This is just one post in the Judge Wanger delta smelt ruling Category

Workers losing jobs to smelt; “Let us not lose sight of this human story” says editorial

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on April 14, 2008 at 3:30 pm

From the Western Farm Press:

The smelt will soon be entering a phase in its life-cycle that has historically placed it in danger of floating into the pumps in increased numbers because of the flow pattern of water through the Delta. While farmers are keeping their fingers crossed in hopes of no additional flow restrictions, they are also being realistic and preparing for future interruptions in water deliveries.

Farmers have already put pencil to paper to determine which crops to plant this season and when to put the seed in the ground. For those who have both row crops that are planted each year and also trees or vine crops, the decision must be made whether to redirect available water from the row crops to the permanent crops. Some farmers are drilling new wells in hopes of tapping the groundwater source if necessary. But there is more at stake than just how many acres to plant and spending money for a new well. There is a human factor in these decisions.

Farmers have been forced to tell some of their workers that there will be no jobs for them this year. These jobs may be seasonal and related to harvest activity while others are year-round positions. Farmers responded to a survey about employee reductions and the numbers are startling—between 546 and 1,150 employees have already lost their jobs because of the uncertain water future. But only a portion of the farmers who receive water from the Delta were part of this survey. These numbers could easily double.

Let us not lose sight of this human story when we read news reports of water not being delivered to San Joaquin Valley farms and the millions of people who rely upon this flow for drinking purposes.