Sweeping new California groundwater pumping rules signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown [San Jose Mercury News]
…Seeking
to replenish a depleted water table and catch up with the rest of the West,
Gov. Jerry Brown signed a package of bills sought by environmentalists that
will regulate groundwater pumping for the first time in state history….Brown
and Democratic legislative leaders who WORKED TOGETHER on the package said the
changes are long overdue and will ease the pain of future droughts. But for
Central Valley lawmakers and the farmers they represent, the assurances ring
hollow. Many call the new rules "draconian" and envision an army of
faceless bureaucrats controlling their lives. "We're concerned that these
hastily written measures may come to be seen as 'historic' for all the wrong
reasons," said Paul Wenger, a Modesto almond and walnut farmer who is
president of the California Farm Bureau. "I anticipate we're going to see
a significant downsizing of California agriculture."
Lawsuits
could bog down groundwater law [Hanford Sentinel]
The
road ahead is chock-full of legal obstacles for the sweeping groundwater
legislation Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Tuesday, according to legal
experts familiar with the issue. They list a host of sticking points that could
generate lawsuits as soon as the law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2015….The law
raises major questions about just how much legal authority private parties have
to pump….Experts say lawsuits are also likely to be filed if land values are
lowered or the ability to obtain financing is affected as a result of doubts
the law casts over groundwater rights.
Governor
signs bill to create Paso Robles water district [San Luis Obispo Tribune]
In
a historic step for the North County, Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed a bill
that allows the creation of a water management district in the depleted Paso
Robles groundwater basin. The signing of the bill caps a year of effort to
agree on the basic governing structure of the proposed district and to shepherd
it through an uncertain political process in the California Legislature. The
effort now shifts to the local work of actually forming the district.
Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian, R-San Luis Obispo, sponsored the legislation
called Assembly Bill 2453, which allows the formation of a groundwater
management district with a board of directors composed of a combination of
basin residents and property owners.
Farmer
lawsuit blames crop loss on oil companies' waste injections [Bakersfield
Californian]
A
local farming company has sued four Kern County oil producers, claiming their
WASTE DISPOSAL injections contaminated groundwater it uses for irrigation. The
lawsuit filed Monday in Kern County Superior Court says plaintiff Palla Farms
LLC had to uproot a large number -- possibly hundreds -- of cherry trees
because of alleged negligence by Crimson Resource Management Corp., Dole
Enterprises Inc., E&B Natural Resources Management Corp. and San Joaquin
Facilities Management Inc. Threatening to renew tensions between local oil and
ag interests, the suit has come as state oil and water regulators crack down on
oil field disposal activity amid a drought they say has made groundwater
protection increasingly important….The suit claims the four oil production companies
raised salt and boron levels in local groundwater during high-pressure
injection of "some or all" of three oil field waste materials.
IID
board, Reclamation regional director discuss drought [Imperial Valley Press]
The
Bureau of Reclamation is turning to water agencies on the Colorado River to
enact voluntary water conservation measures as the drought gripping the western
United States shows no signs of easing….Where does that leave the IID? It
enjoys senior water rights and the largest single entitlement to water on the
Colorado River. A proposal developed with the Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California would have the IID leave up to 200,000 acre-feet of water
in Lake Mead as a means to prop up the elevation and possibly forestall a
shortage. In return, it would increase its WATER STORAGE account in the
Intentionally Created Surplus program. Imperial Valley farmers are against the
proposal because it would have them take more farm fields out of production to offset
the amount of water that is left in Lake Mead.
Valley
elderberry beetle to remain a protected species [Sacramento Bee]
Federal
wildlife officials have changed their minds about the Valley elderberry
longhorn beetle, determining it is not ready to survive on its own and will
remain protected by the Endangered Species Act….The decision means property
owners and levee managers will get no relief from the expenses associated with
protecting the beetle, with three exceptions: Kings, Kern and Tulare counties
no longer will be considered part of the beetle’s population range….Elsewhere
in the Central Valley, the beetle will remain a threatened species with all
legal protections unchanged. “I’m certain there will be disappointment within
the flood-control community,” said Mike Hardesty, president of the California
Central Valley Flood Protection Association.
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