Bump for later
America as we once knew it....
Plan to split California into six states gains ground
http://news.yahoo.com/plan-split-california-six-states-gains-ground-222139687.html
Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) - A plan to divide California into six separate US states is closer to making it on to a November ballot, with organizers gaining approval to collect signatures.
The seemingly far-fetched initiative, sponsored by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper, claims “political representation of California’s diverse population and economies has rendered the state nearly ungovernable.”
.
_________
California farmers won’t get federal water
http://news.yahoo.com/california-farmers-won-39-t-federal-water-182640605.html
Drought forcing growers to give up on some crops
http://news.yahoo.com/california-farmers-won-39-t-federal-water-182640605.html
.
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Without a lot more rain and snow, many California farmers caught in the state’s drought can expect to receive no irrigation water this year from a vast system of rivers, canals and reservoirs interlacing the state, federal officials announced Friday.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released its first outlook of the year, saying that the agency will continue to monitor rain and snow fall, but the grim levels so far prove that the state is in the throes of one of its driest periods in recorded history.
Farmers who rely on the federally run Central Valley Project received only 20 percent of their normal water allotment last year and were expecting this year’s bad news. Some communities and endangered wildlife that rely on the federal water source will also suffer deep cuts.
The state’s snowpack is at 29 percent of average for this time of year, which means that for farmers it’s going to be a hard year.
“My gross sales are probably going to be cut in half,” said Bill Diedrich, who farms 1,500 acres of almonds, tomatoes and other crops in the parched Central Valley community of Firebaugh. “Some farmers out here are going to lose everything they’ve got.”
Gov. Jerry Brown last month declared California’s drought emergency, and both state and federal officials have pledged millions of dollars to help with water conservation and food banks for those put out of work by the drought.
.. View gallery
California drought
A buoy lies on the bottom of Hirz Bay in Shasta Lake, which is 100 feet (30 meters) below its normal …
California officials who manage the State Water Project, the state’s other major water system, have already said they won’t be releasing any water for farmers, marking a first in its 54-year history.
The Water Authority’s executive director Steve Chedester said farmers he serves understand that the reality of California’s drought means it’s going to be tough to find enough water for them. “They’re taking a very practical approach,” he said. “If it’s not there, it’s just not there.”