Supporters of the Willms Ranch parcel split walked away with a victory last Tuesday, when Stanislaus County Supervisors (sort of) approved the proposal. It takes three votes to overrule a planning commission recommendation, and only Jim DeMartini and Vito Chiesa voted against it, so the split was approved. But those who know local land use history immediately realized the current Board of Supervisors is vastly improved over previous boards. Here’s […]
Environment
Audubon Chapter Appeals Willms Ranch Parcel Split
Stanislaus Audubon Society has appealed a decision by the Stanislaus County Planning Commission to allow owners of the historic Willms Ranch to split the 2,384 acre property into 42 parcels without requiring an Environmental Impact Review. The crux of the argument for the Audubon Society is the failure of the Willms’ proposal to address significant environmental issues, especially those involving agriculture and wildlife. The Planning Commission accepted the Willms’ […]
One Year Later: Still Unanswered Questions About Modesto’s Toxic Waste, by Bruce Frohman
In December 2011, the revelation that the 132 Freeway right-of-way on the west side of Modesto contains waste sites containing toxic barium made newspaper headlines. Caltrans wants to build a freeway over the sites without removing the toxic soil, even though some of the mounds are adjacent to a residential neighborhood. On Wednesday, November 28, 2012, experts from Geocon, a private contractor that conducts water tests, reported to public […]
All You Need to Know About Water in California
On page 220 of David Carle’s Introduction to Water in California is a map of California. The map was produced by the California Department of Water Resources in 1998. On the map, California is divided into ten regions. For each region there are two sets of numbers, one blue, one red. The numbers represent projected water shortages for the year 2020. The blue numbers represent an average rainfall year, the […]
Priceless Valley Farmland is Blowing in the Wind, by Bruce Frohman
Efforts of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to gain control of water used by local farmers captured many recent newspaper headlines, but little attention has been given another insidious problem, the loss of farm land top soil. Some dubious farming practices are a threat to the viability of farming in the San Joaquin Valley. Loss of essential top soil can be as damaging as the inability to secure […]
Restore the Delta Coalition: “Our Books are Open”; "Who's Funding You?"
Sometimes in the water wars it can be difficult to tell the good guys from the bad guys. In the following press release, the good guys, Restore the Delta Coalition (RTD), respond to a smear by the bad guys. If you’re in doubt about who’s who, check out the RTD’s supporters. Anytime you have the Natural Resources Defense Council and the fly fisherman together for nature, you have the […]
MID Water Sale—Amnesia or Worse?
Back in 2010, the State Water Resources Board released a study that said survival for salmon and the San Joaquin Delta depended on far greater flows from the local rivers, including the San Joaquin, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, and Merced Rivers.“ Apoplectic” doesn’t begin to describe the reaction from local water districts. Jeff Barton, assistant general manager for engineering and water resources at the Turlock Irrigation District said, “It would be […]
Denny Jackman Named President of Central Valley Farmland Trust
Former Modesto City Councilman and longtime farmland preservation activist Denny Jackman was just named President of the Central Valley Farmland Trust (CVFT). Jackman’s long history of activism includes successful implementation of the Stamp Out Sprawl initiative (with Modesto Mayor Garrad Marsh), a long involvement with the Farmland Working Group, and decades of effort to educate and inform local citizens about the value of San Joaquin farmland. Denny was generous […]
Water—It’s a Dirty Business
It’s axiomatic that truth is the first casualty of war, and that’s just as true of water wars as of wars between nations.Throughout the Modesto Irrigation District (MID) water sale controversy, background buzz has maintained that unless the water is sold, “They’ll give it to the fish,” or, less often, “They’ll give it to Los Angeles.” “They,” of course is “the government,” and it doesn’t much matter whether federal […]
Much Work Left To Do On 132 Freeway Toxic Waste Site Before Construction Can Begin, By Bruce Frohman
Caltrans has finished one study of the ground water beneath the three 132 Freeway right of way toxic waste sites. A report completed in June 2012 by Geocon for Caltrans concluded that no chemicals related to the toxic waste sites were found in ground water beneath the sites. Some who have heard the results of the one study have the misimpression that all studies on the waste sites are […]