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State tries to keep tabs as Delta serves disparate interests

Posted by: Maven on November 24, 2009 at 8:06 am

From the Stockton Record:

“The state and federal export pumps near Tracy are subject to constant scrutiny: How much water is Southern California taking?

But those on the receiving end of that water say Delta farmers, who also draw from the estuary’s sloughs and rivers, should answer the same question.

Another leg of California’s new water policy stool requires Delta farmers, with some exceptions, to file water diversion reports.

In addition to the giant export pumps, there are about 1,800 straws in the Delta from farms, cities and industry.

“We don’t have the necessary tools to know what is taken from the Delta,” Assemblyman Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, told legislators earlier this month. “The Delta is a fragile ecosystem that obviously belongs to the whole state of California.”

The law was weakened in the final hours, to the dismay of some environmentalists, but it is nonetheless a shot across the bow for Delta farmers who fear seeing their senior water rights erode in favor of the exporters, who would not receive Delta water at all if it were not pumped to them. … “

Read more from the Record by clicking here.

November 24, 2009 · Filed Under Legislation - State & Federal

Comments

One Response to “State tries to keep tabs as Delta serves disparate interests”

  1. Wes Rolley on November 24th, 2009 9:05 am

    This legislation (SBS7.5) was laughably weak. Hyped as a game changing revision to CA Water Management, it is in effect very little and very weak. If there was any legislation that could be labeled an unfunded mandate, this is it. Compliance is, in effect voluntary. Penalties are non-existent and when you reach DWR, the point where someone could say that the buck stops here, there are no bucks.

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