SW Arkansas Times

The House Committee on Natural Resources convened a field hearing in Santa Nella, California, to address water management challenges in the state's Central Valley. The hearing aimed to gather insights from local witnesses about the issues affecting this critical agricultural region.

“California’s Central Valley is one of the largest agriculture producing regions in the country, producing one-quarter of the food consumed in the United States. Despite this area’s importance to our food supply, the region is currently facing politically induced water shortages. The Central Valley Water Delivery Project was built to protect farmers from shortages and floods but has been diverted from its primary purpose, and this diversion is endangering food supply. Today’s hearing explored challenges created by ever-increasing state and federal regulations as well as opportunities to improve access to water resources in California,” stated Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Chairman Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.).

"Our Central Valley is the backbone of our nation's food supply, yet unreliable water allocations and overreaching regulations continue to hurt our farmers. We can do better and we must do better. During the field hearing, we focused on finding common-sense solutions to ensure water abundance and a stable future for our Valley," said U.S. Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.).

California's Central Valley produces one-quarter of the nation's food and hosts more than 300 different crops. Following a year marked by historic precipitation and widespread flooding, south-of-delta farmers began 2024 with only a 15 percent water allocation. These "boom and bust" cycles complicate land management for farmers.

The Central Valley Project was initially designed to shield farmers from both water shortages and floods but has since shifted away from its primary objectives. This shift has led to unreliable water supplies across varying weather conditions.

The hearing provided an opportunity for committee members to hear testimony from local stakeholders about the region's current water infrastructure challenges and potential improvements for future resource management.

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