Linda Santos: OID was warned its water sale might not pass muster

Oakdale Irrigation District was warned an environmental impact report had to be done before its fallowing program could be implemented. But board members Steve Webb, Herman Doornenbal and Gary Osmundson pushed the fallowing program forward without an EIR. Director Gail Altieri and I wanted the environmental study, but we were outnumbered.

A legal action was filed to stop the fallowing program and its plan to sell diverted irrigation water to out-of-region buyers. Money from that sale was supposed to pay for conservation efforts.

A Stanislaus County judge’s preliminary injunction has halted the fallowing program and water sale, noting how the water sale might damage our environment.

The judge cited Department of Fish and Wildlife concerns and “a substantial issue as to whether groundwater levels within (OID) will be substantially and adversely impacted.”

Now there are questions about whether OID already has sold that water, who authorized or canceled the sale, why all the details haven’t been made public and what will happen to farmers who signed up. Find out more at OID’s meeting 9 a.m. June 7 or online at Facebook.com/LindaSantos4OID.

This story was originally published May 31, 2016 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Linda Santos: OID was warned its water sale might not pass muster."