Water Use Efficiency
Sacramento Valley water users are leaders in innovative water conservation and management practices. Many irrigators have dramatically decreased the amount of water used for growing crops through the use of recirculating systems, laser leveling and the development of crop varieties that use less water. As an example, Sacramento Valley rice growers have reduced their average net water demand from 6.5 acre-feet per acre in the 1970s to nearly 4.4 acre-feet today.
To continue these efforts, NCWA members are currently pursuing funding for a number of agricultural water use efficiency projects including canal lining, recirculation, water measurement and improved flow accuracy.
NCWA members will continue to make significant strides to conserve water and to fully use their water rights in a more efficient manner. In almost all cases, the future cooperation and encouragement by the Bureau of Reclamation, the Department of Water Resources, and other CALFED agencies will be key for Sacramento Valley water users to use water more efficiently. NCWA, working with Northern California districts and companies, as well as the state and federal agencies, is developing a regional water use efficiency program for the Sacramento Valley.