Dan Bacher commentary: Corporate agribusiness giant goes rogue
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 9, 2010 at 9:12 amFrom Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org:
“Westlands Water District, the largest water district in the nation, has “gone rogue,” quitting the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), according to the Planning and Conservation League’s “PCL Insider” published on March 5.
On February 28, Westlands terminated its membership in the state’s largest coalition of public water purveyors, the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), “further isolating itself from mainstream negotiations over water rights in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta,” PCL said.
Westlands, the biggest federal water customer in California, is regarded as the “Darth Vader” of California water districts by environmentalists, California Indian Tribes, fishing groups and those seeking to restore collapsing Central Valley salmon and Delta fish populations and the thousands of jobs that they have historically supported. The district over the decades has filed lawsuit after lawsuit to block the restoration of the Trinity, Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and California Delta.
The District officially described their withdrawal from the association as a “financial decision,” saying the District needs to focus its resources on lawsuits against fish and wildlife protections in the Delta, and can no longer afford the $19,000 annual membership fee.
However, in a February 3rd letter to ACWA’s leadership, Westlands President Jean P. Sagouspe made it clear that ACWA’s politics are the problem, complaining that ACWA’s policies no longer represent Westlands or further its interests. Sagoupse criticized Tim Quinn, ACWA Executive Director, for advocating policies and making statements that conflict with Westlands’ interests.
“It was our hope that Tim would cease making such statements,” Sagouspe said. “But he has not.” … “
Read more of Dan Bacher’s commentary by clicking here.
Blog commentary: Feinstein and Westlands – who’s running whom?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 8, 2010 at 8:17 amFrom the High Country News’ GOAT blog:
“There has been an interesting development in the ongoing story of Big Ag v fish in the Great Central Valley of California. Back in January HCN featured an article by Matt Jenkins on that conflict and in particular on the part played by the powerful corporate farmers of the Westlands Water District on the West side of the San Joaquin Valley which extends south from San Francisco Bay.
In spite of the fact that Westlands holds only junior water rights, the powerful District has been able to secure a lion’s share of available irrigation water – that is until the federal Bureau of Reclamation was so hemmed in by drought and ESA court decisions that it could simply no longer deliver the water which Westland’s corporate farmers desired. … “
Read more from the High Country News’ GOAT blog by clicking here.
Sierra Club teams with Westside farmers to ride the solar wave
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 7, 2010 at 8:02 amFrom the Sierra 2 the Sea website:
“They are unlikely allies. The largest farm water district in the state and two of the best known environmental groups, NRDC and the Sierra Club.
On the opposite side of the table on many issues these strange bedfellows are now on the same wavelength when it comes to a proposal that recently surfaced to build utility-size solar panel farms on thousands of acres of fallow land in the Westlands Water District.
“We’re more than excited about the idea – we are introducing the sponsors to all the groups and permitting agencies they need to get approvals from” says the Sierra Club’s Carl Zichella, Director of Western Renewable Programs.”We want to help make it happen.”
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)attorney Johanna Wald aggress. “Conceptually this is great location for large scale solar on land already severely degraded and close to statewide transmission lines.” … “
Continue reading this article from Sierra 2 the Sea by clicking here.
Stuart Leavenworth: Feinstein says she’s no Westlands ’shill,’ but …
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 7, 2010 at 7:53 amFrom Stuart Leavenworth at the Sacramento Bee:
“You know you’ve struck a nerve with an editorial when, on the very next business day, California’s senior senator rings you on the telephone.
That’s how I found myself spending an hour on Monday, engaged in an animated but civil exchange with U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Feinstein, calling me from her home near the nation’s capital, was responding to a Feb. 27 editorial on her efforts to secure more water for the Westlands Water District, an agricultural giant in the San Joaquin Valley.
Westlands, a federal water contractor that lacks secure water rights of its own, has found itself vulnerable to cutbacks in supplies. Such cutbacks are the result of drought and court decisions aimed at protecting smelt and salmon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. … “
Continue reading this editorial/commentary by clicking here.
Notes from Matt Weiser’s twitter feed: Westlands and the EPA, plus first appointment to Delta Stewardship Council
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 6, 2010 at 6:03 amSome interesting developments to note, courtesy of Matt Weiser’s twitter feed:
The EPA has sent a letter to Westlands Water District expressing concern regarding the conveyance of groundwater via the California Aqueduct:
” … We are concerned that the notice of preparation states the EIR analysis will only evaluate water quality impacts in comparison with drinking water standards. As applicable water quality standards for the Aqueduct were established to protect uses in addition to drinking water supply, the EIR should carefully evaluate project efforts with respect to all applicable water quality standards and associated beneficial uses. … “
Read the letter from the EPA to Westlands here.
On a different note, Matt Weiser has uncovered the first appointment to the new Delta Stewardship Council by former Speaker Bass (per page 3 of this March 1 Assembly Daily Journal): Gloria D. Gray,
board member of the Metropolitan Water District.
Click here to find out more about Gloria Gray.
Dan Bacher: Groups blast Westlands attempt to use aqueduct as sewer
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 3, 2010 at 8:15 am
From Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org, this commentary:
“Every time that you think that corporate agribusiness can’t stoop any lower than they have already in their campaign to destroy imperiled fish populations and fishing jobs, they always manage to reach a new low in their race to the bottom.
In the latest surrealistic episode in the California water wars, Westlands Water District, the “Darth Vader” of California water politics, is now seeking a permit to pollute the drinking water supply for millions of Californians, according to a coalition of environmental, fishing and tribal groups.
