West Coast Observer: Never enough!

When it comes to water

By William Silveira

The public here in California and in the rest of the country are continually bombarded with claims that not enough water is available to irrigate farms in California’s Central Valley. Among the loudest of theses voices is that of the Westlands Water District, which contracts with the federal government and the State of California for water for farms in that district.
    The Westlands Water District comprises 1,000 square miles of territory in west Fresno and Kings Counties. Its Deputy General Manager for external affairs is Johnny Amaral, long-time friend and former chief of staff for Congressman Devin Nunes.
    Much of the water provided to Westlands is impounded behind San Luis Reservoir and delivered by the California Westside Water Canal to the Westlands District, to growers south of the Westlands District, and to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The rationale for the California State Water Project, which was authorized and constructed in the mid-1960s, was that it would provide Los Angeles with a much-needed supply of water to replace water it had lost in a court battle with Arizona over Colorado River water. A further rationale was that it would be used to bolster badly depleted underground sources used by farmers in what is now the Westlands Water District.
    But enough is never enough! In the February 4, 2018, edition of The California Sunday Magazine, in the article “A Kingdom from Dust,” writer and investigative reporter Mark Arax tells the story of California billionaires and farmers Stewart and Lynda Resnick (the same folks who created a market for pomegranates with Pom Wonderful). The Resnicks farm 15 million acres in the San Joaquin Valley and consume 400,000 acre feet of water annually. For comparison, the City of Los Angeles consumes 587,000 acre feet of water per year.
    Arax’s story relates how the Resnicks purchased dry land in a large region southwest of Bakersfield, California. They then managed to purchase water and land for underground storage of water to irrigate this vast desert territory, now planted to almonds, pistachios, and pomegranates. The water is delivered through the State Water Project.
    Arax points out that what is being farmed is water – which is then turned into nuts and pomegranate juice. How does this relate to the Westlands Water District, which buys from the same sources as the Resnicks? It shows how the creation of the State Water Project did not just replace played-out underground water sources. It was also used, for the first time, to irrigate thousands of acres of desert land (not just the Resnicks’) that had never been farmed. And it was also used to farm land more intensively that demanded a large amount of water for nut crops.

All of this brings us full circle to our President and our Congressman Devin Nunes. Although Nunes’s congressional district isn’t within the boundaries of the Westlands Water District, Nunes actively pushes for water for Westlands farmers. It is not a mere coincidence that his former chief of staff, Johnny Amaral, is Deputy General Manager for External Affairs at Westlands. It is not a mere coincidence that Trump is insisting that more water be pumped out of the delta to the San Luis Reservoir for distribution to Westlands – and the fish be damned. (See the Sacramento Bee, “As fish disappear, Trump administration seeks to pump more California water south,” January 2, 2018.)
    And now Trump has called for the raising of Shasta Dam, in the far north of the state, by 200 feet to store more Sacramento River water to send south to the Westlands Water District. At 602 feet (60 stories equivalent) the dam is already the 8th highest dam in the country. It is two-thirds of a mile in length. Could the dam in fact withstand the extra force that would come from the impounding of that much more water? (The President did not say how much; I rather doubt that he even knows.) We have already witnessed the failure of the Auburn Dam on the Feather River. And what about the environmental damage that would be created by backing up so much more water into the watersheds of the rivers above the dam that feed into the Sacramento River?
    It bothers Trump not at all that the State of California has laws that prohibit this kind of undertaking. Is it because he thinks he can teach California a lesson and do this? I doubt it. It is just another false Trump claim. If he verbalizes support for something that his followers ardently want, he keeps them happy even if nothing is likely to materialize. And his supporters are apparently satisfied with this hot air.
    Witness his latest claim that drug dealers should be executed. I am sure that a large number of people thought that was a dandy idea, notwithstanding the reality that it will never happen. But Trump is great because he said it! Such is the sad reality of this country’s state of affairs. Trump only has to tune into and then give voice to whatever foolish or atavistic thoughts pass muster with his followers, and he is popular. Does it ever occur to these people that they are hearing only a hollow echo? Maybe that’s enough for them.
    Like water for the west side of California’s Central Valley (there’s never enough), Trump’s false promises and claims are never enough for the true believers in his camp. They’re always prepared to hear more and cheer for them.

Copyright © 2018 by William Silveira