With drought worsening, should California have much tougher water restrictions? [Los Angeles Times]
As Californians wonder when mandatory water restrictions might be coming, officials and experts including those who played roles in addressing the 2012-2016 drought say the pace and strategy of Newsom’s current response sufficiently incorporates insights gained from the past. … The governor’s approach, however, has also frustrated some scientists who consider his actions too little too late as record-high temperatures intensify the water shortage, particularly in northern and central parts of the state. … Conditions already appear to be outpacing the previous drought: Scant winter rainfall led to minimal snowpack on the Sierra Nevada mountains, and spring heat evaporated much of the runoff that was expected to flow into reservoirs.
Opinion: In drought-stricken California, who owns water rights can still be a mystery [Los Angeles Times]
As we careen deeper into drought, California will face increasing impacts to urban and agricultural economies, rivers and forests, and wildlife. In response, government agencies will need to determine how to allocate water among competing needs. Water users will scramble to buy and sell water — if they can — or reduce their use. But the current lack of information hobbles the ability to make difficult decisions about water management. For California to cope with persistent shortages, water rights data need to be accessible to decision-makers and the public.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-07-15/water-rights-management-california-drought
Coastal farmers try to stay ahead of drought [Half Moon Bay Review]
San Mateo County is one of 50 counties in which the state has declared a drought emergency. While the drought doesn’t seem to impact Coastside crops compared to other parts of the state, farmers on the Coastside face their own challenges. Unlike the large irrigation districts in the Central Valley, farmers on the Coastside tend to rely on a patchwork of creeks, wells and reservoirs to feed their crops and livestock. … BJ Burns, president of the San Mateo County Farm Bureau, said in a dry year like this, farms have to rely on what they have already stored because there likely won’t be replenishing rains over the next few months. “We’ve been through it before,” Burns said of the drought. “But this one here seems to be a bit worse because it’s getting drier sooner.”
Pallet prices are still soaring as shortages hurt U.S. producers [Bloomberg]
California farmers grappling with extreme drought, a labor crunch and logistical snafus can add another headache to the list: wooden pallets. The platforms used to move watermelons, tomatoes and other bulk produce through the food supply chain have more than doubled in price, shooting up to more than $15 apiece from less than $7 a year ago, said Cannon Michael, a sixth-generation grower in California’s Central Valley agriculture hub. … The spike is not only leading to hoarding, but also crime. One tomato processor has even gone so far as to hire a security guard to protect against theft, according to Michael. … Even though lumber futures plunged 44% in June, pallet prices kept rising, a government report showed this week. The pallet category in the Producer Price Index has risen for 13 straight months, jumping 31% just this year.
Time is money for companies facing transport snarl [Wall Street Journal]
With transportation networks around the world overburdened, the price of shipping things from one place to another keeps going up. But when it comes to the cost pressures companies are facing, those price increases are only part of the problem. … For many businesses, however, shipping delays and long lead times amount to a bigger problem than rising transportation prices. … In the week ended July 13, there were slight or outright shortages of available trucks from 18 of 23 specialty crops markets, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In the comparable week in 2019, just two of those markets registered any shortage.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/time-is-money-for-companies-facing-transport-snarl-11626269933
Point Reyes delays tule elk, ranch management decision [Marin Independent Journal]
The Point Reyes National Seashore announced Wednesday that it has delayed a decision on its controversial proposal to kill some of the park’s tule elk and extend how long commercial cattle ranchers can lease parkland. The National Park Service was required under a 2017 court settlement agreement with three environmental groups to render a decision on the plan by Wednesday. … The plan, known formally as the general management plan amendment, proposes to extend leases for dairy and beef cattle ranches at Point Reyes and the neighboring Golden Gate National Recreation Area from five-year to 20-year leases.
https://www.marinij.com/2021/07/14/point-reyes-delays-park-management-decision/
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