Thread: Grape watering clashes with fish protection CA.water problem

Wine grape watering clashes with salmon protection

Posted at 12:43 AM on Friday, Jan. 29, 2010
By JASON DEAREN - Associated Press Writer

Grape growing, fish protection clash in California

Grape growers in Northern California's cool, fertile Sonoma County wine region are stomping mad at a new plan to limit the amount of water vineyards can pump from local rivers and streams to protect crops from frost - a proposed regulation meant to safeguard coho salmon, a species on the brink of local extinction.

Vineyard acreage in Sonoma County, adjacent to the Napa Valley, has increased 30 to 40 percent during the past decade and the county estimates the businesses generate about $2 billion annually.
But the growth has run up against federal protections for coho salmon, an endangered species that once filled streams and rivers along California's central and northern coasts.

•Federal court hears face-off over fish
Federal court hears face-off over fishEnvironmentalists on Wednesday again clashed with the federal government and state water contractors over how native fish species fit into the state's two major water projects.
This time, it was about salmon and steelhead instead of delta smelt.
U.S. District Court Judge Oliver W. Wanger made no decision following a daylong federal court hearing, but agricultural groups and water contractors are waiting nervously.

•National science panel convenes on Calif. delta
National science panel convenes on Calif. deltaAn expert in California's delta told a panel of the National Academies of Sciences on Sunday that their decisions about the largest estuary on the West Coast could alter how Californians use water.
"I view this as the thorniest water environmental issue in the West," said Jeffrey Mount, a professor at the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California, Davis.
The 15-member panel of independent scientists is meeting this week to examine whether the federal government should lift or modify limits on pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, restrictions that farmers blame for a water shortage that has left once-fertile fields to wilt.

•National science panel convenes on Calif. delta
National science panel convenes on Calif. deltaThe National Academies of Sciences on Sunday begins a series of meetings examining whether the federal government should lift or modify limits on pumping from California's delta, restrictions farmers blame for a water shortage that has left once-fertile fields to wither.
At issue are two environmental plans written last year by federal wildlife agencies. Both are intended to protect threatened fish by restricting how much water can be pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The restrictions, combined with a three-year drought, have forced farmers to fallow thousands of acres and cities to impose severe water restrictions.

HEALDSBURG, Calif. -- In this cool, fertile wine growing county in Northern California, grape growers are stomping mad at a new plan to limit the amount of water vineyards can pump from local rivers and streams to protect their crops from frost - a draft regulation meant to safeguard coho salmon, a species on the brink of extinction here.

Sonoma County, next to the more famous Napa Valley, has a fast-growing wine industry - vineyard acreage has increased 30 to 40 percent over the past decade and the county estimates the businesses generate about $2 billion annually.

But now that growth has run up against federal protections for coho salmon, an endangered species that once filled the streams and rivers along California's central and northern coasts and now has crashed to nearly nothing.

In the spring, when hibernating vines start coming to life, temperatures can drop below freezing overnight, destroying the young grapes. During these frigid nights, growers spray river water onto the vines, encasing them in a protective frozen shell that shields them from the harsh weather.

Farmers say one bad night, when temperatures drop five to 10 degrees below freezing quickly, could wipe out huge percentages of their crop.

"It could, it very well could. Down here in the bottom, if we don't have the water, it's not going to get it done," said vinyard manager Paul Foppiano, standing in a low-lying field of pinot noir vines near the Russian River. Sprinkers hovered over the gnarled vines in a part of his family's 140 acres, which have been producing wine in Sonoma County since 1896.

"The problem with frost is one year you might have to run 15 to 20 nights like we did a couple of years ago," he said. "Last year we only ran three or four nights so you're not using a whole lot (of water)."

Foppiano is not against the state managing the use of river water to help protect fish, but believes accurate accounting of water use by other county growers is needed before any regulatory decisions are made.

"If the state is willing to work with us, we're willing to work with anybody," he said "But there's got to be some answer to it other than to completely cut us off. It's going to be a problem."

At issue is the continued existence of the hook-mouthed coho salmon and the threatened steelhead trout that spawn in these coastal streams and rivers - a habitat that stretches from Alaska to central California. While coho still thrive in Alaska, their once plentiful stocks in California and Oregon are under threat, federal fisheries managers say.

Under the state's proposed regulation, any pumping would be illegal unless approved by the State Water Board's management program. The new rule could be in effect by 2011.

