Farmers Elude State Shut-Off of Water : Agriculture: More than 500 growers in eastern Ventura County still might be stung by an MWD plan that would cut allocations in half. If the cuts are approved, they could take effect by March 1.

Farmers in Ventura County escaped an agricultural water shut-off imposed by state officials Monday, but a Metropolitan Water District plan to slash agricultural allocations by 50% still looms.

At least 520 farmers in eastern Ventura County, the only part of the county that gets water from the State Water Project through MWD, would be stung by the plan to cut consumption by half, a farm official said.

“We’ve never gone through it. This is the first time for any of us,” said Don Reeder, Ventura County Farm Bureau president and manager of Pro-Ag, a farm management company. Some farmers might be driven out of business, he said.

“You might get ones where it’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” Reeder said.

If the cuts are approved when they are considered Feb. 11 and 12, they could be effective by March 1, MWD spokesman Carl Boronkay said.

MWD sells 8% to 9% of its water to farmers and the rest to cities, MWD spokesman Bob Gomperz said.

The state on Monday suspended deliveries to agencies that supply only agricultural customers. Because MWD supplies both residential and agricultural customers, it was not affected, Gomperz said.

Agriculture is an $806-million industry, with more than 2,000 farms countywide. In most of the county, farmers depend on ground and surface water to irrigate crops.

MWD decided last month to cut overall consumption by 17%, including 10% in cuts for cities and 30% for agriculture. If MWD escalates its reductions, consumption would be cut by 31%, including 20% in cuts for residents and businesses and 50% for agriculture, Boronkay said.

“We’ve got to make up for losses with more reductions in agriculture,” he said. “We’ve been anticipating this for some time.”

In a normal year, MWD gets about 60% of its water from the State Water Project and 40% from the Colorado River, Gomperz said.

Farmers’ water supplies could be cut back even further if the State Water Resources Control Board imposes restrictions being considered this week. The restrictions would allow irrigation water for perennial crops such as fruit trees but suspend water for use on annual row crops, such as strawberries, lettuce and flowers.

The restriction on growers is one of 18 drastic water-reduction measures the state board will consider Thursday when it meets in special session. The board regulates surface and ground-water use in the state.

MWD’s largest customer in Ventura County is the Calleguas Municipal Water District, which provides nearly all water used in five cities, including Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Moorpark. It also supplies half of Camarillo’s water and two-thirds of Oxnard’s water.

Jim Hubert, manager of Calleguas, which gets all its water from MWD, said it was too early to say what action the agency will take regarding its customers. He said Calleguas officials will wait to see what action MWD takes before it announces its plans.

Further cuts also loom for cities, said George Deatherage, a staff engineer for the Department of Water Resources, which runs the State Water Project. Residential users could manage if they are asked to cut back by as much as 50%, Deatherage said.

“We know they can do it, and they know they can do it,” he said. “Look at Santa Barbara. They’re getting by on dust.”

Officials are compiling a report for Gov. Pete Wilson on how state water will be apportioned, he said. The governor is expected to make an announcement Feb. 15 on the report.

Ordinances requiring 10% conservation in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley took effect last week. But Thousand Oaks water conservation coordinator Paul Swenson said cities are already planning for even steeper reductions.

Last month, Thousand Oaks residents cut back about 6.9% compared with the previous year, far short of the 10% reductions officials hope to achieve under the city’s mandatory water rationing program, he said. The City Council is scheduled tonight to consider imposing fines from $25 to $100 to people who fail to conserve.

In Camarillo and Moorpark, officials say they have achieved at least a 10% reduction with a combination of voluntary and mandatory water-rationing measures. Officials, however, are considering further increases in water rates to force residents to conserve more.

The cuts will be hardest on growers, farm industry officials said.

Reeder predicted massive layoffs of farm laborers if growers are forced to take drastic measures, such as cutting down trees, to reduce water usage.

“What would you do if you were a marginal grower?” Reeder asked. “If we don’t get rain for another year, what choice will any of us have?”

Other farmers said they will have to resort to ground water, already in short supply in the county.

“We’ve had droughts before, but it usually meant drilling another well,” said John W. Borchard Jr., who manages a 600-acre farm in Somis. His family has been farming in Ventura County since the 1850s. “But we’ve never had a real shortage of the stuff.”

Underground aquifers are already in bad shape because of the drought, prompting county water officials to force growers to reduce the amount of water pumped out of wells.

Under a plan adopted by the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency, farmers must reduce pumping by 5% as early as next year, said Reddy Pakala, manager of the Ventura County Water Works District 1 and 19, which respectively supplies Moorpark and Somis. Most growers, however, may decide not to reduce pumping if further reductions are ordered.

“They certainly will have to find a way to irrigate,” he said.