“Westlands has proposed a project to discharge up to 100,000 acre feet of groundwater into the State Water Project California Aqueduct, a drinking water supply for approximately 20 million people,” revealed Bill Jennings, executive director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.
The CSPA and other organizations today submitted comments regarding Westlands’ proposed discharge and conveyance of polluted groundwater into and through the California Aqueduct of the State Water Project. The organizations submitting the comments include the California Water Impact Network, Sierra Club, PCFFA, AquAlliance, Restore the Delta, Planning and Conservation League, Friends of the River, Southern California Watershed Alliance, Salmon Water Now, Crab Board Owners Association, Winnemen Wintu Tribe, Southern California Watershed Alliance and North Coast Rivers Alliance.
“Westland’s groundwater is highly contaminated with selenium, boron, and salts,” said Jennings. “The California Aqueduct is a water of the nation and supplies drinking water to more than 20 million people in Southern California. The aqueduct also has identified recreation and wildlife habitat beneficial uses and its waters supply reservoirs and streams that support significant fisheries habitat.” … “
Continue reading this commentary from Dan Bacher by clicking here.
Westlands wins, but at what cost? asks editorial: “By bullying and burning bridges, Westlands risks becoming a pariah in the water world. Over the long run, that will only hurt the farmers of this district and the business and farmworkers who depend on it.”
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 27, 2010 at 9:32 amFrom the Sacramento Bee, this editorial:
“Over the past year, the Westlands Water District and other irrigation districts in the San Joaquin Valley have engaged in a dangerous campaign of misinformation.
They brought in Fox News’ Sean Hannity to spout his claim that farmers in California “are losing their land, their crops and their livelihood all because of a 2-inch fish.”
They’ve portrayed the San Joaquin Valley as a “dust bowl.” And they’ve tried to sell the public on the idea that a “man-made drought” is harming farmers, not the low precipitation of the last three years.
It makes for great propaganda, but lousy policy. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and various other politicians are falling over themselves to further divert water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to help corporate farm operations to the south. They are doing this even though there’s scant evidence the valley’s west side has been significantly harmed by federal efforts to protect the Delta’s crashing stocks of salmon and smelt. … “
Continue reading this editorial from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
On the Public Record blogs on Westlands: No one likes large unpredictable actors
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 26, 2010 at 6:42 amThe On the Public Record blog responds to the news of Westlands leaving ACWA (these posts were written before the letter from Westlands was posted):
“I’m surprised to hear that they’re at the point that they don’t have $20K to be part of the most mainstream, established water agency association. Are they just done with the public perception of legitimacy? They’re past it, they don’t care?
I’m afraid that is what has happened. You know, Westlands wasn’t always like this. There was a time in the late 80’s, early 90’s, when they were one of the most progressive water districts in the Valley. They were atoning for Kesterson, and they hired great people to do (at the time) very advanced water conservation and irrigation efficiency stuff. They had one of the first and best water management plans of the CVP contractors. Then the board turned, and they hired an aggressive lawyer to be their GM. Fifteen years later, I think we’re seeing the end stages of an isolationist policy. Now we know. It takes about 15-20 years (and the beginnings of climate change) for an insular, adversarial approach to run a district into the ground.
We’ve seen this before, when a group of (mostly) smart people turns inward and stops hearing outside, critical voices. … “
Continue reading this post at the On the Public Record blog by clicking here.
Related post: I’m so bad, I should be in detention.
This just in … Westlands Water District’s letter to ACWA terminating membership
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 25, 2010 at 1:15 pmThis just in, courtesy of Matt Weiser at the Sacramento Bee on twitter, read Westlands letter to ACWA terminating their membership (note that budget is not mentioned): Westlands letter to ACWA
The comment they are referring to is this one, published in a November Sacramento Bee article:
” … Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies, said many of his member utilities will be forced to mail bigger water bills to millions of customers to pay for a canal. Yet he acknowledged additional fees to support Delta management are necessary.
“It’s something we have to deal with as an industry,” he said.
Quinn called the bills historic and said they “largely got it right.” The Delta Council will prove effective, he said, despite its limited powers.
“Privately, I probably would give the council more authority to enforce its views,” Quinn said. “I think the council can be highly influential. It can make a real difference with the authority that it’s got.” … “
Westlands district quits state water association
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 25, 2010 at 8:40 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“The Westlands Water District, the powerful farm irrigation agency in the San Joaquin Valley, has quit its membership in a leading statewide water association.
Spokeswoman Sarah Woolf said Westlands quit the Association of California Water Agencies because of budget priorities. Its ACWA membership cost about $19,000 a year, she said.
Westlands, the nation’s largest farm irrigation district, is engaged in a number of high-profile lawsuits against wildlife protections in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It is choosing to focus on those efforts, Woolf said.
“We just have to be very strategic on where we put our resources right now,” she said. “We are in a lot of court cases and that’s not cheap.”
A letter obtained by The Bee, however, indicates Westlands had other reasons. … “
Continue reading this story at the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
On the Public Record blog: Get all verklempt … (yesterday’s post, continued)
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 22, 2010 at 8:05 amVerklempt. I had to look that one up. Turns out it’s one of those nifty Yiddish words (like gvetch) which means “Extremely emotional. On the verge of tears.”
The On the Public Record blog continues it’s free advice to Westlands in this follow-up post to yesterday’s popular outclick:
“It isn’t like I knew anything behind the scenes when I wrote that last piece. I am so far down in the department; I hear no inside gossip. I read the news and find out about stuff that way. When I wrote that last piece, it was pure reasoning about what makes sense.
