US agency: California will get no federal water; farmers say fields could go unplanted

A federal agency says it will not release any water for farmers in the Central Valley of California this year, forcing them to find other sources or leave fields unplanted.

The announcement Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation marks the second consecutive year the agency will provide no water to the vast area that grows much of the nation's produce.

The decision will force some farmers to pump scarce groundwater or leave fields bare during the drought.

The state reservoir system is providing local agencies and farmers 15 percent of the water they requested, a slight increase from last year.