California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
Farmers in the San Joaquin Valley are ignoring mandatory water restrictions, despite California’s historic drought. Many of the farmers who live in the area rely on the San Joaquin River to water their crops, an essential aspect of their business.
At the beginning of June, the State Water Resources Control Board said it would no longer honor almost 300 water rights, holders whose rights were implemented before the board was put into place. Because of these rights, the state never made farmers cutback on water during times of drought. That has now changed.
As the California drought continues, the state is now taking drastic measures to help save water, the biggest measure can now become one filled with legal implications.
A group of water districts have sued the State Water Resources Control Board over the mandatory cut backs on those with senior water rights, those individuals, companies and water districts that had claim on the water prior to 1914. Historically, especially in times of drought, California has curbed water usage for all but protected water rights for those who fall under the senior water rights.
“Water right holders were here before the state exerted any authority over water,” Steve Knell, general manager of Oakdale Irrigation District, told Mother Jones.
Even though the California drought has taken its toll on the state as a whole, farmers are fearful of losing all of their crops without adequate water supply. Out of this fear, some farmers have decided to continue pumping water, despite the restrictions.
“We’re pumping today,” a farmer told CBS San Francisco.
The farmer said he would continue pumping water from the San Joaquin River while they fight the decision in a court of law.
According to the State Water Resources Control Board spokesman Tim Moran, farmers will be fined $1,000 a day if they continue pumping the water.
