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Sunday’s top of the scroll is this commentary by Mike Eaton: To save Delta, ditch the groundwater myth

Posted by: Maven on July 26, 2009 at 7:20 am

From the Sacramento Bee, this commentary by Mike Eaton, executive director of the Resources Legacy Fund:

“The remaining wet spots in the Cosumnes River channel in southern Sacramento County faded away earlier this month. Most of the river corridor from the foothills to the Delta will be bone-dry until the rains return. It wasn’t always so. Historically, the river helped replenish groundwater during the wet season, and in the summer, enough groundwater seeped into the river to sustain a rich corridor of life from the Delta to the Sierra.

The extensive pumping of groundwater, first by nearby farmers and then, increasingly, by Sacramento County and its growing cities, upset this natural cycle. Throughout the region, pumping of groundwater now exceeds direct diversions of surface water from rivers significantly.

Enabling this shift to excessive use of groundwater was a legal delusion: a premise that surface water is unconnected to groundwater. Under state law, groundwater, unlike surface water, can be pumped virtually at will, unless limited by local governments or the courts.

This legal delusion dates to California’s early days, when water resources seemed inexhaustible, and salmon were abundant in our rivers and streams. It remains in effect today despite what science and common sense tell us: Water moves constantly from the surface of the land, pulled by gravity out of our rivers and streams to fill the dry space created below ground when water is pumped out.”

July 26, 2009 · Filed Under Delta Issues, Groundwater

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One Response to “Sunday’s top of the scroll is this commentary by Mike Eaton: To save Delta, ditch the groundwater myth”

  1. The week that was, 7/20-26/2009 | Chance of Rain on July 26th, 2009 4:09 pm

    [...] “Under state law, groundwater, unlike surface water, can be pumped virtually at will, unless limited by local governments or the courts. This legal delusion dates to California’s early days, when water resources seemed inexhaustible, and salmon were abundant in our rivers and streams. It remains in effect today despite what science and common sense tell us: Water moves constantly from the surface of the land, pulled by gravity out of our rivers and streams to fill the dry space created below ground when water is pumped out.” Sacramento Bee commentary by Mike Eaton, executive director of the Resources Legacy Fund, via Aquafornia [...]

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