Agriculture secretary assesses California water problems

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack promised California farmers Wednesday he’ll press for solutions to the water crisis hitting the state’s San Joaquin Valley, one of the most prolific farm regions in the world.

Vilsack listened to concerns on issues ranging from Mexican trucking and trade tariffs to the threat the Asian citrus psyllid poses to the state’s citrus industry in a private meeting arranged by Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif.

Farmers kept returning to the issue of drought and water, however, and the state’s outdated system of conveyances that have cut deliveries because of environmental concerns in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

“I understand these are serious issues with serious consequences,” Vilsack said.

The meeting at one of the valley’s largest fruit packing houses came as federal attention has been focused this week on the water crisis crippling the region. A three-year drought, combined with environmental issues that have slowed water deliveries, have forced farmers on the valley’s west side to fallow more than a quarter-million acres.

On Tuesday House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer toured the western Fresno County farm community of Mendota, where idled farmworkers have driven the unemployment rate to nearly 40 percent.

Vilsack brought with him his deputy secretary, Kathleen Merrigan, marking the first time the two have traveled together, he said. Shortly after his meeting with farmers, Sen. Dianne Feinstein began a water summit in Coalinga.

“It’s important for the Secretary of Agriculture to understand that California’s water system is broken and the federal government has a role in fixing it,” said Costa, who represents much of the region and has been on a nearly full-time mission to find a solution to the water crisis.

Farms on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley depend on water shipped from the north through a system of canals. Tom Birmingham, general manager of the Westlands Water District, said 1 million acres of almonds, tomatoes, lettuce, grapes and other commodities are “in a crisis” because environmental edicts have limited the flow of high-quality water.

“We are hopeful when you talk to the President you will express a need to preserve agriculture on the west side,” Birmingham said.

The water problems of California, Vilsack said, should be a wake-up call for the rest of the country.

“It’s a warning that we need to be concerned about water generally,” he said. “We need to be concerned about its quality and availability. I will tell the President it’s not just about California, but it’s about the country and the world.”

Vilsack’s stop at Fowler Packing Co. was part of the administration’s tour of rural America. He also planned a meeting in Modest

Tags: California, jim costa, san joaquin valley, SDNN, Water, water crisis

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