Friant Ranch Water-Supply Plan Faces Scrutiny in Fresno County

Fresno Visalia, CA, October 19, 2026 —

Fresno County is considering approval of Friant Ranch, a proposed new town project, while questions remain about whether its planned water supply could support the town during future droughts.

Developers say the project could rely on a multi-year reserve stored in Millerton Lake. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, however, states that water from the lake can be carried over for one year, not for multiple consecutive years. That difference in assessments puts the proposed reserve plan under scrutiny.

The county planning department has also been criticized for relying on analyses described as outdated and on a consultant’s memo. Those materials differ from the Bureau’s assessment of how long water from the lake can be carried over. The information provided does not identify the consultant, describe the analyses, or explain the basis for the department’s reliance on them.

The dispute centers on the duration for which water can be stored or carried over, rather than on a confirmed amount of water available to the project. The information provided does not state the proposed reserve’s volume, the project’s expected water demand, or how the county has assessed supply during drought conditions. It also does not specify whether the county has made an approval decision or when one may be made.

As Fresno County considers the proposal, the differing assessments leave a central question unresolved: whether the Millerton Lake reserve described by developers can be relied on across multiple years. Further details about the project’s water plan and the county’s review were not provided.

Story summarized from the original created by Gregory Weaver on fresnoland.org, see more information here.

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