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

California’s ‘water grab’

Coalition response…The original editorial was wrong in claiming that the Bay Delta Conservation Plan is a “classic water grab with the goal of channeling as much Northern California water as possible to Central Valley’s Big Ag and Southern California’s urban sprawl.” Lloyd Carter repeats the misinformation withot any facts to back it up. The amount of water that will move through the proposed tunnels is governed by existing contracts. Water deliveries enabled through BDCP may not negatively affect any other user’s water right or the environment. That’s the law. Water deliveries are expected to be in the neighborhood of the average over the past 20 years. Calling it a “water grab” is simply not true.

Carter’s attempt to link the BDCP tunnels with the Peripheral Canal that appeared on the ballot in 1982 is also disingenuous. The tunnels are only large enough to transport a maximum of 9,000 cubic feet of water per second, comparison to the Peripheral Canal that was rated at 21,800 cfs. Read more at https://farmwater.org/p-canalcomparison.pdf.

More than six years of research by scientists, engineers, water managers and fishery experts have gone into the development of the BDCP, which remains the best choice for creating water supply reliability and more than 100,000 acres of habitat restoration.

(The following is a statement by Dan Nelson, Executive Director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority.)

“The major legislation introduced today by Congressman Jim Costa creates a sensible way of balancing the protection of fisheries while providing reasonable water supplies for families, farms and disadvantaged rural communities throughout the San Joaquin Valley.

 

“The legislation maintains core provisions of the fish protections governing water deliveries while providing long-absent reliability for the thousands of farmers, farm-workers and millions of Californians who rely upon a secure delivery of water to create jobs, expand the economy and feed a nation.

 

 

“While public water suppliers continue to work with State and federal agencies to develop long-term environmental and water supply solutions for the Delta, meaningful and vital steps must be taken now to protect California’s future.

“After 20 years of nearly continuous water shortages driven by federal environmental regulations, our coping strategies are all but exhausted. Our farmers have installed drip irrigation on several hundred thousand acres, have permanently retired a hundred thousand acres from irrigation and annually leave hundreds of thousands of acres unfarmed depending on the severity of the cutbacks. Sadly, the social and economic pain inflicted on our communities has not resulted in any gains for the fisheries as the regulators had hoped.

“We all want to see a healthy ecosystem, but we should all acknowledge the failed approaches in that pursuit. It is time for reasonableness, sensibility and balance.” 

###

The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority serves 29 member agencies reliant upon water conveyed through the California Bay-Delta by the United States Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project. These public water agencies deliver water to approximately 1.2 million acres of prime farmland, 2 million California residents, and millions of waterfowl dependent upon the more than 100,000 acres of managed wetlands within the Pacific Flyway.

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

Twin tunnels plan gains momentum

Coalition response…BDCP is part of a larger effort to improve California water management including the bay delta plan, and when completed will work in conjunction with other local and regional efforts. BDCP does not replace water management practices such as conservation, recycling and other water-saving techniques throughout the state. These efforts should continue but most individuals involved in the water industry recognize that these practices will not fulfill the need for a reliable water supply or restore the Delta ecosystem.

The suggestion of building more reservoirs is a good but fruitless idea if improved conveyance through the Delta is not achieved. The proposed BDCP tunnels will provide the conveyance that is needed for successful storage projects in the future.

Fourth-graders from agricultural and urban areas claimed the top three prizes in the 14^th Annual Farm Water Poster Contest sponsored by the California Farm Water Coalition.

The top prize went to Zachary Mayo of Veterans Elementary School, Bakersfield. He will receive a $150 cash prize for his drawing of various food products atop a farm field with water flowing across it.

Judges selected the poster by Elyssa Angelo of Promenade Elementary, Corona, for the second-place prize of $100. Her poster depicted water flowing from snow-capped mountains to a farm with crops and animals.

Shailey Shah of Maple Creek Elementary, Fresno, will receive $50 for her third-place poster that included a river meandering through a farm with the Coalition slogan of “Food Grows Where Water Flows” next to the river.

“We are very pleased with the participation of the students and their resulting posters,” said Coalition Executive Director Mike Wade. “It is rewarding to see teachers explaining the connection between food and water on California farms and students are using that information to enter the contest.”

The Coalition sponsors the contest each year to mark “Water Awareness Month” in May. The contest is open to all fourth-grade students from public, private or home schools. More than 250 entries were submitted.

Four posters were selected by judges for “Honorable Mention” and will be posted to the Kid’s section of the Coalition’s website at farmwater.org, along with the top three winners.

