The State Water Resources Control Board approved the deal granting Merced County farmers more water, said Mike Jensen, Merced Irrigation District spokesman.
MID board President Tim Pellissier and Vice President Dave Long said the deal was the best news Merced County farmers have had in the last two years.
“I think it’s a really big win-win situation for everyone involved: the growers, the environment and Merced County,” Long said.
The deal allows MID to take an additional 30,000 acre-feet of water out of Lake McClure. Normally, the district is forced to stop diverting water when the lake reaches a level of 115,000 acre-feet, commonly referred to as the “minimum pool.” The new deal allows the district to reduce the lake level down to 85,000 acre-feet this year, MID officials said in a news release.
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