Modesto supplier gets few takers for excess river water
Above-average storms have allowed the Modesto Irrigation District to offer Tuolumne River water to nearby farmers who normally tap wells. It is getting few takers. The program is designed to boost the stressed aquifer generally east of Waterford, just outside MID boundaries. The district board on Tuesday debated whether to drop the price to spur interest, but a majority voted to leave it unchanged. The discussion came amid a state mandate to make groundwater use sustainable by about 2040. MID does not have a major problem within its territory, which stretches west to the San Joaquin River. But it is part of a regional effort to comply with the 2014 law. This includes out-of-district sales of Tuolumne water in years when MID’s own farmers have plenty. That was the case in 2023, one of the wettest years on record, and this year thanks to storage in Don Pedro Reservoir.
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