Although it is tempting to focus on the big solutions to "fix" our water problems, we now understand that emergency solutions are needed to address the crisis immediately.
As your assembly member, I am pleased to have been involved in recently achieving an emergency fix that will have an immediate effect on farmers impacted by the water shortage.
Working with the California Groundwater Association, I amended a bill, AB 1416, with emergency language to extend the implementation date of regulations by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) requiring all portable drilling rigs to be retrofitted with new less polluting diesel engines by Jan. 1.
As a result of my bill, CARB agreed to consider the issue at their Jan. 28 meeting where they approved an extension of the deadline for water well drillers to comply with new regulations.
I hear testimonials daily from our farmers regarding the disastrous impact of the California water shortage on the Central Valley.
Our farmers are struggling to keep their crops growing and as a lifelong resident of the Central Valley, I have seen the effects that the drought and the reductions on pumping from the delta by the federal court compounded by the worst recession in decades, has had on the farmers in my district and across the state.
Farmers, rural community water systems and rural homeowners are compensating for the shortage in surface water supplies by relying more on groundwater sources. Many Westside farmers received federal grants for the maintenance, deepening, and drilling of new wells.
However, the Jan. 1 deadline would dramatically decrease the number of rigs operating at the very time that the demand for them has increased due to the water shortage.
Additionally, the limited availability of new engines and necessary mechanical services would cause a backlog in the retrofit process and inflate the cost of well drilling.
The Groundwater Association asked me, as chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, for help in getting the deadline extended. I was happy to have an opportunity to take action that would have an immediate impact to assist our farmers and communities.
The decision by CARB is the culmination of a determined and coordinated effort by those most impacted by the policy and myself to provide some emergency relief in this water crisis.
Obviously, we need a statewide water policy and program on both the state and federal levels to address the numerous and complex issues involved.
We made progress at the state level by passing a comprehensive water package which included a water bond that will be put before voters this November. It is my hope that this will help solve California's water problems in the future, but we must continue to work on immediate solutions.
Each step we take to deal with our water shortage will help, and through working together, I have no doubt we can make a difference.
Assembly member Cathleen Galgiani is a Democrat representing the 17th assembly district.
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