Contentious water meeting unfolds in Fresno

Mark Twain biographers now believe he never said, "Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over." But that doesn't mean the sentiment isn't true. Take for example yesterday's congressional hearing about California water, held at Fresno City Hall.

Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove) said the political left is pushing junk science while attempting to pit fishermen against farmers, according to the Fresno Bee.

Rep. John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove) asserted that the hearing was designed to reignite the water wars of the past and pit Californians against each other for short-term gain, according a statement issued by Democratic members of the House Subcommittee on Water and Power. The statement was published on YubaNet.com.

The Democrats' statement provided background about California's ongoing water troubles, citing a 2009 university study about job losses that resulted from pumping restrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Professors Richard Howitt of UC Davis and Dr. Jeffrey Michael of University of the Pacific say 1,400 to 3,000 jobs were lost – about the same number of California salmon anglers who lost their jobs when the salmon population declined from Delta pumping.

The article said pumping restrictions have proven critical in helping the salmon population recover. This year, salmon fishermen will be able to return to sea for the first time since 2008. And unemployment in the valley, they said, is an issue even in wet water years.

"Recent job losses since 2008 have been mainly caused by the collapse of the construction and housing sector after the financial crisis. By July of 2009, Stockton, Merced, Modesto, and Bakersfield were among the top 10 cities in the U.S. for foreclosures, affecting thousands of construction-related jobs," the statement said.

According to the Fresno Bee story, west-side rancher John Harris said not much new came out of Monday's hearing, but he thought it was a success because it brought attention to the plight of Valley agriculture.

Despite abundant rainfall, west side farmers are currently guaranteed only 75 percent of their contracted water allocation.