By Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
An unlikely coalition of farmers and water managers, who in the past would be at loggerheads over the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, are banding together in an effort to move the needle on how to better manage this unique resource.
“When I told my father about this group, his quote was, ‘Why would you want to hang out with those guys down south that want to steal your water?’ Delta farmer Tom Merwin told a seminar audience gathered at World Ag Expo in February. “That has been ingrained in us for generations. We’ve all tried to make headway in our respective regions, but it’s failed.”
The Great Valley Farm Water Partnership, formed two years ago, includes members from the delta and San Joaquin Valley, regions that have historically advocated for delta operations from their own silos.
By seeking unity and practical outcomes for both farmers and the environment, the partnership is gaining traction.
At the World Ag Expo, panelists outlined the partnership’s seven priorities, one of which is the topic of a newly released white paper on sediment removal, dredging – a topic that has pitted agriculture against environmentalists.
According to the white paper, sediment has filled delta channels, decreasing capacity, in some cases, by up to eight feet since the 1960s. That negatively impacts all delta users, human, aquatic and vegetative by blocking tidal flushing, according to the paper.
The blockage reduces mixing bay water with fresh water allowing salt and other contaminants to build up and increase water temperatures.
Shallow water favors invasive aquatic plants, which affect native fish and provides ambush areas for predatory fish such as largemouth bass.
When sediment builds and water levels drop too low, it also prevents delta water diverters from irrigating because the water drops below their pump or siphon intakes. Sediment buildup also impacts water quality, which then impacts export pumping to Central Valley Project and State Water Project users.
In a sense, sediment removal is the first domino that needs to fall in order to flip the switch on how the delta is managed. But sediment removal is being stymied by permitting and cost, according to the white paper..
Delta farmer Mary Hildebrand co-authored the paper, and represents two reclamation districts along the banks of the San Joaquin River. Her San Joaquin County farm, her childhood home, includes riparian areas along the river. She has witnessed the degradation of river channels over the decades.
“I can see the negative effects on the ecosystem,” she said in a phone interview. “I miss the way it used to be. It was a wild and wonderful place when I was a kid. Now the hydraulics really favor the invasive species and the channels are hot, shallow and choked up. The clean and open channels are just not there anymore.”
Hildebrand said the paper was “a real group effort,” and went through several revisions. San Joaquin Valley managers studied it intently before publishing so they could understand and share the content with their own networks.
Jeevan Muhar, general manager at Arvin-Edison Water Storage District, said in an email that the partnership was formed to “collaborate on solutions versus the constant fighting that gets us nowhere.”
“Arvin supplies are absolutely dependent on a thriving and functional delta,” he wrote.
Hildebrand said she is prepared for what will be “a marathon, not a sprint.” But she is feeling more optimistic than she has in several decades.
A diverse cross-section of federal, state and local agencies are in the midst of negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) specific to sediment removal in the south delta.
“People need to understand that this is not a problem that is going to fix itself,” Hildebrand said.
Other topics being studied by the Great Valley Farm Water Partnership:
- Enhanced south of delta water storage capacity
- Delta levee investment improvements
- South delta permanent operable gates
- Improved ability to export water
- Predation suppression
- Invasive aquatic weed control
