In California, water issues are of top concern. So, all eyes should be on Washington now as the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to potentially take-up two major cases that may affect water policies in the Central Valley for years to come. The cases, Stewart Jasper Orchards v. Jewell and State Water Contractors v. Jewell, are about water rights for Californians and they tell a story of environmental regulation gone wild.
As we know too well, ranchers and farmers are hurting under severe drought conditions throughout California. These troubles are only exacerbated by the federal government’s Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulations, which are forcing additional water restrictions, in the Central Valley, for the benefit of the Delta Smelt, a pinky sized fish that has no commercial value. These restrictions prevent farmers and ranchers from receiving their full water allocations—meaning precious rain water and snow-melt is passing into the San Francisco Bay while agricultural communities are running dry. In fact early this summer farmers in the Central Valley were forecast to get “zero allocation” in order to protect the Delta Smelt. That projection was revised upward only after we received a little more rain than was originally expected. But the farmers still received far less water than they really needed.
Ever since U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) began imposing mandatory water restrictions, farmers have been forced to get by with less, or to rely more heavily on their private wells. But, for some, those wells are beginning to run dry. And, as the State moves to limit water that can be tapped from underground reservoirs, things are looking grim.
Many have simply abandoned large sections of their farms—letting crops wither and die—for lack of water. Some have reduced output. Others have simply given up. All of this means fewer opportunities for agricultural workers, and hard times for businesses reliant on agriculture—not to mention rising food costs throughout the nation.
There can be no doubt that these water restrictions have imposed serious hardships on farmers, with major adverse economic impacts on the entire Central Valley economy—if not the country. But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it has no obligation to think about economic consequences. In their view, the only “economic impact” they need to consider is the cost of enforcing the restrictions—never mind the devastating impacts on California communities.
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