Another farmer may be selling his irrigation water supply to Southern California for millions of dollars. And, again, it involves the Dudley Ridge Water District in Kings County.

The deal would involve the purchase of 884 acres of mostly stone fruit trees by Irvine Ranch Water District. The price would reportedly be $14.3 million, though it is not a done deal, say state officials.

The Irvine district would acquire access to 1,700 acre-feet of water from the State Water Project. One acre-foot -- 326,000 gallons -- would supply an average family for a year.

The other Dudley Ridge deal this year involved a Bay Area land and farming partnership called Sandridge Partners. The partnership agreed to sell $73 million worth of water rights to the Mojave Water Agency in San Bernardino County.

But, as far as the state Department of Water Resources is concerned, the Irvine deal has many hurdles to clear before it is finished.

An Irvine district official said an agreement has been signed, allowing the district to evaluate the potential purchase. If the deal is made, the land would still be farmed for a minimum of two years. Then a water transfer might be considered, the district official said.

The land is part of the Jackson Ranch, officials said. Both the farmer and the Irvine district are members of the State Water Project.

Irvine serves a population of 330,000 in Irvine and portions of Tustin, Lake Forest, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, city of Orange and unincorporated Orange County.