Dr. Vance Kennedy has long been concerned that too many people ignore the long-term hazards of drip irrigation, especially in terms of increased soil salinity and reduced groundwater recharge. A recent Modesto Bee editorial criticizing water subsidies for farmers provoked the following reaction from Dr. Kennedy, an award-winning hydrologist who is retired from the U.S. Geological Survey: I am a 93 year old retired research hydrologist who is concerned about […]
Dr. Kennedy on (ground)Water Subsidies
Dr. Vance Kennedy is an award-winning scientist who had a distinguished career at the U.S. Geological Survey. Though long-retired, he follows current water issues closely and has become very concerned that the rush to conserve water via drip irrigation ignores the recharge benefits of flood irrigation, especially in those areas with highly permeable soil of the kind typical near Modesto. Here, he takes exception to a recent article in the […]
Dr. Kennedy: Water and Drought in the Valley
Dr. Vance Kennedy has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Environmental Protection Agency for his work with the U.S. Geological Survey. Now in his nineties, Dr. Kennedy maintains an active interest in water and land use issues in California and especially in the San Joaquin Valley. The following essay represents some of his latest thoughts on water and the drought. The immediate problem posed by the drought is to […]