The Republican-backed legislation would allow Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta pumps to continue to send water to the Central Valley as long as water is available.
Those pumps are sending minimal water to the valley now because of low reservoir levels and river flows, not environmental regulations that protect endangered fish.
The bill would also stop the restoration of the San Joaquin River until 2015.
Shawn Coburn of Firebaugh farms in three counties in the valley and uses water from two federal systems.
“It’s like closing the gate after the cow has gotten out, it’s a little bit late now, but anything is better than nothing,” says Coburn.
Environmentalists and several Democratic House members called the legislation a “water grab” and an attempt to throw out the Endangered Species Act.
“Sucking the Delta dry is not the answer to California’s water issues," said Democratic Congresswoman Doris Matsui in a statement. "We need long-term solutions that will benefit the entire state, and should be working together to solve California’s water problems through a balanced approach. This proposal is anything but balanced and will only create further discord.”
The legislation is backed by Congressmen Devin Nunes, Kevin McCarthy and David Valadao.
Related Stories
Drought In California Seems Inevitable. But Experts Say Don’t Panic.
March 1, 2020Parts of California just witnessed the driest February ever, and there’s around an 80 percent chance the state will enter a full-blown drought this year. If that happens, it could be the third-driest year in just over a century.
California's Dry October Could Be A Sign Of More Concentrated Rainy Seasons
October 29, 2018When it comes to rain and snow most of California is running below average this year, and little is forecast in the near future.
.jpg&width=186&height=140&constrain=true&pad=true&BgColor=cccccc "Tahoe Environmental Research Center boat captain Brant Allen lowers a Secchi disk from the research vessel into Lake Tahoe. The disk has been used for more than 50 years to measure water clarity at the lake.")
Extreme Weather Dropped Lake Tahoe Clarity To Historic Lows In 2017
June 13, 2018If you spent time on the water at Lake Tahoe last year and thought it looked a lot cloudier, you're right. UC Davis researchers say extreme weather — drought followed by heavy rains — caused clarity in 2017 to drop to its lowest recorded level.
Dry Spell Raises Fears Of Drought's Return In California
January 3, 2018(AP) — Despite dry conditions in much of the state, water managers say it's too early for fears that California is sliding back into drought as abruptly as the state fell out of it.
Caltrans Marking, Removing Dead Trees Along State Highways
August 22, 2017Caltrans is worried about the possibility of dead trees falling onto some California highways. The agency has already removed 107,000 trees. Now the agency is getting ready to remove another 54,000 trees, including some on private land.
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.