Newsom should kill plan to drain state reservoirs
On the tail end of the second dry winter in a row, with water almost certain to be in short supply this summer, California officials are apparently planning to largely drain the equivalent of the state’s two largest reservoirs to satisfy the wasteful thirst of farmers.
Gov. Gavin Newsom must stop this irresponsible plan, which threatens the environmental health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the water supply for about one-third of the Bay Area residents. We should be saving water, not wasting it. Employing conservation measures now will lessen mandatory water restrictions in the event of a long-term drought.
Powerful agribusiness interests are expected to pressure the governor to waive state water quality standards. Gov. Jerry Brown did just that in 2014 and 2015, sending additional water from the Delta to the Central Valley with devastating consequences to salmon runs and other wildlife. Newsom should let farmers know now that he plans to adhere to the state standards.
Unfortunately, according to Doug Obegi, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, Central Valley farmers have already received notification from the state Department of Water Resources and the Bureau of Reclamation that they will allocate about 5 million acrefeet of water this year. That would be the equivalent of draining the state’s two largest reservoirs, Shasta Lake and Lake Oroville. It wouldn’t leave enough cold water flowing into the Sacramento River and the Delta during the summer, potentially killing chinook salmon runs and other fish species.
Farmers claim the water is needed to “feed America.” It’s true that the Central Valley provides about 25% of the nation’s food supply. But the Central Valley’s dirty little secret is that Big Ag used roughly 10% of the state’s total water supply last year to produce almonds. And 70% of that crop was sent overseas.
The state’s almond production in 2020 was 3 billion pounds, the largest on record, and double that of a decade ago.
It takes about a gallon of water to grow a single almond. California shouldn’t allow the largest estuary west of the Mississippi to be destroyed so that Big Ag can continue to line its pockets with this environmentally reckless export.
Newsom wouldn’t be facing this problem if California had developed a long-term water strategy during the last decade. The governor can get that process started by reminding farmers of his promise to “rely on the best available science to protect our environment.”
When it comes to the Delta, scientists have made clear that allowing more, not less, water to flow through the Delta and west toward San Francisco Bay is essential for protecting fish life and providing a clean supply of drinking water. The threat of climate change heightens the need to invest in conservation, recycling and storage efforts.
Newsom should do everything possible to protect the Delta for current and future generations.