California has been the nation’s
leading agricultural and dairy state for the past 50 years. The
state’s 80,500 farms and ranches produce more than 400 different
agricultural products. These products generated a record $44.7
billion in sales value in 2012, accounting for 11.3 percent of
the US total.
Breaking down the state’s agricultural role in the country,
California produces 21 percent of the nation’s milk supply, 23
percent of its cheese and 92 percent of all grapes. The state
also produces half of all domestically-grown fruits, nuts and
vegetables, including some products, such as almonds, walnuts,
artichokes, persimmons and pomegranates, of which 99 percent are
grown in California.
Overall, about 3 percent of employment in the state is directly
or indirectly related to agriculture.
… the fields that grow our food are filthy with plastic
waste — the direct result of modern farming’s increasing
reliance on the signature material of the Anthropocene. Whether
incidentally littered onsite or directly diffused into the soil
via polymer-coated chemical pellets, plastic is now embedded
both in agricultural practices and the tilled earth itself. It
leaks into waterways, might be poisoning our food, and is
virtually unregulated. Nobody knows what to do about
it. “Now we have it, and it’s the devil … it’s a global
menace,” says Tom Willey, a retired certified organic farmer in
the San Joaquin Valley who reluctantly used plastic sheet
“mulch” for about 20 years ago on his farm near Madera.
… From Modesto to Manteca, from Davis to Petaluma, and
throughout the Delta and North Bay regions, plastic sheeting
for hoop-style greenhouses and groundcovers are seen in fields
beside public roads and waterways, sometimes strewn in
windblown rags and tatters, waiting for disposal.
The Salton Sea is more than a district priority, and it is
disheartening to learn that many state officials view it as a
problem for only our local officials to solve. Over the next
few weeks Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Assembly and the Senate will
make crucial decisions about our state budget and a potential
Climate Resilience Bond. It is vital for them to understand
that protecting the Sea is a statewide priority. The Salton Sea
is surrounded by several unique and rapidly growing communities
across Riverside and Imperial counties, ranging in size from
231 residents in Bombay Beach to approximately 44,000 residents
in El Centro. All these communities face significant health
risks and environmental justice concerns related to the Salton
Sea and a number of other issues in the region. -Written by Dora Cecilia Armenta, who has lived with
her family of four in Salton City for 29 years. She is an
active community partner with Leadership Counsel for Justice
and Accountability; and Mariela Loera, the Eastern
Coachella Valley Regional Policy Manager with the Leadership
Counsel for Justice and Accountability.
… The vast majority of Tricolored Blackbirds spend their
whole lives in California. A handful breed in Oregon,
Washington, Nevada, and Baja California, and at least 20 of the
birds were spotted last year in Idaho. Most, however, nest in
the San Joaquin Valley, and many are known to breed a second
time in the early summer months—often 50 to 100 miles north in
the wetlands and willows of the Sacramento Valley. It’s here,
too, that the birds feed on rice in the fall. They often browse
the paddies alongside other blackbirds—including the very
similar Red-winged Blackbird—that farmers can legally cull as
pests. This has inevitably led to losses of Tricolors over the
years. Although the species’ native
nesting habitat has been almost entirely removed from
California, they’ve adapted with varying success to shifting
land use. Where vineyards and orchards have replaced grassland
and marsh, the blackbirds have mostly disappeared.
Above-average storms have allowed the Modesto Irrigation
District to offer Tuolumne River water to nearby farmers who
normally tap wells. It is getting few takers. The program is
designed to boost the stressed aquifer generally east of
Waterford, just outside MID boundaries. The district board on
Tuesday debated whether to drop the price to spur interest, but
a majority voted to leave it unchanged. The discussion came
amid a state mandate to make groundwater use sustainable by
about 2040. MID does not have a major problem within its
territory, which stretches west to the San Joaquin River. But
it is part of a regional effort to comply with the 2014 law.
This includes out-of-district sales of Tuolumne water in years
when MID’s own farmers have plenty. That was the case in 2023,
one of the wettest years on record, and this year thanks to
storage in Don Pedro Reservoir.
A settlement agreement obtained by SJV Water shows the longtime
attorney for the Kern County Water Agency was paid $640,000
when she was fired in March. The agency voted to fire Attorney
Amelia Minaberrigarai after a March 18 special meeting. She had
just three months left on her contract. The agency stated she
was not fired for cause, which meant she was entitled to be
paid for the remaining months on her contract, or about
$80,000. Instead, she received $640,000 in exchange for not
suing the agency, according to the settlement agreement. The
agency also agreed to treat Minaberrigarai as a “retiring
employee,” meaning she was also paid for any sick or vacation
time she had banked.
Environmental activists have opened a new front in their
long-running fight against a company that pipes water from the
San Bernardino Mountains and bottles it for sale as Arrowhead
brand bottled water. In a petition to the state, several
environmental groups and local activists called for an
investigation by the California Department of Fish and
Wildlife, arguing that the company BlueTriton Brands is harming
wildlife habitat and species by extracting water that would
otherwise flow in Strawberry Creek. Those who oppose the taking
of water from San Bernardino National Forest want the state
agency to assess the environmental effects and uphold
protections under state law, said Rachel Doughty, a lawyer for
the environmental nonprofit Story of Stuff Project.
Federal agencies and California farmers fended off a challenge
by environmentalists seeking greater protections for several
vulnerable fish species, as an appeals court Thursday upheld
the handling of long-disputed irrigation water contracts. In
the latest round of a fight that’s dragged on for decades and
isn’t over yet, a three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals determined that the Biden administration
properly considered the impact of the irrigation water
deliveries on the delta smelt and Chinook salmon. Both species
are protected by the Endangered Species Act.
