Bay Delta
Conservation Plan
From: Staff, BDCP Blog
The City of Los Angeles' independent
Office of Public Accountability has released its fiscal analysis of the Bay
Delta Conservation Plan. In it, the analysis concludes in part: "... that
under a wide array of cost and water demand scenarios, the total BDCP is
affordable to almost all City households." The analysis also highlights
the importance of the need for reliability in the core water supply for one of
the nation's largest cities.
Drought
From: Froma Harrop, Seattle
Times
This summer, even drinking water
may be hard to find in some Central California towns. This region is in its
third year of drought, among the worst in recorded history.
Yet agribusinesses are planting
huge new groves of thirsty almond and pistachio trees. Bear in mind, these are
permanent plantings. A quick crop such as alfalfa can be plowed under during a
water crisis. Trees and vines, on the other hand, need years to mature. An acre
could be a $3 million investment.
From: Reed Fujii, Stockton
Record
Federal estimates that California
could produce nearly 2 billion pounds of almonds this year comes with a big
maybe, spelled D-R-O-U-G-H-T. The U.S. National Agricultural Statistics Service
last week pegged this fall's nut haul at 1.95 billion pounds, based on a survey
of growers statewide.
That would be down 2.5 percent
from the 2 billion pounds harvested in 2013, as well as the record 2.03
billion-pound crop of 2011. But an industry expert and San Joaquin County
growers said Monday the lack of water due to near-record drought conditions
could take an uncertain toll.
Technology
From: John Holland, Modesto
Bee
About two decades ago, the
Turlock Irrigation District started using electronic flow meters. They could be
off by as much as a fifth, but they still helped with the imperfect science of
delivering water in open canals.
That won't cut it anymore. A
state law requires greater accuracy for irrigation districts by the end of next
year, with the goal of stretching a resource vital to farms, cities and fish.
Groundwater
From: Ian James, Desert Sun
Water managers often liken
aquifers to shared bank accounts, and in many areas of California, the account
balances have been dropping for years as overpumping has depleted the
underground reserves.
Now, with one of the worst
droughts on record hitting the state, Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers are
considering ideas for addressing the problem, and they are likely to draw on a
new list of recommendations calling for stronger local management backed up by
state oversight and enforcement.
From: Mark Grossi, Fresno Bee
A key advisory group told Gov.
Jerry Brown's administration Monday that regulation must be part of the fight
against overdrafting precious groundwater -- the state's declining safety net
in drought crisis.
The nonprofit, independent
California Water Foundation recommends control of underground water by local
groups under the authority of state regulations. But if the local groups
failed, state authorities should enforce the rules, the foundation recommended.
From: Eric Chu, Merced
Sun-Star
Garth Stapley wrote in
"Future of MID farm water transfers is uncertain" (Online, April 22)
that the Modesto Irrigation District added last-minute requirements for farmers
to participate in their water transfer programs. Modesto Irrigation needlessly
chooses to make participation more difficult for farmers. As a concerned
citizen, I am worried about the potential impact this decision may have on
groundwater supplies.
Because of the drought, farmers
do not receive enough surface water supplies to sustain their crops. As a
result, the Valley has witnessed a surge in well-drilling for groundwater
supplies in the past few months.
Farming News
From: Staff, Porterville
Recorder
There are now 3.2 million farmers
operating 2.1 million farms on 914.5 million acres of farmland across the
United States, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, released Friday by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agriculture census presents more than 6
million pieces of information, which provide a detailed look at the U.S. farm
sector at the national, state and county levels.
No comments:
Post a Comment