The attached charts from the CA Department of Water Resources show that we have an amazing reservoir and snow pack recovery for California this year. Epic rainstorms and snowstorms have given life back to this parched state and now it's time to store as much of this water as possible while also taking advantage of the moisture as it soaks into our ground. This year started off looking like another drought year so farmers already made plans to reduce planted acres and cut back, but now we have enough water that 100% of the acreage could have been planted. It's tough to plan in an environment of uncertainty so I have some advice to local farmers. Bank Water!
For any Tehachapi farmer who depends on imported water from the SWP, I recommend that you open a water banking account and start banking water this year. If you don't understand the benefits of Water Banking and how this can help you plan your crops better in drought years then reach out to TCCWD to get a better understanding of banking or call me, Robert Schultz, directly. I'll be glad to help so that you'll have water in the dry years.
Water is life. Food is life. A well balanced community leaves room and resources for farming. Lets keep planning and working together for a sustainable future in Tehachapi that values water for food production. Water banking by farmerw is one method to work toward this goal.
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