Claudia Sheinbaum, front-runner in Mexico’s presidential race,
aims to overhaul water governance in the agriculture sector,
the top user of the country’s scarce supply, with a potential
investment of 20 billion pesos ($1.2 billion) per year. Julio
Berdegue, a member of Sheinbaum’s campaign team focused on
water and the agricultural sector, told Reuters the candidate’s
six-year plan will review existing water concessions, crack
down on illegal use, update irrigation technology and revamp
national water entity CONAGUA. He cautioned the plan,
details of which have not previously been reported, was still
in development and could change. Sheinbaum has said she plans
to reform the National Water Law and develop a strategy to
confront pervasive issues in Mexico, which is suffering from
crippling drought, widespread water shortages, and heat waves
in recent days so severe that howler monkeys are dropping
dead from trees.
Cover crops could be an important tool in groundwater
management but are being unintentionally disincentivized by
groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs,) according to a new
study. GSAs haven’t done enough analysis or
incentivization of cover crops, according to authors of the
study. In fact, the study suggests some GSAs are putting a
negative spin on the use of cover crops by accounting for their
water usage but excluding their water benefits. … [The study]
was a collaborative effort between many organizations and
agencies including the California Department of Food and
Agriculture, the University of California Agriculture and
Natural Resources and nonprofit Sustainable Conservation.
Lawmakers aim to amp up protections for water used by
Colorado’s largest electric utilities with a broadly supported
bill based on recommendations from water experts around the
state. Senate Bill 197 would help electric utilities hold onto
water rights that could otherwise be declared “abandoned” as
the state transitions to clean energy. It would also enhance
protections for environmental and agricultural water, and ease
access to funding for tribes. The bill grew out of water policy
recommendations developed by the Colorado River Drought Task
Force in 2023. The bill, which passed with bipartisan support,
is the legislature’s main effort this year to address those
recommendations — and to help Colorado address its uncertain
water future. Polis has until June 7 to sign the bill, allow it
to become law without his endorsement or veto it.
Innovations and improvements are ongoing in the field of
agriculture as immortalized by a poet centuries ago who wrote,
“Nothing stays the same, save eternal change.” Fortunately for
farmers, something creative is always on the horizon that will
make things faster, easier, and sometimes even cheaper.
One such evolution involves organic growing and how it differs
from conventional farming. Developed in the early 1900s, the
concepts of organic agriculture included use of animal manures,
cover crops, rotation of crops, and biologically based pest
controls. Encyclopaedia Britannica calls it, “A
sustainable agriculture system that evolved as a response to
the environmental harm caused by chemical pesticides and
synthetic fertilizers. Compared with conventional agriculture,
organic farming uses less pesticide, reduces soil erosion,
decreases nitrate leaching into groundwater and surface water,
and recycles animal wastes.” -Written by contributing writer Lee Allen.
The fallout and recriminations in Kings County continue over
the state Water Resources Control Board’s historic decision to
place the Tulare Lake subbasin on probation for failing to come
up with a cohesive plan to protect the region’s groundwater.
The Kings County Farm Bureau, which has already sued the Water
Board over the probationary designation, is now demanding the
resignations of the manager and entire board of directors of
one local water board, saying they are at fault for putting the
region in jeopardy with the Water Board. The Farm Bureau is
seeking to oust Kings County Water District General Manager
Dennis Mills and all of the district’s board members. Mills and
three of those board members also sit on the Mid-Kings River
Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA).
Mark Arax, an award-winning journalist and author of books
chronicling agriculture and water issues in California’s
Central Valley, will provide the keynote talk at an
international groundwater conference next month. The
event, Toward
Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture: The 3ʳᵈ International
Conference Linking Science & Policy, returns
to San Francisco June 18-20 for the first time since 2016 and
will highlight advances on sustaining groundwater in
agricultural regions across California and around the
world. Arax, author of The Dreamt
Land, West of the West and The King
of California, is from a family of Central Valley farmers.
He is praised for writing books that are deeply profound,
heartfelt and nuanced. He will do a reading from his
latest book The Dreamt Land and comment on the
future of groundwater in the Valley during his keynote lunch
talk on June 18.
California’s agriculture agency has released a concept paper
proposing ways to streamline ag-related food safety and water
quality reporting requirements. The paper is part of a
regulatory alignment study led by the state Department of Food
and Agriculture in coordination with the California
Environmental Protection Agency and the State Water Resources
Control Board. Officials said the objective is to reduce
paperwork for farmers and ranchers. Informed by a broad range
of interviews and feedback, the proposals presented in the
concept paper serve as a foundation and are not final
recommendations.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration – acting under its Food
Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), as amended, 21 U.S.C. §
2201 et seq., to address the safety of all FMSA-covered
produce other than sprouts (Covered Produce) – on May 6, 2024,
issued a final rule that amended its 2015 rule on the
safety of produce. With certain exceptions for
growers of Covered Produce, the FDA’s new rule
requires pre-harvest agricultural water
assessments for hazard identification and risk management
decision-making purposes. Requirements for harvest and
post-harvest use of agricultural water have not changed.
The FDA regulated sprouts specifically in an earlier
pre-harvest agricultural water regulation that remains
applicable to that produce.
The Kings County Farm Bureau and two of its farmer members have
filed suit against the state Water Resources Control Board,
claiming the board exceeded its jurisdiction when it placed the
Tulare Lake groundwater subbasin on probation April 16. A writ
of mandate was filed May 15 in Kings County Superior Court. A
writ is an order asking a governmental body, in this case the
Water Board, to cease an action. The farm bureau is asking the
board to vacate the resolution, which was passed unanimously.
