December 21, 2016 - By Christine Souza - People from the northern San Joaquin Valley left their farms, classrooms and local government buildings Monday to voice opposition to a plan by the State Water Resources Control Board that would affect the flow of water for the San Joaquin River and its tributaries—the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers. The board says the purpose of the plan is to leave more water in the tributaries during periods it considers key for at-risk native fish species.

At the third of a series of public meetings, people poured into the Merced Theatre in downtown Merced and provided public testimony before the board.

The proposal, known as the revised Substitute Environmental Document and released in September, recommends between 30 percent and 50 percent of the rivers' unimpaired flow be dedicated to fish; the board says unimpaired flow averages 20 percent under current conditions. The starting point suggested by staff is 40 percent. If adopted and implemented as proposed, local irrigation districts estimate up to 240,000 acres of farmland would be dried up in order to redirect water to fishery uses.

Mariposa cattle rancher Tony Toso, a partner and chief financial officer at an agricultural appraisal firm in Hilmar, told the board, "I'd like to respectfully remind you that your decisions will have a vast and far-reaching impact on California."

"Every decision that I make in my responsibilities as an appraiser greatly impacts the lives and well-being of others," Toso said. "To inform an opinion and to conclude a value for a property, it's critical that I understand as much about that farm or ranch as possible to perform my responsibilities, and water is a huge part of those considerations."

Toso told the board no one wants to deplete fish populations or put them in peril, but added that it is important that the state not lose sight of one of its most important resources—agriculture.

"When you contrast the potential impact on California farmland and agricultural products that are in the billions vs. 1,100 salmon, this proposal just collapses under that enormity," said Toso, who serves as second vice president of the California Farm Bureau Federation. "I would implore you to put this (proposal) aside and look at other, more reasonable, well-thought solutions to this problem."

Merced County Farm Bureau President Joe Scoto emphasized to the board that as business owners, local farmers recognize the hard work by past generations to build water infrastructure, schools, businesses and towns, and talked about the importance of maintaining agriculture for the future.

"The State Water Resources Control Board's proposed unimpaired flow requirement would literally collapse our community, dismantle our economy and destroy our sustainability," Scoto said. "Our future as the fifth-largest county in U.S. in total value of agricultural products sold would vanish."

Noting that the state is also implementing new groundwater-management policies, Scoto said the board proposal would force farmers to use groundwater to supplement loss of surface water.

"We all know as commonsense individuals that surface water is the biggest tool that we have to preserve drought-stressed aquifers," he said. "There has never been a time in our lives when we have felt so threatened with our future."

Panelists from the Merced Irrigation District suggested that the board consider the district's Merced River S.A.F.E. Plan (Salmon, Agriculture, Flows and Environment), which they said provides certainty for both the environment and for local water supply in eastern Merced County. The SAFE plan would include riverine and riparian restoration, a salmon hatchery plan, predation control and development of partnerships with state and federal agencies and non-governmental organizations.

In recommending the SAFE plan as an alternative, MID general manager John Sweigard said, "We're willing to put flows in the river and do these things now. Your only other alternative is a regulatory, legal process that, I would say, it would be a decade or longer before anything gets done. We think that that is a waste of time when you've got something in front of you right now."

During a panel presentation, Merced County staff pointed out challenges with the board proposal, saying lack of available surface water would result in very little groundwater recharge; cause problems with water quality; increase land-subsidence concerns; and cause impacts to disadvantaged communities.

Merced County Assessor Barbara Levey said the area depends on the Merced River.

"The losses that would be imposed upon Merced County growers and property owners under the bay-delta plan are tremendous. These losses will impact our economy through lost jobs, lost revenues, lost opportunities and reduced property values," Levey said.

(Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
Reprinted with permission: California Farm Bureau Federation