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Ag Officials Urge Fixing Water Law: Lawmakers Hear About Wasted Water and Discouraged Environmental Practices.

Posted on: Saturday, 25 March 2006, 12:00 CST

By Mark Grossi, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

Mar. 25--A major water reform law has backfired for years, encouraging some farmers to waste water while discouraging others from environmentally sound water-storing practices, San Joaquin Valley officials say.

Farm officials said that the Central Valley Project Improvement Act may have helped other parts of California's environment, but it is time to fix provisions that have caused unintended consequences.

"It has been a failure," west-side farmer Dan Errotabere told a congressional panel Friday in Fresno.

Other farm officials suggested the law, known as CVPIA, also should be tweaked to funnel millions in general restoration fees -- paid by farmers -- directly to the revival of the San Joaquin River.

Rep. George Radanovich, R- Mariposa, chairman of the Subcommittee on Water and Power, called the hearing to review and prepare for possibly revising the 1992 law.

Reps. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, Dennis Cardoza, D- Merced, and Jim Costa, D-Fresno, attended the hearing. They heard from nine witnesses about the law.

When it passed, it moved environmental water needs to an equal footing with farms and cities. In addition to paying environmental fees, west-side farmers were required to give up 800,000 acre-feet of water for wildlife habitat improvement.

The federal government has spent more than $800million to help fisheries and wetlands, much of the money coming from the environmental fees levied on farmers.

Environmental conditions improved, including the Valley's marshes and wetlands.

David Widell, director of conservation policy for Ducks Unlimited, said healthier wetlands have allowed heron and egret rookeries to increase by 50%.

But the environment still needs more attention, he said, adding that the Tulare Lake Basin was ignored in the revival.

"Contrary to what some may assume, the CVPIA did not resolve all issues for all the wetlands acres in the Valley," Widell said. "The Tulare basin represents one of the biggest omissions of the CVPIA."

From their viewpoint, farm officials said the law never worked.

On the Valley's west side, for instance, farmers don't find out soon enough how much water they can expect so they can plan their crop season. And they sometimes get an additional shot of water when they don't need it -- in September.

"What we experienced was farmers who had to use the water because they still had to pay for it," said Thomas Birmingham, general manager of Westlands Water District.

The law also imposed higher prices as farmers used more water. Leaders of the Friant Water Users Authority, representing east-side farmers, said the law discourages their growers from buying extra water to percolate into the Valley's underground supply.

Friant farmers also pay more than $20million each year in environmental restoration fees. The money goes into restoration projects in many places, including the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and Shasta Lake.

Officials want the law to require that the money be used exclusively in restoring the San Joaquin River.

Friant, which has used the river to irrigate crops for decades, is negotiating a settlement with environmentalists over restoring the river.

Said Brogan: "I believe that it is time for Friant dollars paid into the restoration fund to stay home."

The reporter can be reached at mgrossi@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6316.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Fresno Bee

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