Today’s news that a group called Protecting Our Water and Environmental Resources (POWER) will sue Stanislaus County unless it revokes permits for wells on the county’s east side is very likely to change the rules about groundwater throughout the state. Attorneys for POWER are arguing the well permits are in violation of the California Environmental Quality Act. They have a strong case. In June, 2011, we summarized some of the […]
Environment
The Valley Citizen Water Primer
Until recently, a sixty mile span of the San Joaquin River ran dry every year, no matter how wet or dry the year. Chinook Salmon and Steelhead Trout populations declined precipitously. But because people got informed and involved, a more natural flow cycle has been restored for fish and fisheries. Salmon and Steelhead are returning to the river. Over eighty percent of the water from the Tuolumne River has […]
19th Century Thinking Won’t Help Drought, by Bruce Frohman
In the 19th century, California’s leaders developed a solution to potential water shortages that served the state for over 100 years. A system of dams and canals was built all over the state. As time went by, bigger dams and more canals were built to move more and more water. The last big project was the Central Valley Water Project of the 1960s. The system did substantial environmental damage to rivers, streams, and fisheries, […]
Valley Air Quality Is Worse Than Reported, by Bruce Frohman
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD) recently reported that air quality in the Central Valley improved this past year to the level of attainment of federal air quality standards. At the measuring stations, this is true. But what about parts of the Great Valley not adjacent to stations? If your residence or business isn’t located near a monitoring station, your daily air quality could be a lot worse than the reports […]
New Land Rush to Cover Farmland, by Bruce Frohman
Now that the California economy is improving, urban land developers are once again pushing to enhance the available supply of land to build on. The goal is to always keep a large amount of cheap land available so that property can be acquired and highly profitable projects can be built. In Stanislaus County, urban developers are looking for opportunities in and around every community in an endless effort to incrementally convert farm land into sprawl. Urban developers shun […]
Next Up: The Great Water Auction
Two facts determine water realities in California: (1) The state is out of water, and (2) In order to develop more than 499 units, builders must declare a long-term source of water. Fact number two is the driving force in what has become a bidding war for the “available” water in a state that every year promises more water than it can deliver. Since 2001, developers must declare a long-term […]
Flash—It’s Not Just a Groundwater Problem
Insanity is often described as doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. It’s an apt description of what happens when Californians keep expecting different results from their (mis)use of water. Most Valley citizens were surprised to read that parts of Merced County are sinking as much as a foot a year. The cause is subsidence—the collapse of land that occurs when too much water is pumped […]
Brush Fire at the Toxic Waste Dump, by Bruce Frohman
Over the Labor Day weekend, a brush fire burned vegetation in the future 132 freeway right of way. The specific location was on the top of one of the mounds containing toxic waste. According to an agreement between Caltrans and the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC), Caltrans is to maintain vegetation on the mounds in order to reduce runoff from the toxic waste piles. Until new vegetation is planted, the brush fire has put Caltrans out […]
Arsenic in the Water? Very Likely
Recent research by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in the foothills east of Stockton should raise red flags for anyone concerned about the exponential expansion of orchards in eastern Stanislaus and Merced Counties. The research was conducted in San Joaquin and Calaveras counties as recently as 2011. By far the most alarming discovery was high levels of arsenic in some of the test wells. Most people know of […]
Where’s All the Water Now?
When the Columbia Journalism Review noted Modesto’s dire need for news, most Valley citizens weren’t even aware of the report. Shortly thereafter, the Modesto Bee joined Modesto Irrigation District (MID) General Manager Allen Short and MID Board member Tom Van Groningen in touting a sale of Tuolumne River water to the City of San Francisco. At the time, the Bee and many of our civic leaders were promoting the notion […]