Restore the California promise by securing our water future
California’swater history flows acrossmy farmin theNorth State communityofOroville. Acanal carved in theearly 1990s passesbeneathmyolivegroves. Itwas anextensionof original conveyance systems inspiredby gold seekers, who fashioned oneof California’s earliestwater delivery systems in the 1890s on the Feather River, nearmy home. Those systems were later built upon as the lure of gold gave way to the great agricultural promise of California. That promise—and the availability of water—lureda local farming pioneer from Illinois to Northern California. Freda Ehmann became the acclaimed “Mother of the California Ripe Olive Industry” and continues to inspiremy farm’smission to carry onher traditions in producing California olives. Now, aspresident of theCaliforniaFarmBureau, I amfight- ing to uphold and restore the promise of sustainable water delivery in my state. After two years of severe drought, our farmers and ranchers are suffering. They’re fallowing crops and thinning herds because of extremewater shortages. That isn’t surprising in a state in which surface water sup- plies from the critical Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta were effectivelycut off inAugust for 10,300water-rightsholdersand 4,500 Central Valley farms. And yet, given California’s history of water engineering and innovation, it’s shocking. Those early canals led to the concept of a statewide water development project. The effort culminated in the creationof the StateWater Project, a systemof reservoirs, hydroelectric power facilities, canals and pipelines that deliver water to 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland. It would complement the largerCentral ValleyProject, a federal system of dams and reservoirs that in normal years delivers water to one-third of the agricultural land inCalifornia. These projects were the essence of the California promise: to continue innovating to support our growing Golden State communities and our prospering farming and ranching sec- tors. That included supporting entrepreneurialismwhile also safeguarding the environment. But thensomehowCalifornia lost itsway. Evenafterahistor- icdrought in1976-77, thestatecouldn’t seemtomuster itsspirit of innovation for continuing to grow its water infrastructure withnewstorage facilities andupgradedconveyance systems. These days, our once world-renowned water system is aging and ill-equipped for California’s 21st-centurywater needs. The results are painful for California agriculture. That’s clear from the American FarmBureau Federation’s drought survey this past summer, which included responses from480 California farmers and ranchers.
According to the California survey numbers, 25% of our growers said they were highly or extremely likely to plowun- der crops due to fears of inadequate futurewater deliveries for irrigation, and 41% said they were likely or extremely likely to remove orchard trees. Our ranchers weren’t faring any better. More than half of those surveyed said it was likely or extremely likely that they would thin their herds and flocks. Nearly two-thirds said they would pull animals from rangeland because of insufficient forage due todrought. It’snot entirely fair to sayCalifornia lost itswater vision. But sadly, California can’t get out of its ownway. In 2014, 67% of California voters approved a potentially landmark water bond measure, Proposition 1. The Water Quality Supply and InfrastructureAct allocated$7.1billion in bonds formodernizingourwater systemwithvastlyexpanded surfaceandgroundwater storage, upgradedconveyance, pub- licwater systemimprovements and investments inecosystem protection and restoration. Yet not awater’s dropof infrastructurehas beenbuilt since. Litigation, infighting and a lack of political will have blunted the progress California voters demanded. Recently, apowerful stormbrought awelcome—though far short of drought-busting—deluge toNorthernCalifornia.Had it been built by now, the signature project of Proposition 1— the proposed Sites Reservoir near Sacramento—could have capturedmuch of that rainwater. But our farmers and ranchers are not giving up. The California FarmBureauhas continued to fight for federal and state water infrastructure improvements, andwe were heart- enedby the recent allocationof $80billion in federal funds for planning and engineering for the Sites Reservoir. It’s true that water projects take time. In my community, the Oroville Dam—amajor storage facility of the StateWater Project—tookmore thaneight years tobuildafter its approval in a 1960water bond. Still, wemust retain the fierce urgency of our forebearers, including farmer settlers who saw the promise of California and worked to build water storage and conveyance for future generations. We are indeed still farming in California. Our agricultural communities are evolving in the face of epic challenges. But we will not rest until we secure our water future, fulfilling our obligations to the farmers and ranchers who will followus in the years ahead.
President’s Message
Jamie Johansson
VOL. 48, NO. 40
November 3, 2021
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