|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
Two north state water districts and the federal government declared an impasse in contract talks Monday as debate grew over changes in water deliveries to small farms. About two dozen farmers sat through the five-hour meeting at the Redding Civic Center, then showed displeasure at the lack of progress. Earlier, a handful demonstrated along Cypress Avenue, thrusting signs into the air for passing motorists. "This is the most frustrating process I've ever seen," said Sandy Winters, a farmer who has lived in Happy Valley for 45 years. "You (negotiators) don't accomplish anything. You just go back and forth." The stickiest issue is a Bureau of Reclamation plan that would restrict agricultural water deliveries to some land. To this point, cheaper agricultural water has been limited to farms at least 2 acres in size. That limit could increase to 5 acres. Farmers with less than 5 acres fear they'll have to pay triple for municipal water. About 610 farms within the Clear Creek Community Services District and Bella Vista Water District could be affected. Farmers who grow fruits and vegetables for their own kitchen tables say they may no longer be able to afford it. Many retirees earn supplemental income from selling produce grown on their small farms. "This is our livelihood," farmer Coleen Wogoman told officials during Monday's meeting. "You're basically telling us our livelihood does not matter. It does matter it does matter a lot." Bureau of Reclamation officials say agricultural water has been misused by some landowners who don't run viable farms. "We have an obligation to make sure the right rate is being charged for water," said Mike Ryan, area manager for the bureau. Water use within both districts has been "trending toward" a municipal type rather than agricultural, he said. "We have to be careful" to be sure that water is used correctly, Ryan said. District officials, however, say they already check. For the immediate future, water rates aren't likely to change. While efforts to reach a long-term contract stalled, officials will likely hammer out an interim contract with few or no changes, said Walt McNeill, a Redding attorney representing the Clear Creek district. Ultimately, the district may sue hoping that a federal judge would agree with their demands. The bureau is seeking long-term contracts with water districts throughout the Central Valley Project, a vast network of dams, reservoirs and canals that distributes water within the valley. For nearly a decade water districts have operated on interim contracts. The acreage debate isn't the only issue on the table. But it takes particular importance in the north state, where small family plots take precedence over huge corporate farms. "We're not going to give up, and we're not going to go away,"
Wogoman said. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||