California Gov. Brown defends scope of water restrictions [Wall Street Journal]
California
Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday defended the scope of new mandatory water
restrictions in the Golden State, pushing back against the idea of applying
them to the farming industry, which uses the bulk of the water in the state.
Extending the limits to the agricultural industry would amplify harm to
agriculture producers already suffering through the state’s four-year drought,
Mr. Brown said on ABC’s “This Week.” “There are people in agriculture that are
really suffering,” he said….Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) also on Sunday
said the drought is “a very, very serious problem” that will lead to “mandatory
rationing” as well as “the fallowing of large amounts of agricultural land,”
speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union.” She added she is working on a bill that
would help the state deal with the record drought, but didn’t go into detail.
Californians with
century-old water rights face restrictions [Associated Press]
Farms
and other Californians that have been shielded from water reductions because of
century-old claims could face new restrictions, the State Water Resources
Control Board said Friday.…Thousands in California, mostly farmers but also
cities and energy companies, have rights to divert water for their needs,
including irrigation and for hydroelectric dams. But if dry conditions continue
through summer, they will likely face restrictions on taking water, the board
warned in a letter. The board's move could place restrictions on those with
claims to water before 1914 for the first time in the current drought. The
so-called senior rights holder are prioritized and protected from cuts under
California's antiquated water rights system.
Editorial: On water, Big Ag should ante up, too [Sacramento Bee]
As
the rest of California comes to grips with the state’s historic new water
mandates, there’s an elephant in the room. And it’s wearing a farmer’s
hat….Unfortunately, change has never been particularly welcome in California’s
farm sector. And the painfully deliberate culture of the state’s water
regulators, which would make a snail’s pace look like the Indy 500, hasn’t been
giving them much encouragement….In the San Joaquin Valley, the aquifers have
been sucked so dry that the earth is sinking. That’s one reason why the state
last year passed a historic groundwater bill to address the plunder. Problem
is, the timeline is so slow that decades are likely to pass before meaningful
curbs are implemented.…That timeline needs to be accelerated.
$25-billion
Sacramento-San Joaquin delta tunnel project reexamined [Los Angeles Times]
Gov.
Jerry Brown's administration is overhauling its proposal for a controversial
tunnel project in the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta in the wake of doubts about
whether water exporters can meet stringent federal conditions for operating the
system over a 50-year period.…A major goal of the plan is to gain a 50-year
environmental permit for delta exports that would ease the endangered species
restrictions that have cut delta deliveries to San Joaquin Valley growers and
the urban Southland. But state water officials have concluded that the federal
requirements for such long-term approvals are too onerous for the water
exporters to meet.…Sources familiar with the state discussions said that it is
likely the department will separate the habitat restoration component from the
tunnel proposal and pursue shorter-term operating permits for the new diversion
facilities and existing pumping operations. Although the Bay Delta plan
included restoration money, it is unclear how the separate restoration effort
would be funded or carried out.
Farm Bureau board
endorses formation of Paso Robles water district [San Luis Obispo Tribune]
After
more than a year of deliberations and fact finding, the San Luis Obispo County
Farm Bureau board of directors has voted to endorse the formation of a water
management district for the Paso Robles groundwater basin. The Farm Bureau
endorsement is a major step forward, said Jerry Reaugh, chairman of the Paso
Robles Agricultural Alliance for Groundwater Solutions, a group advocating for
the establishment of the district.…In their vote, the board members cited the
importance of local control by the people who are most affected by the
groundwater issue, rather than those who live or represent entities outside the
basin boundaries, as one of the main reasons for their support.
Editorial: Supervisors should OK pesticide policy direction [Ventura
County Star]
The
Ventura County Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on a request from two of
its members for policy direction to their agricultural commissioner requesting
clearer, more frequent information regarding use of pesticides in the county.
We urge the full board to support the policy initiative of Supervisors Steve
Bennett and John Zaragoza. The policy is all about transparency. It directs the
agricultural commissioner — who is appointed by the board — to submit to the
board any government tests he is aware of that measure potential pesticide
impacts on public health; identify the tests he believes he should regularly
monitor; give the board reports on those tests; and tell the board promptly
when a test shows the state standard has been exceeded. The directive from the
two supervisors comes as a result of an investigation done by the Center for
Investigative Reporting, parts of which were published in The Star, which found
that higher levels of one of the riskiest available pesticides were used near
Rio Mesa High School than around any other school in the state.
Ag
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