But now y’all are starting to write to me, and I’ve heard that my flippant last paragraph is, in fact, true. Secret people tell me that the big boys are huddling, trying to figure out how to get out of the shitstorm.
Westlands, of course you can’t believe I’m sincere, but I am telling you truly. This is perfect for you. This is your chance. If you had planned this, I would be in awe. This is how you start the extortion to move on to your next incarnation. You can back out of that mess you made and get going on your new career in solar power in one move. You don’t deserve your good luck. … “
Continue reading this post at the On the Public Record blog by clicking here.
On the Public Record blog: Maybe Cheney’s fourth branch of government can save Westlands.
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 21, 2010 at 8:09 amFrom the On the Public Record blog:
“Everyone is all “powerful corporate agribusiness pulling strings in Congress for WATER GRAB!!!” but what this Feinstein/Westlands ploy shows me is that Westlands is pretty well out of options, and they don’t have enough power to pull off the options they try.
This move, Sen Feinstein adding a rider onto an entirely different Congressional jobs bill. What does it show? First, that the state courts aren’t getting it done for Westlands. They’re fighting in Judge Wanger’s court, and between the two listed species (smelt and salmon) and the two species protection laws (federal and state), Judge Wanger’s efforts can’t get both sets of pumps turned on for more than a couple days. They can’t get any traction elsewhere in the state. Gov. Schwarzenegger may take pictures with the faux Latino Water Coalition, but he doesn’t have the clout to sway anyone on anything; the speaker from the Little Hoover Commission at the water law symposium said he sees little political will to change the ESA (state or federal); the farthest the legislature is willing to go is to create a separate panel to (maybe) OK a Peripheral Canal (in ten years) so long as every single legislator is bought off with some nice watershed projects in her district. … “
Continue reading this post from the On the Public Record blog by clicking here.
Enviro Groups: Westlands Water District grabs more water in the middle of a drought with a sweetheart government contract
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 20, 2010 at 10:14 amSent to me from the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, a press release from a number of environmental organizations:
“The U.S. government appears poised to give billions of gallons of water to a politically connected group of farmers in California, where most people are being asked to conserve.
Three hundred and fifty farming operations in Westlands Waters District are asking the federal government to roll over their water contracts, helping them to get a lock on enough water supplies to serve the equivalent of 18 million people in Southern California.
The public has until 5:00 Friday February 19, 2010, to protest these contract renewals.
“The law and common sense are being discarded in a Mad Hatter’s rush to give away vast quantities of taxpayer subsidized water to special interests that will hasten the environmental collapse of one of the great estuaries of the world” said Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.
“These 350 corporate irrigators are ready to take big drink while cities, salmon and farmers in the rest of the state are being asked to conserve, said Steve Evans, Conservation Director for Friends of the River.
“Based on an outdated and exaggerated Water Needs Analysis by the Bureau of Reclamation, Westlands is trying to lock up an amount of water that far exceeds recent water deliveries“, stated Carolee Krieger with the California Water Impact Network.
Bad dirt, bad water, bad farms
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 11, 2010 at 6:52 amFrom Bruce Tokars, posted at Vimeo (I got this from somewhere, but cannot remember who now… sorry, who/wherever you are!):
“Bad Dirt, Bad Water, Bad Farms is the story about the toxic land on the west side of the Central Valley. In the mid-1980’s America was shocked to learn about deformed and dying birds at the Kesterson Wildlife Refuge in California. It took nearly five years (and a story on CBS’s 60-Minutes) before the Federal government closed Kesterson and attempted to clean it up. But what is not widely known is that the very same toxic substance that was at the heart of the Kesterson disaster, is present in huge quantities today on the west side of the Central Valley. …
On the Public Record: Be careful with your words (lest they get overanalyzed by a blogger)
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 11, 2010 at 6:49 amThe On the Public Record blog responds to a comment left on the post, Fish, Food, Feedback Loops:
“[Commenter] 3. Westlands has become the most productive in the nation and the most efficient in the state. We get the most crop per drop. That is why! We should be held up as an example to the rest of the state. If all other farmers were as efficient as us maybe there wouldn’t be a crisis.
But instead, our reward is death by strangulation.”
[On the Public Record responds:] First, it is true that farms in Westlands have tremendous irrigation efficiency. They have the capital to put in very nice irrigation systems; they’re the only place I know of where you can’t assume as a matter of course that they’ve undersized their filters. That said, I want to address his closing rhetorical flourish: “our reward is death by strangulation.”
This is why I hate metaphors and analogies. … “
Continue reading this post at On the Public Record by clicking here. On the Public Record continues with even more thoughts in this follow-up post.
On the Public Record: Fish, farms, feedback loops.
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 9, 2010 at 8:52 amFrom the On the Public Record blog:
“With the House Congressional hearings and Judge Wanger’s decision to allow pumping for a couple weeks right now (on the grounds that the pumps are allowed to kill about 23,000 juvenile salmon and so far have only killed about 1,200, so, you know, might as well pump a little), there’s been a whole lot of the now-familiar talking points. Regulatory drought will be the end of California farmers! Fish and ecosystems are collapsing!
I’m also seeing the new “Communist carrots!”, which I greatly enjoy. I can only assume these are Maoist carrots, partly because they’re from China, but mostly because of course carrots would favor agrarian socialism. Their role in the Cultural Revolution has never been fully explored.
I want to talk about the way “farmers on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley are hurting!” has become “farmers are hurting!”. This is interesting because 1. it is entirely unsupported, and 2. that gets the mechanism backwards, and 3. leads to interesting politics. … “
Continue reading this post at the On the Public Record blog by clicking here.
