From News Line, a daily compilation of farm water news distributed to CFWC members and others upon request. To receive News Line, click here.

Merced River can be studied without endangering status

Coalition response…HR 934 seeks to provide flexibility for a water supply system that both protects environmental resources and delivers water to a significant food-producing region of the state. Approval of HR 934 would enable the raising of the spillway, not the dam, at New Exchequer Dam by 10 feet. During wet years, about every three years, Merced Irrigation District would store an additional 70,000 acre-feet of water that could be used by local farmers in dry years. This kind of compromise serves the river and the people who depend on it for their livelihoods. Even John Muir acknowledged the benefits of using Sierra waters to irrigate the rich farmland in the Valley.