April 23, 2018 - Fresno, CA – Last week, Congressman Jim Costa (CA-16) released the following statement after the Bureau of Reclamation announced an increase in water allocation for Central Valley Project water contractors:

“Although this increase in water allocation is good for our San Joaquin Valley, it should not have taken the Bureau of Reclamation this long to increase its allocation. Part of what I fought so hard for in the Water Infrastructure Improvement for the Nation Act, or the WIIN Act, was the flexibility to maximize water supplies and the movement of water through the Delta when water is abundantly available, as it has been for the last month. Our Valley farmers make planting, investment, and other key decisions based on water, and delays in a secure water allocation add unnecessary uncertainty to the already highly-unpredictable agriculture sector. We must do everything we can to ensure the tools we do have for water allocation are used as effectively as possible.”

Congressman Costa has spent over 30 years working to secure safe and reliable water sources for the San Joaquin Valley, both in the California state legislature and in the U.S. Congress. Rep. Costa was pivotal in getting the WIIN Act signed into law in 2016, and last month he called on U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to increase water pumping during the storms falling across Central and Northern California, consistent with the WIIN Act.

The updated allocations would provide for the following water supplies for Valley contractors:

• Friant Division Contractors will receive a 100% Class 1 allocation.
• San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors will receive a 100% water allocation.
• South of Delta Agriculture Water Service Contractors will receive a 40% water allocation.
  Source: Congressman Jim Costa