Drought
From: Kurtis Alexander, San
Francisco Chronicle
Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday
officially declared a drought emergency in California, asking residents to
voluntarily reduce their water use by 20 percent and committing to bolster the
state's dwindling water supplies with better management and federal assistance.
The order, announced at a news
conference at the governor's San Francisco office, comes as the state is
gripped by a third consecutive year of dry weather.
From: Staff, CBS 47
Hundreds of people from the
Central Valley travelled to Sacramento Thursday to urge Gov. Jerry Brown to
declare a drought.
At the steps of the Capitol
building, people chanted "water" and held signs that say "No
Water = No Jobs."
Huron field worker Juan Martinez,
who attended the rally, says no water for crops means fields where he works
will be unplanted, putting his job at risk.
From: Matt Williams, ACWA
Water News
U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and
Dianne Feinstein, along with Rep. Jim Costa (D-16 ), have called on President
Obama to form a federal drought task force and appoint a federal drought
coordinator.
California already has taken
similar steps. In mid-December Gov. Jerry Brown convened a task force to review
water allocations and the state's preparedness, as well as coordinate with
federal and local agencies. The governor hasn't yet declared a drought, but he
is widely expected to do so. Last month the California Department of Water
Resources named Bill Croyle the department's drought manager.
From: Michael Doyle,
Sacramento Bee
A California drought will soon
test lawmakers' ability to legislate. It's a test they haven't always passed.
But as an official California
drought declaration draws closer, members of the state's often fractious
congressional delegation are maneuvering once more. A freshman House Republican
from the San Joaquin Valley has been quietly trying to write water legislation.
The California Republican who leads the House water and power panel will be
holding hearings. Democrats have formed a new water caucus, meeting for the
first time this week. "We'll see whether or not we can come together
on something that makes sense," said Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif.
From: AP Staff, Contra Costa Times; MyDesert.Com; San Francisco Chronicle;
Federal officials have designated portions of 11 drought-ridden western
and central states as primary natural disaster areas, highlighting the
financial strain the lack of rain is likely to bring to farmers in those
regions. The announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday
included counties in Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Kansas, Texas, Utah,
Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Oklahoma and California.
From: David Siders, Sacramento
Bee
Gov. Jerry Brown will declare a
drought emergency today after weeks of intensifying pressure on him to take
action.
The declaration, which Brown is
scheduled to announce at 10 a.m. in San Francisco, comes during one of the
driest winters on record in California, following two dry years that already
have left many reservoirs depleted.
From: Jeremy White, Sacramento
Bee Blog
Lawmakers representing
drought-stricken districts joined with hundreds of their constituents at the
state Capitol on Thursday to press for a new water bond measure and the
declaration of a drought emergency.
"I see farmers, I see
farmworkers; I see people from urban communities and from rural communities,
all here today to send one message: that we need water," said Assemblyman
Henry Perea, D-Fresno.
Water Supply
From: Bob Paoluccio,
Sacramento Bee
California's quest to supply
water to places that did not have an adequate supply has resulted in monumental
water diversions via dams. The impact has been successful to the users by the
alterations of Owens Valley, Hetch Hetchy, Lake Shasta, Trinity Lake, Feather
River and numerous others. Unfortunately, the dams affected Native Americans,
later local residents and species of fish, particularly in Northern California.
Perhaps, it is time to do the unthinkable and tap Lake Tahoe for an additional
water supply. It would seem only fair that California is entitled to the same
quantity of water that flows out of Lake Tahoe to the Truckee River.
Water Storage
From: Joe Sullivan, Sacramento
Bee
Re "Water lessons forgotten" (Letters, Jan. 11):
Bill Jurkovich's letter was right on target. He states that scientists tell us
changing climate will bring more periods of drought and floods, and dams are
the only way to have an effect on this. He also says that there are many sites
where dams could be built, and asks whether we have forgotten history or lost
our will?
Press Release
From: Staff, Westlands Water
District
Westlands Water District praised
today's action by Governor Jerry Brown to issue an emergency drought
declaration for the State of California. "The Governor's declaration
recognizes that the State of California is facing unprecedented drought
conditions. The situation in the San Joaquin Valley is particularly critical.
After several consecutive dry years, compounded by regulations that have
restricted water deliveries through the federal Central Valley Project and the
California State Water Project, the people who live and work in agricultural
areas of the Valley are facing a disaster," said Tom Birmingham, General
Manager, Westlands Water District.
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