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Professor: Farmers Are Not To Blame For Shortages

/in /by /Tri-Valley Dispatch (Casa Grande, Ariz.)by Kevin Reagan

A University of Arizona professor believes there is an important story being overlooked in the media’s coverage of an ongoing drought across the Southwest. George Frisvold, a professor of agricultural resources, said it is not fair to point the blame at farmers in drought-ridden states like Arizona and California as the sole cause for water shortages. Arizona farmers do use a good majority of Arizona’s water supply, but Frisvold pointed to how farmers have been able to efficiently reduce their water use over the last 30 years.

 

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New report slams Valley water supply restrictions

/in /by /Fresno Business Journal

A new report commissioned by the Westlands Water District, the largest agricultural water district in the nation, concludes that water supply restrictions are reducing farm production and negatively impacting communities dependent on agriculture.

“Unfortunately, government water policies are responsible for decline in farming and risks to the communities in the San Joaquin region,” said Johnny Amaral, deputy general manager for Westlands. “The Central Valley Project is broken, the management of state water resources is jeopardizing the region, and without a solution there is little hope of a turnaround that will improve conditions for farming in 2017.”

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OPINION: The Curious Case Of Groundwater Sustainability

/in /by /The Salinas Californianby Norm Groot

We are under a mandate from the state to reach certain milestones toward making all our California groundwater basins sustainable. Though that is a simplified version of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act passed in 2014, the reality is that this is a complex undertaking for the local agencies and advocacy organizations here in Monterey County. Groundwater here in Monterey County is our primary source for water for both consumers and business, as well as irrigation.

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The Rest Of California Is Stealing Our Bay Water, Says Report

/in /by /Curbed San Franciscoby Adam Brinklow

Where would we all be without the bay? Well, not here, that’s for sure: It’s quite literally the defining characteristic of all of our diverse communities. Which is why it’s downright annoying to learn that, gallon by gallon, the rest of the state is gradually robbing us of it.The situation is much more complex than that, of course. A lot of political nuance and competing community needs go into determining the balance of California’s “water wars.”

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How Much Rain Will Napa County Get This Winter?

/in /by /Napa Valley Registerby Barry Eberling

Rain season 2016-17 has a good shot at once again providing enough water to slake Napa County’s thirst, though busting California’s five-year drought is a taller order. A multi-year drought could require a multi-year fix. State Department of Water Resources spokesman Doug Carlson said more than one normal rain year is probably needed. “An extremely wet year might do the trick, but that’s seemingly unlikely based on the weather patterns we’ve seen over the last several years,” Carlson said.

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Environmental Impacts Of Western Drought Matter To Small Farmers

/in /by /The Hill (Washington, D.C.)by Nathan Harkleroad

While not everyone might be upset by California-based drought expert and author John Austin’s recent observation that for trees and plants in California, “it is probably the worst 16-year period in more than 850 years,” it certainly sets off alarm bells for our organization. In fact, Austin’s haunting observation that we have entered a “new normal” when it comes to drought is one that should concern and motivate us all. Unfortunately, this “new normal” extends beyond California.

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BLOG: Cowin on tunnels subsidy: ‘I can put that to rest’

/in /by /Stockton Record (eSanJoaquin Blog)by Alex Breitler

Mark Cowin, director of the state Department of Water Resources, told water planners in Los Angeles on Monday that the state will not seek a federal subsidy for the Delta tunnels.

Cowin’s comments came after tunnels opponents last month released a draft economic analysis of the project by economist David Sunding, a consultant for the state. Sunding’s report suggested that a hefty government subsidy would be needed for the tunnels to pencil out, which would run contrary to the state’s longstanding position that water users who benefit from the tunnels must pay the full cost.

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Northern California Will Get A Soaking, But Will It Ease The Drought?

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow

A pair of warm storms expected to hit Northern California later this week could dump more than 8 inches of rain in the mountains and have North Coast rivers roaring. But weather forecasters and hydrologists say the first substantial storms of California’s rainy season are unlikely to put much of a dent in the state’s water-supply woes, nor will they bring much risk of flooding to the parched Sacramento Valley.

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OPINION: California Far-Reaching Benefits’s New Water Data Law Will Have

/in /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Kirsten James

At the end of September, water wonks cheered as Governor Jerry Brown signed into law an important new bill that will set California on the path towards a 21st-century water management system. Though it received little attention amid the flurry of new bills signed by the governor, the Open and Transparent Water Data Act (AB 1755) is a critical step forward in ensuring the long-term sustainability of California’s dwindling water resources. 

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BLOG: What Falling Water Conservation Numbers Mean For California

/in /by /Water Deeply (New York)by Michael Levitin

California’s drought may not be over, but a troubling number of residents – and the suppliers that deliver water to them – appear to be acting like it is. Last week, the State Water Resources Control Board announced that, compared to 2013 numbers, urban water conservation dropped from 27 percent in August 2015 to 17.7 percent this past August. It’s a clear sign that voluntary reduction targets aren’t having the same effect as the 25 percent statewide mandatory cuts issued by Gov. Jerry Brown a year and half ago, which were lifted in June.

 

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