Rep. TJ Cox Introduces Bill to Fix Friant-Kern Canal
Rep. TJ Cox (CA-21) has introduced the Move Water Now Act, H.R.5316, legislation to address the severely limited capacity of the Friant-Kern Canal in California’s San Joaquin Valley, issues caused by severe land subsidence over the past 7 decades.
This legislation is cosponsored by Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03), Reps. Jim Costa (CA-16), Josh Harder (CA-10), and John Garamendi (CA-03). The bill is also endorsed by the Friant Water Authority, the South Valley Water Association, and the California Farm Bureau Federation.
“Land subsidence has literally strangled most of the flow of water through the Friant-Kern Canal,” said Rep. Cox “Because of this, communities aren’t getting the water they pay for and farms aren’t getting the water they need to feed the world. In May, I brought Chairman Raúl Grijalva to the Central Valley to see the devastating impact of subsidence on the canal. After that trip, in July, I brought in Valley stakeholders for a hearing in my Oversight and Investigations subcommittee and they also highlighted the tough choices faced as a result of the Friant-Kern Canal’s disrepair. This bill is our promise to tackle this problem and get the canal up to its former conveyance capacity.”
Full-Size Photos from Cox-Grijalva Water and Agriculture Tour
“Today the San Joaquin Valley’s communities and agricultural economy are at a critical juncture for achieving groundwater sustainability. Important conveyance facilities for recharging the valley’s critically over drafted aquifers can carry less than half of the water they were designed to deliver,” said Jason Phillips, Chief Executive Officer of Friant Water Authority, “This bill would provide additional federal authorization to help restore the conveyance capacity of the Friant-Kern Canal, that is desperately needed to achieve long-term sustainability in the valley.
“On behalf of Friant Water Authority, along with the dozens of Friant Division water districts, Eastside communities, and 15,000 farms who rely on the canal’s water deliveries and the groundwater aquifers they support, I want to thank Congressman Cox for introducing legislation that addresses the needs of the valley’s people and ecosystems. We look forward to the quick passage of this important legislation and the effort to secure the federal appropriations needed to complete the project.”
“Water supply reliability in the San Joaquin Valley will require significant state, federal and local investment in infrastructure, along with coordinated and balanced approaches to water management to ensure that one of the world’s most productive agricultural regions in the world can continue to provide good jobs and safe, affordable food to all of the United States. This starts with fixing the Friant Kern Canal, which delivers water to communities and more than 1 million acres of farmland in the Central Valley” said Dan Vink, Executive Director of the South Valley Water Association, “We applaud Congressman Cox for introducing the Move Water Now Act, which will provide much needed federal funding to begin the process of repairing the Friant Kern Canal and appreciate his leadership on these vital water issues.”
BACKGROUND:
The Friant-Kern Canal runs 152 miles from Friant Dam south to the Kern River, delivering surface water supply from the San Joaquin River to the Eastside of the San Joaquin Valley for irrigation and potable uses. The canal is one of the most acutely impacted conveyance facilities, losing 60% of its original carrying capacity due to land subsidence.
The implementation of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) has limited groundwater pumping to reduce land subsidence, making it even more necessary that surface water infrastructure like Friant-Kern Canal be restored to full water conveyance capacity. Ensuring this supply is essential both for irrigation and groundwater recharge.
Full text of the Move Water Now Act is available here.