Federal Lawmakers to Again Wrestle with California Water Shortage

Federal lawmakers are discussing legislation that attempts to divide California’s water supply among competing interests.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced the legislation in February. It was her third proposal in two years, and it faces the same obstacles as its predecessors: Republicans seek more certain deliveries of water for agriculture while Democrats represent what the Fresno Bee describes as the “environmentally sensitive” interests of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The bill does not mandate how much water should be pumped as part of projects that move water from Northern California to farms and cities to the south. Those decisions would be left in the hands of state and federal officials.

For the short term, the legislation includes provisions aimed at capturing water from El Niño storms. It would allow water agencies to increase pumping during winter storms, and they would no longer be required to “pay back” the increase by reducing pumping later.

Leaders from California Citrus Mutual (CCM) and other citrus leaders met with Feinstein recently in Washington, D.C.

CCM President Joel Nelsen, told the Western Farm Press that the work in Washington “is promising, and Senator Feinstein has every interest in getting something done for California water security once and for all.”

Source: LA Times, Fresno Bee, Western Farm Press S