Jeff Denham: “This amendment prevents a huge water grab by the State of California from farmers and communities in California's…”

“This amendment prevents a huge water grab by the State of California from farmers and communities in California's Central Valley. Under Sacramento's new plan, residents and farmers, alike, will suffer skyrocketing rates that will cripple our local economy, our farms, and our communities. Specifically, the State is mandating 40 percent of the water from Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Merced Rivers to be flushed out into the ocean. {time} 1900 Currently, we are losing about 25 percent of our current water being flushed out by these mandated flows. This will increase it to 40 percent. This water feeds the Central Valley Project and the farmers that rely on it. My community relies on this water for drinking, to operate our local businesses, and for green power. This powers our local communities. The amendment prevents the State from robbing water from the Valley and protects the New Melones reservoir from depletion. The New Melones is a Federal facility that provides water for the Central Valley, and generates hydropower for Californians. The Bay-Delta Plan will drain significantly more water from New Melones each year than it currently releases, leaving the reservoir completely dry some years. The reservoir will be unable to meet its water obligations to the federally-authorized Central Valley project, which is critical to moving water all across the Central Valley. Lower water levels will reduce the ability to generate power.…”