OVERVIEW

In many parts of the District, salts are accumulating in the soil from the application of imported irrigation water. Without proper drainage and disposal, this saline water can impact the root zones of plants, preventing crop growth and reducing yields. To address this problem, the statute that authorized the San Luis Unit contained provisions requiring the United States Bureau of Reclamation to collect and dispose of drainage water. Reclamation started construction of a drainage collector system in 1976 to dispose of drainage water into the San Luis Drain and Kesterson Reservoir. Reclamation planned to complete the San Luis Drain to a point near Chipps Island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta as a desalting alternative. However, the drainage facilities were shut down in 1986 due to unforeseen impacts to wildfowl at Kesterson Reservoir from selenium - a naturally occurring element - in the drainage water. The absence of drainage service resulted in harm to District lands. In Westlands, more than 200,000 acres have saline groundwater within 10 feet of the soil surface. Many farmers with drainage-impacted lands have been able to keep their land in production by improving irrigation efficiency and changing cropping patterns. Shallow groundwater conditions fluctuate significantly with hydrologic conditions and the availability of surface water supplies. But without a long-term solution, the drainage problem will become more widespread and severe throughout the west side. The District, as well as federal, state and local agencies, remains committed to finding an environmentally sound and economically feasible method to manage drainage water.