Central Valley to see 35% of state contracted water in 2025

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The State of California is allocating more water to Central Valley farmers this year.

“Our water supply allocation is the lifeblood for our growers and our small communities,” Westlands Water District General Manager Allison Febbo said, celebrating the increase.

Febbo says the water will be vital, considering this year’s below-average snowpack.

“It helps the farmers make crucial decisions. They can plant more acres, they can hire more people to work on their farms, they know they can buy more supplies, trucks and other materials from local stores,” Febbo said.

The Bureau of Reclamation made that announcement this week, listing each of the state’s districts and what percentage of their contracted water they will actually receive.

Other districts will see 100% of their contract total. The area south of the delta, however, will receive just 35% – an increase from what Febbo calls “a dismal 15%” in 2024.

“Seeing an improvement to 35% is a great first step and is very much appreciated, but there’s still a lot of work to do to get back to restoring our full water supply,” Febbo said.

Febbo says the area simply does not have enough storage for all of the contracted water.

“The last time we built storage was a few decades ago, and our population has actually doubled since then,” Febbo said.

The Trump Administration is now investing more than $315 million to increase water storage.

Febbo hopes that will help them inch closer to receiving 100% of their contract total.