California water managers ease delta pumping limits [Los Angeles Times]
Officials
announced Tuesday that they are temporarily waiving an endangered species
protection to enable water managers to send more Northern California water
south. The move comes as fishery agencies are under increasing political
pressure to take advantage of late winter storms and ramp up pumping from the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the center of the state's water distribution system….The
changes are unlikely to help most of the state because the additional exports
will either be kept in storage south of the delta as a hedge against another
dry year, or they will go to irrigation districts with senior water rights.
Most growers supplied by the federal Central Valley Project have been told they
won't get any deliveries this year. "We don't see that those numbers would
go up from zero," said David Murillo, regional director of the U.S. Bureau
of Reclamation, which operates the project.
‘We knew what was
coming’ [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
The
most recent snow survey told local farmers and water managers what they already
knew — 2014 will be a hard year for agriculture. Local sources had a muted
response to the Department of Water Resource's April 1 snow survey, which
showed Sierra snowpack at 32 percent of normal….Andy Duffy, general manager of
Meridian Farms Water Co., was so immersed in working to improve the company's
final allocation he hadn't yet read the snow survey. "I have bigger fish
to fry right now," Duffy said, referring to a dispute over the 40 percent
allocation to Sacramento River settlement contractors by the Bureau of
Reclamation. Meridian Farms is one of a number of Sacramento River settlement
contractors that claims the maximum cut allowable in the water right is 25
percent.
Economists:
California drought impact to be minor [Associated Press]
California's
drought won't dry up the economy, but it may slow job growth marginally if it
persists over several years, according to a forecast released Wednesday that
stresses the state's thirsty history…."The fact is, aridity and recurrent
drought, if expected or normal, are not a detriment to economic growth. Arid
states in the U.S. over the past decade have not performed worse than their
wetter brethren," said a section of the report by Anderson Senior
Economist Jerry Nickelsburg. "Agriculture, industry, fisheries and
households are not passive players in this game but react to drought-based
incentives."…The impact is complicated, though, making forecasting tough.
For instance, the economy could benefit from the possibility of nearly $850
million in federal and state drought assistance funds. And if California
farmers, who produce a significant chunk of the world's fruits, nuts and
produce, have to plant fewer crops for lack of water, they might get higher
prices for them.
Opinion: Water crisis looks a lot like last one, only worse
[Bakersfield Californian]
Groundwater
has officially become the "new black" in California. As the drought
drags on, it is this season's "must have."…But like almost every
fashion craze, this one's just another retread. Oh, yeah -- we've been here
before, almost exactly. After the then-historic drought of 1975-77, water
experts and politicians took stock of the situation and decided the state
couldn't afford to rely on groundwater to save us again in the next big drought….Where
are we now? Exactly where we were then, only slightly worse. Farmers are
dropping wells like mad, everyone's worried about subsidence and, oh, yes,
there is legislation afoot to try and get a handle on groundwater regulation.
This time, though, local growers and others are no longer denying we have a big
problem. In fact, they've been working to hammer out a local Groundwater
Management Committee that could eventually have some authority over groundwater
use.
Old forecast of
famine may yet come true [New York Times]
Might
Thomas Malthus be vindicated in the end? Two centuries ago — only 10 years
after a hungry, angry populace had ushered in the French Revolution — the dour
Englishman predicted that exponential population growth would condemn humanity
to the edge of subsistence….On Monday, the United Nations Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change provided a sharp-edged warning about how fast we are
approaching this constraint….But what most stood out in the report from the
panel, which gathers every few years to produce a synthesis of mainstream
science’s take on climate change, was that it rolled straight into Malthus’s
territory, providing its starkest warning yet about the challenge imposed by
global warming on the world’s food supply.
Inland Empire dairies
finding financial success [Inland Valley Daily Bulletin]
The
agricultural basin of Chino and Ontario, just 30 years ago, had the largest
concentration of dairies in the United States. But as more people moved to the
area, developers and officials saw in the land space for future neighborhoods,
schools and parks….“The conversion of agricultural land to real estate property
in the coming years will continue, of course,” said Rob Vandenheuvel, general
manager of the Milk Producer’s Council, a statewide industry association based
in Ontario….While the numbers of dairies are on the decline in the area, sales
in recent months have been increasing, lifting the fortunes of those in the
dairy industry who have endured a lousy time in the recent past….This year, the
local industry is enjoying a thriving export market because it has realigned
itself to meet global demand and taste — particularly from a growing middle
class in China and India.
Ag
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