George Skelton: Shrinking water supply will mean more fallow fields in the San Joaquin Valley
by George Skelton, Los Angeles Times
Feb 21, 2023
3 minutes
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Downpours or drought, California’s farm belt will need to tighten up in the next two decades and grow fewer crops.
There simply won’t be enough water to sustain present irrigation in the San Joaquin Valley.
Groundwater is dangerously depleted. Wells are drying up and the land is sinking in many places, cracking canals. Surface water supplies have been cut back because of drought, and future deliveries are uncertain due to climate change and environmental regulations.
We’ve known all this for years, but long-term projections have become even more grim, according to a new study
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