Smith on water crisis
• Water is the Valley’s lifeblood and every step must be taken to protect existing supplies as well as expand storage capacity.
I support the Seismic Remediation Project at Success Dam.
I oppose any transfer or exchange which has the effect of diminishing water available for use in Tulare County needs. These storage facilities will serve as a backup system in the lean or drought years, such as the one we experienced in 2007.
• It is essential that we work to keep the “Delta” in good condition to assure the water being delivered to this valley which feeds our agricultural community. It is imperative that we keep the progress of rebuilding the Delta or putting in a peripheral canal or a combination of both as suggested in the “Vision of California’s Delta”. We need to make sure the water can get to us in this Valley in the event of a catastrophic event such as a levee failure or an earthquake.
• The Delta has direct beneficiaries who should bear the primary cost of the repairs, peripheral diversion or the combination of the various suggested solutions. The public funds through bonds should be used for specific needs which are in direct need of the public recipients. The order by Judge Wanger of the United States District Court to reduce the water flow by approximately two million acre feet of water was specifically directed to 27 public water companies and those are the companies who should bear the majority of the cost.