Trump's plan to pump more water in California is ill-conceived and harmful, lawmakers say

"A Trump administration plan to pump more water to Central Valley farmlands is facing vehement opposition from Democratic members of Congress who represent the Sacramento-San-Joaquin River Delta and the Bay Area. A group of seven legislators led by Rep. John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove) said pumping more water will threaten the availability of water for many Californians, disrupt longstanding state-federal cooperation and put the Delta's native fish at risk."

"Federal officials have said the changes, adopted this month following an order by President Trump earlier this year, represent an effort to balance the needs of communities, farms and ecosystems. Large agricultural water agencies, such as Westlands Water District, are supporting the Trump administration plan. Some of the valley's farmers, who grow crops including pistachios, almonds, grapes and tomatoes, have long condemned state environmental rules as harmful and called for sending more water flowing in aqueducts."

""Pumping even more water out of the Delta in the middle of worsening droughts isn't just reckless," he said. "It threatens the livelihoods of the people who live and work here, undermines the region's fragile ecosystems, and jeopardizes the long-term health of our state's water infrastructure.""

A federal plan to pump more water from the Sacramento-San-Joaquin River Delta to Central Valley farmlands has drawn strong opposition from regional Democratic members of Congress. Lawmakers warn that increased pumping will reduce water availability for many Californians, endanger native Delta fish, and disrupt long-established state-federal cooperation on water management. The Bureau of Reclamation frames the changes as an attempt to balance community, farm, and ecosystem needs after a presidential order. Large agricultural water agencies and some farmers support increased deliveries, arguing environmental rules have constrained water for key crops.

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