Oftentimes when they encounter grebes in the San Joaquin Valley birders are presented with an identification problem. In all, six species of grebe can be found, depending on the time of the year. Year-round residents include Clark’s and Western Grebes and the diminutive Pied-billed Grebe. Of the three, the Pied-billed Grebe is by far the easiest to identify. In addition to its small size, the bi-colored black and white bill […]
Fire Sale on Water?
Despite little interest thus far in a fallowing program designed to make water available for sales next year, Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) will pursue plans to sell water to Westlands Water District. Though OID General Manager Steve Knell has been under increasing pressure to keep OID water local, his Board of Directors continues to back his strategy of selling “surplus” water when available. Knell and OID attorney Tim O’Laughlin said […]
Water Goes to College
It was standing room only last Friday night in the Sierra Hall at Modesto Junior College West. Audience members included a former state Secretary of Agriculture, several members of the Stanislaus Water Advisory Committee, the President of the Central Valley Farmland Trust, and the Conservation Chair for the Yokuts Chapter of the Sierra Club*. People had filled the room not to attend a celebrity appearance but to hear an introduction […]
Critical Care for Groundwater?
“Sustainability is the 21st century IQ test,” said Brad Barker, “and you can’t keep postponing your way to sustainability.” Barker, Conservation Chair for Yokuts Sierra Club, was speaking at last Tuesday’s meeting of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors. The agenda item concerned approval of a newly-revised groundwater ordinance. Barker was one among many who thought the supervisors had waited too long to regulate pumping groundwater on the county’s east […]
Reeve Rolls 300—Birds
When Harold Reeve moved to Modesto in 1983, one of the first things he decided to do was keep a list of all the bird species he saw in Stanislaus County. “County birding is the coming thing,” he told a friend. “I want us to have a good list.” To Reeve, “good” means several things, but it especially means “accurate” and “thorough.” Like many birders, Reeve is more than a […]
OID Water Sales Dominate WAC Meeting
Tim O’Laughlin wanted to leave and Larry Byrd wouldn’t let him. O’Laughlin had come to last Wednesday’s Stanislaus Water Advisory Committee (WAC) meeting to review likely consequences of new state flow requirements for rivers on local agriculture and irrigation districts. Most audience members were familiar with the new requirements, and knew they would have severe economic impacts on the local economy. Things got hot for O’Laughlin when the subject of Oakdale […]
The Valley Citizen’s Hyper-Guide to Groundwater
Especially since the state of California required local authorities to achieve groundwater sustainability, Stanislaus County Supervisors have been under growing pressure to address the fact that pumping groundwater for over 30,000 acres of nut trees on the county’s east side is unsustainable. The Supervisors and the committee they appointed to deal with the problem, the Stanislaus Water Advisory Committee (WAC), have repeatedly cited the need for more information. Almost in […]
Can the State Reverse Downward Trend of Groundwater Supplies?
“Why not do a mass balance?” said Vance Kennedy. “It’s unsustainable on the face of it.” Kennedy was speaking during a question and answer session with Doreen, “DeDe,” D’Adamo, a member of California’s State Water Resources Control Board. D’Adamo was in Oakdale last Wednesday to meet with members of the Stanislaus Water Coalition, a group concerned with groundwater issues in eastern Stanislaus County. Kennedy, a retired U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist, […]
Steve Knell Wants to Sell Water
Steve Knell is the general manager of the Oakdale Irrigation District. He’s an advocate of water sales outside the district, and has presided over the sale of 382,408 acre feet of water over the last decade. Knell’s latest claims about groundwater suggest the problem of overdrafting has been exaggerated. “In OID’s portion of Stanislaus County, our data show groundwater, on average, was 74 feet below the surface 10 years ago. […]
The Even Darker Side of Salida Politics
Emerson Drake caused a minor sensation recently when he reported contents of an email from Bruce Frohman to Modesto Mayor Garrad Marsh. In the email, Frohman offered to write an opposition argument to the Stamp Out Sprawl (SOS) ballot initiative. Drake claimed the email was evidence Frohman had gone over to the “Dark Side.” Given the context, “Dark Side” most likely meant “pro-development.” Since Frohman and I communicate frequently, I […]