“The board’s decision to place the (Tulare Lake Subbasin) on
probation violated the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
and expanded the board’s authority beyond its jurisdiction,” a
Kings County Farm Bureau press release states. The filing
asks for declaratory and injunctive relief, and cites eight
causes of action under the writ that the “probationary
designation is arbitrary, capricious, and lacking in
evidentiary support.”
In today’s globalized world, ensuring that Americans can depend
on local food production is more critical than ever. The
California Farm Water Coalition, dedicated to raising awareness
about the connection between farm water and our food supply,
has released three educational fact sheets shedding light on
the water needed to produce the food Californians consume
daily, and the risk we face from unsustainable foreign food
production. California’s population of 39 million requires
a staggering 11.3 trillion gallons of water annually to grow
enough food and fiber to meet its needs, as described in the
fact sheet, “Where Does Farm Water Go?”. However, current water
supplies fall short, leaving a gap of 38 percent between the
water used to grow our food and the demand on food production
by the state’s population.
Land subsidence remains the biggest issue in the new state
regulation of groundwater. The state Water Board reports that
subsidence measured as much as 7 feet just east of Corcoran
between June 2015 and January 2024. Groundwater pumping west of
Highway 99 has caused the land to sink at least 4 to 5 feet
according to a DWR database. The worry here is the collapse of
water delivering infrastructure. Tulare Lake farmers have been
asked to install metering on their pumps 90 days after the
decision to put the GSA on probation which was made April 16.
That means by mid-July pumpers must install metering as well as
begin reporting how much water they are extracting.
In a region where many farm businesses plant, harvest and
process countless fresh vegetables nearly 365 days a year, it’s
no surprise that Monterey County, Calif., landed as one of Farm
Futures’ Best Places to Farm. … “It’s one of five or six
true Mediterranean climates in the world, so we can produce
fresh leafy greens, veg and berries almost year-round,” says
Norm Groot, executive director of the Monterey County Farm
Bureau. Growers here are highly specialized. Dole Food
Co., for example, has a team of people dedicated solely to
harvest; an average lettuce harvest crew has 35 people who can
harvest 2 acres a day. Growers must understand tricky state and
federal regulations, labor negotiations, and water
restrictions. Yet, they’re motivated by strong market prices
driven by dynamic domestic and global demand that fluctuates
quickly.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s May Revision of the state budget plan
released on May 10, aims to address a “sizable deficit” of
roughly $56 billion into 2026. The multi-billion-dollar deficit
is in stark contrast to the $97.5 billion budget surplus that
Newsom projected in the 2022-23 state budget. Several budget
cuts, amounting to over $30 billion were announced, including a
$500 million cut to water storage projects. These discretionary
spending cuts delay certain funding sources for water-storage
projects such as the planned Sites Reservoir north of
Sacramento. While funding awarded under Proposition 1 — a
voter-approved 2014 ballot initiative to support various water
projects — will not be affected by the budget crisis, the
California Farm Bureau explained in a press release that $500
million in discretionary funding to support the project would
be cut.
Imperial Irrigation District officials have figured out how to
surmount a key hurdle to complete a Colorado River conservation
deal worth nearly $800 million: pushing to have California
legislators quickly pass a bill that would immediately give
them the power to kill endangered fish and birds. District
staff, the bill’s sponsor and environmentalists say that likely
wouldn’t occur, thanks to funding to create habitat elsewhere,
and due to backstop federal species protections that are
actually stronger than the state’s. But it is a
counter-intuitive piece of lawmaking that has upset one
longtime critic. What’s driving the legislation are a tiny
desert pupfish and two types of birds, all nearing extinction,
which have found unlikely refuge in the Imperial Valley’s
concrete drainage channels and marshy areas by the fast-drying
Salton Sea.
Related Salton Sea and endangered species articles:
A multi-disciplinary authorship group of over 30 individuals
has published a report comprised of literature review, policy
analysis, and recommendations pertaining to the water impacts
of cover crop practices in California’s Central Valley under
the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The report,
entitled “Cover Cropping in the SGMA Era,” is the product of a
convening process jointly developed by the California
Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD),
California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), Natural
Resources Conservation Service of California (NRCS-CA), and
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC
ANR) and assembled by Sustainable Conservation.
California’s almond crop this year is expected to increase by
21 percent compared to 2023, according to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture. The USDA expects the almond crop to total
around three billion pounds, a significant boost from the 2.47
billion pounds produced last year. Driving the
news: California’s lofty almond production projections are
driven by favorable weather for the first half of the growing
season, according to an analysis from the USDA.
… If California’s almond crop projections are accurate,
2024 would be the second-best year on record in the last
decade.
As federal officials grapple with how to contain the highly
contagious strain of avian flu that has infected chickens,
turkeys, and dairy cattle on farms across the U.S., a number of
scientists are pointing to one factor that could be driving the
spread of its virus and its spillover from wild birds to farm
animals. Waterfowl—ducks, geese, and swans—are the primary host
of the viruses, and large animal agriculture facilities are
often found in close proximity to their remaining wetland
habitats. For instance, California’s Central Valley and the
East Coast’s Delmarva Peninsula are both critical wintering
grounds for waterfowl, along major North American bird
migration routes, and epicenters of U.S. poultry production. As
a result, some scientists who track waterfowl question whether
this geographic overlap—alongside the shrinkage of waterfowl
habitats—creates more opportunities for the virus to spread
between infected waterfowl and the animals in agricultural
facilities.