In addition to the cash prizes to the winning students, teachers of the winning students will each receive $100 for classroom supplies.

The California Farm Water Coalition represents 5.4 million irrigated acres in the state, making it the largest farm water organization to focus solely on water. The organization provides fact-based information to the public.

###

If you are attending the ACWA Conference in Sacramento this week be sure to stop by the CFWC exhibit booth and pick up a free coffee mug, some Smokehouse almonds and the latest information on farm water issues.

CFWC will also be showing a new 4-minute video titled “Farm State: a portrait of the California farmer.” The video helps consumers understand that California is more than Hollywood and the high-tech capital of the world. It is also the nation’s No. 1 farm state.

CFWC Executive Director Mike Wade said that the public often thinks about Iowa, Kansas or other parts of the mid-west when asked to name a farm state but in fact 38 million people who make California their home already live in the nation’s top farm state.

“Consumers should no longer think about agriculture from a ‘us versus them’ perspective,” said Wade. “When it comes to water supply, food production, the environment and working issues out together, in California that means all of us. CFWC’s ‘Farm State’ video will help open the door to more public outreach this year.”

The video includes appearances by farmers throughout California including Bryce Lundberg, Joe Del Bosque, Chris Hurd and Peter Nelson.

CFWC will be in booth #107. Stop by for a first look at “Farm State: a portrait of the California farmer.”

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

What we talk about when we talk about the Central Valley

Coalition response…This article provides a glimpse into the world of farming in California’s Central Valley. The land and water, combined with the management practices of farmers, have produced a food supply that is feeding people around the world with healthy and affordable food. Some critics, as noted by the author, simply do not agree with the valley’s farming practices. Yet, these same farming practices—water management, crop selection, laser-guided tractors, global positioning satellites and more—are copied by others around the world.

The water used by farmers throughout California account for 41% of the available supply in an average year, not the 80% as reported in the article. The remaining water is divided between the environment, 48%, and urban, 11%, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

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

Bay Area can’t afford to lose Delta water fight

Coalition response…The Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) remains the best choice for creating water supply reliability for 25 million Californians and almost 4,000 farmers and at the same time restoring the Delta ecosystem. Suggesting that the “best way to improve the health of the Delta is to fix the damaged levee system and allow more water to flow through the estuary, not less” ignores the reality of how water moves through the Delta. As water moves through the Delta, environmental regulations already in place have taken water away from users, including the Bay Area, and will continue to do so.

Both farmers and city residents have already undertaken significant conservation measures to stretch their available water supply. These efforts will continue but they are not enough to offset the amount of water lost to environmental regulations.

Jerry Meral’s comments reflect the BDCP Planning Agreement’s objective, which is to “Allow for projects to proceed that restore and protect water supply, water quality, and ecosystem health within a stable regulatory framework.” Restoring the Delta to its original setting would eliminate farms, cities, transportation routes and more, which I doubt even those people who live and work in the Delta would embrace.

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

Jerry Meral’s comments disqualify him as Delta steward

Coalition response…As stated in the BDCP Planning Agreement, its objective is to “Allow for projects to proceed that restore and protect water supply, water quality, and ecosystem health within a stable regulatory framework.” Restoring the Delta to its original setting would eliminate farms, cities, transportation routes and more, which I doubt even those people who live and work in the Delta would embrace.

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

The other Jerry is the real problem on Delta solution

Coalition response…The diversion of water that flows through the Delta has never amounted to 50% of Sacramento River flows and will not under the Bay Delta Conservation plan (BDCP). No one has advocated the 50% diversion level that misinformed individuals and groups claim will take place. Such claims are used by those who do not believe in the science that has developed the proposed BDCP in an attempt to spread misinformation. Visit www.farmwater.org/exportthrottle.pdf to learn the facts of diversions.

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

Aging levees need our full attention

Coalition response…The stability of levees throughout California’s water system is important. That importance is heightened when one considers the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the role it plays in today’s water delivery system. According to DWR Director Mark Cowin, “California has invested to keep key sections of Delta levees strong – $300 million since 2005 – and will continue to do so. But to rely solely on levees to safeguard a water supply critical to the state’s nearly $2 trillion economy would be negligent.” It is good news that DWR will continue to invest in Delta levees and at the same time move forward with the Bay Delta Conservation Plan that will create a reliable water supply for 25 million Californians and almost 4,000 farmers while restoring the Delta ecosystem.