Supply
From: Mark
Grossi, Fresno Bee
Growers jammed into
the Westlands Water District field shop Tuesday to hear bad news: Expect a zero
percent water allocation next February if winter doesn't start out stormy.
A leader with the
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which sells water to the farmers, described a bleak
situation, but stopped short of predicting zero next year. Westlands general
manager Tom Birmingham didn't hesitate.
Delta
From: Pamela
Martineau, ACWA
State and federal
agencies have made progress in major planning and regulatory actions in the
Delta, but their efforts lack integration, which has led to polarization,
according to the 2013 report card on the Delta that was released June 18 by the
Delta Vision Foundation.
From: Albert
Kammerer, Sacramento Bee
Re "State has
been slow at spigot with millions in U.S. water aid" (Capitol &
California, June 17): It is a sad state in which any percentage of the
population must go without drinkable water.
If this governor
wants to leave a legacy, there are many more rewarding projects than rail or
raping the Delta to the benefit of Southern California water barons.
From: Matt
Weiser, Sacramento Bee
From: Matt
Weiser, Modesto Bee
California water
officials are moving to store large piles of rock and sand in key locations
throughout the Delta, including Brannan Island state park, as part of a broader
effort to improve flood response.
The California
Department of Water Resources was directed by 2008 legislation to stockpile
"flood fight" materials at strategic points in the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta. This includes large rocks up to 2 feet in diameter, known as
riprap, and the conveyor belts and cranes necessary to move it.
Statements
From: Jerry
McNerney, eSanJoaquin.com
"I have long
asked that the people of the Bay-Delta region have a seat at the table when it
comes to any plan related to the BDCP. I was pleased to have the
attention of Governor Brown's administration today and look forward to our
meeting tomorrow; however, I will only be satisfied when I see concrete
results.
Opinion
From: Phyllis
Ehlert, Sacramento Bee
Re "Wave of
suits hits Delta Plan" (Page A1, June 18): Finally, people are speaking
up. Some of the biggest Southern California water users are farmers. Read
history to understand that irrigated farming is a delaying tactic. Babylon had
fertile fields and a greater population than modern day Iraq until its
agriculture collapsed.
Farming
From: Julie
Lynem, The Tribune
Richard Sauret
never studied viticulture at a university, but after decades of working on
vineyards in his native Paso Robles, he said it doesn't take a college degree
to understand that grapes do not need tons of water to produce quality wine.
For years, Sauret,
former president of the Independent Grape Growers of the Paso Robles Area, has
dry farmed zinfandel wine grapes on his 40-acre property off Drake Road. He
relies on annual rainfall and plants vines less densely so that their roots
have to search for water.
From: Robert
Hargreaves, Bakersfield Californian
The headline in the
June 13 Californian read "Chinese demand for dairy products has a big
environmental impact on California," but most of the full-page story had
little to do with China. Instead, it was devoted to telling everything that is
supposedly wrong with California dairies.
The authors,
Susanne Rust and Serene Fang of the Center for Investigative Reporting, obtain
their information from second- and third-hand sources.
From: Jeannette
Warnert, Western Farm Press
Will berries taste
like colored Styrofoam if water supplies for farmers are cut? Or will a
reduction in irrigation only intensify their flavor?
To find out, farm
advisors around the state are comparing strawberries, blueberries and
blackberries grown under four irrigation regimes - one that reflects the normal
practice, one half the normal amount of water, one 75 percent of normal, and
one that is 25 percent more than normal. The studies are being conducted in
Santa Clara, San Luis Obispo, San Diego and Fresno counties.
Litigation
From: Contra
Costa Times, AP (Previously appeared on KCRA.com, News10.net)
Environmental and
fishing groups have filed a lawsuit against a broad, long-range plan to manage
the ailing Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The lawsuit -
announced on Monday - is the fourth lawsuit filed against the Delta Plan over
the past month.
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