In 2022, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy, in partnership with the Department of Water Resources and the Office of the Delta Watermaster, launched the Delta Drought Response Pilot Program (DDRPP). The purpose of the program was to conserve water and protect water quality, in light of continued drought. Growers who participated in the program were provided with a grant to implement water-saving practices, like deficit irrigation or planting a non-irrigated cover crop. In 2022, over 8,700 acres in the Delta were enrolled in the program.

The DDRPP will be offered again in 2023, and there are opportunities this week to learn more about the program. A virtual workshop will take place Thursday, October 6^th from 10am to noon. Registration is required for the virtual workshop. Additionally, two in-person workshops will take place on Friday, October 7^th. A north Delta meeting will take place at the Jean Harvie Community Center from 10am to noon, and a south Delta meeting will take place at the Roberts Union Farm Center from 2-4pm. For the in-person workshops, registration is encouraged but not required. If you are interested in the 2023 DDRPP, I encourage you to visit the Delta Conservancy website and participate in a workshop this week.

In addition to the 2023 grant program, we will also begin a research project. I will be collaborating with project leaders Kosana Suvocarev and Kyaw Tha Paw U from UC Davis to measure evapotranspiration and calculate water budgets over the next three years. To do this, we will set up equipment in six enrolled fields and monitor evapotranspiration, CO₂ exchange, soil moisture, precipitation, among other properties. We will also evaluate crop consumptive use remote sensing applications for these Delta locations. As part of the 2023 DDRPP application, growers can elect to participate in this research project. If you have any questions about the research project or its objectives, please don't hesitate to contact me.