A Water History

The story of the MID begins with water…or rather the lack of it. It was that one issue that led to the creation of a California irrigation district law. A young Modesto attorney, C.C. Wright, ran for the state legislature in 1886 on one issue — if elected he would go to Sacramento and get irrigation law passed. He was elected and arrived in Sacramento in January 1887. The law passed and was signed by the governor on March 7 that year. Then it was up to the local voters to organize a district under the new law.

On July 9, 1887, voters in the Modesto area approved the formation of California's second irrigation district under the new law and elected a five-member board of directors. The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors declared the MID organized on July 18. Directors held the first meeting on July 23 and went to work to select a source of water for the newly organized district.

Directors decided to use water from the Tuolumne River and the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts built La Grange Dam, a diversion dam, on the Tuolumne River in 1893. MID continues to divert water to the north of the river and TID to the south. Don Pedro Reservoir is the District's primary water storage facility, while Modesto Reservoir is a small holding reservoir. Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts constructed the original Don Pedro Reservoir in 1923. It was replaced by the completion of New Don Pedro Reservoir and Dam in 1971. New Don Pedro is the sixth largest freshwater multi-use reservoir in California.

The District's 208 miles of canals operate on a gravity flow system. Canals were completed in 1903 and the first official MID irrigation season opened in 1904.

MID provides irrigation water to approximately 60,000 acres, typically between mid-March and late October each year. Modesto receives an average of 12.21" of rain per rainfall year (July 1-June 30).

Stanislaus County's top 10 crops are: milk, almonds, chickens, chicken eggs, turkeys, grapes, walnuts, cattle and calves, tomatoes and peaches.

The water story opened a new chapter in 1994 when MID began operating the Modesto Regional Water Treatment Plant. The MID treats surface water and sells it to one customer - the City of Modesto. Phase Two is currently under development.

Want to know more?
Read "The Greening of Paradise Valley" for the complete history of the MID.