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the default driver of these regulations, whether they are reasonable, whether they can be achievable andwhether they can be effective.” Sari Sommarstrom of Etna in Siskiyou County suggested that theplan for achiev- ing instream flows is not achievable as written in the proposed regulation. “The expectation that these (min- imum flows) are going to be what ’s needed is not going to end in success, unfortunately,” Sommarstrom said. “It would be great to have those minimum flows to help the fish. Unfortunately, I don’t see these expectations being met with your proposal.” The state can help locals by provid- ing technical and financial help for in- stalling water meters on wells and also with a watermaster for the local area, Sommarstrom suggested. She said, “It is much better if you have a watermas- ter delegated here to understand all of these issues.” Meanwhile, Walker said, “These regs probably don’t mean much for this sea- son: Some pasture guys are going to have to start feeding a little bit early and alfalfa guys aren’t going to take a fourth cutting.” He added: “We want to find ways to get through this year and next year and not have for-sale signs on ranches and to try tomake this all work.” Once the regulation for the Scott
and Shasta watershed is approved by the Office of Administrative Law and filed with the secretary of state, curtail- ment orders can be issued. Unless the state’s drought declaration is lifted, the curtailment regulations will remain in place into the next water year, which begins Oct. 1. The regulation follows other drought eme r g enc y cu r t a i lmen t r e gu l a - tions adopted by the board for water rights holders in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and Russian River watersheds. For the delta, the state water board last Friday issued curtail- ment orders to approximately 4,500 water right holders to protect drinking water supplies, prevent salinity intru- sion and minimize impacts to fisheries and the environment. “We knew this was coming in terms of hydrology and that therewas noway that all the water right holders were going to be able to get the water that their water rights indicated, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less,” Scheuring said. Thewaterboardaskswaterusers tosub- scribe to their respective region’s drought list or to frequently visit the board’s Watershed Drought Information page at www.waterboards.ca.gov/drought. (Chr i s t ine Souza i s an ass i s tant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
verters with the highest level of prior- ity can work together under potential voluntary cooperative agreements to reduce water use in the coming year by 30% in the Scott River and 15% in the Shasta River. “Guys with groundwater can take ad- vantage of the 30% rule in the Scott and 15% in Shasta to have more options and get some certainty by finding this water savings,” Walker said. “That was some- thing the FarmBureau fought for—to get certainty. We would have liked an abili- ty for all water users to get certainty, but what we got was what we got.” In urging the board to include volun- tary actions to achieve local water savings in the regulation, speakers at themeeting last weekhighlighteddecades-longwater conservation efforts. “A lot of good work has gone in lo- cally,” said Chris Scheuring, California FarmBureau senior counsel. “The folks in the watershed are really the ones that know what can be done, and certain- ly kudos to board staff, doing a whole lot of work with flexibility and trying to find solutions to get us where we need to go in the context of voluntary coop- erative agreements.” However, Scheur ing added, “We continue to have a problem with the (California Department of Fish and Wildlife) flow recommendations as
frame and put in placeholders, even for the underlying flow requirements to be negotiated and certainly for the volun- tary agreements to be negotiated on an ad hoc basis.” The action affects holders of 3,500 wa- ter rights in the Scott and Shasta rivers of the Klamath watershed. The regula- tion affects those who divert surface and groundwater based on the water right priority system, and affects the most ju- nior water rights first. It includes measures to helpmaintain minimum flows to protect fish, ensure supplies for human health and livestock needs and encourage voluntary efforts that may be used in lieu of curtailments. Explaining how the regulation would impact water diverters, Walker said, “the devil’s in the details.” He said those who divert surface water don’t have much of an assurance of water and will have to make some tough decisions. “You have to decide: Do I feed cows through the winter and then hope I have water? Do I sell cows now? Do I plant grain and hope for rain to bring it up in- stead of alfalfa? Do I fallow ground now and try to preserve what pastures I can?” Walker said. State water board staff explained that, under the regulation, groundwater di-
The Produce Safety Rule is Here; ARE YOU READY?
Farm Employers Labor Service (FELS), an a liated company of the California Farm Bureau (CAFB), has partnered with the Safe Food Alliance through a California Department of Food and Agriculture grant contract, as their designated training provider for Central and Southern California, to conduct the required Produce Safety training for growers. Presented in a free two-day remote delivery webinar format! What sets Safe Food Alliance, FELS, and Farm Bureau apart is their total of over 100 years of experience and our dedication to providing technical guidance and leadership to the California agriculture community. Most farms are required to have at least one designated supervisor who has been trained in accordance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety rule. Upon completion of the course, attendees will receive an o cial certi cate from the Association of Food & Drug O cials.
The Food Safety Training Partnership is offering these training courses throughout California. You can find more information and register at foodsafetytrainingpartnership.com, or call 916-561-5672. Supported by California Department of Food and Agriculture
August 25, 2021 Ag Alert 5
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