Doug Obegi: Westlands’ legal strategy causes less water for farming, more dead fish?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 9, 2010 at 8:49 amFrom Doug Obegi at the NRDC Swirchboard blog:
“Last week, Westlands Water District filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to eliminate pumping restrictions in California’s Bay-Delta estuary that protect endangered salmon and steelhead runs. Although salmon fishermen, environmentalists and the federal government all opposed the motion, the Court granted it.
High pumping levels causes water flowing down the San Joaquin River and past the Delta pumps to run backwards, away from the ocean and towards the pumps. Under the biological opinions, pumping is limited by targets for these reverse flows in Old and Middle River, because as reverse flows in Old and Middle River increase, more salmon, delta smelt and other fish are sucked into the pumps and killed.
Of course, the number of fish that are killed at the pumps are a small fraction of those harmed by these high pumping levels and reverse flows (for instance, these reverse flows reduce the likelihood that salmon can successfully migrate out of the Delta even if they don’t get sucked into the massive pumps). … “
Continue reading this post at the NRDC Switchboard blog by clicking here.
Groups sue to block giant Westlands backroom water deal
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 9, 2010 at 8:39 amPosted by Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org:
“Three months after the State Senator Steinberg’s so-called “historic” delta protection legislation was approved the state’s agribusiness industry is quietly securing secret state and federal sign offs to authorize water exporters to damage the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta for decades to come. North Coast Rivers Alliance and three other groups filed suit today to guarantee the public gets full public disclosure and environmental review of those water contract decisions.
A couple days before Christmas when Westlands Water District thought no one would notice the giant district issued a three paragraph notice that quietly declared the renewal of six water export contracts valid and harmless to the Delta and environment. The Steinberg state legislation was supposed to protect the Delta, but it didn’t; actually it “woke up” fishermen’s and conservation groups to the fact that these giant water export contracts were being quietly renewed without any public review or disclosure.
Incredibly, Westlands had announced that the renewal of over a million acre feet of Northern California water export wouldn’t require any environmental disclosure of the impacts of those contracts on Delta fish and wildlife. This occurred at the very time numerous federal and state agencies have become increasingly concerned about the harm these export contracts were having on the largest wetland habitat in the western United States.
“With little or no review Westlands Water District wants the federal government to sign off on these destructive water exports,” stated Steve Evans Conservation Director for Friends of the River. “They are slipping this by trying to avoid responsibility for reducing damage to the Delta.” … “
Continue reading at IndyBay.org by clicking here.
Commentary/rebuttal: Hannity shed light on green agenda’s damage to California farms
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 7, 2010 at 7:56 amFrom the Sacramento Bee, this commentary/rebuttal to the High Country News/Sacramento Bee story on Westlands Water District by Harold Johnson of the Pacific Legal Foundation:
” “Famously hypertensive.” That’s how Matt Jenkins of High County News describes Sean Hannity, who blamed the San Joaquin Valley water shortages on the Endangered Species Act (”Tapping into Anger”; Forum, Jan. 31).
What’s really “hyper,” however, is the ESA dictates themselves: By starving farms and communities of water, they’re hyper-outrageous.
Federal regulators ordered dramatic cuts in pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Central and Southern California, in a strategy to keep the endangered Delta smelt afloat. At least 500,000 acre-feet of water (163 billion gallons) were withheld last year. More pumping restrictions were proposed for other ESA-protected fish. … “
Read more of this commentary/rebuttal by clicking here.
PCFFA: Agribusiness giant Westlands moves to kill salmon: Seeks legal permission to double death rate of migrating baby salmon in Delta
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 2, 2010 at 8:26 amFrom the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, this press release:
“Fresno, CA – Westlands Water District has asked a federal judge in Fresno to issue a temporary restraining order to block a federal salmon restoration plan that protects salmon and other fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Westland’s move could put the survival of California and Oregon’s multi-billion dollar commercial and recreational salmon fishing industry on the line.
The group is requesting a court to order lifting restrictions on the operation of huge delta water pumps and canals from February through May. Pumping water from the delta south is restricted at this time to protect baby salmon that migrate from the Sacramento River to the ocean during this period. The pumps move massive volumes of fresh water from the Delta to farms and cities to the south. Past pumping during the spring salmon migration is known to have killed large numbers of salmon. The request is expected to be heard in U.S. District Court tomorrow.
The restrictions in question were put in place in 2009 as part of a federal salmon restoration plan, known as a Biological Opinion. Recent studies indicate that the salmon restoration plan may increase the baby salmon survival by at least fifty percent. The salmon restoration plan protects threatened species of salmon and other native fish. It also helps improve the survival of non- threatened, commercially valuable fall-run chinook salmon. Sacramento River fall-run chinook, commonly known as king salmon, form the backbone of Oregon and California’s salmon fishing industry.
“Fishing families along one thousand miles of U.S. coastline rely on healthy runs of Sacramento River salmon to make a living; they depend on keeping the current salmon protection plan inplace,” said Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. “Too much water is being taken from the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta estuary – salmon, fishing families, coastal communities and seafood consumers have paid a heavy price as a result.” … “
Continue reading this press release at IndyBay.org by clicking here.
Tapping into anger: Powerful Central Valley water district challenges friends and foes in campaign to turn on the Delta spigot
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 1, 2010 at 8:02 am
Yesterday, the Sacramento Bee ran a story on Westlands Water District, which was a reprint of an article published by High Country News earlier in January. I did not post the link because I had already posted the story when it first ran at High Country News. It is my policy not to repost articles I have previously posted (at least not intentionally).
