Government regulation of scarce water resource creates big conflict

Having many years of experience in business, I felt confident that there was not much that would surprise me in regards to issues affecting my business.

I was wrong.

Tonight, I learned that the illogical, absurd reasoning of government agencies knows no boundary. Today, I was surprised to learn that a federal agency would actually make decisions that violate the constitutional rights of individuals and verbalize the action.

Regardless of how they view their actions, they are wrong.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation issued their allocation figures for the year and we in Happy Valley are to receive zero agricultural water and 50 percent of domestic water. Their reasoning is that the fish get 100 percent of the water allocated to them no matter what and the same goes for the Sacramento River Delta. Therefore, reduced allocations are given to communities such as Happy Valley, Bella Vista and the Central Valley areas.

This is so unbelievable that a community that has had a contract with the Bureau for agricultural water since 1963 (45 years) suddenly has no water rights for the farmers in Happy Valley. We have orchards in the valley that date to the early 1900s and there is a substantial olive crop produced each year in addition to the number of small farms that provide fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and nuts to local residents. With the increased cost associated with bringing these items in from other countries, the local farmer has increasingly been sought out to provide fresh, healthy and safe products to local citizens.

The zero water allocation is going to be devastating to the 40-50 small farmers in the Happy Valley area alone; this does not take into consideration our peers outside the Happy Valley area. This will affect all farmers you are used to seeing at the Farmers Markets throughout the Shasta County area from early spring to late fall.

To our small farm, it has the potential of killing or seriously damaging our olive and fruit trees and will restrict or eliminate our garden, which we rely on to supply us and others with affordable fresh fruit and vegetables each year.

As much as the aforementioned is devastating, the second half of the Bureau's decision is so infuriating and mind boggling that I still have difficulty getting my mind around their statement.

The second half is that if you have an ag meter and, therefore, have a zero allocation for water, you have a zero allocation for all water.

By their reasoning, if you have a farm, you do not have a residence and therefore you do not have a right to any water. I believe this a violation of the civil rights of the individuals, and other laws such as child endangerment.

With no water, how do we survive?

How stupid can they be? The water district is not going to shut off people's water no matter what asinine statement the Bureau makes.

Nowhere in the Constitution does it say the fish or the Delta has rights equal to man, let alone supersedes our rights to life. The Bureau forgets that the water belongs to the people of the United States, not the Bureau, and certainly not the fish or Delta. As any agent (agency), they have a fiduciary responsibility to the people first and all others second.

The bottom line is, please get on the phone, internet or mail a letter to Congressman Wally Herger, Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer to protest this assault on our very basic civil rights and on the very people who make up this nation.