WATER 2010: County should be able to protect this resource

The issue: Exportation of groundwater out of Stanislaus County.

The sale and transfer of water out of the county from which it is derived is a very real issue.

It is happening today and has happened in the past on a moderate scale. With the current drought, these transfers could occur a much larger scale.

The issue becomes moot when water is abundant, as the groundwater is being recharged and surface water is readily available for the farmers.

However, when water is in short supply and after years of drought, the issue of mining groundwater to be moved out of the county becomes problematic, especially for those farmers who use wells that border the property mining water. The surrounding farmers face lowering water levels and the possibility of increased salt intrusion and poor water quality in the water they pump out for their crops.

What is interesting about this issue is that counties currently are the only agency in California with the authority to regulate groundwater usage.

Without a regulation of some kind protecting the groundwater residing under Stanislaus County, what would stop a person or legal entity from purchasing many tracts of land within our county, mining the water and shipping it to thirsty Southern California, all to the detriment of Stanislaus County farmers?

Currently the Metropolitan Water District has been paying $700 to $1,000 an acre foot to purchase water from other areas to supply the insatiable thirst of Southern California.

To make the process equitable, so that the abundance or lack of water can be considered in regard to the regulations, an annual permitting process is suggested.

Herlihy chairs the groundwater subcommittee of the Stanislaus County Agricultural Advisory Board, an advisory group to the Board of Supervisors.