Tim O’Laughlin wanted to leave and Larry Byrd wouldn’t let him. O’Laughlin had come to last Wednesday’s Stanislaus Water Advisory Committee (WAC) meeting to review likely consequences of new state flow requirements for rivers on local agriculture and irrigation districts. Most audience members were familiar with the new requirements, and knew they would have severe economic impacts on the local economy. Things got hot for O’Laughlin when the subject of Oakdale […]
Larry Byrd
Larry Byrd and Eastern Stanislaus County’s Dire Need for Water
Sometimes Larry Byrd must think the water gods are tormenting him. Byrd began serving on the Modesto Irrigation District (MID) Board of Directors early in 2012, just in time to become embroiled in a contentious dispute about selling water to San Francisco. Byrd took an unpopular stand against the sale, then prevailed in an outcome that left a lasting bitterness among almost all the participants in an argument that hasn’t […]