California's capital city of SACRAMENTO After decades of fighting farmers in court over how much water they can take out of California's rivers and streams, some stateLawmakers want to use taxpayer money to buy out farmers.
Farmers would be able to take as much water as they need from the state's rivers and streams under a proposal in the state Senate. State officials could leave the water in the rivers to benefit salmon and other fish if they owned those rights.
A proposal that would pay farmers to grow fewer crops in order to save water is one of the ways the state is trying to modify its water system.
Current readings show that 98% of the state is in a severe dry spell. Reducing outdoor use such as lawn irrigation is one of the ways that many areas have begun to restrict water use for homeowners. Farmers have had their allocations reduced from the two major state-owned water systems.
Water in California is owned by the government. Farmers have water rights that allow them to take water for farming. Farmers have used those rights to turn California's Central Valley into an agricultural powerhouse that provides much of the nation's fruit, nuts and vegetables.
The largest estuary on the West Coast and home to many species of fish has been disrupted by the removal of all that water. State and federal rules governing how much water can be diverted for agriculture have been a point of contention for years.
With California having a record budget surplus of nearly $100 billion, Democrats in the state Senate want to use up to 1.5 billion dollars to buy senior water rights by either buying the land associated with the rights, buying just the right itself, or putting an easement on the land that requires the water.
The proposal is part of the budget negotiations between the Legislature and the governor.
It's like we're buying back stock in the same way that corporations are buying back stock in America.
It wouldn't buy that much water. Water is measured byacre foot, which is the amount of water to cover one acre of land to a depth of one foot. It's the equivalent of over one million liters.
A typical household uses a lot of water. According to the Water Education Foundation, farmers use up to 35 million acres of water each year.
The general manager of the largest agricultural water district in the country said that the 1.5 billion dollars would buy 200,000 acres of water.
The idea makes a lot of sense because it's a way to avoid conflict.
State and federal regulators need to change the rules in order to get more water flowing. Less water for farmers is what they can do by requiring more water to be left in rivers and streams. It can take a decade or more to resolve lawsuits caused by rule changes, according to a former secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency.
We need a way to act quickly. One way to do that is to acquire water rights. We don't have that much time with climate change.
Farmers would have to give up their water rights in order for this to work. Farmers try to sell their water rights to the district.
Many farmers' children don't want to continue farming.
The only reason farmers would be willing to sell is because state officials are driving them out of business, according to state Sen. Brian Dahle, a republican running for governor.
I feel like my blood is boiling. He told his colleagues that the proposal was ridiculous. They have no other choice but to enter the corner.
The devil will be in the details when it comes to a legislative proposal. He would like to see rules that make sure the additional water purchased by the state stays in the rivers and not goes to someone else.
There are about six native fish species that are on life support because we don't have enough water in the Delta.
Anything that can be done to address the issue is appreciated.
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