'Least expensive'

Thursday, June 23, 2005


In his June 16 letter, Jon Alsdorf called for new dams on the San Joaquin
and Kings rivers, and asked what solutions are proposed by Revive the San
Joaquin, a new Fresno group advocating fishery flows in 70 miles of
dewatered riverbed.

Revive the San Joaquin believes farming and a living river can co-exist.
It's being done on the Merced, Stanislaus and Tuolumne rivers. We support
the most recent Department of Water Resources California Water Plan
proposals for developing new supplies.

That includes renewed emphasis on urban and farm conservation, more storage
in groundwater basins, recycling urban water and desalinization of farm
runoff and sea water. The plan urges more efficient regional management of
supplies, more water trading and restoration of depleted groundwater. Some
Friant Unit irrigation districts are already doing this. Surface storage is
at the bottom of the list.

A $1 billion dam at Temperance Flat will meet only 5% of the state's needs
25 years from now and produce water too expensive for farmers. Let's give
taxpayers a break by utilizing the least expensive solutions first for our
water problems. For more information, go to: www.water.ca.gov/.

Jeanette Jurkovich Director Revive the San Joaquin

Fresno