From News Line, a daily compilation of farm water news distributed to CFWC members and others upon request.  To receive News Line, click here and submit your request.

EPA finds Bay Area waters far more polluted than once thought

Coalition response...California farmers are making the San Joaquin River cleaner. The drainage into the river of naturally occurring minerals such as selenium, salt and boron have been reduced through the combined efforts of farmers in the 100,000-acre Grasslands Bypass Projects. Farmers have installed thousands of miles of drip irrigation to improve their water use efficiency and most of the water that drains from the farm fields is reused. The result: the amount of selenium, salt and boron reaching the river from these fields has decreased by 87%, 72% and 64%, respectively.

The EPA has called the Grasslands Bypass Project a "success story." Also, California has removed 40 miles of the San Joaquin River from its list of impaired waters.

Lastly, the claim that "80% of the water mother nature provides California is siphoned off, most of it for agriculture," is factually incorrect. The California Water Plan, authored by the Department of Water Resources, reports that nearly 200 million-acre-feet of water in an average year is the supply from rain, snow and rivers flowing into our state. More than half is consumed by natural vegetation and evaporation. About 82 maf is available for use and DWR explains that 48% of the available supply goes to the environment, 41% to agriculture and 11% to urban use.