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. This announcement increases allocations for South-of-Delta agricultural contractors from 40% to 50% of their contracted supply.
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. This announcement increases allocations for South-of-Delta agricultural contractors from 40% to 50% of their contracted supply.
“Our family farms and downstream communities rely on meaningful and timely allocations for the water they contract and pay for to grow the food that feeds the world,” said Congressman Valadao. “While I am grateful for this welcomed increase from Reclamation, it’s frustrating that we could have had this allocation back in February to give farmers proper time to plan their operations for the year. Reclamation must improve the pace and transparency of their decision-making process moving forward to ensure our farmers are not being held in the dark or gambling about the future of their water supply. I will continue urging transparency in Reclamation’s decision-making and a significant increase in water allocations for South-of-Delta agriculture.”
Last week, Congressman Valadao joined California’s Central Valley delegation in a letter to Reclamation urging them to substantially increase allocations to South-of-Delta water contractors:
“As temperatures rise, the current water allocations have the potential to reduce crop productivity, as well as reduce the flexible use of all available water types to Central Valley residents and communities. To maximize agricultural productivity and the flexible use of water contractor portfolios, we request that Reclamation provide an update in June that increases allocations,” the lawmakers wrote.
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%. In April, Reclamation announced these allocations for South-of-Delta contractors would be increasing to 40%.
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.
