Farm Water News: News articles and links from January 2, 2013

Water supply

Merced River status a slippery slope?

Story

From Merced Sun-Star - Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012

From Modesto Bee - Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013

From Stockton Record - Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012

Coalition response...Raising the spillway at New Exchequer Dam would inundate about 1,800 feet of the 122-mile stretch of the Merced River between Yosemite and Lake McClure for two to eight weeks every few years. That's 1/350 of the protected part of the river. The segment is more than 20 miles from the boundary of Yosemite National Park and 30 miles from Yosemite Valley, pictured in the article.

Environmental groups that oppose any flexibility in managing our water resources are taking a stance contrary to the cooperative nature that public water agencies like MID work towards at every opportunity. Providing an adequate and dependable water supply for farms, homes and businesses doesn't have to be in direct opposition to protecting the environment. Unfortunately, hard-line environmentalists don't see it that way. Comparing a minor boundary adjustment with building new dams on protected rivers along the north coast is just silly.

Fisheries

Fall salmon count has mixed results east of Oakdale

Story

From Modesto Bee - Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012

Coalition response...Holland's article does an excellent job of describing the work being undertaken by Oakdale Irrigation District and others to improve river conditions for salmon. It is a huge, expensive effort and responsible environmental organizations are finding that if they partner with efforts like this much more can be accomplished than continuing to fight and point fingers.

In contrast to this, trophy fishermen are fighting tooth and nail to stop any efforts to reform laws that might help improve conditions for salmon, such as increasing the take limit or reducing the size of bass that may be taken because it could limit the number of big fish available for tournaments.

Bass populations have exploded compared to what existed in the Delta when salmon and bass "co-existed." The fishing industry has repeatedly opposed measures to control what science is telling us is one of the major causes of salmon mortality - predators. The percentage of bass in the Delta have more than doubled to a whopping 74 percent while native species have been choked off from 18 percent down to a meager four percent over the past 30 years---http://www.farmwater.org/centrarchids.pdf. Articles have even been written by experienced fishermen including this one in Western Outdoor Magazine on how to find bass by looking for the "bloodbath" during salmon migration---www.farmwater.org/salmonslaughter.pdf. Yet at every opportunity the fishing industry attempts to blame others rather than coming to the table to find a balanced solution to California's water supply and ecosystem problems.

WATER SUPPLY

Big snow promises fuller reservoirs

Story

From San Diego Union-Tribune - Tuesday, Jan. 1 2013

California's water wars breaking out again

Column

By Dan Walters

From Sacramento Bee - Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013

From Modesto Bee - Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013

From Merced Sun-Star - Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013

From Fresno Bee - Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013

Is 2013 the Year of Water in California?