There are a lot of bad arguments against increased flows along Valley rivers. Many pit people against fish. Others use reductionist tactics, citing the dollar costs of saving threatened species but omitting long-term recovery goals. Some rise from merely bad to bizarre. Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) Manager Steve Knell, for example, has decided increased flows […]
Environment
Down and Dirty Water Wars: Part II
When James Madison wrote, “No man is allowed to be a judge in his own cause,” he didn’t mean people could or even should stop arguing in their own interests; he just meant it was nearly impossible to achieve justice for all when arguing on one’s own behalf. So it is with water in California. […]
Down and Dirty Water Wars: Part I
It’s perfectly understandable that anyone taking a stand in favor of increased river flows in the northern San Joaquin Valley is likely to be compared to an assailant of motherhood, apple pie and Fourth of July fireworks. After all, the Valley will indeed take an economic hit from increased flows, and no one wants to […]
The Real Water Grabs
The signs are up all around Stanislaus County. “Worth your Fight,” they say, and the “o” in “worth” is in the shape of a water drop. Local media and political leaders are shouting, “water grab,” and have plenty of support in their opposition to the state’s proposal to increase flows along Valley rivers. Water, of […]
Parting the Waters: No Ag Miracles
They’re still planting trees. Look anywhere around the northern San Joaquin Valley and you’ll see saplings—mostly almonds—being hurled into the ground like spears. This during the worst drought in memory. Most of the new orchards will have few or no surface water rights. They will be strictly groundwater-dependent. And that’s just one reason opposition to […]
Oakdale Irrigation District: How High’s the Water?
Last week, Stanislaus County’s Water Resources Manager Walt Ward circulated a letter from Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) General Manager Steve Knell. In the letter, Knell defended OID’s policy of selling water outside the region. He said the OID business plan depends on water sales and added that there is no local demand for OID water. […]
Vance Kennedy: Bee Editors All Wet on Water
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. […]
Water: When Markets Fail
Last week, Stanislaus Superior Court Judge William Mayhew ruled that the Oakdale Irrigation District’s (OID) On Farm Conservation Program couldn’t proceed until it addressed environmental concerns raised by Oakdale farmers Louis Brichetto and Robert Frobose. The ruling was yet another in a series of legal setbacks for a district determined to balance its budget with […]
Lack of Political Clout Threatens Valley Water
News Item: The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California enters into agreement to buy five islands in the San Joaquin Delta. The San Francisco Bay Area is economically united by the Bay Area Association of Governments. Los Angeles is economically united by Los Angeles County and its huge population. Valley counties, however, are not united. […]
Can We End Water Shortages?
Before the drought, wasting water was rarely mentioned; now it’s a constant topic. The subject will remain in the forefront because our population has reached the size where sustainability is a genuine concern. What constitutes waste and what can be done to conserve the available supply? The simplest way to define waste is to say, […]