For those out there who have been hearing all about the water issues, let me give you my side. It seems as though the water lobby is telling everyone that the peripheral canal is bad for California. Don’t believe it!
Northern California farmers want you to believe that if we send water down south we will destroy the Delta. Don’t believe it!
Large special-interest farmers don’t want competition from South San Joaquin Valley farmers, because the farmers in South San Joaquin Valley can outgrow any farm area in California.
Most farmers in the south have been turning on the pumps and drilling for new wells because the water barons have cut the allocation down to 10 percent of normal use. The wells are pumping salt from their aquifers and causing the loss of thousands of jobs for California farm workers.
The use of water is all of California’s business.
These are real problems for California consumers that may put us into a depression worse than we already have. Those thousands of farm workers who cried “Turn on the pumps” are crying for help.
If we allow the farm workers down by not having jobs now, we may lose them in the future.
Just this week in an article in the Stockton Record, it stated that the agriculture in the north is hitting record sales for 2009. Most understand why sales are high, but we must not risk leaving fields fallow in the south, because if we continue the water-hoarding, along with the low rainfall, we will really hurt the economy worse than it is.
Let’s stand up and start to take responsibility for our actions. Each of us needs to get involved. The water issue has been a problem for years.
Back in 1975, we had a two-year drought that was caused by low rainfall and no snowpack to back up storage for the state. Many farmers were hurt by the drought, but prices did not increase.
The losses were overwhelming for most of us. For many, it took 10 years to pay off most bills such as Pacific Gas and Electric Co., seed costs and water bills, which became a lien on the property we farmed.
It is happening again, so let’s adjust our spending, because it will get worse. “Be prepared” was an old Boy Scout motto — so let’s get ready.
Those farmers said "turn on the pumps" because there's already a canal that comes to their town.
"Those thousands of farm workers who cried “Turn on the pumps” are crying for help."
Folks probably didn't catch that and I don't think the author clearly delinated that, for some reason.
Maybe he just didn't know. Hope he is informed now.
This letter must be a proposal for the replacement for the Manteca Water Slides?
Let's build another canal.
We already have two going through Tracy.
Some farmer thinks we need ten canals going through our town? Whathaaaa???
Alrighty then. I'm convinced.
Spend spend spend.
Get your rubber ducky and your inner-tubes.
Send it down the drain, thinking like that stuff grows on trees.
Don't be so insulting. I was a farmer here in Tracy for about 50 years and other places such as Escalon, Lodi, Manteca, Holland tract in the Delta and so on.
Watering your lawn will be a problem when you can't afford the water bill. The building of the canal is only opposed by the few large farmers in the area.
They are telling everyone don't support the canal because of their special interest agenda.
I don't need to ask farmers about anything they need to talk to me.
The reasons are farming will go down the hill if we don't build the canal. NOTICE I SAID BUILD THE CANAL, NOTHING ABOUT SENDING WATER DOWN SOUTH, LOCAL FARMERS ARE ALREADY DOING THAT.
Please get your facts straight, your family may need a job building the canal to save your home. If I support your agenda, I then will march to your drum and I can't do that, because you are incorrect.
IF he had, he might think differently. To not acknowledge the plight of the Delta in the manner he/she has, means that Hannity and Rodriguez have won him over. That means he has not done his homework to see ALL SIDES of the issue.
Conservation from ALL users is part of the problem. Does the author have a lawn or flowers that he wishes to keep? But sending more water south to the brokers who are more interested in selling it than helping fellow farmers out ( as has indeed happened) is not the answer. Until profit can be taken out of the equation, water wars will continue forever. Until we all recognize the finite fragility of an ecosystem, that once destroyed, cannot be recovered, we are all guilty in some manner. An ecosystem that supports the farmers and other users south, when gone, will be gone for all of us. A farm that may have to make adjustments based on water usage, can indeed be planted again when we are not in a drought. Just common sense. I am sure the writer has some somewhere. He just forgot....
Go to a coffee shop and get the answers you need from a old resident. There's a lot you need to know.
Don't we already have 2 of these canals in town?
I don't think we need a third.
Meaning Privatized Farms? Corporate owned farms... ugh! There goes quality.
American water belongs to the people of America, foreigners should pay more since they are using our resources for THEIR PROFITS!
CN
(Less than an acre.) Your spin on the issue, smells FISHY and holds no water. Find another excuse.
I mean. It's crazy to put in more canals. All those canals going south will start having to CrissCross each other at some point. Not another canal. Please. Please. Please, re-write and come up with more practical solution.
Truck the water in. That will create twice the jobs.
A good example is the smelt fish that were added to the Endangered Species list when they put in the last canal.
A better solution is to reduce water usage.
Recall that Roosevel't New Deal was a proposal to plow under every third row to raise food prices.
Don't bank on it.
http://falconwaterfree.com
Why don't they rotate crops. The vineyards have to do it all the time. Planting crops that don't require as much water might be good for CA. Rice and strawberries are overated.
Even urinals use water wiser than that.
http://falconwaterfree.com/noflash.com
Everybody has to conserve?
I think you're onto something.
CN
Might be better that way, they may work better.
We will just have to wait and see. As for the dentist, Dale Stocking the only way he can help me is to work on my teeth. Ouch!
With your water-tight argument they might as well start diggin wells for water. This one won't get past the voters just because you claim to know someone who knows someone.
A great way to fix the problem created by liberals would be to freeze out salaries and anyone in Sacramento from running for Congress.
Then you'd see liberal lawyers and liberal lobbyists CYA. And maybe those liberal lawyers you called "water barons" could free up more than ten percent of the Delta-Mendota's water.
Two canals to nowhere just don't make sense.
Wwwinknet was right about one thing. This SHOULD go to Congress. Hopefully that's exactly what will happen come election season. Right Tom?
Read that in the Huffington Post.
CN
Do you know Dale Stocking? He is an activist in fighting the water privatization. He lives in Stockton and is an Orthodondist. He could help you if you contact him through yellow page.