One look at the San Luis Reservoir reveals just how low the water level has dropped. Plants that should be below the surface, and even small islands that are not normally visible are now above the water. Officials with the California Department of Water Resources say the reservoir's capacity is more than two million acre feet of water, and right now it's at just over 400,000.
"At this point last year it was over 821,000 acre feet, so it's on track to be at record or near record lows," said Ted Thomas
Experts say two factors are to blame. One is the lack of rain since December, and the other is pumping restrictions that took effect this winter. Officials estimate about a million acre feet of water was lost because of the effort to protect fish, including the Delta smelt.
"Unfortunately water that would have gone to the reservoir for usage this time of year was allowed to flow out to the ocean to protect those fish species," said Gayle Holman, Westlands Water District.
The San Luis Reservoir is not fed by any natural streams. It relies solely on pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, and it's the primary source of irrigation for 700 farms across the Westlands Water District.
Gayle Holman says growers are now facing the possibility of a zero percent water allocation. "Our growers are struggling just to keep their operations going at 20 percent. To go lower than that is really something that's just unthinkable, and it would be extremely devastating not only to what growers produce but to our economy."
