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San Joaquin River restoration settlement puts Valley on verge of a catastrophe, says columnist

Posted by: Maven on February 22, 2009 at 8:25 am

From the Fresno Bee, columnist Bill McEwen:

California’s water system is failing. And now the House of Representatives is about to break it completely by providing $88 million to bring salmon back to the San Joaquin River.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m for restoring the San Joaquin River below Friant Dam. But the plan that Congress is expected to approve in a few days will cripple the Valley economy and create an environmental nightmare.

The problem with the plan is that it only puts water in the riverbed. There isn’t another spending bill dealing with farmland retirement and the spike in unemployment that will occur if land goes fallow. There’s also no acknowledgment that farmers with significantly reduced access to river water will pump groundwater until the aquifer is degraded and exhausted. Finally, there isn’t a dime for infrastructure to offset the effects of cutting water deliveries to farms.

If you’re wondering who to blame for this pending disaster, look no further than Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the key player in the river’s restoration settlement.

Read more of this column from the Frenso Bee’s Bill McEwen by clicking here.

February 22, 2009 · Filed Under Wildlife & Endangered Species

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