| I Heard It On The Radio |
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| Sunday, 22 February 2009 | |
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Radio Advertising Water supply and jobs Water Supply and food security
Have you heard recently on the radio about California's water supply crisis and the devastating impacts water supply cuts are having on the people and communities that depend on farming for their livelihoods? The following statement by Dan Nelson, executive director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority describes the dire situation many people face this year. “Today’s announcement by the United Statesunderscores just how broken California’s water system is. No waterdeliveries this year from the federal Central Valley Project to our farmers will deepen the already terrible economic situation in our San Joaquin Valleyand have a rippling effect that will extend through California and into thenation. Less food will be grown and fewer jobs will be available asfarmers leave their lands fallow. Inactivity on the farm will impactdemand for otherwise necessary products and services, further depressing ourcommunities, some of which are among the poorest in the country. Estimates from UC Davis economists indicate up to 80,000 jobs will belost and $1.6-2.2 billion will disappear from the economy in the San JoaquinValley alone because of the reduced water supplies this year. Along with the economic decline will come incalculable social consequences. “Though the drought is contributing to this gloomy outlook, the magnitude of the cutback is amplified by our dysfunctional regulatory and water supply systems. We have had droughts before but never have the effects been so dire. When this drought breaks, we will still have water shortages in California until we fix our storage, conveyance and management systems. In the meantime, while we cannot control Mother Nature, there are actions that can be taken now to more efficiently manage the constraints placed upon our water supply system in order to protect endangered species. We must recognize that this unprecedented human suffering highlights the need to rebalance the use of water for human and environmental purposes “California’s water system was built years ago when California’s population was only half of what it is today. This delivery system was never intended to serve an ever growing population, provide adequate supplies of water to our farms and meet expanding environmental obligations. Again, lawmakers and regulators must step forward to modernize our infrastructure by increasing reservoir storage, improving conveyance and improving how we manage our limited water supply.” Find out more at http://www.ourvalleywatercrisis.org |
Newsflash
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From News Line, a daily compilation of farm water news distributed to CFWC members and others upon request. To receive News Line, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and submit your request. State report's recipe for a restored delta: More water Coalition viewpoint---This blog is a mish-mash of personal opinions, falsehoods and recycled rhetoric. The State Water Board, in releasing its staff report, did not identify water exports as the "real culprit" for the current Delta conditions. Quite the opposite...the Board went to great lengths to explain that the legislative directive for conducting the report restricted the study to only look at water flows and no other factors. The Board also stated that the report is non-binding. To continually blame San Joaquin Valley farmers for the ills of the Delta is irresponsible and damages effort to restore the Delta's environment and provide a reliable water supply to farmers and 25 million Californians. |
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