State says it will take our water. We say, ‘Hell, no!’

The State Water Resources Control Board proposal to increase water releases into the Tuolumne, Stanislaus and Merced rivers by 40 percent will be a devastating blow to the city of Modesto and Stanislaus County. I join many other local leaders who say “Hell no!” and are banding together, across party lines, to stop it.

Modesto residents get a substantial portion of their water from the Tuolumne River. The amount of water diverted from the Tuolumne and stored in Modesto Reservoir is absolutely crucial to city residents, local farmers and current and prospective employers.

Our economy is slowly recovering from the Great Recession, but drastic water reductions like this will be a real blow and will mean thousands of jobs lost in Modesto and Stanislaus County. Many businesses considering locating in Modesto seek secure, clean water for their operations, but the actions of the Water Resources Board could force these potential employers to look elsewhere. Others who are already here might leave. This compounds the economic stress on our families and neighbors.

At a time when taxpayers are clamoring for more water storage – with none having been constructed despite voting for it four years ago – the appointed members of the State Water Board are relying on wishful thinking more than proven science in their demand that we double the release of water downstream. This plan will empty our reservoirs, in wet years and drought, and will take a toll on every family, every business, and every crop and will make water more expensive for everyone.

The Modesto and Turlock Irrigation Districts have spent a decade studying the Tuolumne River and how to enhance the river’s fishery through science-based practices that go beyond just the flows released down river. Protecting and enhancing the ecosystem of the river involves managing habitat and predators, constructing hatcheries, along with increasing flows.

The Tuolumne River Management Plan, developed over a decade by MID and TID, uses flow and non-flow measures to increase the salmon population by 2½ times current numbers. So while the State Water Board went through the motions of “negotiating” with MID and TID, and listening to their concerns and plans, their actions show a complete disregard for the plan’s careful, doable, science-based solutions.

Unfortunately, disregard for the Valley’s concerns and indifference to the struggles of our economically challenged region is nothing new when it comes to interactions between Stanislaus County and the state. Time and again we are misunderstood and passed over by politicians and state leaders who know and care little about the communities where I have spent my life and where my family has lived, worked and farmed for decades.

Fighting this water grab will be one of the most important issues facing Modesto and our county. The fight requires energetic, committed leaders who will speak up for Modesto residents. I’m looking forward to working with a broad coalition of concerned citizens united with one message to the State Water Resources Control Board: Hands off our water!