Water Wednesdays | #2 The Fish Economy

Timmy Calvert is a San Francisco fisherman but lives in Dunlap, near Fresno in the Central Valley.  The remaining members of this once vibrant community (from 300 families to 30 in the past hundred years, according to spokesman Larry Collins), have been forced out of San Francisco and generally commute to fish.  Photographed April 11, 2009.

The link between water, agriculture and the economy is the primary foundation for most of the arguments in favor of further water storage and infrastructure.  This, unfortunately, is as it should be.  The vast central valley is almost entirely supported by agriculture, and much of the country is reliant upon California produce.  The food production industry in California is a strategic national resource.

However, water forms the basis of many industries, and the fishing families of Northern California have been experiencing a steady decline for decades.  The link between damn building and decline of fish stocks has been well established.  The fishing industry continues to suffer, but makes less noise than central valley agriculture.

A water development policy that balances the needs of agriculture and the needs of professional fisherman, anglers and the environment is a long way off.  The primary question, 'is there enough water?', is frequently obscured by political interests taking advantage of a crisis partially of there own making.  If we can examine and properly answer that question, we can move on to issues of conservation and efficiency which are the only possible solutions.  We cannot shortchange the environment to save agriculture, or give up on a domestic fishing industry to prop up a domestic veggie industry.  Such solutions are not only morally bankrupt, but also create a fundamental imbalance in a natural system that could have unpredictable consequences years or decades into the future.

Introducing Water Wednesdays | #1 Wasting Water

Most Californians are acutely aware of the current drought in the State.  For many - such as farmers, agricultural laborers, environmentalists and rural residents - it is a daily concern.  For urban and suburban users, the severity of this years drought may have crept into their insulated lives.  Water rationing, restrictions on water-intensive landscaping and pictures of dry reservoirs reveal the seriousness of the situation.

Last time the water outlook was anywhere near this bad it collided with my life, and the repercussions are still playing out.  The severe drought of 2009 caught my attention just as I was finishing J-school in San Francisco.  I missed graduation while photographing farm worker protests in Fresno County.  Since then I've followed the issue and made photographic trips whenever possible.

Context is often lacking in the public discussion about California's water future.  I recently read these words by Chuck Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife....

"..take a deep breath, put down the arguments we all had in the past and come together as Californians."

"This is not about picking between delta smelt and long fin smelt and chinook salmon, and it's not about picking between fish and farms or people and the environment."
         -Quoted in "California Water...", KPBS, Feb 15 2014

No reason to mention what is actually needed, which is collaborative, innovative solutions with as little political influence as possible.  Unfortunately, all sides seem to picking up their arguments and using them rather then putting them down.

I hope by featuring an image and a brief story from my archive every Wednesday, I can add a little context to the water talk.  And I hope you find it interesting.

#1  Wasting Water

Englebright Dam, along the Yuba River, spills 8200 cubic feet per second over it's lip during early heavy storms in Northern California.  December 2010.

Overflow spilloff is not the problem currently on people's minds.  However, you will definitely hear arguments about how much water is being 'wasted' (i.e., being allowed to return to the environment and the ocean).  This is why we need more storage - so we can save more for the lean times, like now.  I take issue with this reasoning for a couple of reasons.

The primary problem is that not many good potential dam sites remain.  From the 1950's to the 1970's (and 80's) America went on a dam-building spree, and California was a hot spot.  Do we want to stretch the limits of engineering in this case?

In addition, dams drastically alter the landscape, displace people and wreak unpredictable havoc on the environment.  Water stored in a dam sits out in the blazing sun, evaporating, all summer.  It develops molds and scums.  The amount of time and energy that currently goes into mitigating these effects should be enough to convince us to avoid dams.

Nature has a storage system.  Humans sometimes call it underground storage, or aquifers. Allowing more land in the central valley and neighboring watersheds to flood in the wet months might be a good way to store water for the future, without nasty dams.  Finding that land would not be easy.

Thanks for reading.


Nathan

Picturing water management in California / Tema fotografica: Manejando agua en California

A few frames from my ongoing look at the struggles to transport, allocate and conserve water in our desert state.

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Unas cuadras de mi mirada continua a la lucha para transportar, asignar y conservar agua en nuestro estado desierto.




Englebright dam is uniquely designed to spill over during heavy flows. It is rare that it occur so early in the year, however. /// Presa de Englebrigh tiene un diseño unico que se permite desbordar durante lluvias pesas. Aunque es raro ocurrir tan temprano en el año.





Scientists look for salmon carcasses in the Yuba River to help determine population. The fish die after spawning in the late fall. /// Científicos buscan cuerpos de salmón para determinar poblaciones en el Rio Yuba. Mueren los Salmón despues que se desovan en los fines de Autumno.

Fall in Water World and other places / Otoño en el mundo de agua y otros lugares

Unfortunately I've been very busy with things beside making pictures the past month or so, hence haven't been posting often enough.

Here are a few images from select rovings around California water issues this Fall:

San Francisco's Fisherman's wharf, where the crab season is keeping this normally salmon-centric fleet afloat.
Flooded rice fields under power lines await Spring planting in Sutter County, California.
Sportfisherman at Knights Landing near Sacramento take advantage of a very short season.
...And pot plants in a grower's bathroom, San Francisco.

Enjoy!

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Desgraciadamente, he sido bien ocupado por cosas ademas de hacer fotos el mes pasado, entonces no ponía bastante.

Aqui son unos imágenes selectados de mis viajes alredador de agua en California este Otoño:

Pescadores profesionales de Fishermans Wharf, San Francisco, donde lo congrejo está ayudando mantenarse a flote esta flota normalmente centrada en el Salmón.
Inundado de agua, parceles de arroz esperan la temprada de sombrar en la primavera a bajo de las lineas de enérgia.
Pescadores deportivos aprovechan de la temprada corta de Salmón en Knights Landing, cerca de Sacramento.
...Y mota en un baño, San Francisco.
¡Disfrutar!