Turlock irrigation district proposes to construct the lateral 5.5 regulating reservoir project (the project) on a 40-acre turlock irrigation district owned property strategically located midway…

The Bureau of Reclamation awarded Turlock Irrigation District $11.86 million on November 28, 2025, under the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief program (CFDA 15.514) to construct the Lateral 5.5 Regulating Reservoir Project. The project involves development of a regulating reservoir on a 40-acre district-owned property strategically positioned along Lateral 5.5 to capture water that would otherwise be lost to spillage and improve overall water management in the region. The facility is designed to deliver 6,000 acre-feet per year of water supply benefits through direct capture of 4,000 acre-feet annually in operational spills and integration of 2,000 acre-feet of recycled water from the City of Turlock's adjacent pipeline for agricultural irrigation use.

The project will enable Turlock Irrigation District to reduce supplemental groundwater pumping and surface water diversions for Lateral 5.5 while preserving groundwater storage and Don Pedro Reservoir supplies for future use during drought conditions. The anticipated benefits of 6,000 acre-feet annually exceed the district's 20-year average groundwater pumping on Lateral 5.5 (4,300 acre-feet) and represent 15 percent of total water deliveries on the lateral (26,800 acre-feet). The project is scheduled for completion by March 31, 2028.

Turlock irrigation district proposes to construct the lateral 5.5 regulating reservoir project (the project) on a 40-acre turlock irrigation district owned property strategically located midway along lateral 5.5, directly benefitting sustainable water management and drought resilience at the epicenter of these challenges. Overall, the project is expected to provide 6,000 acre feet per year (AFY) of benefits in the lateral 5.5 region through improved management of water supplies, allowing turlock irrigation district to reduce supplemental groundwater pumping and surface water diversions for lateral 5.5 the project will allow direct capture of water that would have otherwise been lost to spillage (4,000 AFY), conserving that water for deliveries to turlock irrigation district?s customers and preserving groundwater storage and surface water in DON pedro reservoir for when IT is needed most. In addition, the location was selected to allow the city of turlock to transfer 2,000 AFY of recycled water from an adjacent pipeline for agricultural irrigation, providing turlock irrigation district access to a new water supply source to further enhance drought resilience in the region. In terms of groundwater pumping along lateral 5.5 the project benefits (6,000 AFY) exceed turlock irrigation district?s 20-year average groundwater pumping on lateral 5.5 (4,300 AFY). In terms of total water deliveries on lateral 5.5, the project benefits (6,000 AFY) represent 15% of turlock irrigation district?s 20-year average deliveries on lateral 5.5 (26,800 AFY).