Earlier this month the Bureau of Reclamation sent a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein (D – California) identifying key elements of a long term strategy to address the critical problem of toxic water draining from the farmlands on the westside of the San Joaquin Valley. Many of the provisions follow the recommendations in the Planning and Conservation League’s “8 Affordable Water Solutions for California” including converting drainage impaired lands to solar generation.

One key issue requiring more work is how much water previously used to irrigate those lands needs to be returned to the environment, especially the critically endangered Delta. While we do not agree with all of the points in the Bureau’s letter, we are happy to see that there may be an opportunity to resolve these long standing issues.