![]() In other related water and irrigation news, the U.S. More: Yreka City Council workshop to bring civility on and off dais exposes rifts among members But to put in place those same measures after a winter like the one recently experienced poses the threat of being “the boy who cried wolf, and the willingness to participate is definitely waning,” said Johnson. “Yet, we are still being required to reduce our groundwater use this year by 30%.”įarmers and ranchers in the area largely complied with the curtailments and required reporting last year. And now that we’ve had a very decent winter, that unfair treatment is looking more and more like abuse,” she added, citing snowpack survey readings of more than 150% of normal. “We believe that we have been regulated in an unprecedented and unfair manner. “The state’s handling of our water rights poses an existential threat to our community, our small family farms and ranches,” Johnson, told the state water board in early April. Precipitation in the Scott River Watershed is at 100% of average, as of April 24, according to state water data with California Water Watch. “Current (river) flows fluctuate below the median and do not yet reflect the amount of water stored in the snowpack,” she added. More: Siskiyou County residents can buy locally-produced food and wine on this new website Especially regarding the emergency drought regulations currently in place, and subject for renewal in July.” “This improvement in hydrologic conditions should be recognized by the the state board. “This region is not having a wet water year, but is moving into an above average water year,” said Sommarstrom, in some of her comments. Local farmers and ranchers have implored the State Water Board to pull back on water restrictions established during the drought following what has been a mostly normal to above normal rain year in the county, with recent snow surveys for the Scott River area showing 150% of average, and 162% of average in the Shasta River watershed, Sari Sommarstrom, a retired water consultant living in Etna told the State Water Resources Control Board during its April 4 meeting. Theodora Johnson, a Scott Valley rancher and the spokesperson for the Scott Valley Agriculture Water Alliance, said she does not anticipate significant water reductions will be put in place “anytime soon, because the Scott River's flows will likely stay above the minimum level required in the emergency regulation for most of the summer."However, said Johnson, "there's still the risk that full curtailment could happen while we're still irrigating, say in August.” During this time, water officials will “evaluate snowpack conditions and consider additional weather and flow forecasts to determine if curtailment suspensions should be further modified or extended.” The State Water Board “anticipates flows will remain above the minimum flow requirement for the foreseeable future” along the Scott River, reads guidance from the state. Similar water restrictions affecting farms with senior water rights along the Shasta River have been suspended through April 30. Water restrictions impacting Scott Valley farms with senior water rights have been suspended through May 2, according to Ailene Voisin, a spokesperson for the California State Water Resources Board. However, curtailments could be revisited in May if flow levels in the Shasta and Scott rivers decline. The move by the California State Water Resources Board lifts water curtailment restrictions put in place to manage ground and surface water during the drought. Water restrictions in Siskiyou County on a number of farming and ranching activities have been lifted - at least for now.
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