Drought
From: Gabriel Lewin,
Sacramento Bee
Re "Agribusiness excess is reason California again running dry"
(Viewpoints, Jan. 26): People say "Should we help people or fish?" It
seems obvious that people should take preference, but remember that extinction
is forever, and that fish are food, too. To render salmon species extinct for
just a few more acres of walnuts is not wise. Farmers do not seem to get that
there is a limited supply of water. I see signs next to Interstate 5 saying
"Dust bowl created by Congress," but where is the sign reading
"Peach orchard created by Congress"? Farmers seem unaware of the fact
that we have had drought conditions for many years, and that, with burgeoning
populations, water demands have increased, not just for home use, but industry
as well.
Coalition response... While it has certainly been dry for a couple of years, we have not had
"drought conditions for many years" as the writer states. California
has experienced wet and dry periods throughout its history. It is for just this
reason that farmers were among the strongest supporters of the advanced
statewide water system that we have today. When it is operated as designed, it
provides water reliably and consistently to the cities and farms of California.
It is our understanding that farmers who place the signs you mention are
responding to Congressional interference in the operations of this water
system, not the weather.
From: Tony St. Amant,
Sacramento Bee
Re "Agribusiness excess is reason California again running dry"
(Viewpoints, Jan. 26): For decades farmers in the western San Joaquin Valley
have expanded their need for water imported from the Sacramento Valley through
a steady shift to crops that need to be watered year-round. They got away with
it because of the political leverage they could exert in Sacramento and
Washington, D.C. No one concerned with long-term water supplies could make a
dent in their political armor. Now, as the state dries up, those same farmers
are whining to their state and federal representatives that they are owed water
as a matter of priority over municipal, environmental and Sacramento Valley
needs.
Coalition response... Between 1952 and 1989 the federal Central Valley Project had been able
to deliver 100 percent of its contracted deliveries every year except 1977, our
previously driest year on record. When Congress put environmental uses, based
on the ESA, ahead of the original CVP project purposes it utterly changed the
reliability of the system for the thousands of farms, homes and businesses that
depend on it. Sadly, the ESA isn't working for anyone, including the
environment. There have been no positive results from destroying California's
economic base in the name of protecting the environment. It is long past time
for changes that will restore water deliveries AND have the ecosystem benefits
that people want. The efforts over the last 20-plus years clearly aren't
working.
Farming
From: Glen Cagley, Sacramento
Bee
Re "Agribusiness excess is reason California again running dry"
(Viewpoints, Jan. 26): In 1999, I toured Israel near the Sea of Galilee, where
I saw a banana plantation (well above the lake) which had only drip irrigation.
There were no visible ditches or canals. This demonstrated to me that
California agribusinesses have solutions that they could use but choose to
ignore. The canals, too, could be converted to pipelines, safe from water loss
due to evaporation.
Coalition response... Contrary to the writer's belief, California farmers have invested
heavily in improved irrigation technology and water use efficiency. Since 2003
San Joaquin Valley farmers have invested more that $2 billion upgrading the
irrigation systems on more than 1.8 million acres. Statewide between 1994 and
2008 the area devoted to drip irrigation has increased 150 percent while
gravity and sprinkler irrigation has declined by more than 20 percent,
according to the Center for Irrigation Technology at CSU Fresno. It is not
necessary to travel far and wide to see the newest and most efficient
technology. It's right in our own backyard.
Water Storage
From: AP Staff, Modesto Bee; KFMB 8; Oroville Mercury-Register; Salinas Californian
Farmers on the west side of the
San Joaquin Valley are breathing a sigh of relief after federal officials said
they won't seize water in the San Luis Reservoir intended for the farmers'
crops.
From: Mark Grossi, Fresno Bee; Merced Sun-Star; Sacramento Bee
West San Joaquin Valley farmers
don't have to worry about losing the 340,000 acre-feet of water they stored in
San Luis Reservoir last year - the federal government won't take it.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
had been considering taking the water to fulfill obligations to other farm
water contractors who have more senior rights to water. Bureau leaders Thursday
told Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, that the water would not be used.
"The bureau's decision to
honor their original promises will help ensure farmers and contractors who
invested in drought reserve water supplies will have the certainty they need to
plan for the coming year," Valadao said in a news release.
Transfers
From: Julie Lynem, San Luis
Obispo Tribune
Two North County groups with a
plan to manage the Paso Robles groundwater basin adamantly oppose banking
water, selling it or exporting it out of San Luis Obispo County and have taken
issue with another group they say is misleading the public about their
intentions.
The Paso Robles Agricultural
Alliance for Groundwater Solutions and PRO Water Equity have been working for
months to establish the Paso Robles Basin Water District.
Water Supply
From: Lester Snow, Los Angeles
Daily News
California water managers trekked
across the Sierra Nevadas earlier this month on their annual mission to measure
snowpack and gauge our water conditions for the year. Instead of struggling
through snow drifts, their boots stomped across bare dirt, spotted only with
the smallest of slushy patches. Their monitors forecasted troubled times and
coined the new catchphrase #MegaDrought, recognizing we may be heading into the
worst drought on record.
Drought
From: Staff, Bakersfield
Californian
The terrifying consequences of
California's "drought emergency" cannot be denied: acres of mature,
nut-bearing trees dug up; fertile land unplanted; agriculture jobs gone. Some
communities are even struggling to provide drinking water for their residents.
But last week's "press
availability" that starred three South Valley Republican congressmen --
Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, Devin Nunes of Visalia and David Valadao of
Hanford -- as well as House Speaker John Boehner, the Ohio Republican, seemed
more about politics than about bringing real aid to the emergency.
Water Bond
From: Laurel Rosenhall,
Sacramento Bee
California politicians grappling
with a drought now have a third proposal spelling out which water projects
should be placed in a bond on the November ballot.
Republican state Sens. Anthony
Cannella of Ceres and Andy Vidak of Hanford today announced a proposal to put a
$9.2 billion bond on the ballot. That's nearly $2 billion less than the bond
legislators approved in 2009 but have delayed placing on the ballot.
Farming
From: Steve Milne, Capital
Public Radio
Marc Marchini heads the
California Asparagus Commission. He's also a farmer who grows asparagus on
Union Island in the South Delta.
"It's very important to have
water on right now," said Marchini. "As a matter of fact, I am
irrigating right now just to replenish the ground water that we normally would
be getting if it was raining."
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