The U.S. government is dedicating $60 million over the next few
years to projects along the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico
and West Texas to make the river more resilient in the face of
climate change and growing demands. The funding announced
Friday by U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland marks the first
disbursement from the Inflation Reduction Act for a basin
outside of the Colorado River system. While pressures on the
Colorado River have dominated headlines, Haaland and others
acknowledged that other communities in the West — from Native
American reservations to growing cities and agricultural
strongholds — are experiencing the effects of unprecedented
drought.
[Tuolumne River Trust's policy director Peter] Drekmeier’s beef
with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission goes back
years and rests on the premise that the agency stores far more
water than it needs in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, on the upper
Tuolumne, at the expense of the river downstream. The
commission’s water management plan is based on the unlikely
possibility of an 8.5-year drought—a theoretical disaster
dubbed the “design drought” that critics consider overkill. …
Environmentalists insist the agency could take a more
fish-friendly approach, releasing more water through
O’Shaughnessy Dam into the Tuolumne River while still providing
adequate supplies for its 2.7 million customers.
Thanks to favorable weather conditions, California’s almond
crop for 2024 is expected to be 21 percent greater than last
year’s final output, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
reports. The almond crop should amount to about 3 billion
pounds, as opposed to the 2.47 billion pounds generated in
2023, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural
Statistics Service Pacific Regional Office, based in
Sacramento. … Mature almond trees in the southern
Sacramento Valley can consume 41 to 44 inches of water in an
average year when water use is unrestricted, while those in
Central California’s San Joaquin Valley can use as much as 50
to 54 inches, according to data from the University of
California, Davis.
In an effort to avoid the fate of their neighbors to the north,
Kern County water managers are putting the finishing touches on
a new groundwater plan they hope will stave off probation in
order to keep state bureaucrats from taking over local pumping.
The county’s 20 groundwater agency boards began approving final
changes to the plan, which is actually six identical plans,
last week in expectation of submitting them to the state Water
Resources Control Board by May 28. The goal is to stay out of
probation, which is where the Tulare Lake subbasin ended up
after a hearing before the Water Board on April 16. Tulare Lake
covers almost all of Kings County. Now, under probation, most
Kings County growers will have to register their wells at $300
each and report extractions starting July 15.
Subsidence has reared its head again as a key factor cited by
state Water Resources Control Board staff for recommending that
the Kaweah groundwater subbasin be placed on probation – the
first step toward possible state takeover of groundwater
pumping. The recommendation was contained in a draft report
released May 6, which set Nov. 5 for Kaweah’s hearing before
the Water Board. Subsidence was listed as a major factor in
similar staff reports for the Tulare Lake and Tule subbasins.
Tulare Lake was, indeed, placed on probation by the Water Board
April 16 and the Tule subbasin comes before the board Sept. 17.
The Kaweah report identified additional challenges
for water managers in the subbasin, which covers the northern
half of Tulare County’s valley portion into the eastern fringes
of Kings County.
One of multiple charges in a lawsuit that pins blame for the
perpetually sinking Friant-Kern Canal on a single Tulare County
groundwater agency was recently removed. The Eastern Tule
Groundwater Sustainability Agency (ETGSA) hailed the move as
vindication. But plaintiffs, the Friant Water Authority and
Arvin-Edison Water Storage District, said the change was simply
meant to narrow the complaint in order to get faster action
against Eastern Tule. The stakes could not be higher as the
entire Tule subbasin, which covers the southern half of
Tulare’s valley portion, is looking down the barrel of a
possible pumping takeover by the state Water Resources Control
Board. The Water Board, the enforcement arm of the
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, has scheduled a
“probationary hearing” for the subbasin Sept. 17.
A local ag industry titan is being recognized for his lifelong
service in farming and civic life. Assemblymember Esmeralda
Soria has recognized Firebaugh farmer Joe L. Del Bosque as her
office’s 2024 Latino Spirit Award Honoree. Following years of
migrant farm work, Del Bosque’s family established themselves
on the westside of the San Joaquin Valley, where he grew up on
the farm with his father, going to work at age 10. He graduated
from Fresno State in 1975 and then his started own operation in
1985. Del Bosque Farms produces organic melons, tomatoes,
almonds and cherries. Del Bosque is a vocal advocate for
farmers and farmworkers impacted by water policies.
Tim’s story unfolds with his entry into the rice industry back
in 1996, when he assumed the role of Marketing Projects
Coordinator for the California Rice Promotion Board. Tasked
with promoting rice both domestically and internationally, Tim
quickly found himself immersed in the intricacies of the
industry. Little did he know that this role would mark the
beginning of a lifetime career in California rice production
and agriculture. A pivotal moment in Tim’s career came with the
formation of the California Rice Commission a few
years later, where he was appointed as its first executive.
This transition, as Tim fondly recalls, marked a significant
milestone in his professional trajectory—a journey that began
with humble beginnings, including his days working on a
Frito-Lay truck right out of college.
Governor Gavin Newsom, with the support of the Department of
Water Resources (DWR) and other state agencies, signed into
effect new developments for the California Water Plan which
details water conservation efforts for the next five
years. Newsom said that the state has invested $9 billion
in the last three years, and that “I want folks to know that we
are not just victims of fate, that we recognize the world we’re
living in.” Recognizing that California will be
operating with ten percent less water in 2040 than what is
currently available, Newsom said “We put out a hotter, drier
strategy” to offset the loss. This includes plans for improving
water security, desalinization plants, stormwater capture,
water recycling, and new strategies for large-scale
conveyance.
Giant pumps hum inside a warehouse-like building, pushing water
from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta into the California
Aqueduct, where it travels more than 400 miles south to the
taps of over half the state’s population. But lately the
powerful motors at the Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant have been
running at reduced capacity, despite a second year of
drought-busting snow and rain. The reason: So many threatened
fish have died at the plant’s intake reservoir and pumps that
it has triggered federal protections and forced the state to
pump less water. The spike in fish deaths has angered
environmentalists and fishing advocates, who argue the state
draws too much water from the delta while failing to safeguard
fish.
