Drought at forefront during Modesto hearing on water bond [Modesto Bee]
They
gathered to talk about addressing California’s future water needs. But the
crowd and state legislators at Thursday’s water bond hearing in Modesto could
not escape the frustration of a more immediate problem: drought. “I’ve been
through a couple of droughts in the past and I assure you that this one is
unprecedented,” said Jim Jasper of Newman-based Jasper and Stewart Orchards,
which farms 2,000 acres of nut trees on Stanislaus County’s West Side….“Many
are heavily engaged in triage, trying to deal with the immediate crisis,” said
Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, citing tens of thousands of acres to be
fallowed for lack of water. He is a member of the Assembly Water, Parks and
Wildlife Committee, which has staged nine hearings up and down California since
October to hear people’s thoughts on what a water bond proposal on the November
ballot should look like. Modesto was the last stop….Several people said if
leaders years ago had had the foresight to build more water storage, such as
dams and underground basins, farmers and others would not be facing disaster
today.
http://www.modbee.com/2014/04/17/3298093/drought-at-forefront-during-modesto.html?sp=/99/1571/&ihp=1
California
drought points to next food-price shock [Bloomberg News]
Drought
in the United States, past and present, might make 2014 one of the more
volatile years for food prices and supplies globally. U.S. consumers may get a
preview of what's coming at the salad bar. The main culprit is the parched land
of California's Central Valley, which grows a large share of U.S. vegetables,
fruits and nuts. Conditions are so dry that some farmers aren't even bothering
to plant. That might have even bigger implications for food prices than the
2012 drought that baked the Corn Belt, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack
said this week….The U.S. Department of Agriculture had projected a 2.5 percent
to 3.5 percent rise in the price of fresh fruits and vegetables this year. That
estimate, however, was made before the full extent of the damage from the
winter weather and California's drought could be assessed.
Drought,
demand driving up dairy prices [Scripps News Service]
Milk
prices hit their highest prices since 2011, and recent price spikes might
remain on grocery bills for a long time. The severe drought is increasing costs
for California dairy farmers and has some wondering whether farmers will
decrease production as they consider selling cows instead of paying increased
costs to feed them. California milk production has gone up so far this year,
but farmers’ profit margins are diminishing as the drought has forced farmers
to buy cattle food, such as alfalfa, from out-of-state, said Western United
Dairymen CEO Michael Marsh, whose non-profit represents 60 percent of milk
production in California. The higher costs are a problem for farmers still
recovering from the recession.
Editorial: As We See It:
Drought survey should be a call to action [Santa Cruz Sentinel]
…While
short-term conservation measures are crucial, Californians must bite the bullet
and come to grips with long-term solutions that may very well include
desalination and more storage, which is often a polite way of saying build dams
and reservoirs or increase the holding capacities of existing ones….Conservation,
education, awareness and technological advances all play a role in stretching
our water supply, but they are not enough to meet our future needs. If water
shortages only meant shorter showers and parched landscapes, we could all make
do. But when water districts start to talk about denying water hook-ups to new
businesses and projects, the need for additional water sources becomes much
stronger.
Along
the Central Coast, desalination projects are being considered in Santa Cruz and
Monterey. The ugly three-letter word — dam — is not mentioned often, but
increased water storage must be on the table as well.
Commentary: Loosening
protections for delta fish won't end the drought [San Francisco Chronicle]
The
California drought cannot be oversimplified as farmers versus fish. It is a
very real challenge that is having serious impact on farmers, fishers, families
and businesses across our entire state. Unfortunately, the Field Poll results
outlined in The Chronicle's April 16 story "California residents divided
on drought solution" oversimplified the ongoing drought in just this
way….Even if we pump as much water out of the delta as possible, Central Valley
farmers still wouldn't have enough. There isn't enough water to go around.
We're in an extreme drought. This drought hasn't been caused by a lack of
pumping or by environmental regulations; it has been caused by a lack of rain
and snow.
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require paid subscription; text included in attached Word file.
Monterey
Peninsula, Salinas Valley in battle over Salinas-area runoff [Monterey Herald]
A
battle between the Monterey Peninsula and the Salinas Valley over contaminated
Salinas-area runoff water appears headed to the state water board. A little
more than a week after Monterey County officials filed an application with the
state water board for rights to water from the Blanco Drain and Reclamation
Ditch, the Peninsula water management district is headed toward filing its own
application….The water management district and the pollution control agency
have for months studied the feasibility of using the Salinas-area runoff as an
alternative feeder source for the proposed groundwater replenishment project,
now also dubbed the Pure Water Monterey Project….But Salinas Valley growers
have argued they have the rights to Peninsula wastewater targeted for the
recycled water project, prompting months of thus-far unsuccessful negotiations,
and prompting district and agency officials to consider alternative sources.
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