Farm Water News: News articles and links from March 3, 2011

Unreasonable Use of California’s Most Precious Resource

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By Lloyd Carter

From Fresno Alliance – Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Coalition response...An effort is underway to eliminate water runoff from west side farms from reaching the San Joaquin River while successfully reducing the amount of selenium in the drainage water. Since its beginning in 1995, the Grassland Bypass Project has reduced runoff flows to the river by 73% and the selenium content in that water has dropped 72%. The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board recognized the success of this program as it extended the project’s operation permit. Irrigation water delivered to the nearly 100,000 acres within the project continues to produce a safe and reliable food supply while providing jobs for thousands of individuals.

The Delta Watermaster’s report claims that increased conservation efforts in agriculture will result in more water for other uses. The Public Policy Institute of California acknowledged in its most recent report, Managing Californian’s Water, that conservation efforts in agriculture does not produce a new supply of water. Instead, any conserved water is used to recharge aquifers or irrigate increased acres.

The watermaster’s report suggested that a shift in planting crops might also result in an increased water supply. But that suggestion ignores the fact that farmers decide what to plant based on market conditions, not water use. Even the Pacific Institute backpedaled from its 2008 report, “More With Less,” that claimed a shift in crop plantings would produce more water for other uses. In the group’s 2010 report, “California’s Next Million Acre-Feet,” the institute dropped crop shifting as a conservation strategy because it would not produce an increased water supply.

Farmers are businessmen and they must protect their lands and their resources if they are going to be successful in producing the food we all need. Doing otherwise would put them out of business.

WATER SUPPLY

County extends drought declaration – for now

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From Hanford Sentinel – Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Tracy Lake may be part of solution to dwindling groundwater

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From Lodi News Sentinel – Thursday, March 3, 2011

OID Report: Enough Water This Year

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From Oakdale Leader – Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Merced irrigation District wants to sell more water to farmers

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