After screening proposals to expand water storage capacity, the
Marin Municipal Water District has narrowed its options. But
expansion of the Soulajule reservoir — the district’s star
prospect — is drawing mounting opposition from neighboring
ranchers who fear that their multigenerational homes and
ranches will be engulfed by the new footprint created by the
larger dam.
If you’re a Southern California gardener planning to grow food
this summer, it’s time to pay attention to how they grow
veggies in the desert, because July, August and September will
likely be HOT. Yes, I know, it’s been and continues to be a
record-setting wet and chilly spring, but starting in June, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Assn’s National Weather
Service expects most of the country to have higher-than-average
temperatures for the rest of the year.
Seeking to prevent the California State Water Resources Control
Board from stepping in to regulate groundwater in critically
overdrafted subbasins, local agencies are working to correct
deficiencies in their plans to protect groundwater. With
groundwater sustainability agencies formed and groundwater
sustainability plans evaluated, the state water board has moved
to implement the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act,
or SGMA. … Under probation, groundwater extractors in
the Tulare Lake subbasin face annual fees of $300 per well and
$20 per acre-foot pumped, plus a late reporting fee of 25%.
SGMA also requires well owners to file annual groundwater
extraction reports.
Water use in California is typically thought of in three parts:
water for the environment (50%), water for agriculture (40%),
and water for communities (10%) per the Public Policy Institute
of California (PPIC). As a result, “ag” is the sector of the
economy that comes to mind first when we talk about the state’s
water supply. But the rest of California’s economy also
requires water. California’s manufacturers – one of the state’s
largest industry sectors, accounting for 11.8% of state GDP –
need water. -Written by Lance Hastings, President and CEO of
the California Manufacturers & Technology
Association.
Increased water allocations from systems that move water from
northern to southern California were met with disappointment
and frustration from contractors. Both the Department of Water
Resources and Bureau of Reclamation increased allocations this
week to 40% of contracted amounts, going up 10% and 5%,
respectively. With nearly all the state’s reservoirs filled to
above average levels, the increases were seen as stingy, at
best. “This allocation increase is incredibly disappointing and
should be much higher,” said Kern County Water Agency Board of
Directors President Ted Page in a press release. … The
presence of the fish “triggered state and federal regulations”
that put an automatic crimp on pumping, the release states.
Page objected to that sort of snap regulatory reaction saying
the restrictions are “based on outdated fish population
estimating tools.”
The city of Sanger has allowed its largest private employer,
Pitman Family Farms, a years-long delay in settling $1 million
in payments after the city failed for years to collect money
tied to the company’s increased water use. Pitman Family Farms
poultry processor, known for its line of high-end chickens sold
under the brand Mary’s Chicken, has steadily grown in recent
years. The family-owned company established its plant in Sanger
in 2002 and is today the second largest employer in the city
behind the public school district. As the company has grown its
business – including several plant expansions over the years
from a one-story to a four-story processing plant – its use of
city water has increased. This growth has had an impact on the
city’s infrastructure, but the city wasn’t properly charging
the company for its water use, city records show.
Prosecutors have accused Dennis Falaschi, 77, a gregarious
local irrigation official [with the Panoche Water District], of
masterminding the theft of more than $25 million worth of water
out of a federal canal over the course of two decades and
selling it to farmers and other local water districts.
According to the allegations, proceeds that should have gone to
the federal government instead were used to benefit Falaschi,
his water district and a small group of co-conspirators, much
of it funneled into exorbitant salaries and lavish fringe
benefits. … Some farmers who relied on Falaschi and his
irrigation district were outraged — at the government. They see
him as the Robin Hood of irrigation. … For more than a
year, Falaschi maintained his innocence, insisting there had
been no theft. Then this spring, his attorneys filed paperwork
that said he was prepared to change his plea. Exactly what he
will plead guilty to remains unclear.
Water users in the Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability
Agency shot down a proposed pumping fee that would have been
nearly $100 per acre-foot. That sends the Mid-Kings River
GSA back to the drawing board, with local stakeholders calling
for more input in the next proposal. The
backstory: California views that the GSA – which comprises
of water users in the Kings County Water District, the City of
Hanford and Kings County – has not done enough to manage
groundwater pumping through the Sustainable Groundwater
Management Act (SGMA). SGMA was passed by the Legislature
in 2014, and it governs how agencies in critically overdrafted
areas achieve groundwater sustainability.
The Bureau of Reclamation announced Wednesday that
south-of-Delta water contractors are having their water
allocation increase from 35 percent to 40 percent of their
contracted amount. That five percent increase was
“incredibly disappointingly low” for Westlands Water
District. The big picture: South-of-Delta contractors
were initially allocated 15 percent of their contracted total
in February, but that number was boosted to 35 percent in
March. Farmers were hopeful that California’s above
average snowpack would result in a greater boost, considering
the state has had a good start to the year with precipitation.
Farmers in the critically overdrafted Tulare Lake Subbasin in
the San Joaquin Valley are bracing for escalating costs as
state and local agencies assess fees on wells and groundwater
pumped. For the first time, the California State Water
Resources Control Board last week placed the subbasin on
probationary status as part of regulations under the state’s
landmark 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA.
… Kings County Farm Bureau Executive Director Dusty Ference
said new state and local groundwater-related fees will impact
farmers and communities.
