Vineyards and pot rule water allocations
A dictum of law states, "All things are presumed against a despoiler or wrongdoer."
Let us start by revealing a flat out untruth: "Vineyards are the number one source of revenue (the number one cash crop) for/of Mendocino County." Such was the statement of the Board of the Redwood Valley County Water District at the May 4 meeting, evaluating the current status of water usage and allocation for the area. That statement is being used by the current controllers to engineer and force through measures to ensure that high water users in the district have enough at their disposal to use as they please, at the expense of smaller and domestic water users. Let us review the situation and layout some facts.
It is the present setup that two thirds of the water available is allocated to agriculture, the remaining one-third domestic. At the May 4 emergency meeting, it was revealed that:
1. The agency does not know how many acres are in fact irrigated by agriculture water for vineyard purposes. There are no records or history.
2. Some ag users have inoperative/inaccurate meters (some are under water).
3. There is no procedure for control of over usage by ag users.
4. There is no penalty for over or unregulated usage of ag water.
5. The Board seems to have only a vague idea of an average usage per acre for a vineyard.
6. There are no other means available, than water, for frost protection.
7. Apparently no valid records for other business or domestic ag usage, either.
8. "Some domestic ag users have ag water as a selling point for a home sale."
9. There are some ag users "who are willing to write a check of any amount" for ag water access.
10. There are in place procedures for terminating, restricting and otherwise controlling usage of domestic water users. There apparently are none for ag water users, who use, we must remember, two thirds of the water available.
11. The Board appears to have done little or nothing in pursuit new sources of water for the community.
12. In the notification letter, and at the meeting, the false flag of "fairness" was continually brought to the fore, as if now everyone must pay for the profligate use of water by vineyard owners and the ineptitude and inefficiency of the board. A 50 percent reduction-for all users?
13. The Board, which appears to be run by vineyard owners, now seems eager to attempt to be "fair" as they fight and scrap among themselves to allocate the ever decreasing amount of water available, much like the New York bankers who appear to be in charge of the financial disaster we are experiencing in our country.
14. The mention of state interference' in the Redwood Valley fiasco seemed to send shivers down the spine of the board. What would an investigation by the state reveal that an ordinary citizen could not access?
15. It was revealed that an acre of grapes generates an average of $35,000 revenue. Subtracting the money sent to Mexico, other expenses and fantastic tax benefits, one could deduce a tremendous profit from the alcohol business. Three side issues here:
Does that profit stay in Mendocino County?
How many people does that truly benefit?
Is alcohol, a non-food item, really a good, a necessity?
16. It was apparent to me at that meeting that domestic users were second class citizens, that the one-third mandatory allocation was unfair, that somehow ag users should have access to that water.
17. It appears that if there were no mandate that water be conserved for domestic users, they would get none or very little.
18. Is it true or not that the County has no water rights? And what is our illustrious board doing about it after all the rights had been sold?
The Board, which appears to have been under the control of a good ol' boy setup for a very long time, now is appealing for help in trying to undo the damage of years of mismanagement and abuse by the board and major water users. These same users who are able - but unwilling - to foot the bill for reservoirs, dams, piping, or other means of getting water to the system.
Some observations
Let us attempt to shoot down at least some of the proclamations and wise comments of the Board.
I find it absolutely stupefying that the agency does not keep and publish records of usage of ag water; that some meters are unavailable for reading. How can that have been allowed to happen? Why has it been allowed to continue? Who benefits by such a procedure? I find it absolutely appalling that there is a comprehensive set of rules and regulations concerning domestic water use and nothing in comparison for ag users.
That no good means for frost protection exists is a flat out lie. A quick check on the Internet showed at least a half dozen, including: Plastic covers, smudge pots and fans, on to helicopters - all good methods. These, of course, would cut into the tremendous profit, as above, but the vineyard owners should not be inconvenienced in any way.
The pronouncement that grapes are so vitally important to Mendocino County is misleading at best and a fraud at worst.
It is common knowledge, well backed up by fact, that the largest cash crop in the county - in the State? - is marijuana/pot, and any sensible and aware person knows it. So, the questions could now become, how much water is going for pot irrigation? Is there a cover up? And again, who is benefiting by the current setup?
Water usage, allocation, cost and the many other issues which surround it, will continue to create chaos and havoc in our community unless and until we have a fair minded set of rules and tools that most everyone can come to terms with. We know that there will always be those who demand special treatment, special needs and who are somehow more equal than others.
I think it reasonable to assume that the May 15 cutoff of ag water, ostensibly to protect for frost damage was in reality a ploy to allow big ag users the opportunity to soak their grounds and fill their ponds, at the expense of all other users. How about checking the records - if they exist - to prove/disprove the point?
My suggestions
An immediate resignation of all board members who own or have an interest in vineyards. One can assume that they have a special self interest in anything a board decides.
A shut down of any and all new ideas about water connections and usage including the mall idea.
A determination, by an outside source, of the average acre usage for the average vineyard. That amount, factored into the acreage per vineyard could be used to determine the maximum water allowed to that vineyard. The amount, over the minimum, would be charged at an ever increasing rate as the usage increases. The idea being, of course, that those who use, pay.
Cessation of water for frost control. When water was in abundance it was probably acceptable. It is not now. Stop it. Personally, I see that as stupidly and shamefully wasteful.
Ponds, leaky ponds, shut them down. The water to a pond is part of the maximum usage of a vineyard.
Restructuring of the rules and regulations to include the following:
Requirement that a vineyard owner declare acreage in grapes in an affidavit. The allowance of inspection by the board to the accuracy of the declaration, if necessary, and proper penalties for deviations from such declarations.
A comprehensive and continuing compilation of information of water usage and users so as to be able to determine extravagant users, conservers and in general produce a viable and pertinent record usable for many purposes, so as to allow for a more flexible and coherent policy that directly relates to the actual amount of water that is available at anyone time.
Final thoughts
We must remember: It is always about the money. That being said, it will be easy to say that, given the attitude of the board, not much will be done in the name of the common welfare. We will see the typical nonsense that any bureaucracy always puts out, and the typical outcome that is always generated when the fox is guarding the hen house.
As the amount of actual water available declines, we will continue to see the ever increasing frantic fight for access to water. The good ol' boy network will continue to be in control. And oh, by the way, the elephant in the room? That is the fact that Mendocino County is run on, perhaps controlled by, the number one cash crop: the pot industry.
Can - will - anybody figure it all out? Consider: The Water Board, the County Board of Supervisors, the big vineyard owners, the unknown big money pot growers. Is there, could there be, some inside connections? Can we be reasonably sure you and I will ever be knowledgeable about the real workings in this county?
Not on your life.