Our water is delivered to us by the Solano Irrigation District SID. They own and run the irrigation canal that runs along the southern boundary of the farm. Last week work started on a big project to fix this 3.5 mile long leaky part of the canal. The canal is first to be cleaned out then it will be lined with concrete.
The leak is significant at about 4% of the water in the canal when it is at maximum flow. This represents 2,700 gallons per minute which is three times the amount of water we draw from the canal at any one time. The cost is estimated to be one million dollars which is due to the high cost of concrete and rebar.
The water is collected in Lake Berryessa and released into Lake Solano when it is ordered by farmers. It travels along the many canals like ours. Each canal is controlled by a water tender, ours is Robert. I call him be before 2.30 pm on the day before we need the water and place my order.
With all the taxes and fees we pay about $12,000 per year for the canal water. We also pump from our own well for use in the pack house and when we need lesser amounts of water in the field."

Our water is delivered to us by the Solano Irrigation District SID. They own and run the irrigation canal that runs along the southern boundary of the farm. Last week work started on a big project to fix this 3.5 mile long leaky part of the canal. The canal is first to be cleaned out then it will be lined with concrete.
The leak is significant at about 4% of the water in the canal when it is at maximum flow. This represents 2,700 gallons per minute which is three times the amount of water we draw from the canal at any one time. The cost is estimated to be one million dollars which is due to the high cost of concrete and rebar.
The water is collected in Lake Berryessa and released into Lake Solano when it is ordered by farmers. It travels along the many canals like ours. Each canal is controlled by a water tender, ours is Robert. I call him be before 2.30 pm on the day before we need the water and place my order.
With all the taxes and fees we pay about $12,000 per year for the canal water. We also pump from our own well for use in the pack house and when we need lesser amounts of water in the field."