How the California Water Crisis Might Affect You
Water supply is often ranked among the top annual concerns of specialty crop growers of all types, including controlled-environment producers. Which is why the latest news coming out of California could send ripples throughout the industry, whether you grow ornamentals in the Golden State or even elsewhere in areas where water shortages are a concern.
For example, water regulators in California are poised to cut thousands of growers off from the state’s major rivers and streams, Sacramento Bee‘s Dale Kasler reports. The final vote takes place on August 3, and it would take effect within a couple weeks.
It’s a step they didn’t take even during the most recent drought, which was considered the worst on record, Kasler says.
The State Water Resources Control Board says it is doing so to not only protect vital human water access but to also protect endangered aquatic life.
The ramifications are already starting, with one processing tomato grower abandoning more than 2,000 acres of production, and a fruit grower in Fresno County raising questions about who rightfully owns water.
Continue reading at GrowingProduce.com and watch for more updates on the California water crisis.
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