• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Valley Citizen

Nature, Environment, History & Politics

The Valley Citizen

  • Arts
  • Education
  • Environment
  • History
  • Nature
  • Politics
  • Wit
  • About
  • RSS Icon

California Fails on Groundwater

September 14, 2014 By Eric Caine 2 Comments

Pump 'Till It's Gone!
Pump ‘Till It’s Gone!

It didn’t take long for elation to turn to dismay after state legislators approved regulations on groundwater. If Governor Brown signs off, California will become the last state to enact groundwater rules. Sort of.

In fact, all the fuss about groundwater has done is establish more firmly Big Ag’s unshakeable grip on water policy.

The tell is in the state’s requirement that counties achieve groundwater “sustainability” by 2040. From today, that’s almost exactly the life of an almond orchard—so don’t be surprised when the rush to plant more almonds wherever there might be a last remnant of groundwater accelerates exponentially.

That’s what’s happening in the foothills of eastern Stanislaus and Merced Counties, where the orchards are going in as fast as tractors can level and rip the soil. Think anyone’s worried about anything but wringing out the last cent from whatever water remains?

By 2040, sustainability will mean waiting a few hundred years for rainfall to recharge whichever aquifers haven’t been ruined forever by subsidence and compaction. Sustainability will mean requiring those who’ve been tapping water from rivers, lakes, streams, and reservoirs to start paying for the water they divert from public sources. And at that point they’ll have moved on to easier pickings anyway.

By 2040, vast tracts of the San Joaquin Valley will be salt-ridden wastelands. Much of the best soil, the stuff that’s not just fertile but permeable enough to recharge the aquifer through flood irrigation, will have been covered by housing tracts, business parks, and shopping centers. Many of today’s common vegetables, things like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cucumbers, and kale, will have become boutique items—expensive delicacies for the favored few.

Should the demand for nuts remain, the few places with water enough to grow them will continue to reap an agricultural bonanza. Farmers in those regions won’t be planting much else unless the price justifies it.

By 2040, the myth that control of groundwater is best left in local hands will have gone the way of the myth that Wall Street functions better without regulation. Local governments are about as equipped to deal with Big Ag as the Bush administration was to deal with the housing bubble.

As was the case with an unregulated Wall Street, the biggest players in groundwater are also the worst abusers of “sustainability.” They know that most local authorities are willing to rate property rights over the public trust 99% of the time anyway. And whenever there’s a challenge, litigation is just a cost of doing business. 

Some reports say almond growers can net as much as $5,000 an acre. Those numbers enable the really big nut growers to field attorneys on retainer like some cities field football teams. Local authorities are almost always out of their league, even when they have good intentions.

Even with the weakest of rules, Big Ag and San Joaquin Valley politicians are whining that regulation will kill the farm economy. They should realize that when it comes to mining groundwater, the farm economy has already decided to kill itself. The only issue is who’s going to have the most money when the wells run dry.

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: Almond Orchards eastern Stanislaus County, San Joaquin Valley groundwater, Stanislaus County groundwater

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tom Smith says

    September 18, 2014 at 1:06 am

    Unfathonable ignorance from a “reputable” columnist. Agenda driven hit pieces are best left at the bottom of the bird cage.

    Reply
  2. Eric Caine says

    September 28, 2014 at 2:53 am

    “Unfathonable?” I assume you mean “unfathomable.” It must be a concept you favor, since you seem to think the amount of groundwater is immeasurable. We having been draining aquifers beyond recovery for decades. Groundwater is “fathomable” and everywhere we’ve taken out more than we put in, the results have been ruinous.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Note: Some comments may be held for moderation.

Primary Sidebar

Off The Wire

A Farmer’s Quest to Beat California’s Waves of Drought and Deluge
A Farmer’s Quest to Beat California’s Waves of Drought and Deluge
Don Cameron went all in on a trickle-down survival tactic. It could help save America’s agricultural heartland—even if he doesn’t survive the new water war.
www.wired.com
Ten Ways Billionaires Avoid Taxes On An Epic Scale
Ten Ways Billionaires Avoid Taxes On An Epic Scale
This article first appeared at ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative…
talkingpointsmemo.com
A South Texan?s Wild, Life-affirming Quest to Break a National Birding Record
A South Texan’s Wild, Life-affirming Quest to Break a National Birding Record
When she began her year-long bird-spotting adventure, Tiffany Kersten was lost and lonely. She ended up achieving a major milestone and finding her way.
www.texasmonthly.com
Ron Johnson tried to hand fake elector info to Mike Pence on Jan. 6, panel reveals
Ron Johnson tried to hand fake elector info to Mike Pence on Jan. 6, panel reveals
A top aide said the Wisconsin Republican senator wanted to give Pence the list of pro-Trump electors as he prepared to certify the 2020 election.
www.politico.com
Raffensperger says he wishes Fox News carried every Jan. 6 hearing
Raffensperger says he wishes Fox News carried every Jan. 6 hearing
“I think it would have helped our party heal, given [people] more facts.”
www.axios.com
'Not safe anymore': Portland confronts the limits of its support for homeless services
‘Not safe anymore’: Portland confronts the limits of its support for homeless services
Homeless encampments now spill well beyond Portland’s downtown core, dividing a city that has invested liberally in support services.
www.latimes.com
Republicans Will Do It Again
Republicans Will Do It Again
They have not been chastened by the revelations of the January 6 committee.
nymag.com
Birdman
Birdman
Bird Brother: A Falconer’s Journey and the Healing Power of Wildlife
www.earthisland.org
The Potato Roll Empire Bankrolling Christian Nationalist Doug Mastriano
The Potato Roll Empire Bankrolling Christian Nationalist Doug Mastriano
The Martins were bit players in politics, until they put Doug Mastriano one step away from becoming Pennsylvania’s next governor.
nymag.com
Roger Stone and Michael Flynn under fire over rallies ‘distorting Christianity’
Roger Stone and Michael Flynn under fire over rallies ‘distorting Christianity’
Prominent Christian leaders accuse Trump allies of spreading misinformation about election and Covid, while distorting Christian teachings at ReAwaken America events
www.theguardian.com
Major water cutbacks loom as shrinking Colorado River nears 'moment of reckoning'
Major water cutbacks loom as shrinking Colorado River nears ‘moment of reckoning’
As the Colorado River water shortage worsens, major cutbacks are needed to reduce most perilous risks, a federal official tells senators.
www.latimes.com
Trump Scammed Supporters Out of $250 Million for Nonexistent Fraud Fund
Trump Scammed Supporters Out of $250 Million for Nonexistent Fraud Fund
Supporters who thought they were donating to “election integrity” instead saw some of their money funneled to Trump hotels
www.rollingstone.com
Police Arrested 31 White Supremacists Crammed Into a U-Haul With a Detailed Riot Plan
Police Arrested 31 White Supremacists Crammed Into a U-Haul With a Detailed Riot Plan
Members of the Patriot Front were allegedly planning to disrupt a pride parade in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
www.vice.com

Find us on Facebook

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Footer

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Subscribe for Free

* indicates required

Search

• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 The Valley Citizen

Dedicated to the memory of John Michael Flint. Contact us at thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Editor and publisher: Eric Caine

Website customization and maintenance by Susan Henley Design