Westlands Water District leader Allison Febbo characterized Tuesday’s announced 5% federal water allocation increase as “disappointing” in light of California’s full reservoirs while also calling for more investment in new water infrastructure.

“While an increase is appropriate, given current reservoir levels and snowpack, a 5% increase is disappointing and highlights a critical reality: Even in average hydrological years, California’s outdated water system falls short of delivering the water our communities require,” said Febbo, who is the general manager of the Fresno-based district.

“As a state, we are failing the family farms and rural communities in the San Joaquin Valley that depend on CVP water to grow food, provide jobs, and sustain the economy. We can and must do better.”

The Bureau of Reclamation’s increase means that the Central Valley Project’s South-of-Delta ag contractors such as Westlands will receive 55% allotments.

All north-of-Delta CVP contractors are receiving 100% allotments. Municipal and industrial water service and repayment contractors will receive a 5% boost to 80% of their historical use, or public health and safety needs, whichever is greater, the Bureau said.

Bureau Balances Grower and Environmental Needs

“As California’s primary precipitation season concludes, we now have greater certainty about water availability for the remainder of the water year,” said the Bureau’s acting regional director, Adam Nickels. “This allows us to responsibly adjust Central Valley Project allocations to better meet the needs of our water users while continuing to support environmental requirements.”

However, Febbo is focused on the future and the battle by California farmers to remain financially viable.

“We cannot simply hope for rain or snow. Our state needs a modernized water infrastructure that performs consistently regardless of annual hydrology,” she said in a news release. “Westlands remains committed to working with state and federal partners to advance balanced, science-based solutions that improve the regulatory landscape, water storage, and delivery capabilities for the hardworking families who grow the food that feeds California — and the nation — day in and day out.”

Bureau Awards $255 Million Contract for Sisk Dam Project

The Bureau also said Tuesday that it has awarded a major construction contract for the second phase of the B.F. Sisk project at San Luis Reservoir.

The $255 million award to Montana-based NW Construction marks a significant milestone in the effort to improve public safety and water supply reliability, Bureau officials said.

The dam safety project is the Bureau’s largest under the 1978 Safety of Dams Act. It will construct stability berms and shear keys, and raise the crest of the 3.5-mile-long earthen dam.

Phase 1, which included construction of stability berms and foundation preparation, began in 2021 and was completed last year by NW Construction. The last phase will raise the dam by 10 feet.

The dam was built near Los Banos in 1967 and is a key feature of the CVP and State Water Project.

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