State water regulators say using river water for frost protection is legal, but are seeking a middle ground that will protect fish and grapes while ensuring some oversight.

"The goal is not to shut (pumping) down, but to make sure it's done in a responsible manner with an eye to making sure the resources are protected," said Vicky Whitney, deputy director for the State Water Board.

With vineyards spreading quickly in the area, it was only a matter of time before the burgeoning industry ran into a water issue.

In 2008 and 2009, both drought years, pumping by vineyards resulted in the deaths of hundreds of coho and steelhead as creek levels dropped, stranding the fish. The kills were well documented in local media, spurring outrage from environmentalists and concern from federal fisheries managers.

http://www.fresnobee.com/384/story/1801544.html

Recent rains still making a splash

Succession of storms keeps regional waterfalls gurgling

By Mike Lee, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 3:01 a.m.

No one would confuse waterfalls in San Diego County with Niagara Falls, but more than a week of storms have made the region’s cascades of water run like they rarely do.

The show offers a reminder of the region’s natural diversity, said Rob Hutsel, executive director of the San Diego River Park Foundation. “From the ocean and the estuaries all the way to the deserts, our scenic vistas are just incredible,â€

I vote for the salmon. After all, there are other ways to protect plants during freezes like blanketing them with blankets at night. A lot more work but during droughts one watering and a blankie is a lot more efficient than wasting water, while a source of food is disappearing on behalf of money and getting us all snockered.

Originally Posted by vortex

I vote for the salmon. After all, there are other ways to protect plants during freezes like blanketing them with blankets at night. A lot more work but during droughts one watering and a blankie is a lot more efficient than wasting water, while a source of food is disappearing on behalf of money and getting us all snockered.

Wine grapes aren't the only crops that need that water.

Food Facts

California has been the number one food and agricultural producer in the United States for more than 50 consecutive years.

More than half the nation's vegetables, fruit and nuts, come from here.

California is the nation's number one dairy state.

California's leading commodity is milk and cream. Grapes are second.

California's leading export crop is almonds.

Nationally, products exclusively grown (99% or more) in California include almonds, artichokes, dates, figs, kiwifruit, olives, persimmons, pistachios, prunes, raisins, clovers, and walnuts.

From 70 to 80% of all ripe olives are grown in California.

California is the nation's leading producer of strawberries, averaging 1.4 billion pounds of strawberries or 83% of the country's total fresh and frozen strawberry production. Approximately 12% of the crop is exported to Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Japan primarily. The value of the California strawberry crop is approximately $700 million with related employment of more than 48,000 people.

California produces 25% of the nation's onions and 43% of the nation's green onions.

Gilroy, California, "Garlic Capitol of the World."

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/californ ... facts.html


Approximately 59,000 acres of avocados are grown in California.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado

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Lake Mead Water Level Dropping - Southern CA. / NV. water problem

Aqueducts connect Lake Mead’s water to millions of people living both in Nevada and southern California.

Lake Mead - Could Dry Up.

http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-1011936.html

How many billions of gallons do the wine grapes use, when they could be used for strawberry fields and other crop irrigation?

Sonoma County, next to the more famous Napa Valley, has a fast-growing wine industry - vineyard acreage has increased 30 to 40 percent over the past decade and the county estimates the businesses generate about $2 billion annually.

And I still vote for the salmon when pitted against wine grapes.

Originally Posted by vortex

How many billions of gallons do the wine grapes use, when they could be used for strawberry fields and other crop irrigation?

Sonoma County, next to the more famous Napa Valley, has a fast-growing wine industry - vineyard acreage has increased 30 to 40 percent over the past decade and the county estimates the businesses generate about $2 billion annually.

And I still vote for the salmon when pitted against wine grapes.

But all of the alcoholics will die if they don't get enough wine.

But all of the alcoholics will die if they don't get enough wine.

I am sure the tequila from Mexico would be cheaper! And often you get a free worm!
Americans just have to quit being so hoity-toity.

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Why California Is Running Dry

60 Minutes: Three-Year Drought Is Bringing A Decades-Long Fight Over Water To A Head

Why California Is Running Dry, 60 MINUTES

California could survive 7 dry decades, computer model says


http://www.alipac.us/f19/california-could-survive-7-dry-decades-computer-model-says-312364/