Water: Time for a Fresh Look at What Works, What Doesn’t and What to Do About It For decades, California has been stuck in a Groundhog-Day-like water debate that pits fish and the environment against humans, farms and other water needs. Presented as a zero-sum game, we are told it is necessary for one set […]
Smart Policy- Real Solutions
California’s way of life is sustained by our flowing water. From farm fields and grocery store shelves, to city streets- moving water affects us all. Modern water management in the State focuses on two principles- moving water from places and times of abundance to places and times of need efficiently, and balancing the needs of […]
Groundwater overdraft is a fixable problem
Groundwater overdraft is a fixable problem Overdraft. It’s the condition in which something is being removed faster than it’s being replaced. At a bank it’s when you’re spending more money than what you have in your account. In the water world it’s much the same thing. You’re taking more water, usually out of the ground, […]
UC Berkeley study: Enough water for 10 million people lost every year
UC Berkeley Study Confirms: Enough water for 10 million people lost every year A new study by Dr. David L. Sunding of U.C. Berkeley confirms the devastation done to all Californians by a broken water-management system ruled by more than 15 federal, state and local agencies. 1.3 million acre-feet lost every year For more than […]
CFWC Statement on End of Drought
“Today the Governor declared an end to California’s drought and his administration issued plans to permanently entrench many of the drought restrictions and water use efficiency requirements it brought about. “California farmers work every day to make the most out of every drop. While total agricultural water use in California has remained relatively constant […]
2017 Snow Survey Results Off the Charts- Must Improve Water Supplies
Snow Survey Results Off the Charts- Must Improve Water Supplies When state snow surveyors visited the Sierra Nevada today, they found a snowpack well above average for the date, and the biggest in more than 20 years. California agricultural organizations say they hope that translates into improved water supplies for the state’s farmers and ranchers. California […]
Reactions to State Board Unimpaired Flows Action
Reactions to State Board Unimpaired Flows Action On September 15, the State Water Resources Control Board released an updated proposal for the Bay Delta Water Quality Plan, expanding the pursuit of increased flow in it’s approach for addressing species decline in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River system. “If implemented, the State Water Board’s rule will have […]
Response to the State Water Control Board’s Water Quality Control Plan
The State Water Resources Control Board has released its Water Quality Control Plan which, if implemented, will cause significant harm to California residents without quantifying any specific environmental benefits. In taking this step, Felicia Marcus, the Board’s Chairwoman noted that San Joaquin River flows have not been updated since 1995. We fully agree it’s time that state […]
Amount of idled farmland is five times greater than report states
UC Davis drought report On August 15 the Center for Watershed Sciences released a UC Davis drought report titled “Economic Analysis of the 2016 California Drought on Agriculture.” The report was a follow-on to reports commissioned by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and released previously in 2014 and 2015. Of note in the […]
Central Valley Project Users Can’t Get a Break
WATER SUPPLIES ARE better than normal in Northern California, so why is it that Central Valley Project (CVP) water users can’t get a break? The water users in question are the farms and ranches in the San Joaquin Valley that rely on the federal Central Valley Project water conveyance system. They are set to receive […]