Since the first Earth Day in 1970, the world has experienced
profound ecological changes. Wildlife populations have
decreased by 69 percent, the result of habitat loss caused by
rapid industrialization and changing temperatures. 2023 was the
hottest year on record. Certain ancient practices could
mitigate the deleterious effects of global warming. From
building seaside gardens to water management in desert terrain,
these time-honored practices work with the natural world’s
rhythms.
As the Bureau of Reclamation looks to prepare new rules for the
Colorado River, states across the West and other interested
stakeholders have proposed plans for the river’s future. These
alternative plans aim to shape the operation of the Colorado
River after many of the current rules expire in 2026. In April,
a coalition of conservation groups including Audubon,
Environmental Defense Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and others
submitted a plan for managing the Colorado River. Known as the
Cooperative Conservation Alternative, the proposal seeks to
broaden management efforts on the Colorado River to be more
inclusive of various interests, Tribes, and the environment.
On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency designated two
types of “forever chemicals” as hazardous substances under the
federal Superfund law. The move will make it easier for the
government to force the manufacturers of these chemicals,
called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, to shoulder
the costs of cleaning them out of the environment.
… Although the EPA’s new restrictions are
groundbreaking, they only apply to a portion of the nation’s
extensive PFAS contamination problem. That’s because drinking
water isn’t the only way Americans are exposed to PFAS … In
Texas, a group of farmers whose properties were contaminated
with PFAS from fertilizer are claiming the manufacturer should
have done more to warn buyers about the dangers of its
products.
A recent study in the journal Science analyzed dozens of
Chinese cities, revealing that they’re slowly sinking. This
phenomenon of the Earth’s surface literally being pushed down —
technically known as land subsidence — is not limited to the
tens of millions who will be impacted in China. From California
to Greece, human activity is making the land under our feet
more prone to subsiding than ever. … Local authorities
are starting to take notice. Earlier this month in
California, state water officials put a farming region known as
the Tulare Lake groundwater sub basin on “probation” to curb
excess water use.
The recently announced closure of the salmon fishing season
delivered yet another devastating blow to the thousands of
families that depend on commercial and recreational fishing for
their livelihoods. For the second year in a row, fishing boats
at Fisherman’s Wharf will remain mothballed. The recent drought
contributed to the salmon decline, but the larger problem is
archaic water policies that allow too much water to be diverted
from our rivers and the Delta. As a result, salmon experience
manmade droughts almost every year, and the droughts we notice
become mega-droughts for fish. … California desperately needs
water reform, but strong opposition has come from what might
seem like an unlikely suspect. The San Francisco Public
Utilities Commission, which manages our Hetch Hetchy Water
System, is one of the worst culprits when it comes to poor
stewardship of our aquatic ecosystems. -Written by Peter Drekmeier, Policy Director for
the Tuolumne River Trust; and Scott Artis; Executive
Director of the Golden State Salmon Association.
Catastrophic weather events wreaked havoc on U.S. agriculture
last year, causing nearly $22 billion in crop and rangeland
losses, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
California accounted for $1.14 billion of that figure,
including nearly $880 million in damages from severe storms and
flooding. The figures represent a significant shift from
previous years, when drought and wildfires were California’s
biggest challenges. Since then, atmospheric rivers, Tropical
Storm Hilary and other weather events battered our farming
communities. - Written by Matthew Viohl, director of federal
policy for the California Farm Bureau
Water, the essence of life, is an indispensable resource
intricately woven into the fabric of our daily existence. From
the food on our plates to the gadgets in our hands, water
silently plays a pivotal role in the creation of almost
everything we encounter. In a world where water scarcity is a
looming concern, it is essential to explore the profound impact
of water in the production of goods and services that shape our
lives as well as the food we feed our families. -Written by Mike Wade, executive director of the
California Farm Water Coalition
Explore the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape while learning about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
Water Education Foundation
2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento, CA 95833
Join us June 18-20 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport for the 3ʳᵈ International Conference, Toward Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture: Linking Science & Policy. Organized by the Water Education Foundation and the UC Davis Robert M. Hagan Endowed Chair, the conference will provide scientists, policymakers, agricultural and environmental interest group representatives, government officials and consultants with the latest scientific, management, legal and policy advances for sustaining our groundwater resources in agricultural regions around the world.
The conference keynote address will be provided by Mark Arax, an award-winning journalist and author of books chronicling agriculture and water issues in California’s Central Valley. Arax comes from a family of Central Valley farmers and is praised for writing books that are deeply profound, heartfelt and nuanced including The Dreamt Land, West of the West and The King of California. He will do a reading from his latest book The Dreamt Land and comment on the future of groundwater in the Valley during his keynote lunch talk on June 18.
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport
1333 Bayshore Hwy
Burlingame, CA 94010
This tour explored the lower Colorado River firsthand where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to some 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
Hilton Garden Inn Las Vegas Strip South
7830 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89123
This special Foundation water tour journeyed along the Eastern Sierra from the Truckee River to Mono Lake, through the Owens Valley and into the Mojave Desert to explore a major source of water for Southern California, this year’s snowpack and challenges for towns, farms and the environment.
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape while learning about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
Water Education Foundation
2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento, CA 95833
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries
through a scenic landscape while learning about the issues
associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of
California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State
Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
Water Education Foundation
2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento, CA 95833
This tour traveled along the San Joaquin River to learn firsthand
about one of the nation’s largest and most expensive river
restoration projects.
The San Joaquin River was the focus of one of the most
contentious legal battles in California water history,
ending in a 2006 settlement between the federal government,
Friant Water Users Authority and a coalition of environmental
groups.
