Delta
pumps raise controversy in the Valley [Fresno Bee]
…
So are these huge pumps a savior or a villain? At the moment, they're simply
the focus as authorities try to protect the dwindling smelt, which don't live
anywhere else on the planet….Delta fish issues are followed with a fervor on
the Valley's west side, said Dan Nelson, executive director of the San Luis
& Delta-Mendota Water Authority, representing many west-side water
districts….In Fresno County, farmer Dan Errotabere, a member of the Westlands
Water District board, says he and other growers worry about the upcoming
season….By late February in most years, the Bureau of Reclamation makes its
initial water projection for Central Valley Project customers. Last year, which
was drier, farmers were told to expect 30% of their contractual allotments. This
year, the Sierra snowpack is again below average. Nelson says the allotment may
be as low as 20%. Errotabere says he doesn't like to think about it.
Metering
ag water use will be costly [Chico Enterprise-Record]
New
rules for ag water metering are on the way, but agricultural leaders say the
rules won't save water and will end up costing a lot of money to keep the
status quo. The measurement plans for water districts of 25,000 acres and
larger are due soon and metering begins in 2015. "I can tell you how much
water the system uses, how much all our crops consume. We do all those
calculations," said Thad Bettner, manager of Glenn-Colusa Irrigation
District.
Water
officials back tax for groundwater cleanup [Santa Cruz Sentinel]
State
water regulators are endorsing new taxes to ensure access to safe drinking
water for Californians, including possibly on the fertilizer that feeds the
state's $34 billion agricultural industry….The State Water Board offered
several recommendations, with environmental groups seizing upon a potential
fertilizer fee to subsidize small water systems, where the cost of pricey
filtering equipment cannot be spread across a broad customer base. Other
suggestions include new water use fees or even a tax on produce and other
agricultural commodities. "We're very concerned about just going to
another tax or fee," said Danny Merkley, a lobbyist with the California
Farm Bureau who said the industry takes the issue seriously, but that farms
have seen water-related fees shoot up over the past 18 months.
Rural
fire fee faces new challenge [San Diego Union-Tribune]
California
lawmakers this year will once again square-off over how to pay for fighting
wildfires and preventing outbreaks in the first place. The Legislature will
begin to take up a number of measures aimed at repealing or at least narrowing
a $150 annual fire prevention fee just as the state starts sending out the
second round of bills to property owners later in March….In Sacramento, there
is a growing belief that an alternative to the fire fee will emerge. The
leading candidate centers on levying a small tax on all property insurance
bills to raise money for a variety of programs to respond to any number of
disasters, from fires to floods to earthquakes. Those pressing that approach
are not yet ready to go public, but they say it has a chance at attracting
enough support.
Court
OKs treatment requirement for Calif. almonds [Associated Press]
An
appeals court ruled Friday that federal officials have the authority to require
that all California almonds be treated for salmonella following outbreaks linked
to almonds from the state. The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia Circuit upheld a lower court decision. The case stemmed
from a 2007 order by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack that all
California almonds sold domestically be pasteurized with heat or treated with
chemicals.
Ventura
County agricultural commissioner to issue psyllid treatment warning [Ventura
County Star]
Ventura
County Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzales will send a message to the
citrus industry at a meeting Tuesday morning. Gonzales will say that he will
start using his authority under the California Department of Food and
Agriculture to require commercial citrus growers in Ventura County to spray
orchards in the state-defined area where Asian citrus psyllid insects have been
found. His message is directed not only at growers of oranges, lemons and other
citrus fruits, but also the businesses that raise and sell the trees, Gonzales
said. He also is inviting pest control advisers and pesticide treatment
services that work for commercial growers.
Ag
Today is distributed to county Farm Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for
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