News articles and links from Jan. 19, 2011

More storage could save rain water that we are losing

Editorial

from Fresno Bee – Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011

Good time to push for water storage

Editorial

from Visalia Times Delta – Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011

Water wars carry on in California

Story

from Western Farm Press – Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011

Water group’s first meeting today

Story

from Chico Enterprise Record – Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011

Tulare County reservoir levels rise

Story

from Visalia Times Delta – Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011

La Nina in the area...Rainy December replaced by predicted drier pattern

Story

From Hanford Sentinel – Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2010

Grant providing funds to go forward with recharge study

Story

from Williows-Journal – Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

Upbeat first assessment for year’s supplies

Story

from SF Chronicle – Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011

Big water forecast still falls short for Valley farmers

Story

from Fresno Bee – Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

Westside farmers to get 45 percent of water in initial forecast

Story

from Hanford Sentinel – Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

Big snowpack means communities and farms will likely get more water

Story

from Sacramento Bee – Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

Feds increase Valley water allocation

Story

from Central Valley Business Times – Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

Cardoza calls for 100 percent water supply allocation for Central Valley

Story

from Merced Sun-Star – Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

News articles and links from Jan. 18, 2011

New Report Targets Unreasonable Water Use in California

Blog

from Alter Net – Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011

By Dan Bacher

Coalition response...This author can’t seem to make up his mind. Six months ago in a blog posted on the Internet he labeled Wilson as a “new bureaucrat to further Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plan to build a peripheral canal and new dams...” Now he is touting Wilson for a report that is short on understanding how water is used on California farms. I wonder what he will be saying in another six months.

The author continues to present misguided information relating to farming along the San Joaquin Valley Westside. Farmers and their water districts are working with State and federal agencies and environmental organizations to reduce the flow of drainage water to the San Joaquin River. This program has accomplished such significant reductions in drainage water flowing to the San Joaquin River that the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board has issued a permit for the efforts to continue. While these efforts continue, farmers are producing fruits and vegetables that are both healthy, safe and in great demand by consumers.

Bond urged to boost Valley water storage

Story

from Fresno Bee – Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

Coalition response...A lot of water is currently flowing through California but how much water will be available for farmers during the upcoming irrigation season that stretches through the summer months? Deliveries from State and federal water systems are expected to be less than existing contracts call for. If more storage was available, all of California would benefit flood protection, recreation and the environment, in addition to a more reliable supply of water to grow the fruits and vegetables we rely upon.

Oversight committees and ground-water banks

Blog

from Fresno Bee – Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

By Mark Grossi

DWR Releases Central Valley Flood Protection Plan Progress Report

Release

from DWR – Monday, Jan. 17, 2011

Davis, Woodland seek right to divert Sacramento River Water

Story

from Sacramento Bee – Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

Wasting Water

TV News

from 47/TV Fresno – Monday, Jan. 17, 2011

Irrigation districts file Klamath agreement validation request

Story

from Siskiyou Daily News – Monday, Jan. 17, 2011

Delta Stewardship Council to meet on January 27 & 28

Release

from Aquafornia – Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

Delta Smelt and Undocumented Farm Workers:

How Federal Policy Is Failing California’s Central Valley

Video

from ReasonTV – Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011

Practical solutions for efficient, integrated and cost effective agricultural water management

Conference

from FC Business Intelligence

News articles and links from Jan. 17, 2011

Delta watermaster wants to reinforce farm water conservation

from North County Times - Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011

Calif. water overseer wants to reinforce farm water conservation

from Sacramento Bee – Saturday, Na. 15, 2011

Delta water overseer wants to reinforce farm water conservation

from Oakland Tribune – Friday, Jan. 14, 2011

Delta water overseer wants to reinforce farm water conservation

Story

from Contra Costa Times – Friday, Jan. 14, 2011

Levee repair fixes ‘tender spot’ in S.J.

