Groundwater
From: Erin Brodwin, Scientific
American
Midwestern Farmers have relied on
the High Plains Aquifer System since they first discovered the solution to
their drought woes nearly six decades ago. The massive underground water source
has turned a vast dry swath of the Great Plains from North Dakota to Texas into
arable farmland.
Coalition response... It is important to note that San Joaquin Valley farmers, contrary to
statements made in this article, do not use water from the Colorado River basin
to irrigate their crops. The article is correct, however, in describing the
enormous increase in water use efficiency achieved by San Joaquin Valley
farmers. Since 2003 more than $2.1 billion has been invested in upgrading
irrigation systems on more than 1.8 million acres. One of the results of that
kind of investment is that crop production has increased more than 89 percent
on about the same amount of applied water per acre in years past.
Water Supply
From: Kate Campbell, Ag Alert
Farmers say this year's
agricultural water supply has been squeezed dry-wells are going empty, major
reservoirs are at a fraction of historic storage levels for this time of year
and the U.S. Drought Monitor shows California is in a severe to extreme
drought.
No California growing region has
been spared the drought's effects.
From: Garth Stapley, modbee.com
Even valley water leaders are
talking about the Rim fire.
The fire itself doesn't threaten
mountain water going to thousands of farmers and hundreds of thousands of
Modesto water customers, all of whom rely on Tuolumne River flows.
From: John Franco, Merced
Sun-Star
I attended the film screening of
"The Fight for Water: A Farmworker Struggle" at UC Merced on Aug. 21
and believe the panel discussion should have included a wider range of perspectives,
and any discussion of our water future should always start with the natural
watershed geography.
From: Steve Frisch, sfchronicle.com
As the record-breaking Rim Fire
continues to consume power lines and structures in its path, the bigger story
is its effect on water and power for San Francisco, the East Bay and hundreds
of square miles of California farmland. The largest fire in Sierra Nevada
history is a sobering reminder that our water resources are at risk, not only
from wildfires but also from climate change and a legacy of poorly planned land
management.
Salton Sea
From: Victoria Pelham, The
Desert Sun
A $5 billion water bond
introduced by state lawmakers earlier this month will include funds for the
Salton Sea, according to Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez's office.
Bay Delta
Conservation Plan
From: Alex Breitler, esanjoaquin.com
Dueling eocnomists[sic]: The
State Water Contractors published a fact sheet comparing recent twin tunnels
analyses by David Sunding, a consultant for the state, and Jeff Michael, the
skeptic often quoted by Stockton-based tunnels foe Restore the Delta.
From: John F. Shirey,
Sacramento Bee
Re "Capital steps up Delta
battle" (The Public Eye, Aug. 25): In the article, the city of Sacramento
is characterized as opposed to the governor's Bay Delta Conservation Plan
(BDCP). To be clear, Sacramento has not taken a formal position on BDCP.
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