Posted on Dec 16, 2022
Some of America's biggest vegetable growers fought for water. Then the water ran out
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https://www.npr.org/2022/12/15/ [login to see] /some-of-americas-biggest-vegetable-growers-fought-for-water-then-the-water-ran-o
Late in the afternoon on November 14, a historic email landed in the inboxes of hundreds of California farmers whose land lies within the Westlands Water District, the largest agricultural irrigation agency in the country – and one of the most controversial.
For decades, Westlands has led the fight against environmental rules that restrict the flow of water from California's rivers to its farmers. It sued the government, lobbied friendly politicians, and took on critics wherever it found them, even in Congress. "Where's the outrage, that government decisions have created zero water supplies for communities in the San Joaquin Valley?" Westlands General Manager Tom Birmingham admonished a congressional committee in 2016.
Tim Quinn, former executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies, says Birmingham and members of the Westlands governing board "were pretty entrenched in adversarial decision making. It was us versus them, and we were going to win and they were going to lose."
Late in the afternoon on November 14, a historic email landed in the inboxes of hundreds of California farmers whose land lies within the Westlands Water District, the largest agricultural irrigation agency in the country – and one of the most controversial.
For decades, Westlands has led the fight against environmental rules that restrict the flow of water from California's rivers to its farmers. It sued the government, lobbied friendly politicians, and took on critics wherever it found them, even in Congress. "Where's the outrage, that government decisions have created zero water supplies for communities in the San Joaquin Valley?" Westlands General Manager Tom Birmingham admonished a congressional committee in 2016.
Tim Quinn, former executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies, says Birmingham and members of the Westlands governing board "were pretty entrenched in adversarial decision making. It was us versus them, and we were going to win and they were going to lose."
Some of America's biggest vegetable growers fought for water. Then the water ran out
Posted from npr.org
Water
Farming
Agriculture
Posted 2 y ago
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We are seeing the direct effects of the lack of water. This past summer we experienced drought conditions here close to home. I recently heard that some local ranchers are selling off their cattle because they can't find enough hay to feed them through the winter. We are getting a load of hay delivered tomorrow for our cows, and we're hoping it will be enough to get them through the next four months, which we believe will be enough.
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Water is one of our most endangered resource. How do you irrigate millions of acres while providing clean drinking water to 10's of millions of people?
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