Clarification needs to be made regarding FPUD action

A recent letter published in the Village News contained a substantial factual error that needs to be corrected.

In his letter, Mr. Archie McPhee mentions “…the decision of the Fallbrook Public Utility District (FPUD) to cut off water to the farmers in preference to new construction developers and contractors.” McPhee then attributes that decision to the district’s directors.

The Interim Agricultural Water Program (IAWP) is critical to the farm community and therefore we believe it is important that it is presented correctly to the public.

The mandate that farmers use no more than 70 percent of the volume they used in 2006-2007 was a decision by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) in response to the state’s growing water shortage. The IAWP water is controlled by MWD, not FPUD.

The FPUD directors are only empowered to set the local plan for administering the cuts within very narrow parameters.

The important fact to remember is that FPUD entered into this contractual agreement in 1994 at the urging of local farmers. The farmers asked for the program because of the discounted price that has now amounted to over $200 million in direct price benefits to growers within MWD.

If the FPUD directors now chose to ignore the MWD decision on reductions of agricultural water, the penalties under the contract arrangement would be severe.

First, the district and its customers would incur damages of trebled rates for every drop delivered to farmers over the prescribed allotment.

Second, the amount of water that FPUD would be allowed to purchase for farmers from MWD would be reduced in perpetuity by the amount delivered in excess of the prescribed allotment.

Third, failure to deliver on the mandated reductions would most assuredly mean an end to the IAWP program, resulting in a dramatic increase in the nearly unaffordable price farmers already pay for water.

In essence, a contract is a contract. Despite the past financial benefits of the IAWP/MWD arrangement, growers are now faced with a threat to their livelihood and can use the public’s help.

Rather than look for blame locally, pressure must be put on our elected state officials to fix the inherent shortcomings of the state’s water storage and conveyance infrastructure. The public can also play a big role by heeding the call for water conservation.

If voluntary conservation fails and mandated water reductions are put on all users, the cuts to farmers could go even deeper than the 30 percent.

Eric Larson

Executive Director,

County Farm Bureau