Posted on 07/24/2021 9:28:39 AM PDT by Enlightened1
Forced to reckon with a worsening drought, California’s water regulators are preparing to forbid thousands of farmers from tapping into the state’s major rivers and streams.
It’s an extraordinary step — and one that regulators didn’t take during the last drought, which was considered one of the worst on record.
The State Water Resources Control Board on Friday released an “emergency curtailment” order that would cut thousands off from rivers and streams in the Sacramento and San Joaquin river watersheds. The five-person board still has to vote on the order Aug. 3, and it would take effect about two weeks later.
Eileen Sobeck, the board’s executive director, said the proposed order shows the dire conditions of California’s water supply. There “is just not enough to meet all of the legitimate demands,” she said.
“We don’t take this action lightly; we know that it’s going to impose hardships on folks,” she said. Exceptions will be made for drinking water and other human needs.
“We’re trying to protect drinking water supplies; we’re trying to protect endangered fish in the system,” she said. State officials have warned that most winter-run Chinook salmon could die in the Sacramento River this year.
Most farmers who rely on the State Water Project or the federal Central Valley Project are already struggling with dramatically reduced allocations. The proposed order released Friday covers those thousands of farmers with direct legal rights to pull water out of the rivers.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Droughts aren’t drying up anything, politicians are doing it by messing with existing dams and refusing to build new ones.
Anyone in Cali with a brain knows it.
There goes the food supply.
Exactly. If there were a free market in water, there would not be a problem. Government restrictions and subsidies always distort the market and cause shortages.
Kind of funny as there is plenty of water flowing thru the California aqueduct, in the valley drive along i5 north/south see water flowing till you get to the southern end of the valley. Oh and lots of water in the sac River too
“Anyone in Cali with a brain knows it.”
Bullshit.
We native Californians would like our rivers to live.
Ag uses 78% of available water, most of it for export...half for international export.
Leaving some land fallow during drought is not unreasonable for those of that were born and raised here. We’ll do what we can to ensure the rivers survive this expansion of corporate farming and orchards...beyond what the state can sustain.
BANKRUPTCY FROM LOSING YOUR LIFE’S WORK IS A “”HARDSHIP””????
EXACTLY how many acres are YOU “FARMING”??????
No water, food, or electricity. Just illegals and government leeches.
If they look out the window on the West Coast of California I think there is a body of water called the Pacific. Instead of blowing money on garbage, these idiotic politicians can build desalination plants.
So how much a commercial enterprise is Chinook salmon in this river compared to agricultural products?
The political will is here to ensure the rivers live.
It’s a clear majority of the state.
Whether farmer or not.
Large farmers have hired PR firms, politicians and law firms to get their voices heard in this great local debate.
So we natives will express our will as well.
And water delivery will be reduced to AG in drought.
And AG will be forced to adopt alternative crops.
Every single almond consumed 1.1 gallons of water...a pound approximately 2,000 gallons.
They will adopt alternative crops only when forced to.
The people here don’t care what crop they choose, but we do care about how much water is taken out of the rivers.
We had massive winter snow in 2019 with full reservoirs supposedly capable of withstanding a 5 year drought.
They drained the reservoirs too early, too much for the Salmon and the Delta Smelt, so now the 5 year supply is dead after just 2 years.
Good job, Morons.
“We had massive winter snow in 2019 with full reservoirs supposedly capable of withstanding a 5 year drought.”
That’s a BS story promulgated by those who want zero allocations to the rivers and fish. And only includes AG allocation, none for cities either.
But we’ll ensure that half lie is debunked.
CA grows FAR more than the amount of AG it consumes.
We’ll have food here.
Always.
Buy a farm in your locale and grow something.
There will be a market for it.
You seem to have avoided answering the question.
Nice reminder that the farming referred to is not usually family run growing crops for local and U.S. consumption.
This destruction is most often limited to large cities that have been under the disasterous control of Democrat/Communist/Left mayors and city councils for decades.
Here we have the entire State of California being utterly devastated due to its one-party government of Democrats/Communists/Leftists.
Is it possible that someday -- after enough destruction has occurred -- even American citizens on the Democrat/Left will realize: "Everything the Left touches it destroys."
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