When the story ran on Aquafornia on January 12, it was my top out-click for the day. It’s a great story, and I’m glad to see Matt Jenkin’s work and the High Country News get the exposure they & the story deserve. So, just in case you missed it, here’s the story once again, appearing in yesterday’s Sacramento Bee:
“On Sept. 17, the famously hypertensive Fox News commentator Sean Hannity rolled into the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, satellite truck in tow. Months earlier, the federal government had announced that it was slashing water deliveries to local farmers, after it became clear that a 2-year-old drought would grind on for another year.
Central Valley farms are muscular emblems of American-style production agriculture, growing everything from tomatoes for Heinz ketchup to organic spinach for Amy’s-brand pizzas and vegetable pot pies. The farmers on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley are confederated as the Westlands Water District, the largest irrigation district in the United States, which has a reputation for bare-knuckle combativeness. But Westlands has fared badly in the face of both the drought and water-pumping restrictions to protect a threatened fish called the Delta smelt. Last year, farmers in the Westlands district received only 10 percent of the water they hold federal contracts for, forcing them to leave roughly 156,000 acres – about a quarter of the district – unplanted.
Hannity and many others quickly blamed the crisis on the Endangered Species Act. … “
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Blog commentary: Water bond will continue California’s water rip off: “Why should taxpayers continue supporting agriculture that has to be bailed out of its self-made problems?”
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 26, 2010 at 8:12 amFrom the American West at Risk blog (I believe written by the authors of the book), a post that disputes that the drought affecting Westlands is man-made, and that Westlands farmers ‘feed the nation’:
“We, the U.S. taxpayers, paid for the projects that supply Westlands farmers with water, and for the drains that made it possible for them to continue farming in an area that traps highly polluted irrigation water in the soils. Those drains created Kesterson Reservoir, an ostensible wildlife refuge receiving poisoned agricultural water. Taxpayers eventually had to pay to fill in Kesterson’s collection ponds to stop the deforming of bird chicks and outright wildlife kills due to the high concentration of selenium in the drain water.
Recent tests of alternative drainwater disposal projects have shown that all have the same potential to poison and kill wildlife as did Kesterson. This also means that Westlands drain waters should never reach the San Joaquin River.
It’s time to get real about the level of taxpayer subsidies that allow Westlands agribusiness to thrive, when those farms continue to create environmental havoc, which taxpayers then have to pay to clean up. Why should taxpayers continue supporting agriculture that has to be bailed out of its self-made problems? … “
Read the full post at The American West at Risk blog by clicking here.
Tuesday’s top of the scroll: Westlands Water District, ‘the Cadillac of irrigation districts’ has more than a tiny fish to blame for its troubles
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 12, 2010 at 8:14 amFrom High Country News, a feature story about Westlands Water District. The article begins with a rundown of Sean Hannity’s show in September:
“But there was more to the story than the drama that Fox News beamed out of Westlands that day. Congressman Nunes had been hard at work in Washington, D.C., introducing a series of amendments that would force the federal government to ignore the Endangered Species Act when it determined how much water to deliver to farmers this year. His efforts were repeatedly turned back. Then, five days after Hannity’s broadcast, Jim DeMint, a conservative Republican from South Carolina, introduced a similar amendment in the Senate, with Westlands’ endorsement. That’s when the needle skipped off the record.
California’s warhorse Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, has been a longtime champion of Westlands, but she has also tried to negotiate common ground in the state’s complicated water politics. And back home, the California Legislature — after years of ignoring the problem — was working feverishly to hammer out a sweeping package of bills to relieve the crisis in the Delta. When Feinstein learned of the DeMint amendment, she denounced it as “a kind of Pearl Harbor on everything that we’re trying to do.”
The amendment failed. Several days later, before a press conference at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Feinstein approached Tom Birmingham, the man who runs Westlands, and pulled him aside. The senior senator from California managed a tight smile, and then shook her fist at Birmingham, who has contributed to her campaigns. “Tom, I’m angry,” she said. “I’m so angry that I want to punch you.”
Chastened, Birmingham later made a rare admission that Westlands had gone too far. “We just made a terrible, terrible mistake,” he said in early November. “We made a mistake, and we need to acknowledge that.” … “
Read the whole story at High Country News by clicking here.
Bacher/Carter vs. Wade on Westlands agriculture – who’s statistics are right?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 11, 2010 at 8:03 amYesterday, Mark Wade of the California Farm Water Coalition responded to Dan Bacher’s recent commentary about the economic value of Westlands agriculture. What’s at issue here is how these statistics have been interpreted. Jeff, Director of the Business Forecasting Center and Associate Professor, Eberhardt School of Business, University of the Pacific posts this response, taking a look at the numbers of both of the commentaries:
“A few weeks ago, environmental advocates Dan Bacher and Lloyd Carter, published some data and rough calculations about Westlands Water Districts economic contributions.
They make one good point, that Westlands is about 0.25% of U.S. agricultural production, so risks to Westlands production is hardly a national food security crisis. In fact, I think this number actually overstates their national importance, because there are numerous substitution opportunities.
In the next part of their essay, they overreach with some very rough calculations intended to argue that Westlands makes no net contribution to the economy. … “
Continue reading this post at the Valley Economy blog by clicking here.
Dan Bacher sort-of responds to Mark Wade’s commentary here at IndyBay.org – you can find both Bacher’s and Wade’s commentary in this post.
