In Southern California, there are cities in the valley that own water rights in the Mountains versus the foothill communities. The water coming out of the 'hills' in Yucaipa goes to Orange County first. It is also the same water that Arrowhead Bottling company would get their water when we lived there in the 80's and try to sell it to people who lived in Yucapia for drinking water. We found it strange that water in our town's backyard belonged to Oranage County and frankly still do. But then, we also found Arrowhead Bottling Company trying to sell bottled water to residents of Yucapia strange when it was the water we drank out of our faucets.
We went through the water rationing soon after we had planted a new yard but watering in the early morning before the sun came up saved the lawn as the water did the most good. We planted a garden that took watering every day as the ground just soaked it in and the sun would dry it out. Watering also seemed to encourage the gophers who would take a whole plant into their hole as you watched from the patio. Finally figured out how to do a garden in Southern Calilfornia that looked like the books, and we moved after solving the water and the gopher problem.
Cannot even fathom trying to grow crops in the Central Valley without the necessary water after what it took to figure out a small garden. I guess the Obama Administration wants the food prices to rise considerably by denying the farmers their right to water. Farmers and ranchers have made great strides with the water they use to irrigate so the water can be captured and recycled to use again. How is that rewarded? The water is turned off by the Federal Government to ranchers and farmers in favor of the commercial salmon fishing industry.
What bothers us is that don't even know if adding water will help the fish or if it is a another problem that is causing the fish to decrease in numbers. Instead of studying the problem, this group of environmentalists automatically choose more water for the fish and less for the farmers and ranchers. Why do Democrats always choose the fish or animals over people?
Just finished reading a Report to the Governor on California's Drought, Water Conditions and Strategies to Reduce Impact, March 30, 2009, which details strategies to deal with the drought. This has been a long standing problem in California and various groups and people need to work together to find a solution not have the Department of Interior step in without regard to the situation on the ground. Seems when the Federal Government gets involved it goes from bad to worse especially with this Administration and their deep ties to the far left environmentalists.
California isn't the only place with major water problems in drought years that the Federal Government has inserted themselves. We lived in the San Antonio area where there are periodic droughts which cause water rationing, but one major reason they put pumping limits on the Edwards Aquifier is to protect the Salamander of the Comal Springs. The pumping limits go into effect when the Aquifier reaches a certain level even though during droughts the Salamander burrows into the mud, hibernates, and comes back to life when water flows back in the springs. They put pumping limits on the Acquifier saying Comal Springs was the ONLY place this endangered species Salamander was found but turns out it is found in other parts of the region. That didn't stop the Sierra Club and other far left environmental groups of the Democrat Party from demanding pumping limits and water rationing on humans.
Salazar may go down in history as one of the worst Secretary of the Interiors with his actions to date. He refuses to listen to reason but that sums up this entire Administration. Common sense has been thrown out the window in favor of the far left wing groups of the Democrats.
We would estimate that the vast majority of Americans favor Conservation of our Natural Resources but these far left environmental groups are not just about conservation but putting hardships on people in favor of little fish, birds, etc. without any basis in fact. Must admit after the Global Warming scam not sure we would trust any data out of scientists studying the problem. They would have to make public their results and how they obtained them after all the flawed data the scientists used to make a political point.
Time for Americans across the Country to stand with the people of the Central Valley of California, the bread basket of America, and ask our elected Senators and Representatives in Congress to turn on the water.
Obama to California “Water, Its Not a Right its a Privilege”
by John Loudon
On the list of insane public policy moves we have come to expect from the current administration, Cap and Tax, Obamacare and Union Card Check, a fourth has garnered relatively little attention, although the implications for all Americans may be among the most far-reaching. The recurring theme is centralized control.
On Monday, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will host a rare Congressional “Field Hearing“. A Congressional delegation will venture out of the beltway and actually devote time to a problem in our country. Better yet, they will be listening to real citizens. Sort of.
At issue is what residents are calling a government-made drought in the Central and San Joaquin Valleys of California. Legal and environmental regulations in the Endangered Species Act has resulted in the diversion of 200 billion gallons of water from the agricultural heartland of California into the Ocean. According to California farmer Rose Corona,“Potentially over $20 billion of California’s $43 billion of agricultural revenue could be decimated in America’s greatest breadbasket as farmers lose their farms and residents are forced to import food from China. While the solutions are not simple, local government officials are not even able to attempt them.”
Two thirds of California’s water is in Northern California, but two thirds of the people live in Southern California. Over the last generation, a series of aquaducts and canals was built to divert some of the plentiful water in the North so that instead of raising the sea level (as Al Gore warns us is imminent) the fresh water will irrigate incredibly productive land. The five counties effected provide tens of thousands of jobs and a stunning $20 billion of food output.
So why would politicians in California, a state that is already bankrupt, do anything other that mount a united battle to find a solution? That is hard to say. Instead there are deep and often ugly divisions and battle lines such as radical environmentalist on one side and farmers and migrant workers on the other.
Officials are perplexed to find an explanation for the declining population of the delta smelt, a small bait fish. It is also true that the salmon industry is concerned. So it is understandable that regulators would force action. What is not understandable is why the game of man vs beast is tilted at every turn toward the beast.
Consider that the judicial solution holds that if the fish population is declining, we will leave more water in the river and see if that works. No one knows if it will. Maybe there is a chemical or biological explanation, but we will take a chance because the lives of fish are at stake.
So when a compromise solution is proposed, called the “Two Gates” project, that would restore water and possibly protect fish, the Obama administration’s Interior Secretary, Ken Salzar put the brakes on it. So we will experiment to put fish over people, but we will not experiment to put people over fish. How is that Hope and Change working for you?
As for the rest of us, the implications are huge, not just for our food bills, but for establishing the precedent of allowing the Federal government this level of control over water. When government takes your water, they take the value of your land nay, they steal the value of your land.
Excerpt: Read More at Big Government
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