Nancy Hamer: Several ways to solve water shortage, but not the tunnels

Governor Jerry Brown is proposing the twin tunnels in the Delta to re-route the Sacramento River under the Delta so it can be sent to southern California. This is an unbelievably bad idea. It will destroy the balance between the incoming ocean water and fresh water in the Delta. If Brown hopes to replace the Sacramento River with water from the San Joaquin River, it’s not possible because of less rain and snow in the southern portion of the Sierra.

The solution to the water problem is to build at least two new dams in the north and two in the south. Cover and bury all irrigation ditches and canals, including the California Aqueduct. This alone should increase the amount of water available.

Burying all the open irrigation canals was done with the water Los Angeles imported from Owens Valley. It works! Start recycling water for irrigation. Last, but not the least, stop pumping water out of the ground to irrigate crops. Save the ground water for humans and animals. When the groundwater is overused it takes years to restore it, and some places in the valley will never be restored. We need to balance our needs, both agriculture and the environment need water.

This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 6:15 PM with the headline "Nancy Hamer: Several ways to solve water shortage, but not the tunnels."