BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — California has seen heavy rainfall over the past few weeks, but nearly all the water collected in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta was dumped into the ocean, leaving farmers in the Central Valley with questions and concerns.
Farmers like Jason Giannelli, who say the rainfall they receive throughout the year is always helpful for growing crops like processing tomatoes, almonds, pistachios and more. However, one thing he says farmers are concerned about is water storage.
According to Giannelli, who is a fourth generation family farmer here in Kern, the pumps running from the delta to the aqueduct are only operating at about 20 percent capacity, with the majority of the water being flushed out into the ocean.
"We are talking about a national security issue when you think about it, because Kern County alone is the number one [food] producing county in the country. Give us our water and you wouldn't have a sigma problem or anything like that. They want to claim overdraft and everything else, but it's not because we have an overdraft problem. We have an over-regulation problem, and we're not getting our water," said Giannelli.
The California Department of Water Resources says the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is the hub of California's water supply, providing fresh water to two-thirds of the state's population, and to millions of acres of farmland.
With 95 percent of the water going from the delta directly back into the ocean, Giannelli says the issue at hand is simple: Regulation.
"This whole rain situation and snowpack has been a blessing of course, and it's helped everybody, but more is needed. Not just rain-wise, but regulatory-wise," said Giannelli, who added that he believes the solution is not only having additional water storage, but also being mindful of water usage through the state.
California State Assemblymember Vince Fong says the drought conditions the state has been facing, which remain ongoing despite recent rainfall, is a reminder of why water policies are so important when heavy rainfall does come upon us.
"Right now with all these storms, it's put our water policies front and center. Imagine where we would be right now if we had finished the reservoir, if we had completely modernized the Friant-Kern Canal, the Mendota Canal. We would have so much more capacity to save this water that we are currently getting, but because of the inability and the lack of political will that the governor has shown, those projects are currently languishing," said Fong.
Fong has sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom in response to 95 percent of the delta water being let go into the ocean. Fong asked the governor to provide more water to California communities in need of additional supply.
"Right now, because of the environmental restrictions, pumping has been curtailed, but as more storms come and as more water flows in the rivers and the reservoirs, we can move more water safely. That is what we are asking the governor to do," said Fong.
