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Don’t wait until it’s too late for the San Joaquin River, says commentary

Posted by: Maven on April 24, 2009 at 8:04 am

From the Modesto Bee, this commentary written by Eric Caine, a teacher at Merced College. The first half of the commentary is discussing how angry some people are over the San Joaquin River Restoration, which has been the subject of years and years of litigation. Some people are bitter and angry at the courts, and other people see a different target:

The courts aren’t the only target for people’s wrath. Rep. Devin Nunes of Visalia, himself a politician, blames politicians. Of course it’s usually the politicians from that other party, in this case the Democrats, who are to blame.

Nunes claims “radical greenies” bent on “destroying our economy in the San Joaquin Valley” have taken over the Democratic Party and have engineered a “man-made drought.” The Republican congressman isn’t too clear about how the “greenies” managed to bring about three consecutive years of less than average rainfall, but perhaps the explanation is forthcoming.

It’s easy to forget that water shortages have been a looming threat for decades, and easier still to forget the San Joaquin River and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta are near a state of collapse because we have ignored their health.

Deferred maintenance always comes with a steep price, especially in the case of rivers and waterways.

Those calling for delays in beginning the task of restoring our waterways have good reasons for their positions, but they have forgotten that these are the same reasons we’ve always used to postpone the inevitable.

As painful as the fix is now, the consequences of a total collapse would be even worse, and unless we act soon, we’re looking at a total collapse. We should have learned by now that the longer we wait, the worse it gets. Action now is painful; action later may be too late — not just for salmon, but for all who depend on healthy rivers and waterways.

Read the full text of this commentary from the Modesto Bee by clicking here.

April 24, 2009 · Filed Under San Joaquin River Restoration

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