Restore the Delta

[mark poulson]

From Restore the Delta:
“The death of the twin-tunnels project hasn’t stopped Central Valley farmers’ efforts to send more water south to irrigate their fields at the expense of the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

“The latest assault on the Delta, which supplies roughly one-third of the Bay Area’s water, is the Trump administration’s efforts to gut the federal Endangered Species Act. Removing protections in existence for nearly 50 years threatens not only the Delta’s wildlife but also the quality of its fresh water….

“The California Legislature can fend off the president’s move by passing Senate Bill 1. The legislation, authored by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, would establish as state standards the federal environmental protections that were in existence when Trump became president on Jan. 20, 2017…”

[ash]

Mark - I'm no Trump supporter - but to be fair and balanced the California Legislators have all but turned their backs on the environmental impacts of water diversion long before the current president took office. For me this is a bipartisan issue as the money is the influence not a party line.

[TonyM]

Very true Ash. The California legislature started it.

[WRB]

Govenor Pat Brown democrat and supervisor Warren Dorn republican worked together to develop the Feather River project in the 60's , the start of today's Delta issues. This all started in the 1920's. How would you all to loose the Feather River project dams and reserviors to restore the Delta, can't have both ways.
Tom

[mark poulson]

Govenor Pat Brown democrat and supervisor Warren Dorn republican worked together to develop the Feather River project in the 60's , the start of today's Delta issues. This all started in the 1920's. How would you all to loose the Feather River project dams and reserviors to restore the Delta, can't have both ways.
Tom

The science that shows how damaging the Aqueduct is wasn't available/known in the '60s, but it is now.
The problem isn't the system itself, it's the abuse of San Joaquin farmers who raise high-water demand crops for export with below-market water, subsidized by the rest of us. They are increasing their almond tree acreage, even as our water situation worsens.
The answer isn't to facilitate their water theft, it's to reign them in, so say no, to force them to plant other crops.
If they can't make a profit without subsidized water, they shouldn't be in business.
And if they claim the have historic water rights, it's because they rigged the water distribution system, so the rest of us are sucking hind tit.
Calling it what it is, water theft, may not be politically pleasant, but it's true.
And any administration that supports that theft is wrong.

[Sam K]

Farms in the CA desert. Whose genius idea was that? Follow the $$$$.

[mark poulson]

Mark - I'm no Trump supporter - but to be fair and balanced the California Legislators have all but turned their backs on the environmental impacts of water diversion long before the current president took office. For me this is a bipartisan issue as the money is the influence not a party line.

Ash, I agree that there is plenty of blame to go around, but I think it is wrong to just throw up our hands and say, "Well, that's the way it's always been done". It's not how it has to be, going forward.
We can't be silent while our kids' futures are sold down the river by a bunch of money-hungry politicians.
We have a voice in our democratic system, a way to say we aren't happy, that we demand change, and we have the responsibility as citizens to do that.
It's called voting.
If our elected officials aren't doing their job, let's let them know we see it.
If they won't do the job, let's fire them at the next election, and vote in people who will.
If we don't do it, who will?

[mark poulson]

Farms in the CA desert. Whose genius idea was that? Follow the $$$$.

Amen!

[WRB]

Before thecFeather River project the San Juaqine Valley was farmed by hundreds if not thousands of small independant family owned farms who got thier water from wells. Dairy farms, vegetable, fruit and nut orchards and cotton. The aquifer was massive and shallow due to centuries of flooding the Basin from all the surrounding rivers.
The Delta is reclaimed land created via a dike system to prevent flooding every year from the more northern rivers, it's a man made eccosystem dependent on a constant flow of water that has been controlled the past 50 plus yeas by the Feather River project.
What happened is purely greed by the big businesses that a controlled water supply created, it isnn' tthe water system and the San Juaqine Valley isn't a desert. Tell me why is the big California agriculture business any different than other giant businesses when it come down to political influence. Totally agree the agricultural expansion at public water expensive should be stopped along with the corruption. Califonia Agriculture supplies 20 billion dollars in export business and that helps to run the State in tax revenue, of course the water is a polical pawn, the only way to control that is by voting. Unfortunitly big population cities control who runs the state not the folks who suffer from how it's run.
Enjoy Labor Day.
Tom

[mark poulson]

Before thecFeather River project the San Juaqine Valley was farmed by hundreds if not thousands of small independant family owned farms who got thier water from wells. Dairy farms, vegetable, fruit and nut orchards and cotton. The aquifer was massive and shallow due to centuries of flooding the Basin from all the surrounding rivers.
The Delta is reclaimed land created via a dike system to prevent flooding every year from the more northern rivers, it's a man made eccosystem dependent on a constant flow of water that has been controlled the past 50 plus yeas by the Feather River project.
What happened is purely greed by the big businesses that a controlled water supply created, it isnn' tthe water system and the San Juaqine Valley isn't a desert. Tell me why is the big California agriculture business any different than other giant businesses when it come down to political influence. Totally agree the agricultural expansion at public water expensive should be stopped along with the corruption. Califonia Agriculture supplies 20 billion dollars in export business and that helps to run the State in tax revenue, of course the water is a polical pawn, the only way to control that is by voting. Unfortunitly big population cities control who runs the state not the folks who suffer from how it's run.
Enjoy Labor Day.
Tom

I agree completely, Tom.
Agriculture is only 2% of the States GDP, but it uses 40% of the State's fresh water, as opposed to the 10% used for urban areas.
But Big Agri has the money to contribute to, and control, elected officials.

[WRB]

The one thing that harms the Delta and agriculture is salt water intrusion. Reduce the fresh water flow pressure and the ocean salt water pushes into the areas water supply. Wells are now down to 150', 50 years ago they were 50', that is how low the underground aquifer is today, ominous situation. The independant farmer can no longer afford to biuld deeper wells and the big corporations get bigger agquiring more water rights.
Enjoy what we have, you could be living in SoCal!
Tom

[mark poulson]

The one thing that harms the Delta and agriculture is salt water intrusion. Reduce the fresh water flow pressure and the ocean salt water pushes into the areas water supply. Wells are now down to 150', 50 years ago they were 50', that is how low the underground aquifer is today, ominous situation. The independant farmer can no longer afford to biuld deeper wells and the big corporations get bigger agquiring more water rights.
Enjoy what we have, you could be living in SoCal!
Tom

I totally agree.