Water: We can go on fighting or we can get to work By JustinFredrickson
ter. It’s tight all over, andwe’reall just trying to get through. Like it or not, we are all in this together. There is very clearly an urgent need— in the interest of all water users and all Californians—to come together and begin, as quickly as possible, to build a resilient system. Every type of water use would benefit. Central to building such resilience, we simplymustdevelopabetterability tocap- ture and storewater inwet years, to tideus through the dry years. Weneedmorepotsofwaternorth,more potsofwater south,morepotsofwaterun- derground. We also needmore flexibility, collectively and connectively, north to south and east towest. In a year such as this, Californians need to find thewill to re-envision, reinvent and adapt our system. We’ve seen it before: California—and its farmers and ranch- ers—areadaptable, resourceful andtough. But the state needs policies and insti- tutions, processes and strategic societal investments, that helpmake the transition to a resilient water system. Wecangoon fightingandpresideover a steadily deteriorating situation, or we can get towork. This generationof leaderswill set thedi- rection, irrevocably, for wherewe go from here as a state. Regardless of how some people would like to paint it, there are no villains. Wemust stress collaboration, not punitivemeasures. It’s time for leadershipandvision. There is no time towaste. (Justin Fredrickson is an environ- mental policy analyst for the California Farm Bureau. He may be contacted at jef@cfbf.com.)
We’re in a drought again—and a bad one—and that means a lot of attention to theway farmers and ranchers usewater. Some of that attention is sympathetic, via news stories t ha t s how how farmers have had toplowdowncrops or sell animals they canno longer feed. On the other hand, we’ re a l so see- ing a return of the fami l iar themes from pundits, ed- itorial boards and advocates who see a need to lash out at agriculture—or “Big Ag,” as it’s often called. Justin Fredrickson That sort of rhetoric surfaced the oth- er day before the State Water Resources Control Board, which oversees California water rights. It can be frustrating to listen to theall-too-familiar arguments that arise ina terriblydry year suchas this: “Farmers shouldn’t grow certain crops; a commis- sion should step in and tell farmers what to grow, where and how; if fish popula- tions are down, it’s obviously farmers’ fault; we shouldn’t be growing crops in a desert, etc., etc.” These arguments have been coming at farmers for decades froma small but vocal part of the public—but most Californians recognize the important contributions farms, and farmwater use, make to local, national and global food supplies, to the economy and to the environment. I think most people recognize farm- er-bashing for what it is: an outdated jus- tification for upending the state’s water systemat theexpenseof anenterprise that was appropriatelydeemedessential as the
Dry weather and low levels in Lake Oroville, above, and other reservoirs contribute to water short- ages that will force difficult decisions on farmers, ranchers and water managers.
worlddealtwith theCOVID-19pandemic. The statewaterboard, likeall of us, faces difficult decisions this year.Wemustmake sure its decisions reflect a full and fair as- sessment of our current situation. For example, therehavebeencalls tocut already-reduceddeliveries toseniorwater rights holders. The reality is that water delivered to senior rights holders such as Sacramento River settlement contractors and San Joaquin River exchange contractors rep- resents a lifeline, not only to those most senior holders but also to the rest of the system, through the built-in flexibility of water transfers. Transferredwaterwill be vital tomakea year like this just barely survivable. Many farmers around the state standat zerowa- ter supplies. They’re making hard deci- sions and face a very frightening year.
The operators of water projects and government resource agencies know the system and are working closely together. Like the rest of us, they aredoing their best to get through. A year like this should be an urgent wake-upcall:Ourwater systemis too tight, too fragile, too vulnerable. Despite the lessons of 2014 and 2015, California remains too susceptible to the threats of recurring drought and shrink- ing snowpack. We used to have the luxury of fighting among ourselves, the way the water de- bate is often portrayed: farmers vs. envi- ronmentalists vs. urbanagencies. I believe we no longer have that luxury. It’s time tomovepast thementality that a solution foroneusecanonlymean leaving another use or uses high and dry. In a year like this, no one is wasting wa-
VOL. 48, NO. 20
May 26, 2021
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