From News Line, a daily compilation of farm water news distributed to CFWC members and others upon request. To receive News Line, click here.

Viewpoints: The Economic case for a Bay Delta Conservation Plan without the twin tunnels

Coalition response…Jeffrey Michael and a handful of others have long campaigned against the proposed tunnels of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. They fail to accept that farmers and 25 million Californians have been losing water for years because of federal regulations that restrict deliveries of water that they have a right to receive. Instead, these regulations keep water in the Delta to protect endangered fish. And federal officials have yet to provide proof that these actions actually provide any ecosystem benefits.

The proposed tunnels greatly reduce the impact to fish by using state of the art screens designed to prevent the entrapment complained about loudly by the commercial fishing industry. The tunnels help restore a water supply that its users are paying for and rightfully expect to receive. It is outrageous that the facilities built to deliver water to millions of acres of farmland have run at capacity only 22 days this year. That has had an impact on the number of acres growing fresh fruits and vegetables consumers seek at their local grocery stores as well as the jobs and economic activity created by farming activities.

Without water farmers have been forced to leave a portion of their land unplanted, opening the pathway for more and more food products from other countries to fill local grocery shelves. Is this what Californians want?