Thursday, May 14, Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) General Manager Steve Knell told a group of local farmers he was more worried about OID’s financial situation than he was about the drought. Knell said OID lost $7 million last year and would lose $10 million this year. “Those losses will be made up with water sales,” he added. Knell is a staunch advocate of water sales, euphemistically known as “water transfers.” […]
Environment
Water for Free?
“It’s almost like you live in Fairyland,” said Steve Knell last Thursday in a meeting in the Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) boardroom. Knell is the district’s General Manager. He was responding to repeated queries from farmer Bob Frobose about OID’s apparent willingness to deliver water to Trinitas Partners while cutting back allotments for farmers with more senior water rights. Trinitas Partners, a consortium of investors led by three Bay Area […]
Goodbye Lawn, Hello Desert
Within the past few decades, climatologists have discovered that urban development significantly alters climate. In part, this is because heat islands exist around urban areas as large numbers of homes use heaters in winter. The heat escaping from homes warms the surrounding air. The more homes there are, the greater the effect on temperature. In summer, expansive tracts of concrete and a corresponding reduction in vegetation result in hotter days […]
Almonds Aren’t the Problem
Before they became the drought’s demon crop, almonds were the San Joaquin Valley’s reigning beauty queen. Residents and visitors gushed glowing praise during the annual bloom and most everyone agreed food doesn’t get any better than a tasty snack that’s also good for you. But that was before four years of drought escalated California’s long history of water woes into a finger-pointing frenzy that made farmers in general and almond […]
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 […]
Almond Siege Threatens Valley Homeowners
Just outside the city of Oakdale, houses along Orange Blossom and Horseshoe Roads represent most everyone’s dream of country living come true. Nestled under canopies of cottonwoods and oaks and with close access to the Stanislaus River, many of the homes feature backyard pastures with grazing horses, frolicking dogs, and large country cats hunting mice and gophers. Lately, though, residents of the once idyllic neighborhood find themselves more and more […]
Valley Farmland Serves the Public Interest
In the 150 years or so since the Valley has been settled, the farming community has converted a vast grassland steppe filled with birds, elk, and other wildlife into one of the world’s greatest food producing regions. Natural resources have been utilized to the fullest―possibly to an extent greater than the land’s carrying capacity. Faced with a water shortage of increasing intensity, anti-farming interests want to alter farming practices and […]
Local Mayors in LAFCo Coup Attempt
Brad Barker is Conservation Chair of Yokuts Chapter of the Sierra Club. He is a close follower of local land use issues and an ardent advocate of smart growth. Smart, orderly land use planning is crucial to protecting our environment. Land use is directly connected to air quality, water quality and supply, climate change, habitat loss, transportation problems, farmland protection and other important environmental issues. In each of California’s 58 […]
Water: The Numbers Game
Probably the most common controversy involving numbers and water is about how much water is used by agriculture. There are two camps. One says agriculture uses 80% of the water in California; the other says it uses around 40%. Both figures are usually tossed around absent qualifiers or context. Here’s a quick and easy explanation of the figures from The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC): “More than half of […]
Regulate Land, Water, and Crops
When the Lost Angeles Times’ George Skelton proposed government regulation of crops last month, his column sparked a puzzling response from Modesto Bee editors. In, “Our View: Farmers don’t need help deciding what to plant,” the Bee slammed Skelton, saying, “It [Skelton’s column] could only have been written by someone with virtually no knowledge of actual farming.” Skelton may not be an expert on farming, but that’s irrelevant to his […]