WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman David G. Valadao (CA-22) released the following statement in response to the Bureau of Reclamation’s (Reclamation) updated 2024 water allocation announcement for Central Valley Project (CVP) contractors.

In March, Reclamation announced a 35% allocation for South-of-Delta agricultural repayment and water service contractors, up from their initial February allocation of 15%. Today, Reclamation announced these allocations for South-of-Delta contractors would be increasing to 40%.

“A 5% increase is insufficient for our family farms and downstream communities who rely on meaningful allocations to grow the food that feeds the world,” said Congressman Valadao. “Recent storms, current reservoir capacity, and a healthy snowpack should give Reclamation the flexibility to significantly increase allocations and get CVP users the water they contract and pay for. I will continue urging transparency in Reclamation's decision-making and a significant increase in water allocations for South-of-Delta agriculture.”

Since Reclamation’s initial water allocation announcement in February, Congressman Valadao has urged Reclamation to increase these allocations to reflect the record wet year in California. After Reclamation’s March announcement of increased allocations, Rep. Valadao penned a letter to Reclamation urging them to provide a significant increase in CVP water allocations for South-of-Delta agricultural water service and repayment contractors.

Background:
Central Valley agriculture contractors rely on meaningful allocations from Reclamation for their yearly planning. Central Valley farmers and communities have endured disproportionately low water allocations for many years, with contractors receiving well below their contracted supply even during wet years. As a lifelong dairy farmer, Congressman Valadao has experienced firsthand the challenges and frustrations surrounding this issue. He has consistently called for CVP allocations to reflect the needs of the agriculture community, the backbone of the Central Valley economy.