Hampton Inn & Suites Fresno
327 E Fir Ave
Fresno, CA 93720
This tour explored the lower Colorado River firsthand where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to some 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
Hyatt Place Las Vegas At Silverton Village
8380 Dean Martin Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89139
This tour ventured through California’s Central Valley, known as the nation’s breadbasket thanks to an imported supply of surface water and local groundwater. Covering about 20,000 square miles through the heart of the state, the valley provides 25 percent of the nation’s food, including 40 percent of all fruits, nuts and vegetables consumed throughout the country.
The lower Colorado River has virtually every drop allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
Hyatt Place Las Vegas At Silverton Village
8380 Dean Martin Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89139
This tour guided participants on a virtual exploration of the Sacramento River and its tributaries and learn about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
This tour guided participants on a virtual journey deep into California’s most crucial water and ecological resource – the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The 720,000-acre network of islands and canals support the state’s two major water systems – the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project. The Delta and the connecting San Francisco Bay form the largest freshwater tidal estuary of its kind on the West coast.
This event explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
This tour explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs is the focus of this tour.
Silverton Hotel
3333 Blue Diamond Road
Las Vegas, NV 89139
This 2-day, 1-night tour offered participants the opportunity to
learn about water issues affecting California’s scenic Central
Coast and efforts to solve some of the challenges of a region
struggling to be sustainable with limited local supplies that
have potential applications statewide.
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries
through a scenic landscape as participants learned about the
issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of
California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State
Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. Tour
participants got an on-site update of Oroville Dam spillway
repairs.
We explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop
of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad
sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and
climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in
the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin
states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this
water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial
needs was the focus of this tour.
Hampton Inn Tropicana
4975 Dean Martin Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89118
This three-day, two-night tour explored the lower Colorado River
where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand
is growing from myriad sources — increasing population,
declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in
the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin
states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this
water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial
needs is the focus of this tour.
Best Western McCarran Inn
4970 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89119
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries
through a scenic landscape as participants learned about the
issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of
California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State
Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. Tour
participants got an on-site update of repair efforts on the
Oroville Dam spillway.
Participants of this tour snaked along the San Joaquin River to
learn firsthand about one of the nation’s largest and most
expensive river restoration projects.
The San Joaquin River was the focus of one of the most
contentious legal battles in California water history,
ending in a 2006 settlement between the federal government,
Friant Water Users Authority and a coalition of environmental
groups.
Groundwater replenishment happens
through direct recharge and in-lieu recharge. Water used for
direct recharge most often comes from flood flows, water
conservation, recycled water, desalination and water
transfers.
Water is expensive – and securing enough money to ensure
reliability and efficiency of the state’s water systems and
ecosystems is a constant challenge.
In 2014, California voters approved Proposition 1, authorizing a
$7.5 billion bond to fund water projects throughout the state.
This included investments in water storage, watershed protection
and restoration, groundwater sustainability and drinking water
protection.
California agriculture is going to have to learn to live with the
impacts of climate change and work toward reducing its
contributions of greenhouse gas emissions, a Yolo County walnut
grower said at the Jan. 26 California Climate Change Symposium in
Sacramento.
“I don’t believe we are going to be able to adapt our way out of
climate change,” said Russ Lester, co-owner of Dixon Ridge Farms
in Winters. “We need to mitigate for it. It won’t solve the
problem but it can slow it down.”
From the Greek “xeros” and Middle Dutch “scap,”
xeriscape was coined
in 1978 and literally translates to “dry scene.”
Xeriscaping, by extension, is making an environment which can
tolerate dryness. This involves installing drought-resistant and
slow-growing plants to reduce water use.
Irrigation is the artificial supply
of water to grow crops or plants. Obtained from either surface or groundwater, it optimizes
agricultural production when the amount of rain and where it
falls is insufficient. Different irrigation
systems are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but in
practical use are often combined. Much of the agriculture in
California and the West relies on irrigation.
Excess salinity poses a growing
threat to food production, drinking water quality and public
health. Salts increase the cost of urban drinking water and
wastewater treatment, which are paid for by residents and
businesses. Increasing salinity is likely the largest long-term
chronic water quality impairment to surface and groundwater in California’s Central
Valley.
California’s severe drought has put its water rights system under
scrutiny, raising the question whether a complete overhaul is
necessary to better allocate water use.
(Read the excerpt below from the July/August 2015 issue along
with the editor’s note. Click here
to subscribe to Western Water and get full access.)
Introduction
California’s severe drought has put its water rights system under
scrutiny, raising the question whether a complete overhaul is
necessary to better allocate water use.
This issue looks at remote sensing applications and how satellite
information enables analysts to get a better understanding of
snowpack, how much water a plant actually uses, groundwater
levels, levee stability and more.
This 3-day, 2-night tour, which we do every spring,
travels the length of the San Joaquin Valley, giving participants
a clear understanding of the State Water Project and Central
Valley Project.
Located just north of Fresno, the
Friant Dam helps deliver water as it runs towards the Merced River, though its
environmental impacts have caused controversy.
This printed issue of Western Water examines
agricultural water use – its successes, the planned state
regulation to quantify its efficiency and the potential for
greater savings.
This Western Water looks at proposed new measures to deal with
the century-old problem of salinity with a special focus on San
Joaquin Valley farms and cities.
The Reclamation Act of 1902, which could arguably be described as
a progression of the credo, Manifest Destiny, transformed the
West. This issue of Western Water provides a glimpse of the past
100 years of the Reclamation Act, from the early visionaries who
sought to turn the arid West into productive farmland, to the
modern day task of providing a limited amount of water to homes,
farms and the environment. Included are discussions of various
Bureau projects and what the next century may bring in terms of
challenges and success.
30-minute DVD that traces the history of the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation and its role in the development of the West. Includes
extensive historic footage of farming and the construction of
dams and other water projects, and discusses historic and modern
day issues.
