From The Sacramento Bee, in a commentary by Tim Johnson:
“How can it be, I asked myself, that the drought is so bad and planning so nonexistent that there are serious thoughts of eliminating all surface water for agriculture in the state? I was numb.”
From the San Francisco Chronicle, in a commentary by Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla:
“The outsize influence of delta water exporters can be seen in the recent ‘drought relief’ action by state and federal regulators, which undid with the stroke of a pen Endangered Species Act protections for fisheries that were the result of a decade-long legal challenge.”
“With California’s driest months ahead, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today [April 25] issued an executive order to strengthen the state’s ability to manage water and habitat effectively in drought conditions and called on all Californians to redouble their efforts to conserve water.
“‘The driest months are still to come in California and extreme drought conditions will get worse,’ said Governor Brown.
“A prolonged period of below-average rainfall has put the entire state of California under some level of drought, ranging in severity from moderate to exceptional, for the first time in 15 years.”
“Ah, spring. It’s a time for finding romance, for stretching your legs in the sun, for rejoicing in whatever water has been spared by the drought. Rats like to do those things, too.”
From the San Jose Mercury News, in a commentary by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein:
“In a Tuesday editorial, the Mercury News suggests the Emergency Drought Relief Act is a product of lobbying by large agricultural corporations. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
From the San Francisco Chronicle, in a commentary by Tom Evans:
“Water customers in Northern California have it in their power to buffer themselves from future droughts. Historically, water agencies in the region have operated independently.”
From the PPIC Viewpoints blog, in a post by Caitrin Chappelle and Ellen Hanak:
“As the legislature considers the final size and shape of this new bond, it is worth reviewing how bond funds have been used in the past and the areas that most need bond support in the future.”
“One fish, two fish, red fish, blue state fish. The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture holds its annual forum on California’s fisheries today [April 24] …”
“As droughts have worsened in recent years, federal authorities have released less and less water from a web of reservoirs and canals in northern California that feeds farms and cities in the arid south. For the first time in six decades, most farmers on the east side of this valley have been told they will get no federal irrigation water.”
“Less outdoor watering, limiting vehicle washing and using recycled water whenever practical is being urged by a San Diego City Council panel in response to the region’s ongoing drought.”
“As water agencies wrestle with California’s drought emergency, and lawmakers pass bills seeking relief from a third consecutive dry year in the state, another institution, the public university system, is continuing to play a critical role in water conservation.”
“As with all things water-related, it depends where you live and where your water comes from. A “we get it first” presumption does not necessarily apply.”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures, and California’s severe drought is already inspiring a few.
“Water districts in the San Joaquin Valley are proposing a drought tactic that’s never been tried: they want to reverse the state’s plumbing by running the California Aqueduct backwards.”
“The East Bay’s largest water district decided Tuesday to use voluntary conservation and tap a new water supply from the Sacramento River to get through the year without rationing.”
“The East Bay Municipal Utility District this month will begin diverting water from the Sacramento River for the first time ever, a clear sign that the drought is literally causing ripples across the state.”
