Congressman David Valadao
HR 5781, introduced by Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, and co-sponsored by six California members of Congress, would enact temporary measures to maximize water resources during the continuing California drought.
“California remains in desperate need of fixes to our water system, and this legislation would provide short-term relief while Congress continues work on long-term reform,” CFBF President Paul Wenger said. “When we have storms such as those that have reached California this week, we simply must be able to capture as much of that runoff as possible.”
Wenger noted that even during drought years such as those California has experienced, there are strong storms that generate significant runoff.
“Too often during the past three years, that runoff has been allowed to flow unabated to the ocean. Had we been able to store more of that runoff, we could have eased at least some of the severe water shortages our farms and communities face today,” Wenger said.
“We hope this legislation prompts continued discussions in Congress and elsewhere, about what the federal government can and should do to make our water system work more efficiently for the benefit of people, the environment and the economy,” he said.
The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of more than 57,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 6.2 million Farm Bureau members.