Column: Perhaps a diagram would help
By: Lois Henry

The Obama administration's water cred with valley farmers was shaky enough after it stymied the so-called "two gates" experiment earlier this month, saying it needed more scientific study.

The experiment was an attempt to keep more endangered delta smelt away from massive pumps that bring water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to farms and towns throughout California. It was hoped the project might ease current pumping restrictions.

Expectations were high after Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar made positive comments about two gates last year. But then he pulled the rug out from under it citing a need for more study.

Okaaaaay. But aren't experiments scientific studies, by their nature? Moving on.

Now Salazar has apparently stepped in it again afer issuing a press release this week outlining "additional actions to assist water users in California" on the part of his agency.

This mostly affects users of the federal Central Valley Project, not the State Water Project, which services Kern County's westside farmers and provides some drinking water to Bakersfield. But locals were keenly interested in Salazar's "additional actions."

He announced the Bureau of Reclamation would make 350,000 to 400,000 acre-feet of water available for westside farmers March 1 and said that recent storms had created a near "average" water year.

Except this isn't new water and it's not even new news.

This is water Westlands Water District in Fresno County had purchased and stored in the San Luis Reservoir over the last two years and the Bureau had already notified them in July they would have full use of that water starting March 1.

"When I first read the secretary's press release it sounded like he'd found 400,000 acre feet of new water for this portion of the valley and I knew our growers would immediately wonder where it came from and why isn't the state project getting any of that water," Jim Beck, general manager of the Kern County Water Agency told me.

After figuring out there was no real action being taken by Salazar, Beck, like most growers, district people and politicians I spoke with, was "disheartened" to say the least.

"It's very misleading and shows a real lack of understanding," Beck said. He was also concerned about the administration's level of "straightforwardness."

When Salazar was in Fresno last June he said he would push the Bureau to issue water guidelines to growers earlier and that did happen a month later, said Sarah Woolf, spokeswoman for Westlands.

"This is just sidestepping the fact that it's raining, however they're still going to announce a zero allocation on February 15 and they're doing nothing to help the water supply for south of the delta users."

She said there is flexibility in the system to move more water south and still adhere to biological opinions protecting the smelt and salmon, but the administration refuses to budge in that direction.

Yes, Salazar knew the 350,000 to 400,000 acre-feet of water was previously bought and paid for, I was told by an Interior Department spokeswoman.

"We're not trying to say this is new water," Kendra Barkoff said.

Salazar had urged the Bureau to let farmers know they'd have access to this water much earlier, she said.

"It's something he's been working on for some time."

Except that happened in July, so what's new here?

She said she'd check that and get back to me. Then I got this:

"Below is a clarification on the press release we issued yesterday.

"Yesterday's announcement was intended to provide better and earlier guidance to the affected communities about the availability of water in 2010."

I still don't understand why they needed to issue a press release about an action that was taken six months ago. But then, I don't work for the government.

Opinions expressed in this column are those of Lois Henry, not The Bakersfield Californian. Her column appears Wednesdays and Sundays.