Dino Cortopassi stands up for the Delta

Quoting 1PAB1 from the comments section of yzer's link:

"As long as the population is greater in the South and as long as we keep electing Governors from the south Northern California will continue to be raped, plundered and pillaged. It's not jus the present Governor it has been all those that come from down there."

This is sooooo true! When was the last time we had a northern Californian as governor [from either party!]?
 
At the same time, we have to recognize that Cortopassi grows rice. Rice is a monsoon crop that we grown in the desert only through the use, or misuse, of huge amounts of freshwater. A better solution still is for Cortopassi to sell his rice land to the southern water agencies, who can then use his water allotment for their own purposes without increasing the withdrawals from the delta system. We can buy rice from someplace easier than we can desalinate water or build more canals.

BTG
 
California rice crops used to get a lot of bad press but things have changed a lot during the past thirty years. Because much of the water you see on a flooded rice field goes back into rivers or into ground water supply, the net water usage for Sacramento Valley rice isn't that high. Not nearly as high as alfalfa which accounts for up to 20% of CA cropland.

Rice crops have many environmental benefits in the Sacramento Valley. The annual flooding mimics the Sacramento flood plain that was eliminated by flood control along much of the river system. This flooding benefits wildlife (especially waterfowl) and fish. A study done last year showed that flooded rice fields may be essential for rearing Sacramento River salmon.
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/903902.html

How water usage for rice compares to other California produced foods:
http://www.calrice.org/a_balance_sheet/images/fig_2-11.jpg

General outlines about rice crops today.
http://www.watershedportal.org/news/news_html?ID=13

http://www.calrice.org/a_balance_sheet/chap2.htm
 
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