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April 5, 2008 -New rates for Emergency water.

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 2007 crop survey):

Crop Acres Percentage
Alfalfa
           27,008.48              19.14%
Cotton
           11,912.49              8.44%
Duck Pond
             9,597.65              6.80%
Fruits
                992.85              0.70%
Grain/Pasture
           19,897.19              14.10%
Grapes
             4,577.00              3.24%
Nursery
                134.55              0.10%
Nut Crops
           50,787.76              35.98%
Vegetables
             5,678.79              4.02%
Waste & Miscellaneous Land 
           10,554.63              7.48%
Total Irrigated Acres
         141,141.37              100.00%
Undeveloped Native Vegetation
           79,050.63  
Total District Acres
          220,192.00  

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© 2004 Semitropic Water Storage District • 1101 Central Avenue, Wasco, CA 93280-0877 • 661-758-5113 • mail@semitropic.com
In case of an emergency, or for after-hours service, call (661) 758-5115.