Salinas Valley growers fret passage of water bill [Salinas Californian]
A
bill that could pit Salinas Valley urban water users against agricultural
interests passed the state Legislature late last week and is awaiting Gov.
Jerry Brown’s signature. AB 1739 would require the Department of Water
Resources, or DWR, to manage any groundwater basin that is at risk of
“significant economic, social and environmental impacts due to an unsustainable
and chronic pattern of groundwater extractions exceeding the ability of the
surface water supplies to replenish the subbasin.” By that definition, all the
DWR has to do is look at the Salinas Valley’s seawater intrusion problem to
paint a bull’s eye on Monterey County….But Norm Groot, executive director of
the Monterey County Farm Bureau, said that growers here have done a lot over
the years to manage groundwater – working with the Monterey County Water
Resources Agency – and that adding another layer of state bureaucracy and
mandated reporting is not going to help the situation. “We’re concerned because
we don’t want to lose local control,” Groot said.
Editorial: Governor should
sign historic groundwater bill [San Jose Mercury News]
The
most important water legislation in California this year isn't the $7.5 billion
water bond voters will decide in November. It's the historic package of bills
approved Friday by the Legislature designed to regulate for the first time the
pumping of groundwater. Gov. Jerry Brown should sign the legislation, which
gives the state a crucial tool to ensure a long-term adequate water
supply….Regulating groundwater is only a first significant step in managing the
state's limited water supply. The water bond could provide additional storage
that would help California survive future droughts. But it won't provide nearly
enough water if farmers, whose crops gulp down 80 percent of the state's usable
water, continue to expand their efforts to grow crops on marginal land and
demand additional supplies of water. California wouldn't need to impose
mandatory limits on urban water users if farmers would stop making
irresponsible choices of the crops they choose to grow.
Lawsuit
looms over new groundwater rules [Ventura County Star]
Drought-related
changes to local groundwater pumping rules have sparked a legal challenge even
before they've been finalized. On Friday, the board of the Pleasant Valley
County Water District voted 5-0 to sue if its farmers are required to report
all water use — not just groundwater — to a local regulatory body, the Fox
Canyon Groundwater Management Agency. Pleasant Valley and some other
agricultural users object to reporting total use to Fox Canyon, saying the
entity has jurisdiction only over groundwater supplies….The Fox Canyon board,
which oversees groundwater on the Oxnard Plain and some inland areas, adopted
emergency pumping restrictions in April meant to trigger a 20 percent reduction
by next summer. Part of Emergency Ordinance E, as the rules are known, created
a mandatory system that started Aug. 1 for allotting water and reporting usage
based on crops grown, soil conditions and other factors.
California
bullet train foes ask state's highest court for help [Contra Costa Times]
Central
Valley farmers trying to halt construction of California's bullet train have
asked the state's highest court to review the project, setting up another possible
legal showdown over the controversial San Francisco-to-Los-Angeles rail line.
In a petition filed Tuesday in San Francisco, opponents of the project urged
the state Supreme Court to take their case because an unfavorable appellate
court decision dismantles century-old legal precedent on the
"enforceability" of voter-approved bond measures….At issue is whether
the California High-Speed Rail Authority followed a sweeping set of stringent
rules for selling $8.6 billion in bonds approved by voters in 2008 to begin
construction of the project, which state officials now project will cost $68
billion.
Drought
sends hay prices soaring [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
…With
the California drought now in its third year, less rain has meant fewer acres
of oat, barley and wheat pastures, which has fueled a sharp jump in hay prices.
West
Santa Rosa dairyman Doug Beretta said he recently sold 40 milk cows to a dairy
operation in Idaho to offset the rising cost of hay, which he buys for his milk
cows and his young stock….Earlier this year, the drought nearly wiped out the
first crop of grain planted by Sonoma hay farmer Norm Yenni. Yenni, who owns
Sears Point Farming Co. in Sonoma, said he planted his wheat seed in early
November, as usual. But only a third of his seeds germinated, the result of the
lack of winter rain.
Farmers
markets rise to meet growing demand [San Diego Union Tribune]
More
farmers markets are popping up across America in response to growing demand for
fresh, healthy food, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. Forty-eight of
the markets listed on the National Farmers Market Directory are in San Diego
County, which benefits from a year-round growing season….Many of San Diego’s
markets have emerged in the past seven years, driven by a growing interest in
local produce and agricultural products, said San Diego County Farm Bureau
Membership and Projects Manager Casey Anderson….“Markets are great community
gathering places,” he said. “It’s a fun activity. It gets you outside, gets you
walking, and getting to know the people who are growing your food.” He said
markets are great for local farmers, too, who can get the full retail price for
their fruits and vegetables instead of the pennies on a dollar they would get
by selling wholesale to grocery stores. And neighboring businesses enjoy
benefits, too.
Ag
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