Say no to new dams and irrigating Westside land
Who really believes that two more multibillion dams (Temperance Flat, Sites Reservoir) will rescue us from drought? California already has 1,390 dams of all sizes and they have mostly sat empty the last few years.
Even though the current rains may bring temporary relief, many climatologists think we are a long way from being back to a “normal” water regime, whatever that is.
It took thousands of years to fill the aquifers under the San Joaquin Valley and desperate farmers have been pumping them dry because of lack of river water due to drought.
What is the answer? We need to conserve more water in agriculture. We need to stop flood irrigation and we need to stop irrigating the badlands on the west side of the Valley, which are full of salts and selenium.
In addition to salts already in the Westside soils, imported Northern California river water carries the equivalent of 17 railroad cars of salt a day (200,000 pounds per car) into Westside farm fields.
Can somebody please tell me where are we going to put this mountain of salt? Let’s ask the Mesopotamians.
Walter A. Shubin, Kerman
This story was originally published April 9, 2016 at 6:34 AM with the headline "Say no to new dams and irrigating Westside land."