• 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

Excess MID water? "No Way," Say Experts

April 5, 2012 By Eric Caine 2 Comments

Tuolumne Waterfall

To hear the Modesto Irrigation District tell it, selling 2,000,000 gallons per day of Tuolumne River Water will have no significant impacts on the river. Stanislaus County Supervisor and Westside farmer Jim DeMartini finds such a claim hard to believe.

“I just had my water allotment reduced by fifty percent,” said DeMartini recently. “I get my water from the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) and TID gets its water from the Tuolumne River, the same source as the MID.”

DeMartini isn’t the only one who thinks the MID has overstated the Tuolumne’s capacity for water deliveries. Former Palo Alto Mayor Peter Drekmeier is the Bay Area Director for the Tuolumne River Trust. The Trust works closely with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and a host of other agencies to insure the health of the river and associated ecosystems. On March 28, Drekmeier sent a letter to SFPUC expressing “serious concerns about the proposed water transfer.”

Drekmeier’s letter lists a number of issues the MID has either overlooked or ignored in its “excess water” scenario. Among the most damaging factors to the MID assessment, Drekmeier noted that the water transfer relies on, “stale baseline data regarding biological resources dependent on the Tuolumne River below O’Shaughnessy Dam.”

Moreover, especially since the Tuolumne has been added to the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Impaired Waters” list, most experts expect the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to require enhanced flows on the lower Tuolumne River when it completes its relicensing process in 2016. That means in the very near future, less water will be available higher up on the river.

The most frightening section of Drekmeier’s letter summarizes a report generated by the SFPUC itself. Titled, “Sensitivity of Upper Tuolumne River Flow to Climate Change Scenarios,” the report concludes that in “critically dry years” runoff at Hetch Hetchy could decrease up to, “46.5% by from present day conditions,” by the year 2100. In the interim, there will most likely be a steady decline in runoff.

There was a time in the not too distant past when few people cared about water issues and even fewer understood them. Those days are gone. Farmers like Jim DeMartini have learned losing the water wars means losing the farm, so they’ve become both expert and vigilant on water issues. The Tuolumne River Trust Board of Directors and Advisors include a “Who’s Who” list of prominent and informed citizens, all of them keenly aware of the west’s rapidly diminishing water supply.

Given these realities, it’s hard to fathom why the MID has arrived at its “excess water” scenario, but one thing’s for certain: MID Directors have a lot of explaining to do.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Featured, Politics Tagged With: MID Tuolumne River, MID water sale, MID water sale to San Francisco

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Frank Reiner says

    April 5, 2012 at 8:22 pm

    “but one thing’s for certain: MID Directors have a lot of explaining to do.”

    With all very sincere respect for Director Larry Byrd, the rest of the Directees simply
    have not demonstrated the capacity to understand either the issues or the arithmetic
    involved in this matter, and hence lack the ability to do any, let alone a lot, of
    explaning.

    Reply
  2. Tressa Schaller says

    April 16, 2012 at 12:31 am

    I think an article on the re-licensing, and what people can do, would be great.

    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 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
Dishonor, Trump’s and His Party’s, Is the Real January 6th Takeaway
Dishonor, Trump’s and His Party’s, Is the Real January 6th Takeaway
Liz Cheney, defying the G.O.P., offered a searing indictment of the former President at Thursday’s hearing.
www.newyorker.com
Trumpworld Lied To Your Face About The Election
Trumpworld Lied To Your Face About The Election
In the fall and winter of 2020, former President Trump’s top lieutenants…
talkingpointsmemo.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