Friday, March 8, 2013

News articles and links from March 8, 2013


DELTA

Blog By Alex Breitler
From esanjoaquin - Thursday, March 7, 2013

Coalition response...For water users that are facing shortages this year it's nice to read the words that "Maximum pumping is once again allowed from the south Delta." But it doesn't make up for losing more than 800,000 acre-feet of water to federal regulations. Massive cuts in December and January mean that San Luis Reservoir, a major off-stream storage facility for State and federal project water, will likely not fill this year. That affects almost 4,000 farms on 3 million acres and 25 million Californians who depend on water flowing through the Delta to meet their needs.

The impact of crippling regulations that prevented the water deliveries is seen in a graphic prepared by the Department of Water Resources, farmwater.org/DWRStateFedCuts.pdf. Not only does it show the enormous volume of water that went to the ocean, it also depicts how small exports are compared to the amount of water in the system.

WEATHER

Story
From AccuWeather - Thursday, March 7, 2013

Coalition response...Commenter Mike Hudson targets commodities that fill a demand in export markets without realizing the benefits that result in dollars flowing from overseas buyers into California's economy. In 2010 the value of our state's agricultural exports totaled almost $15 billion, representing 14% of all U.S. agricultural exports.

Agricultural exports also provide a wide range of jobs in processing, packaging, transportation and a host of activities necessary to move farm products to shipping terminals. Officials at the Port of Oakland report that 30,000 agricultural jobs in the Central Valley region are tied to operations at the Port. Hudson's statement that export crops don't benefit any of us who live here is not supported by the facts. California farms can be one of the brightest spots in our beleaguered economy if farmers have the resources, including sufficient water, to grow the food that we and many others around the world depend on. (submitted Thursday, March 7, 2013) 

Coalition response...It's important to have the facts on the table if we're going to have a rational discussion about water supply in California. To begin with, no one is asking for "all the water they want," that would result in you being out of business as a fisherman. What San Joaquin Valley farmers and Southern California residents want is an assurance that water supplies that they have the right to use (rights issued by the State Water Resources Control Board) will be delivered dependably. The system isn't working for anyone now, not for farmers, not for families, not for the ecosystem, and as long as fish populations remain low, not for fishermen either. But focusing solely on export pumping as the cause of all these problems is not the answer. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan, as mandated by the State Legislature, address BOTH water supply and ecosystem problems. It is a big process that is not yet done and I'm sure your input along the way will help make it a better outcome for everyone. (submitted Friday, March 8, 2013) 

WATER SUPPLY

Blog 
By Mimi D. Holtz 
From Mimi Avocado - Wednesday, March 6, 2013 

BAY DELTA CONSERVATION PLAN

Press release
From SWC - Thursday, March 7, 2013

DELTA

Press release
From Rep. Garamendi - Thursday, March 7, 2013

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