[env-trinity] (no subject)

[Byron]

GROWTH ISSUES / FRESNO COUNTY

Comment: Valley rush now on for liquid gold 

Fresno Bee - 2/3/05

By Bill McEwen, staff columnist 

I've always been fascinated by water. On family trips as a kid, I was on the
lookout for river and creeks, and few things were better than traveling on a
road alongside a mighty river like the Columbia or the Rhine. 

Now when I see the San Joaquin River or even a creek tumbling stone to stone
in the Sierra, I see something else: liquid gold.

Whoever came up with "follow the money" as the key to understanding politics
and business got it half right. In the San Joaquin Valley, you have to
follow the water, too. 

And if you follow the water, you'll run smack into a fight that makes the
Royal Rumble look like a friendly game of tag. What used to be a battle
between farmers and environmentalists has been joined by developers hoping
to cash in on the Valley's building boom.

Today's reality is that politicians, government planners and civic watchdogs
can try to direct growth, but water trumps everything else. A developer with
water is king. And while he might have to raise the rent to mitigate
concerns about air pollution, traffic congestion and the ability of local
governments to pay for police and fire services, he's going to build.

Another reality is that farmers with San Joaquin River water rights are
hoping to take water now designated for growing crops and use it to build
upscale housing tracts along the river.

As Fresno County Supervisor Phil Larson says, "If you dig deep enough into a
farmer, you'll find a developer."

Events of this week illustrate how important water has become as people
flock to a desert turned agricultural empire by the construction of an
amazing network of dams, pumps and canals.

On Tuesday, proponents of a 161-lot subdivision in Millerton New Town tabled
their request for approval from the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.

The reason for the delay?

A Los Angeles Times investigation revealed that water the developers planned
to use for the project was restricted to farm use. That sent Ben Ewell, who
has worked on Millerton New Town for more than 20 years, scrambling to
obtain permits needed to divert the water to development.

The same day, the Board of Supervisors approved a 91-home gated subdivision
on the other side of the ridge at Auberry and Millerton roads. The 3-2 vote
reflected the political maelstrom created by a clash of developer interests,
water scarcity and concerns about the public costs of growth.

Homes in the tract will be on 2-acre lots, and the developers -- a company
controlled by Granville Homes -- have agreed to set aside 75 acres of open
space to be managed by the Sierra Foothill Conservancy. The board also
approved a requirement that homeowners pay $350 a year for extra sheriff's
patrols.

Even though the subdivision will bring more people, traffic and air
pollution to the foothills, it got a green light because it has water --
three big wells that passed county testing.

Supervisor Henry Perea voted for the project but then called for a
moratorium on development until plans for the area from Friant to Shaver
Lake are reviewed and updated.

A moratorium makes sense, but it has little chance.

Water, now more than ever, is king.

Say a prayer for anyone that stands in its way.

 

 

Byron Leydecker

Chair, Friends of Trinity River

Consultant, California Trout, Inc.

PO Box 2327

Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327

415 383 4810 ph

415 519 4810 ce

415 383 9562 fx

bwl3 at comcast.net

 <mailto:bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org> bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org
(secondary)

http://www.fotr.org

http://www.caltrout.org

 

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