California's Statewide Drought Emergency

Floor Speech

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Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Speaker, in the midst of a statewide drought emergency, California has experienced much-needed rain and snowfall during these winter months.

While communities across my district are especially grateful for the rainfall we have encountered, I remain concerned that the State of California has already announced a zero percent allocation for water deliveries for this year.

I also remain concerned that the Bureau of Reclamation could possibly announce a similar water allocation for 2022 within the next month.

This is unacceptable.

We must work together to figure out a way to fully utilize the water we have access to in a way that benefits our communities and agriculture production. Farmers are desperate for water to grow their crops. Rural towns continue to face water shortages.

We need this rain, but we also need to do a better job of managing our resources. We have opportunities to move our water responsibly when the snowpack melts.

As you can see here, more than 5 million acre-feet of water was sent out to the ocean over this past year. This water could have gone a long way for our communities and for farmers in the Central Valley.

I have asked time and time again for support from the House majority to address this issue. The families of the Central Valley cannot continue to wait. I ask my colleagues yet again to join my efforts to improve water management in California.

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