Protest Continued from Page 1
As farmers regionwide have turned to groundwater to make up for cuts in res- ervoir supplies, that has further reduced aquifer levels and heightened frustra- tions for those relying solely on wells. For the eight valley counties from San Joaquin to Kern, the California Department of Water Resources report- ed some 1,200 agricultural and domestic wells have run dry this year. Water offi- cials reported 465 dry wells in the Madera County alone. That is as California enters the third year of drought, with dry conditions across the West described by scientists as the worst in 1,200 years. Beckstead, who wasn’t present at the Capitol rally, said the farmers from Madera County are saying, “‘Look, stop chastizing us for pumping ground- water when you cut off our surface- water supplies.’” Beckstead has met with many of the affected farmers. She said, “At this point, their livelihood depends on something that is being taken away from them at every angle they turn. So they are trying to have that voice and explain what it is they’re losing and how it impacts every- one else.” Sidhu, who is also part of the Unified Water Coalition group, said some farmers are frustrated with their own county. He said the new groundwater pumping pen- alties “basically now penalize us for taking
Farmers and supporters march on the Capitol, demanding that officials provide more surface water for San Joaquin Valley agriculture. Many were farmers from Madera County upset about new fees on aqui- fer pumping.
water from the ground...when our state government is not allowing surface water.” County Supervisor David Rogers, who voted against the pumping penalty, turned out in support of the farmers at the Capitol march and rally. He blamed California water policies for putting Madera County—and its farmers—in an untenable position. “We know there’s a problem, and we know we have to fix the problem,” Rogers said. “But they’re trying to fix the problem on the backs of one group.” Some participants in the protest called on state officials to release more water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin riv- ers to replenish badly depleted reservoirs.
State water officials say they need to safe- guard sufficient flows to protect salmon populations and the environment. “I’m not saying take everything out of those rivers,” said protest participant Nanette Simonian, a Fresno County pest control advisor and former vegetable and organic prune farmer. “I’m just say- ing take a portion. I mean, there can be allocations into our reservoirs. I’m not saying take the whole thing—we don’t want the fish to die.” Simonian said she is frustrated that “farms are getting torn up right now.” In Fresno County, she said, “you see citrus being pulled. You see olives being pulled out, vineyards being pulled out. No new
planting is happening because there is no water.” Rogers said he fears those who face hardships from water shortages “are the best environmentalists in the world— family farmers who love the land, who love their farms, and who want to see them continue to the next generation.” He said it is unfair to blame “the farmer pumping groundwater.” “Water is life,” he added. “And when you take away our water, you take away our life. You’re taking away our ability to make a living.” (Peter Hecht is chief editor of publications for the California Farm Bureau. He may be reached at phecht@cfbf.com.)
CIMIS REPORT | www.cimis.water.ca.gov
CALIFORNIA IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
For the week October 20 - October 26, 2022 ETO (INCHES/WEEK)
YEAR
3.0
THIS YEAR
2.5
LAST YEAR AVERAGE YEAR
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
MACDOEL II (236)
BIGGS (244)
DAVIS (06)
MANTECA (70)
FRESNO (80)
SALINAS-SOUTH (214)
FIVE POINTS (2)
SHAFTER (5)
TEMECULA (62)
IMPERIAL (87)
THIS YEAR LAST YEAR AVG. YEAR % FROM AVG.
.91 .75 .76 19
.52 .36 .53 -4
.86 .38 .66 28
.88 .27 .75 21
1.00 .36 .81 23
.89 .66 .72 24
.87 .64 .74 17
.98 .65 .85 16
.85 .52 .86 -2
1.10 1.16 1.05 6
W eekly reference evapotranspiration (ETo) is the rate of water use (evapotranspiration—the sum of soil evaporation and crop transpiration) for healthy pasture grass. Multiplying ETo by the appropriate “crop coefficient” gives estimates of the ET for other crops. For example, assume ETo on June 15 is 0.267 inches and the crop coefficient for corn on that day is 1.1. Multiplying ETo by the coefficient (0.26 inches x 1.1) results in a corn ET of 0.29 inches. This
information is useful in determining the amount and timing of irriga- tion water. Contact Richard Snyder, UC Davis, for information on coefficients, 530-752-4628. The 10 graphs provide weekly ETo rates for selected areas for average year, last year and this year. The ETo information is provided by the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) of the California Department of Water Resources.
For information contact the DWR district office or DWR state headquarters:
SACRAMENTO HEADQUARTERS: 916-651-9679 • 916-651-7218
NORTHERN REGION: Red Bluff 530-529-7301
NORTH CENTRAL REGION: West Sacramento 916-376-9630
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION:
SOUTHERN REGION:
Fresno 559-230-3334
Glendale 818-500-1645 x247 or x243
10 Ag Alert November 2, 2022
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