Local congressman and valley voices discuss water issues

SANTA NELLA, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Local valley representatives and influential voices in water management are looking for ways to improve water reliability and abundance.

Congressman John Duarte says the lack of water supply across the Valley and all of California is affecting working families.

“Saving up for a home, buying a home, having home affordability, developers can’t build homes unless they can prove a supply of water,” Congressman Duarte said.

Communities in the Central Valley experienced widespread flooding from historic rain. However, those areas started the 2024 water year with just 15% water allocation for California’s south-of-delta farmers.

“That is impacting the American dream for American families here in the Valley and nationwide, to be quite honest,” Congressman Duarte said.

Congressman Duarte says a reliable water supply is important.

“When we can’t deliver affordable, reliable surface water to our communities, we lose our ability to farm. We also lose our ability to deliver treated surface water to the residential communities up and down the valley here,” Congressman Duarte said.

He says smaller rural towns are working off groundwater and there needs to be a change.

“Clean surface water deliveries into these towns will allow us to supply surface water treatment plans that will then provide healthy, clean drinking water to the working families,” Congressman Duarte said.

Congressman David Valadao says he agrees, and explained the impact water abundance has on both farmers and working families.

“The lack of water has been devastating. I have pictures of Mendota when Mendota used to be part of the district, that I had the honor representing,” Congressman Valadao said. “The shanty little towns, the shacks, and bringing those up in committee, bringing those up on the floor, reminding the American people that this is having a real life impact on folks who work in the fields.”

Chairman Cliff Bentz with the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries says the Central Valley is a key producer in food supply, which is being impacted by the lack of water.

“This Valley creates 25% of the United States food supply, 25%. So, if you’re going to take a whole bunch of water away, you are affecting the nation’s food supply. That means prices at the grocery store will go up,” Bentz said.

For more information about these water reliability issues, visit Congressman Duarte’s website .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.