California drought squeezes wells [Wall Street Journal]
…Californians
have long battled over rights to rivers, lakes and other surface-water
supplies, but the drought is finally shifting the focus to groundwater, which
accounts for about 40% of water used in normal years—and up to 60% in drought
years, as other sources dry up….A bill pending in the Legislature would require
that groundwater be managed sustainably at major aquifers throughout the state,
such as by authorizing local agencies to impose pumping limits and conduct
inspections….But opponents of the bill, including many farmers, say it is being
rushed through. "There is no good time for hurried legislation, but during
a critical drought year…is absolutely the wrong time," Danny Merkley,
director of water resources for the California Farm Bureau Federation, wrote in
a recent column for a trade publication.
Almond
growers bought and drilled for water to bring in a strong crop [Chico
Enterprise Record]
It
looks like business as usual in the orchards this week. Almond harvest is well
underway, with walnuts soon to follow. However, the story of how farmers have
grown a normal crop during a drought year is far from normal. Growers who
receive water from the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority are in one of the worst
water positions in the northern Sacramento Valley. The district normally grows
about $250 million in crops, but this year more than half the land is idle.
Canal Authority farmers have junior water rights and received a zero water
allocation from the federal Central Valley Project….At $400-$450 an acre-foot,
the district purchased $30 million in water, explained Tehama Colusa manager
Jeff Sutton. Normally members of the district pay $50-$75 an acre-foot.
EPA
says California’s Delta water tunnel project could violate federal law
[Sacramento Bee]
The
pair of giant water diversion tunnels proposed in the Delta could violate the
federal Clean Water Act and increase harm to endangered fish species, according
to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which released its formal comment
on the project Thursday. In a 43-page letter sent Tuesday to the National
Marine Fisheries Service and released publicly on the EPA’s website Thursday,
the EPA said its research found that by diverting freshwater from three new
intakes proposed on the Sacramento River – farther upstream from existing
intakes – the project is likely to increase concentrations of salinity,
mercury, bromide, chloride, selenium and pesticides in the estuary. The letter was
submitted as part of the formal comment process for the Bay Delta Conservation
Plan, a $25 billion proposal by the state of California to re-engineer water
diversions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Pesticide
restrictions may fall gently on Kings [Hanford Sentinel]
On
the eve of new state pesticide rules scheduled to kick in next year,
agricultural experts say the impact will be muted in crop-rich Kings County.
The new Department of Pesticide Regulation rules will prohibit the use of
certain pesticides next summer that contain high concentrations of volatile
organic compounds – chemicals that, along with emissions from vehicles,
contribute to smog formation….But according to pesticide and herbicide experts,
chemical companies saw the writing on the wall and started coming up with
lower-VOC formulations for California long before the new regulations were
adopted. “There are alternatives,” said Harry Peck, a sales representative with
Dow AgroSciences. “It’s not a situation that is totally detrimental to us, but
there will be some impact.”
Napa
County requests federal disaster relief, estimates $362 million in quake
damages [Sacramento Bee]
Napa
County officials Thursday requested federal disaster aid in the wake of
Sunday’s earthquake and placed damage estimates at $362 million in building, infrastructure
and economic losses….More than 120 businesses in the wine and agriculture
industry suffered $48 million worth of damage, according to a county news
release. The estimate does not include loss in revenue due to business closures
or lost inventory….In Napa County areas outside of Napa, 10 buildings have been
red-tagged – deemed unstable and cannot be entered – including Trefethen
Winery, said spokeswoman Cara Mae Wooledge. She said 19 buildings have been
yellow-tagged, including Laird Estate winery and Anthem Winery. Yellow-tagged
buildings can be entered with caution.
Obama
sets no timeline for action on immigration [Associated Press]
With
a self-imposed deadline looming, President Barack Obama said Thursday he still
intends to act on his own to change immigration policies but stopped short of
reiterating his past vows to act by end of summer. Obama raised the slim hope
that Congress could take action on a broad immigration overhaul after the
midterm elections in November. He said that if lawmakers did not pass an
overhaul, "I'm going to do what I can to make sure the system works
better." But for the first time since pledging to act by summer's end, he
signaled that such a target date could slip….Two months ago, Obama angrily
conceded that the House did not intend to take up immigration legislation this
year and ordered Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Attorney General
Eric Holder to come up with actions the president could take on his own.
Ag
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