Aguanomics chats with Tom Birmingham of Westlands Water District
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 10, 2009 at 8:17 amFrom the Aguanomics blog:
“Last Sunday, I spent five hours talking to Tom Birmingham, General Manager and Chief Council of Westlands Water District, “the biggest irrigation district in the world.”
Among other things, we discussed crop choices, water efficiency, governance, Feinstein, his work for LADWP on Mono Lake, the water bills, the Peripheral Canal, family farms, water markets, exports and other malign influences on the Delta (and Smelt), unemployment in the area, and so on…
In particular, Tom was anxious to clear up two conflusions:
1. Westlands does not have “junior water rights.” As a contractor to BurRec, it has service contracts for delivery. Its contracts are “junior” in the sense that they get cut back the earliest, and most, compared to municipal, environmental and exchange contracts.
2. Westlands does not have poor soil. It has excellent soil, but that soil suffers two problems: It contains selenium, which can accumulate in irrigation water (and harm the environment). Poor drainage can lead to water logged and salted roots, which destroys production. … “
Find out more and listen to the audio of the interview by clicking here.
Westlands Water District is a powerhouse for Valley farmers
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 8, 2009 at 7:09 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
“The most powerful voices in the state’s $11 billion water talks last week might have been two water districts — one speaking for half the state’s population and the other for just 600 San Joaquin Valley farmers.
The negotiations led to legislation with the promise of epic change, restoring dying fisheries, building dams and easing gridlock that has dogged water system improvement for decades.
It made sense that Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which serves 19 million people, would wield big political clout in those talks.
But who are those 600 farmers?
They are customers in Westlands Water District, the country’s largest federal irrigation district. With crops worth $1 billion a year, this one district produces more than some whole states. …”
Read more from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
Monday’s top of the scroll: Uncertainty looms for west-side farmers
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 5, 2009 at 7:35 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
“This time of year, farmers on the Valley’s west side usually have a fairly good idea what they will be planting next season, and if they will be getting a loan to pay for it. But this is not a normal year.
Uncertainty looms for west-side farmers who were forced to fallow thousands of acres in the wake of a third dry year and a dismal water allocation. The situation has put some growers in a holding pattern.
Lenders are worried about farmers being able to pay back loans. And without an adequate water supply, more acres may be fallowed and the problems of high unemployment may get worse.
“I am just kind of waiting to see what my bank has to say,” said Todd Allen, a third-generation farmer in the Firebaugh area. “I really can’t move forward without it.” …”
Read more from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
Thursday afternoon update: Westlands Water District rebuts CSPA’s claims of “water hording”
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 3, 2009 at 1:55 pmFrom Westlands Water District, this rebuttal to the California Sportfishing Protection Alliances claims that Westlands was ‘hording’ water:
“There has been some confusion created by an irresponsible and misleading claim by the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance that it has “discovered” that Westlands Water District has been “hording [sic] surplus water it can’t use.”
At the end of the 2008 water year, Westlands had approximately 300,000 acre-feet of water which CalSPA claims was hoarded. The reality is that this is water that Westlands carried over in storage in anticipation of a low allocation from the Bureau of Reclamation. Had Westlands not planned for this contingency, its farmers would have started the 2009 water year with zero surface water for the irrigation of crops because Reclamation gave Westlands and other south-of-Delta Central Valley Project irrigation service contractors a zero percent allocation. Ultimately, Westlands received a ten percent of its allocation of contract water supplies from the Central Valley Project, the most severe cutback in the project’s history. Many of our family farmers have only managed to survive this year by pumping groundwater at rates that cannot be sustained.
But even so, more than 260,000 acres of productive farmland had to be fallowed, leading to the loss of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars for the economy of the Westside. As we look ahead to 2010, Westlands estimates that it will be carrying over an estimated 270,000 acre feet of water that has been rescheduled for delivery from the federal project in the coming year. There is nothing secretive about this fact. Westlands publishes notices of the condition of our water supplies every month on our website, and that includes rescheduled water as well as all of our other water resources. The website also provides charts, schedules and other graphic materials that trace the use and availability of these supplies month by month. Information on rescheduled water has also been included in periodic public meetings attended by growers and the media, and public concerns about the protection of those supplies were the subject of widespread news coverage last March. Reclamation separately maintains and publishes comprehensive records of rescheduled water supplies which are included in that agency’s various reports and statistical studies.
Where is this water? It is not being held in storage. It is in fact only a promise of future delivery. If these extreme water shortages continue or the demands of other water rights holders take precedence, that water may not be available when a farmer needs it. But this promise of delivery is nonetheless an asset that farmers can take to the bank as proof that they have a reasonable expectation of having water available to grow their crops next year. And that is critically important for staying in business. The process of securing financing for next year’s planting is beginning now, as this year’s reduced harvest is just being brought in. Without this rescheduled water, many farmers would be unable to secure the funds they need to plant a crop for next year. And thus, the catastrophe that the Westside has suffered this year would get even worse.
Why didn’t the farmers use all of this water up in 2009? There are lots of reasons. The allocated water did not become available until most cropping decisions had already been made, and even then, there was some uncertainty about its delivery. Also, faced with severe shortages, many farmers elected to apply groundwater for the crops that could survive on it, while protecting higher quality surface supplies for other produce.
This is the way every responsible water agency manages its supplies in times of shortage. We all report how much water we have to use and what we are holding in reserve. We conserve wherever we can. If we had nothing in reserve, our consumers would begin next year with no water at all. That would be irresponsible. But no one suggests that the water in Shasta Lake is being hoarded or that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is doing the wrong thing when it orders a cutback in deliveries to 20 million people even though it has water in its reservoirs.
Westlands is no different.
