SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today expanded his drought emergency declaration to 39 additional counties, including the Klamath River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Tulare Lake Watershed counties where he said “accelerated action is needed to protect public health, safety and the environment.”
A total of 41 of California’s 58 counties are now under a drought state of emergency, representing 30 percent of the state’s population.
The expanded drought declaration was released as juvenile Chinook salmon are already dying of disease in the low water conditions in the main stem of the Klamath River.
You can read the Governor’s proclamation at: https://www.gov.ca.gov/.../5.10.2021-Drought-Proclamation…
The Governor said “climate change-induced early warm temperatures and extremely dry soils” have further depleted the expected runoff water from the Sierra-Cascade snowpack, resulting in “historic and unanticipated reductions in the amount of water flowing to major reservoirs, especially in Klamath River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Tulare Lake Watershed counties.”
“With the reality of climate change abundantly clear in California, we’re taking urgent action to address acute water supply shortfalls in northern and central California while also building our water resilience to safeguard communities in the decades ahead,” said Governor Newsom. “We’re working with local officials and other partners to protect public health and safety and the environment, and call on all Californians to help meet this challenge by stepping up their efforts to save water.”
Salmon and Delta advocates criticized the Governor’s declaration for catering to large corporate agribusiness interests —and pointed out the poor water management by the state and federal governments in the Sacramento and Trinity-Klamath Basins during recent droughts.
"Today Central Valley lawmakers and Governor Newsom used the drought, which is the result of climate change, to advocate for taxpayer-funded pork projects, such as private canals and the Sites Reservoir, for industrial agriculture, which uses up to 80% of the state's developed water,” said Regina Chichizola, co-coordinator of Save California Salmon, in a statement.
“Poor water management during the last drought led to 90% of the salmon dying and toxic algal blooms in cities’ water supplies. Tribal and fishing communities are suffering," she noted.
"The fact is we can't dam our way out of climate change. Industrial agriculture uses most of the state's water, while exporting their crops and offering little benefit residents of this state. California's antiquated water rights system leaves cities and the environment high and dry while almonds get clean water,” emphasized Chichizola.
"These talks about water storage, drought relief, and voluntary agreements are happening without consent with the California Tribal communities and other salmon and clean water advocates,” pointed out Morning Star Gali Pit River Tribal Member and Save California Tribal Organizer.
Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director of Restore the Delta, also responded to the declaration, noting that “Governor Newsom’s latest declaration tears pages from the playbook Governor Brown used in 2013 and 2014.”
“Everyone gets something except the Delta,” she stated. “We get salinity barriers. This will disrupt waterways and create stagnant pools with larger harmful algal blooms throughout the summer and fall. These algal blooms pose dangers to public health through water contact to people and dogs, but also from the emission of airborne contaminants.”