Westlands Water District

By Keith Krehbiel
1994 | Case No. P15
Westlands Water District of Fresno, California, is the largest agricultural water delivery agency in the United States. Part of California’s Central Valley Project (CVP), Westlands’ district covers nearly 1,000 square miles of the naturally arid San Juaquin Valley. About 85 percent of CVP water goes to farmers, and 15 percent to cities and wildlife. Westlands was organized under state law in 1952 on the request of farmers and landowners who needed a surface water supply to supplement the area’s dwindling groundwater supplies. The law provides for the election of a governing Board of Directors by the landowners in the district, with each landowner voting according to the assessed value of his or her land. The nine-member Board oversees budgetary, fiscal and operational matters. Westlands’ staff is charged with carrying out the policies, rules and regulations adopted by the Board.
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