Westlands hordes surplus water while fish die and unemployed farm workers beg for food and work; CSPA calls for investigation into surplus water by Westlands and others Delta standards continue to be violated
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 19, 2009 at 8:18 amFrom the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance:
“As broadcast and print media report heart-rendering stories about Westlands Water District having to fallow fields thus putting people out of work and placing farms in jeopardy because of a lack of water, the District has been squirreling away surplus water it can’t use. The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) has discovered a Westlands’ information bulletin dated 23 July 2009 revealing that the giant irrigation district has been hiding considerable carryover storage from last year and is adding even more this year. CSPA is calling for an investigation into Westlands’ surplus water and possible surplus water hidden away by other water districts.
At the end of 2008, Westlands had some 233,998 acre-feet (AF) of water stored in other facilities that it didn’t need. Some 93,700 AF of that stored water was used through June 2009. However, the export pumping restrictions caused by the Delta Smelt Biological Opinion ended 30 June and the State and Federal Projects have ramped up pumping. Westlands has made firm commitments to acquire 141,522 AF of supplemental water and is requesting additional supplies. Consequently, Westlands staff projects that the District will end the water year with approximately 275,000 AF of water it is unable to use.
CSPA Executive Director Bill Jennings said, “The idea that Westlands Water District has been hording surplus water it can’t use while farm workers have been paid to hold vocal protests around the Central Valley accusing Congressman George Miller and federal agencies of starving farmers in order to protect Delta smelt is outrageous.” “Perhaps Congressmen Devin Nunes and Dennis Cardoza can use their influence to persuade Westlands to share some of their stored water wealth to benefit those less fortunate,” he said, adding “clearly an investigation is needed to see who else might be hording surplus water.” …”
Guest commentary: Who are the Westlands farmers? The truth about the West Side farmers
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 19, 2009 at 8:17 amAquafornia is pleased to run this guest reader commentary by K. Lynn Humphreys, a Westland’s family farmer:
Lately there has been a lot of purposeful use of the words “conglomerates”, “profiteers”, “big ag”, “corporate ag”, and “land barons”, when referring to farming families within The Westlands Water District. The relentless flow of these distracting terms is an obvious attempt to depersonalize farmers, and to demonize them as giant industry hogs that are grabbing resources at the expense of the environment. After all, it is easier to justify opposing someone if you don’t think of them as being like you. I would like to tell you about the real people farming in the Westlands District.
My husband is a fourth-generation farmer. He, along with his siblings, has grown up working on tomato harvesters, hoeing weeds, and laboring side by side with farm workers just as his father and siblings did on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. Over decades, the lifetime investment of multiple generations of a single family contributed to the development of the knowledge and experience necessary to manage their fields. They learned not only from their parents, grandparents and college educations, but also from being hands-on farmers and sharing information with their farming neighbors.
Their farming neighbors are the same families that were there when my husband was growing up, and when his father was growing up. The only difference now is their families, like yours, have grown. The children that wanted to become farmers purchased land alongside their parents’ farms. And then their children did the same. Land was also passed down as grandparents faded away. Ironically, “big ag”, the frightening term in the eyes of some, is actually the “family farm” those same people seek to promote.
Letter on Westlands drainage legislation
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 30, 2009 at 7:10 amFrom Lloyd Carter’s Chronicles of the Hydraulic Brotherhood blog:
“Feinstein wants to give Westlands Water District 1.193 million acre feet of water in perpetuity plus several other taxpayer paid major benefits in return for its simple statement that it will handle its contaminated irrigation drainage problem. Historically, Westlands has received only about 700 thousand acre feet annually. Its lands essentially will be a Superfund Site by mid-century because of its contaminated soil.
A federal judge (Wanger) has given the feds 90 days – until October 23 – either to accept an unfeasible solution from an Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision developed by the Bureau of Reclamation or have it give to the Congress legislation Feinstein had the Bureau develop that is totally Westlands oriented. Or, the Bureau and David Hayes could provide another solution. USGS is attempting to get language in the legislation that would condition any water delivery upon some rational milestone achievements by Westlands on drainage. The Bureau and David Hayes, should include this language since Feinstein also requested its inclusion, but that was AFTER original legislation had been drafted for her.”
Read more from the Chronicles of the Hydraulic Brotherhood blog, which includes a link to the letter, by clicking here.
California Water Districts sue to force Federal fish agencies to obey environmental laws
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 16, 2009 at 8:17 amFrom Westlands Water District, this press release:
“Environmental laws apply equally to all,” said Tom Birmingham, General Manager of the Westlands Water District, in announcing a lawsuit aimed at the federal government’s latest plan for cutting back even further on California’s water supplies.
Westlands is joining with 29 other public water agencies who argue that the National Marine Fisheries Service should have prepared an environmental impact statement before adopting a salmon recovery plan that will divert hundreds of thousands of acre feet of California’s freshwater supplies into the ocean.
“Denying this much water to California is going to do obvious, serious and enduring damage to habitat, to wetlands, and to other endangered species. It will reduce water quality and drive up the costs of water treatment for millions of people. It will reduce the opportunities for recycling, conjunctive use, and water transfers, which are all vitally important to the state’s efforts to conserve water and improve efficiency. And it will put tens of thousands of people out of work, which affects public health and safety in myriad ways,” Birmingham said.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California recently granted a preliminary injunction in connection with a similar lawsuit that pointed to the failure of another federal agency, the Fish and Wildlife Service, to prepare an environmental assessment before imposing a set of restrictions on behalf of the Delta Smelt that cut California’s water supply by nearly one third. Hearings on the merits of those challenges will be conducted later this year.
