An Overview of California’s Water Crisis for: CALAFCO Annual Conference

3. State Water Features Lake Shasta Lake Oroville Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Folsom Lake Friant-Kern Canal San Luis Reservoir Isabella Reservoir Madera Canal Kern County Delta Mendota Canal California Aqueduct An Overview of California’s Water Crisis for: CALAFCO Annual Conference

4. 46 33 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 99 184 4 8 4 0 Kern County Water Districts California Aqueduct Rag Gulch WD Delano-Earlimart ID KCWA SWPMEMBER UNITS CVP FRIANT-KERN DISTRICTS 387,000 af 178 CVP CVC DISTRICTS 53,000 af Devils Den WD KERN RIVER DISTRICTS 740,000 af IsabellaReservoir Lost Hills WD Southern San Joaquin MUD Kern-Tulare WD Olcese WD 2005 – 700,000 af 2009 – 530,000 af 1961 – 1,000,000 af Berrenda Mesa WD Semitropic WSD 43 North Kern WSD 46 Cawelo WD Kern River Shafter-Wasco ID Belridge WSD Friant-Kern Canal Buena Vista WSD 5 5 Rosedale-Rio Bravo WSD 43 Bakersfield Cross Valley Canal KCWA Improvement District No. 4 58 58 Sources of Supply Arvin-Edison WSD 33 119 Kern Delta WD KERN RIVER DISTRICTS 740,000 af Henry Miller WD West Kern WD 5 5 Tehachapi-Cummings CWD CVP FRIANT-KERN DISTRICTS 387,000 af Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa WSD 166 CVP CVC DISTRICTS 53,000 af 5 Tejon-Castac WD KCWA SWP MEMBER UNITS 1961 – 1,000,000 af 2005 – 700,000 af Lebec CWD 2009 – 530,000 af An Overview of California’s Water Crisis for: CALAFCO Annual Conference

5. State Water Project Supplies • KCWA is the largest agricultural State Water Project (SWP) contractor, and the third-largest urban SWP contractor. • KCWA’s annual SWP contracted Table A supply is about 1,000,000 acre-feet a year. • 880,000 af per year for Agriculture • 119,000 af per year for Municipal & Industrial • KCWA represents about 25% of the SWP. An Overview of California’s Water Crisis for: CALAFCO Annual Conference

6. 2009 Water Supply Projections Kern River 64% 440,000 acre-feet (af) State Water Project 40% 400,000 af Central Valley Project South of the Delta Agriculture 10% 190,000 af Friant Division – Class 1 90% 265,500 af Friant Division – Class 2 0% 0 af In-County Banking 300,000 af Estimated Total1,595,500 af An Overview of California’s Water Crisis for: CALAFCO Annual Conference

7. Estimated Drought Impacts • Valley-wide Impacts for 2009 • Economic study by the University of California, Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics1 • Income loss: $1.6 to $2.2 Billion (direct and indirect) • Job loss: 60,000 to 80,000 • Reduction in cropped acreage: 20% to 55% • Most impacts concentrated among low-wage earners. • Long-term farm production costs expected to rise by 30%. • 1 Howitt, MacEwan, and Medellin-Azuara. Agricultural and Resources Economics Update, V. 12 no. 3 Jan/Feb 2009. Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics, University of California • Kern County Impacts for 2009 • Economy: $300 Million • Under-irrigated acreage: 48,000 acres • Unplanted acreage: 40,000 acres An Overview of California’s Water Crisis for: CALAFCO Annual Conference

8. 2009 Programs to Deal with the Water Crisis • Conservation • Additional wells • In-county transfers • Agriculture • Fallowing • Under-irrigation • Removal of permanent crops An Overview of California’s Water Crisis for: CALAFCO Annual Conference

9. 6.5 Earthquake – Resulting in 20 Islands Being Flooded An Overview of California’s Water Crisis for: CALAFCO Annual Conference

10. Water would move around the Delta in a 46 mile-long canal Sacramento River To San Francisco l Stockton Clifton Court Forebay San Joaquin River A Better Approach is Needed to Protect Our Delta Water Supplies The Delta Building a canal around the Delta will reduce risk • Eliminate levee failure as a threat to water supplies • Improve water quality • Better protection for Delta fish • Flexibility to address potential impacts of climate change on water supply • Protect local investments An Overview of California’s Water Crisis for: CALAFCO Annual Conference

11. Actions Going Forward: Short-Term Measures • Identify other stressors: • Toxins • Predators • Entrainment • Invasive species • Implement a Science Program: • Answer key questions about other stressors. • Litigation • Operate under new regulatory standards: • Learn the “rules of the game.” • Become more efficient operators under the new standards. • Modify Delta channels: • Install barriers in key channels (2-Gates). An Overview of California’s Water Crisis for: CALAFCO Annual Conference

12. Actions Going Forward: Mid-Term Measures • Create new habitat for fish • Create new tidal wetlands • Modify Delta channels • Install barriers in key channels • Address impacts of other stressors • Toxins • Predators • Entrainment • Invasive species • Continue a Science Program • Answer key questions about other stressors • Successful implementation of these measures should result in increased water supply. An Overview of California’s Water Crisis for: CALAFCO Annual Conference

13. Actions Going Forward: Long-Term Measures • Peripheral Canal Recommended by: • Governor’s Delta Vision Task Force • Public Policy Institute of California Report • The Nature Conservancy Processes: • Bay Delta Conservation Plan • Delta Habitat Conservation and Conveyance Program • Convey and capture more wet year water • Create additional groundwater banking • Build additional surface storage An Overview of California’s Water Crisis for: CALAFCO Annual Conference

14. Summary Need meaningful action – NOW! An Overview of California’s Water Crisis for: CALAFCO Annual Conference

15. Contact Information Kern County Water Agency3200 Rio Mirada DriveBakersfield, CA 93308 Phone: (661) 634-1400Fax: (661) 634-1428 info@kcwa.com Mailing Address: P.O. Box 58Bakersfield, CA 93302-0058 An Overview of California’s Water Crisis for: CALAFCO Annual Conference