Whether to sell 10,000 acre-feet of surface water or groundwater out of the district to the State’s Drought Water Bank for $3 million is a hotly debated issue which will be the subject of a vote during the Merced Irrigation District (MID) Board meeting at 9 a.m. on Dec.16 at the Merced City Council Chambers at City Hall.

Two of the five MID Board members, Wil Hunter and Suzy Hultgren, object to the proposal to sell the water out of the area, and are hoping community members will show up at the meeting to add their concerns.

“I’m here for the long haul," said Suzy Hultgren, a third generation Merced County farmer who owns an organic dairy in Cressey. "We can’t farm without water.”

Wil Hunter, a local farmer since the early 1970s with 1,400 acres of almonds, explained why he objects to the proposed sale of water:

“This is the third year of a drought. 2009 could be a worse year, since already there is only 40 percent of last year’s rainfall, and the amount of rainfall was disastrous last year. It is unprecedented to sell water out of the area in a drought year. There are five divisions, and indications are that the Board is split 3 to 2. The majority wants to sell, but there has been no formal vote. That is supposed to come on Dec. 16.”

By way of background, he said, “The irrigation system was built by farmers starting in the 1870s. The majority of the snowpack flows into Lake McClure. There are 750 miles of canals which service agricultural growers in the Central Valley who grow almonds, row crops, potatoes, alfalfa and corn for dairies and have pasture. Lake McClure holds 1,024,600 acre-feet of water. Right now, there are only 256,000 acre-feet in the lake. We’re at 25 percent of capacity right now.”

He added, “The majority of the water proposed to be sold would come from groundwater. Nature normally replenishes it, but we’re in a drought. The San Joaquin Valley is the food basket of the nation. Without water, it would go back to desert. Water is our most precious resource and should not be sold to anyone out of the district.”

Explaining the serious effect of the drought on farming, he said, “In a normal year, you get to irrigate as much as you want. But because we’re in a drought, we were only allowed 2.5 acre-feet of water per acre. You could use it in a month or space it out, but that’s all you could have. So much land lay fallow. This affects crop production. If you’re not growing as much, you can’t supply as much. They’re proposing the same curtailment right now, depending on the rainfall through March. Growers are already going to be short of their normal allotments. During curtailment, they’ve never sold water out of the district.”

On the subject of the drought, the State’s Department of Water Resources website states: “California is facing the most significant water crisis in its history. After experiencing two years of drought and the driest spring in recorded history, water reserves are extremely low. . . . In June 2008, the Governor issued Executive Order S-06-08 declaring a statewide drought . . . He also issued a Central Valley State of Emergency Proclamation for nine Central Valley counties (Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern) to address urgent water needs.”

According to the website, the Department of Water Resources has set up a 2009 Drought Water Bank to facilitate the exchange of water throughout the State. The section entitled “2009 Drought Water Bank” states that the Department “will purchase water from willing sellers primarily from water suppliers upstream of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.” It appears from the website that the San Joaquin Valley was intended to be a recipient of water from willing sellers, not a seller itself.

About the role of the MID Advisory Committee [MIDAC], Hunter said, “On Dec. 1, MIDAC was asked to review the budget proposal and make a recommendation to the Board. It was presented as an option, and the vote was not to sell the water out of the district, 10 to 1.”

He said, “MIDAC will meet again on Dec. 10, and the Board will have a meeting Dec. 12 where whatever the Committee members said will be presented. With MIDAC, we could get some directors to change their opinion. MIDAC should have a tremendous influence because the Committee members are appointed by the Board, and the Board asked for their opinion.”

Suzy Hultgren explained, “Each Director in each of the five divisions appoints two members of the Advisory Committee, and two alternates. Then there are at-large appointments from the community — the general public, the Farm Bureau, the Ag Commissioner’s office.”

She continued, “At the MIDAC meeting on Dec. 1 , there were over 50 farmers. The most poignant comment was: The Board is accountable to the constituents. The farming community growing the crop should be a priority to the Irrigation District. The value of farmers is there is no Irrigation District without irrigators.”

She said, “MIDAC gives us the opportunity to hear from the most innovative, adaptable people I know. Farmers can adjust to weather and governmental regulations, such as regulations on environment, water quality, air quality and chemicals. They are fantastic businessmen to survive in 2008.”

Hunter added, “They’re always being asked to do more with less.”

He said, “We’re really encouraged that there is constituent involvement, and that they are part of this process. With the right information, they can make decisions on budget options to balance the budget. They can look for other ways to cut expenses, like streamlining the District and making it more efficient.”

Urging community members to attend the Dec. 16 meeting, Hultgren said, “Water affects everyone, jobs, everything. Water is life to all of us. Each person uses 200 gallons a day. The more people you put in an area, you have to have water.”

She concluded, “The people can speak at the meeting during the public comment period. We represent all the people, not just the farmers.”