“The Obama Administration’s salmon plan mimics the smelt proposal and it suffers from the same defects,” Birmingham pointed out. In both the smelt and salmon proceedings, Westlands filed its lawsuit jointly with the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority.
The smelt cutbacks have cost California more than 660,000 acre feet of water last year and they have reduced water supplies by another 480,000 acre feet so far this year. The federal plan for salmon would continue all of those reductions and could take as much as another 500,000 acre feet of water out of the water system, according to the California Department of Water Resources. Those combined losses add up to enough water to serve nine million people for a year.
“The federal agencies pushing this plan have refused to estimate what the total loss of water will be. And they won’t say what it is going to cost taxpayers either,” Birmingham said. “But the Department of Water Resources reports that the smelt and salmon restrictions will add $500 million a year to the cost for public agencies to continue delivering water. And that doesn’t include the much larger capital costs for the changes that these federal agencies are demanding in existing dams and other water facilities.”
In announcing the salmon plan, the regional commissioner for the federal Bureau of Reclamation acknowledged that its implementation would mean that there will no longer be reliable water supplies for California agriculture and that there will not be any additional water available for cities that are growing.
“It is simply outrageous that federal authorities would seek to force these restrictions on California without conducting a single public hearing, without any public review or comment, and without any consideration of the harm they are doing,” Birmingham said.
Dan Bacher commentary: Westlands sues Feds over salmon biological opinion
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 16, 2009 at 8:15 amFrom Dan Bacher, this commentary:
Westlands Water District, the Darth Vader of California water politics, and 29 other water agencies today announced a lawsuit against the federal government’s court-ordered plan to prevent the extinction of Sacramento River spring run and winter run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, southern green sturgeon and the southern resident population of killer whales (orcas). The whales depend upon Central Valley salmon as a food source.
“It is simply outrageous that federal authorities would seek to force these restrictions on California without conducting a single public hearing, without any public review or comment, and without any consideration of the harm they are doing,” claimed Tom Birmingham, general manager of the Westlands Water District.
Westlands and corporate agribusiness are doing everything they can to prevent the recovery of imperiled Central Valley salmon and steelhead, green sturgeon and orcas, as required under the Endangered Species Act and numerous other federal and state laws. This is in spite of the fact that Westlands expects to use 86% of its average water supply this year, according to Department of Water Resources (DWR) data (http://yubanet.com/california/Op-Ed-Dan-Bacher-The-Big-Lie-Unravels.php).
“Central Valley Project deliveries to Westlands Water District, for example, were forecast to be zero as recently as March,” said Spreck Rosecrans of Environmental Defense. “Westlands now projects they expect to use 86% of average annual supplies this year. Their total supply is a combination of deliveries from the Delta, water banked last year, groundwater pumping and purchases.”
On the same day that Westlands announced its lawsuit, KFSN in Fresno reported “a convoy of protesting farmers on interstate five this morning caused a serious crash.”
Officials angle for west-side water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 14, 2009 at 10:50 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
Federal officials are running the massive pumps of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta at low levels to protect the endangered delta smelt, but the move could keep west-side agriculture from getting its promised annual water allocation.
Tom Birmingham, general manager of the Westlands Water District, said the pumping reductions are unnecessary, but environmentalists say the actions are necessary to protect the smelt. “A substantial portion [of delta smelt] — in excess of 90% — are outside the influence of the pumps,” Birmingham said. “From our perspective, the restrictions are unnecessary to avoid jeopardy to the species.”
Despite the concern, west-side water officials are confident they can get their promised federal water allotment through increased pumping in July.
Read more from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
Dan Bacher: The big lie unravels: Westlands will receive 86% of average water supply
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 10, 2009 at 12:37 pmFrom Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org, this commentary:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Central Valley agribusiness interests have since January issued a constant stream of press releases and staged frequent photo opportunities claiming that “drought,” compounded by pumping restrictions to protect Delta smelt and other fish species, will “devastate” San Joaquin Valley growers and farmworkers this year.
“This march is about opening our eyes to the reality of California’s water crisis – and the reality is that farmers do not have a reliable water supply they can count on, farm workers fear losing their jobs because crops are not being planted, and in towns across the Central Valley, unemployment is skyrocketing,” claimed Governor Schwarzenegger when he addressed the “March for Water” at San Luis Reservoir, organized by San Joaquin Valley agribusiness in April. “I am determined to getting a comprehensive solution done once and for all that will update our water infrastructure, increase our water storage and restore our Delta.”
Schwarzenegger, Westlands Water District and other San Joaquin Valley water contractors are cynically using the false claims of “drought” and the “devastating” impact of Delta pumping restrictions to campaign for a peripheral canal and more dams, an enormously expensive project that would only worsen the collapse of Central Valley salmon, Delta smelt and other fish populations.
Many reporters in the corporate media have constanly repeated these big lies, based on false and misleading hydrological and economic data, with little or no contrary data to combat their purveyors. However, Spreck Rosekrans, an Economic Analyst at Environmental Defense, has effectively exposed these lies in a short article posted on his blog on June 8, http://blogs.edf.org/waterfront/2009/06/08/water-supply-improvements-in-the-san-joaquin-valley/.
The “doom and gloom” and “fish versus jobs” scenario that has deluged the media over the past several months constrasts dramatically with the actual hydrological and economic data. In fact, information compiled by the California Department of Water Resources reveals that in 2009 water supply in most parts of the valley will be in excess of 80% of average, according to Rosecrans.
Read more of this commentary by clicking here.
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