A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect
gift for the water wonk in your life.
Our 24×36 inch California Water Map is widely known for being the
definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the
state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s
natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts
– including federally, state and locally funded
projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and
natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of
California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects,
wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the
text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water
projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado
River.
This beautiful 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, features
a map of the San Joaquin River. The map text focuses on the San
Joaquin River Restoration Program, which aims to restore flows
and populations of Chinook salmon to the river below Friant Dam
to its confluence with the Merced River. The text discusses the
history of the program, its goals and ongoing challenges with
implementation.
This beautiful 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, displays
the rivers, lakes and reservoirs, irrigated farmland, urban areas
and Indian reservations within the Klamath River Watershed. The
map text explains the many issues facing this vast,
15,000-square-mile watershed, including fish restoration;
agricultural water use; and wetlands. Also included are
descriptions of the separate, but linked, Klamath Basin
Restoration Agreement and the Klamath Hydroelectric Agreement,
and the next steps associated with those agreements. Development
of the map was funded by a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
This beautiful 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, displays
the rivers, lakes and reservoirs, irrigated farmland, urban areas
and Indian reservations within the Truckee River Basin, including
the Newlands Project, Pyramid Lake and Lake Tahoe. Map text
explains the issues surrounding the use of the Truckee-Carson
rivers, Lake Tahoe water quality improvement efforts, fishery
restoration and the effort to reach compromise solutions to many
of these issues.
This 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, illustrates the
water resources available for Nevada cities, agriculture and the
environment. It features natural and manmade water resources
throughout the state, including the Truckee and Carson rivers,
Lake Tahoe, Pyramid Lake and the course of the Colorado River
that forms the state’s eastern boundary.
Water as a renewable resource is depicted in this 18×24 inch
poster. Water is renewed again and again by the natural
hydrologic cycle where water evaporates, transpires from plants,
rises to form clouds, and returns to the earth as precipitation.
Excellent for elementary school classroom use.
With irrigation projects that import water, farmers have
transformed millions of acres of land into highly productive
fields and orchards. But the dry climate that provides an almost
year-round farming season can hasten salt build up in soils. The
build-up of salts in poorly drained soils can decrease crop
productivity, and there are links between drainage water from
irrigated fields and harmful impacts on fish and wildlife.
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the Central Valley Project
explores the history and development of the federal Central
Valley Project (CVP), California’s largest surface water delivery
system. In addition to the project’s history, the guide describes
the various CVP facilities, CVP operations, the benefits the CVP
brought to the state and the CVP Improvement Act (CVPIA).
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the State Water Project provides
an overview of the California-funded and constructed State Water
Project.
The State Water Project is best known for the 444-mile-long
aqueduct that provides water from the Delta to San Joaquin Valley
agriculture and southern California cities. The guide contains
information about the project’s history and facilities.
The 28-page Layperson’s Guide to Groundwater is an in-depth,
easy-to-understand publication that provides background and
perspective on groundwater. The guide explains what groundwater
is – not an underground network of rivers and lakes! – and the
history of its use in California.
The 28-page Layperson’s Guide to Water Rights Law, recognized as
the most thorough explanation of California water rights law
available to non-lawyers, traces the authority for water flowing
in a stream or reservoir, from a faucet or into an irrigation
ditch through the complex web of California water rights.
The 20-page Layperson’s Guide to Water Marketing provides
background information on water rights, types of transfers and
critical policy issues surrounding this topic. First published in
1996, the 2005 version offers expanded information on
groundwater banking and conjunctive use, Colorado River
transfers and the role of private companies in California’s
developing water market.
Order in bulk (25 or more copies of the same guide) for a reduced
fee. Contact the Foundation, 916-444-6240, for details.
The Water Education Foundation’s second edition of
the Layperson’s Guide to The Klamath River Basin is
hot off the press and available for purchase.
Updated and redesigned, the easy-to-read overview covers the
history of the region’s tribal, agricultural and environmental
relationships with one of the West’s largest rivers — and a
vast watershed that hosts one of the nation’s oldest and
largest reclamation projects.
There are two constants regarding agricultural water use –
growers will continue to come up with ever more efficient and
innovative ways to use water and they will always be pressed to
do more.
It’s safe to say the matter will not be settled anytime soon,
given all the complexities that are a part of the water use
picture today. While officials and stakeholders grapple to find a
lasting solution to California’s water problems that balances
environmental and economic needs, those who grow food and fiber
for a living do so amid a host of challenges.
Land retirement is a practice that takes agricultural lands out
of production due to poor drainage and soils containing high
levels of salt and selenium (a mineral found in soil).
Typically, landowners are paid to retire land. The purchaser,
often a local water district, then places a deed restriction on
the land to prevent growing crops with irrigation water (a source
of salt). Growers in some cases may continue to farm using rain
water, a method known as dry farming.
Evaporation ponds contain agricultural drainage water and are
used when agricultural growers do not have access to rivers for
drainage disposal.
Drainage water is the only source of water in many of these
ponds, resulting in extremely high concentrations of salts.
Concentrations of other trace elements such as selenium are also
elevated in evaporation basins, with a wide degree of variability
among basins.
Such ponds resemble wetland areas that birds use for nesting and
feeding grounds and may pose risks to waterfowl and shorebirds.
The Coachella Valley in Southern California’s Inland Empire is
one of several valleys throughout the state with a water district
established to support agriculture.
Like the others, the Coachella Valley Water District in Riverside
County delivers water to arid agricultural lands and constructs,
operates and maintains a regional agricultural drainage system.
These systems collect drainage water from individual farm drain
outlets and convey the water to a point of reuse, disposal or
dilution.
