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Wet Weather Leads To Dam Release To Aid Farmers In Southern AZ

Casa Grande Dispatch

COOLIDGE, Ariz. (AP) — Recent wet weather is allowing the San Carlos Irrigation Project to resume releases from the lake behind Coolidge Dam to provide water to farmers in central Pinal County.

 

The Casa Grande Dispatch reports that release are expects to start Friday, with the water expected to reach farms as early as Monday and the amount depending on how much farmers require.

The irrigation project stopped releasing water from the lake in Gila County nine months ago after the level got so low it didn't reach the release point.

However, the lake has creeped back up to about 117,000 acre-feet of storage, which is enough to allow releases.

Many farmers in the Coolidge, Florence and Casa Grande areas have planted only a fraction of their land for lack of water.