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

Deaths of endangered fish curtail water exports

Coalition response…Water deliveries from the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project are expected to be less that the contracted amount for users. The loss of more than 727,000 acre-feet of water, which equals more than 237 billion gallons, would have offset a portion of these reduced deliveries. Instead of sending this water to storage, it was redirected to the ocean. It could have produced the food that 726,000 people consumed in a year. It could have irrigated 260,000 acres of farmland, an area eight times the size of San Francisco. The value of that food could have been $873 million, which represents an economic contribution to the State’s economy of $2.2 billion. More information of the economic impacts of this lost water can be found at farmwater.org/watersupplycutshurtusall.pdf.

Moving the location of where water is taken for export to an area closer to Sacramento means that the threat to Delta smelt will be avoided since the species does not exist at the new point of diversion. It will also provide a more reliable water supply.

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