‘Hogwash’ about proposed water district

In a recent letter, Michelle Davis claims that the Tuscan Water District “would have power to draw down the aquifer, and transfer it to southern California, leaving out any say so by our Butte County elected officials.”

That’s a bunch of hogwash. Proponents of TWD have repeatedly stated that “any water imported into the District will remain in the District.”

The reality is that the Vina Subbasin is currently in an overdraft condition, which means we’re using more groundwater than is being replaced. If we don’t fix the overdraft condition, domestic and agricultural wells will eventually go dry and farmers will be forced to fallow fields which would significantly impact our local economy.

Butte County officials have been encouraging farmers to organize for years. Forming TWD will allow the region to solve the overdraft problem through conservation and the importation of surface water, thereby reducing demand on the groundwater aquifer.

— Barry Powell, Chico