Farm Water News: News articles and links from Monday, May 21, 2012

Water supply

Rice country fears it could get rolled in a Delta deal

Editorial

By Stuart Leavenworth

From Sacramento Bee - Sunday, May 20, 2012

Coalition response...Leavenworth makes some excellent points about the value of California rice and the efforts undertaken by rice growers to increase water use efficiency and farm in an environmentally friendly manner. His effort to see first-hand what really happens in the Sacramento Valley is commendable. It is puzzling then, why he makes blanket statements about Westlands Water District in the San Joaquin Valley being unwilling to pare back its water demands. In fact, Westlands and many other irrigation and water districts on the Westside not only operate as efficiently as any farm region in the state, they have also been on the receiving end of environmentally-driven water supply cuts going all the way back to 1992. This year, with a nearly full set of reservoirs, Westside farmers are facing a 40 percent water allocation of what they should be receiving under their water supply contracts. That might make sense during an extended drought but certainly not this year.

Why should Leavenworth, or anyone else for that matter, care about California's overall farm water supply? Because it's farm water that grows the food consumers find in the grocery store and take home to their families. Fewer acres under cultivation means fewer choices and higher prices in the grocery store, or a dependency on other parts of the world to supply the food we eat.

California farm production is the envy of the world. Farmers statewide have shown to be responsible stewards of their resources. Making sure they have what they need to plant and grow food is reliable insurance that the food will be there at an affordable price when consumers are filling their shopping carts.

WATER SUPPLY

Shouldn't hydro count against the carbon reduction mandate?

Column

By Dan Walters

From Sacramento Bee - Monday, May 21, 2012

Selling water to the highest bidder

Blog

By Stephanie Paige Ogburn

From High Desert News - Monday, May 21, 2012

Water sale is Topic A

Editorial

From Modesto Bee - Sunday, May 20, 2012