As Protestors Gather, Feinstein Denies Water Bill Would Benefit Resnick

For Immediate Release
March 26,2010
Contact:   Deirdre Des Jardins 831 423-6857

As Protestors Gather, Feinstein Denies Water Bill Would Benefit Resnick

Fresno --  Yesterday, a group of local Sierra Club protestors gathered in front of the Fresno Federal building, calling attention to provisions in Senator Dianne Feinstein's Water Transfer Facilitation Act that would enable transfers of San Joaquin River water to the Kern Water Bank.   Feinstein's office has denied that the legislation would facilitate the transfer and sale of water out of the Valley via the Kern Water Bank to Southern California.

Feinstein introduced the bill, S 1759, last October, stating that the purpose was to help Valley farmers and farmworkers by enabling transfers of San Joaquin River water to the water-short West Side of the San Joaquin Valley.

Documents on the Bureau of Reclamation's website clearly show that the Kern Water Bank and Resnick's Westside Mutual Water Company are included in the “temporary and prior temporary contractors” who could buy Friant / San Joaquin River water under the bill. While San Joaquin River water is required to be used on the East side of the San Joaquin Valley, Resnick could buy up contracted water, exchange it with State Water Project water currently held in the water bank, and sell it anywhere from San Jose to San Diego.

In 2008, the Bureau of Reclamation created a one-year program to allow temporary transfers of water to the Kern Water Bank, but required reviews of each individual transfer to ensure that the water was not transferred out of the San Joaquin Valley.   Under Feinstein's legislation, these restrictions would be removed.

Even more concerning to Valley residents are the types of transfers that would be facilitated under the bill. The Bureau of Reclamation currently has two Accelerated Water Transfer Programs, which pre-approve almost all temporary transfers of water within the San Joaquin Valley basin. Feinstein's bill would mandate that the Bureau pre-approve all transfers, including long term transfers for development. Under the bill, local communities would have no notice of the transfers, and no chance to comment on local impacts, including land fallowing, groundwater depletion, and job loss.