Don’t confuse cause and effect in water debate
I read Morgan Swisher’s letter (Jan. 17) about the “boondoggle” that a dam at Temperance Flat would be.
His letter is a case of mixing up cause and effect. The water table isn’t depleted because of dams, nor is it restored by letting water flow out of dams or having rivers without dams. In fact, the wasteful practice of letting water flow from dams when the reservoirs aren’t full and not having enough dams to store water adequate for our needs causes groundwater depletion.
The lack of surface water in recent years has forced farmers to pump groundwater heavily. Ensuring that water stays behind dams instead of letting it flow to the ocean and building additional dams to keep up with population growth is a way to protect the water table.
Farmers prefer surface water when it is available. Water, on an acre-foot basis, is less expensive than the same amount pumped out of the ground. Dams are paid for by ratepayers with no subsidies. This is not true of wind and solar.
Russell Harland, Dinuba
This story was originally published January 23, 2017 at 12:24 PM with the headline "Don’t confuse cause and effect in water debate."