UCCE advisor weighs in on water plan

The California Water Resources Control Board (CWRCB) was in Merced on Monday to hear testimony about a proposed Bay-Delta plan to stream water into natural waterways, rather than divert them for agricultural use in the San Joaquin Valley, reported Rich Rodriguez on KMPH Channel 26 10 O'Clock News. 

The Bay-Delta Plan was designed to enhance flows in and out of the Sacramento River basin and within the Bay-Delta to protect wildlife and fish, particularly the salmon population.

"The report is a comprehensive synthesis of the best available science on the flow needs of fish and other aquatic species in the Sacramento River basin and the Bay-Delta, as well as an analysis of how flows have been modified in the system due to diversions of water," according to a CWRCB press release.

At the Merced hearing, UC Cooperative Extension advisor emeritus Maxwell Norton raised concerns about the plan. 

"In a Valley that is not very affluent and so dependent on agriculture, these potential rule changes can be really devastating to communities here in the San Joaquin Valley," he said.

Several farmers drove their tractors, festooned with protest signs, to the hearing. One sign read, "We built it, you're stealing it."

UCCE advisor emeritus Maxwell Norton is concerned about plans to stream more water into the Bay-Delta.

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