State water plan could cut into Central Valley farm production
by Emma Goss, Eyewitness NewsTuesday, July 10th 2018
BAKERSFIELD, Calif (KBAK/KBFX) – The plan to save a declining salmon population in Northern California comes with a cost to Central Valley farmers.
After nine years of research, the California State Water Control Board is finalizing a plan to help bring the salmon population back, after sharply declining by 90 percent in recent years.
“The conditions are very degraded,” said Erin Foresman, supervisory senior environmental scientist for the State Water Board.
Dams and other changes to their habitat have removed many areas of water where salmon go to spawn.
The proposal would take water from other parts of California and redirect it northward, boosting the flow of water to support salmon habitat. It would also take water away from parts of the Central Valley.
