Dennis del Corno: Time to direct water to food we eat here

After seeing Gov. Jerry Brown’s new water regulations, I began to think about the unfairness. Fact is, agriculture uses most of the water in our state. I understand we need the food to survive. Dairy and cheese producers use lots of water, too. My issue is with farms that plant an export crop in times of historic drought and then deplete the aquifer to irrigate their crop.

Export crops shouldn’t be allowed aquifer water to irrigate. Won’t make a bit of difference to the people of this country. We need row crops – corn, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, etc. Even alfalfa would benefit this country. The aquifer should be off limits to all export crops and saved for crops that we in the U.S. consume. If this was done, perhaps the existing water would come close to being enough for both farmers and cities.

I always hear “Water for people, not for fish.” Why isn’t the saying, “Water for people, not nuts” just as viable?

This story was originally published April 6, 2015 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Dennis del Corno: Time to direct water to food we eat here."