YMIDD/CAGRD Pilot Rotational Fallowing Program, Good for Business, Good Water Management

New development in central Arizona must comply with Assured Water Supply Program requirements that are among the most stringent in the country. Membership in the CAGRD provides one mechanism for meeting this requirement. CAGRD's Water Supply Program is responsible for acquiring water supplies to meet its members' replenishment obligations. The Yuma Mesa Pilot Rotational Fallowing project was a successful "proof of concept" project. CAGRD worked with the Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District and the regulatory agencies to develop the program criteria for participation and to quantify the water savings. The program began in 2014 and ended in 2016. The quantification methodology used current year local weather station data to determine the forgone consumptive crop water use that was saved in Lake Mead. The project was implemented with no reported adverse economic effects.