Stapley: Common ground despite California water wars, and Visit Modesto video
Three years ago, Modesto- and Turlock-area farmers collectively received 150,000 acre-feet more water than expected, thanks to fancy technology.
By that I mean more than they would have gotten with the decades-old snowpack-estimating technology that most of California still depends on.
That’s a lot of water — enough to cover 150,000 football fields a foot deep. It’s about 20% of the total that the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts delivered to their customers that year.
This happened because MID and TID left behind the old low-tech way of measuring snow in mountains to the east, relying on snowshoes and hollow aluminum tubes. Instead they embraced a new method using airplanes fitted with light detectors to estimate how much water would melt from the snow and run into our reservoirs.
The old way typically is off from 30% to 50%. Airborne Snow Observatory technology, developed at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is 97% accurate. But it doesn’t come cheap.
Josh Harder, a self-described nerd long before he was elected to represent Stanislaus County in Congress, saw the potential and helped secure $15 million to keep the program going another five years.
Intrigued, I’ve been watching aerial snow-surveying developments for a few years now. I’m not a technology geek, but I do appreciate anything that narrows the gap between sides in a divisive argument.
California’s water wars are legendary, complex and ongoing. To avoid getting too far in the weeds, media often boil it down to a dispute over who should have priority to a limited supply of water — people or fish.
The real beauty of aerial snow surveys is that it’s one thing that farmers and environmentalists can agree on.
The Tuolumne River Trust cannot be thrilled that The Modesto Bee’s editorial board consistently sides with farmers in ongoing battles over water rights. But in recent contacts, trust leaders told me that anything improving the ability to pinpoint water content in snowpack is just as promising for fish as it is for almonds. They are genuinely enthusiastic about this technology.
In a world that seems increasingly polarized on so many levels, that’s something to smile about.
Keep reaching out, Modesto leaders
Staying on a positive note, I’m impressed with email newsletters from some on the Modesto City Council, particularly Mayor Sue Zwahlen and Chris Ricci. They’re full of good information on progress reports, updates, upcoming events and project details, all good stuff to know if you live or work in Modesto, or just want to know what’s going on.
Rosa Escutia-Braaton and Tony Madrigal have effective Facebook sites, too, as do many other electeds in our area. Bravo.
I’m not trying to play favorites, although some clearly take reaching out to constituents more seriously than others content to throw up a photo now and then. Email blasts seem especially helpful because people receiving them don’t have to go searching.
New Visit Modesto video is a winner
You know what else is cool? Check out Visit Modesto’s latest video at youtube.com/watch?v=waxXJExTs3M.
It’s meant to lure people here by briefly extolling our graffiti heritage, agricultural bounty, riverside biking trails, the Modesto Nuts, the Gallo Arts Center, downtown nightlife and much more. And it’s really not as cheesy as you might expect.
In fact, I felt pride while watching this 2 1/2-minute gem. And I wondered why The Modesto Bee hasn’t written about it.
So I did.
This story was originally published June 7, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
