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Semitropic Water Storage
District is one of
eight water storage districts in California and is the largest in Kern
County. The District delivers water
to nearly 300 customers for the irrigation of approximately 140,000
acres for agricultural uses. Semitropic also supplies energy to
a variety of users and provides groundwater
banking and storage services.
Established in 1958,
Semitropic Water
Storage District covers an area of more than 220,000 acres. It began as
an irrigation district for the purpose of securing State
Water Project supplies to reduce
groundwater overdraft.
In the early 90s,
Semitropic began its groundwater storage program in response to several
challenges from the 1980s, including:
- groundwater overdraft
- rising energy costs
- rising water costs
- water shortages
- poor agricultural
economy
The development of the
Semitropic Water Storage Bank was based on three primary objectives:
- Increase water supply
reliability.
- Decrease the cost of
water for irrigation.
- Correct overdraft in
the groundwater basin.
Semitropic currently banks
700,000 acre-feet of water in a groundwater storage bank with a
capacity of 1.65 million acre-feet. The banking program
contributes to meeting the drought-year needs of more than 20 million
people at 15 to 20 gallons per day.
Irrigation Demand
Semitropic Water Storage
District provides
water to customers for agricultural use only. Throughout the district,
water is used for the following crops (based on a 2019 crop survey):
Crops |
Acres |
Percentage |
Alfalfa |
10,839.62 |
8.43% |
Cotton |
1,649.42 |
1.28% |
Duck Pond |
6,879.59 |
5.35% |
Fruits |
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0.71% |
Grain/Pasture |
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11.42% |
Grapes |
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4.66% |
Nursery |
|
0.33% |
Nut Crops |
|
65.58% |
Vegetables |
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2.07% |
Unidentified Crop |
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0.18% |
Unidentified Grains |
- |
0.0% |
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Total Irrigated Acres |
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100% |
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Wast & Miscellaneous Land |
7,125.65 |
Undeveloped Native Vegetation |
33,541.04 |
Exempt lands |
41,826.39 |
Fallowed Ground |
8,432.42 |
Farmer Spreading Ground |
932.46 |
Irrigation Ponds |
415.16 |
Trees removed of being Replaced |
1,813.37 |
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Total District Acres
222,618.42 |
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Ground out of production for 2019 |
11,178.25 |
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