Story

from The Record – Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011

Delta data distorted, 2 Bay Area utilities say

Story

from SF Chronicle – Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011

If Quakes Weren’t Enough, Enter the ‘Superstorm’

Story

from NY Times – Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011

Deadline looms for frost plans

Story

from North Bay Business Journal – Monday, Jan. 17, 2011

Auburn dam back in play as McClintock takes over House panel

Story

from Sacramento Bee – Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011

Dying lake strains landmark Colorado River pact

from Ventura County Star – Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011

Dying lake strains landmark Colorado River pact

from Fresno Bee – Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011

Dying lake strains landmark Colorado River pact

from Modesto Bee – Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011

Salton Sea steadily seeping solely to sand

Story

from Desert Sun – Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011

Stockton fined for wastewater treatment violations

Story

from The Record – Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011

News articles and links from Jan. 14, 2011

Water bank makes waves among Valley farmers

Story

from Fresno Bee – Friday, Jan. 14, 2011

Fish breathing easier in Deep Water Channel

Story

from The Record – Friday, Jan. 14, 2011

Hazardous runoff threatens Delta-Mendota Canal in Westley

Story

from News-10TV – Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011

Water officials enthusiastic about recent rainfall

Story

from Patterson Irrigator – Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011

Siskiyou County responds to ELF, water resources board briefs

Story

from Siskiyou Daily News – Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011

Atwater man’s invention in running for honors

Story

from Merced Sun Star – Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011

News articles and links from Jan. 13, 2011

Water peril

Editorial

from Riverside Press Enterprise - Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011

Plenty of water in store for Central Valley

Story

from Visalia Times Delta - Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011

California Can't Have it All: There's Not Enough Water to Support Farms, Cities and the Environment

Story

from Alternet - Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011

News articles and links from Jan. 12, 2011

A Reasonable Opportunity to Encourage Agricultural Water Conservation

Blog

By Barry Nelson, NRDC

from NRDC – Monday, Jan. 11, 2011

Coalition response...This writer continues to exhibit a lack of understanding of how water is used on the farm, as did the Delta Watermaster in his report. Both writers believe that converting all water delivery systems to "on demand" will save large volumes of water. They forget, or maybe ignore, information from actual irrigation experts that shows that on a basin-wide level, farm water use is over 90 percent efficient. On-farm water use efficiency efforts do not automatically translate into more water in the system. Irrigation sales information obtained by the Agricultural Water Management Council reveals that farmers have invested more than $2 billion in on-farm irrigation improvements over the past eight years and those conservation efforts have led to improved production that is the envy of the world. The watermaster's report and subsequent claims that it must be implemented only serve to promote inaccuracies when it comes to water use on California farms.

A water manager’s perspective on California rice

Perspective

By Thad Bettner, GCID

from California Rice Commission – Monday, Jan. 10, 2011

Water transfer meeting in Chico heats up

Story

from Chico Enterprise Record – Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011

California Thirst Quenched

Story

from NY Times – Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011

No hike in water rates for farmers in the Modesto Irrigation District

Story

from Modesto Bee – Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011

Panel weighs possibilities for Chinook salmon

Story

from Contra Costa Times – Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011

News articles and links from Jan. 11, 2011

Report targets waste, inefficiency in agricultural water use

Story

from LA Times – Monday, Jan. 10, 2011

Expert urges agriculture water use changes

Story

from Fresno Bee – Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011

Agricultural water use debate heats up with pending report

Story

from Western Farm Press – Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011

Coalition response...The report by the Delta Watermaster takes California in a new and potentially dangerous direction with respect to agricultural water use efficiency. The relationship between on-farm irrigation efficiency and true basin-level water conservation can be very confusing. Basin-wide efficiency can be quite high relative to on-farm efficiency due to re-use of water from farm to farm. You simply cannot apply an estimate of on-farm water savings to an entire basin to estimate net transferable water conservation. Irrigation experts at California State University, Fresno, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and UC Davis have identified this same mistake in other reports that claim millions of acre-feet of potential savings using this erroneous method.

Gene helps crops use less water without biomass loss

Story

from Western Farm Press – Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011

California’s Heavy Rains Counter La Nina’s Ways

Story

from NY Times – Monday, Jan. 10, 2011

Salmon, River Activists ask Governor Brown to change direction in the Klamath River Basin

Blog

from KlamBlog – Monday, Jan. 10, 2011