The Death of the San Joaqin Valley

I grew up in Fresno, CA, the heart of the San Joaquin Valley located in central California. For those of you who don't know, the San Joaquin Valley is quite often referred to as the "Bread Basket" of the United States and the "nation's salad bowl" due to the amount of fruits and vegetable crops produced there. The San Joaquin Valley is quite possibly the most fertile farmland in the world.
Geographically, the San Joaquin Valley extends from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in the north to the Tehachapi Mountains in the south and from the Coastal Range in the west to the Sierra-Nevada Mountains in the east. That's over 300 miles in length and 80-120 miles in width. All told the San Joaquin Valley covers 42,000 square miles.


For years, even decades, I have frequently heard and read about a small minnow-like fish called the Delta Smelt. It is about two inches long and has a lifespan of about one year. The Delta Smelt primarily inhabits the waters of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that intertwines itself for over 700 miles between Sacramento, Stockton and the San Francisco Bay area. It is a fish that has been on the decline for decades. Environmentalists claim that this decline is due in large part to the volume of water that is pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta into a large canal system that feeds the farmlands of the San Joaquin Valley. The canal system includes aqueducts, canals and irrigation ditches.



If left to the whims of mother-nature, the San Joaquin Valley would never be the food producing resource that it is today. Over the decades the bloodline (aqueducts, canals and irrigation ditches) that feeds the valley is dependent upon the Sacrament-San Joaquin Delta and the many man-made reservoirs that dot the landscape throughout the region. Without these water resources, the San Joaquin Valley would be nothing but an arid region of the state producing nothing in the way of crops.

Due to the declining population of the Delta Smelt, environmentalist groups have long sought federal protection for this fish. In August of 2007, a California Federal Judge, Oliver Wanger, declared the Delta Smelt a protected fish and ordered significant reductions in water delivery to the San Joaquin Valley from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In essence, all water resources from the delta have been shut off to the valley.

In addition to crops, the San Joaquin Valley is home to large cattle and sheep ranches that are depended on this same water supply. It is also the state of California's largest petroleum production region.

My grandfather worked and retired from Getty Oil while living in Coalinga, CA. My uncle's family has farmed land outside of Tranquility, CA for decades. My family has lived in Fresno, Clovis, Sacramento, Coalinga, Dos Palos, and other San Joaquin Valley communities even before I was born.

Now, don't get me wrong here. I am not insensitive to the environmental issues of the day. I do believe in conservation and caring for what God has blessed us with on this planet. I do believe that proper management and laws need to be in place to safeguard our environment and natural resources. I do not believe in global warming, but do not excuse our individual and collective irresponsibility when it comes to pollution and waste.

However, when weighing the pros and cons of the need to maintain the population of the Delta Smelt at the expense mankinds needs for food, employement...basically the livlihood of tens of thousands of valley residents and millions of people who benefit from the goods produced in the San Joaquin Valley, I truly believe that a tragedy is occurring here. One that is unjust and detrimental to the very lifeblood of the people who live in central California. Whole farms, even whole regions of farmland have become nothing but arid dust bowls producing nothing becuase of this federal intervention. Crops have died, water is gone, farmers are going bankrupt and our nation is going to suffer at the checkout line, suffer through higher unemployment and unemployment claims, which is paid for by the American taxpayer.

Following is a video from Fox new - Shaun Hannity - regarding the issue. The guest is Paul Rodriguez, celebrity comedian and actor, and son of San Joaquin Valley farmers. He of all people knows the dramatic effects of this issue...namely, the lack of water to our farmlands, and how it's hurting people, famalies, whole communities. The two communities mentioned in the video - Firebaugh and Mendota - are communities I know quite well. Both are within an hour of where I grew up. Unemployment in those communities is 41%. Can you imagine 41% unemployment??? It's absolutely ridiculous and it doesn't need to be.







Environmental issues have their place, but in this case the government is wrong.



This video takes it outside the scope of the Delta Smelt, but this Congressman gives a straightforward presentation and makes it easy to put into perspective.