Tehama County supervisors table urgency ag well ordinance
Tehama County Supervisor Matt Hansen ended up being the of member of the board to support an interim urgency ordinance presented to the board during its June 3 meeting to implement requirements for new agricultural wells in areas of concern within the county.
'If we table this it gives us time to come up with a solution, to step up to the plate and make a decision and I don't think we are there yet,' said Supervisor Rob Burroughs.
By a vote of 4-1 the urgency ordinance was tabled until the Feb. 3, 2026 board meeting. Hansen voted against the motion.
Comment from the public was both for and against the proposed ordinance, the split pretty much between those whose livelihood is agriculture and those who believe agriculture wells in the county are part of the reason for domestic wells drying up and the groundwater shortage problem.
Another issue to be addressed by the ordinance is a reported ground subsidence reportedly from new sources of groundwater extraction in impacted areas of the county.
'It is the purpose and intent of this ordinance to protect the public health and safety from the negative impacts of reduced access to water, poor groundwater quality and subsidence,' the proposed ordinance stated.
The area of concern included the groundwater subbasins of Red Bluff, Corning and Antelope.
For several years now, Tehama County has been developing documents to be in compliance with the state's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act regulations.
Justin Jensen, Tehama County deputy director of Public Works/Water Resources, said there are documents already on the books regulating agriculture well permit applications as the county continues to address the groundwater and surface water implications.
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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Tehama County supervisors table urgency ag well ordinance
Tehama County Supervisor Matt Hansen ended up being the of member of the board to support an interim urgency ordinance presented to the board during its June 3 meeting to implement requirements for new agricultural wells in areas of concern within the county. 'If we table this it gives us time to come up with a solution, to step up to the plate and make a decision and I don't think we are there yet,' said Supervisor Rob Burroughs. By a vote of 4-1 the urgency ordinance was tabled until the Feb. 3, 2026 board meeting. Hansen voted against the motion. Comment from the public was both for and against the proposed ordinance, the split pretty much between those whose livelihood is agriculture and those who believe agriculture wells in the county are part of the reason for domestic wells drying up and the groundwater shortage problem. Another issue to be addressed by the ordinance is a reported ground subsidence reportedly from new sources of groundwater extraction in impacted areas of the county. 'It is the purpose and intent of this ordinance to protect the public health and safety from the negative impacts of reduced access to water, poor groundwater quality and subsidence,' the proposed ordinance stated. The area of concern included the groundwater subbasins of Red Bluff, Corning and Antelope. For several years now, Tehama County has been developing documents to be in compliance with the state's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act regulations. Justin Jensen, Tehama County deputy director of Public Works/Water Resources, said there are documents already on the books regulating agriculture well permit applications as the county continues to address the groundwater and surface water implications.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Yahoo
Winnipeg opens its doors as thousands flee crippling fires in northern Manitoba
WINNIPEG — Driving along a dark, winding highway, with cars lined up bumper to bumper, it took Rob Burroughs more than 12 hours to get to Winnipeg from his home in Flin Flon. On a normal day, it usually takes seven. "We could see (the fire) very well," he said Thursday outside an evacuation centre. "The night before, the wind was in our favour ... but then we were told that the wind was going to change on Wednesday, and it did. "We could see (the fire) perfectly. Red (skies) and lots of black smoke." Burroughs is one of thousands staying at evacuation centres in the city after fleeing crippling wildfires burning across northern Manitoba. The city opened its doors Thursday to evacuees as the provincial government grapples with finding beds for them all. Most area hotels are filled with people fleeing other fires, as well as conventiongoers. There was little to no visible foot traffic at the main evacuation centre at the Billy Mosienko Arena. Security kept media away. Others will be housed at larger facilities like recreation centres and soccer fields. The fire near the city of Flin Flon began Monday across the boundary in nearby Creighton, Sask., and exploded in size. Residents were told Wednesday to flee south with their essentials and be out of town by midnight. "Some of the residents, like my kids, live right off the perimeter, which is only one-and-a-half kilometres from the fire," Burroughs said. "(First responders) were going door to door, telling them to get out." Burroughs said he waited for his three adult children and his common-law partner to get off work before fleeing in his pickup truck and a borrowed SUV. They plan to check in at a hotel Friday. The fires have forced 17,000 people from their homes in remote communities and First Nations, including 6,000 in and around Flin Flon. At a Wednesday press conference, Premier Wab Kinew said it's his province's largest such exodus in living memory. He has issued a provincewide state of emergency and asked Prime Minister Mark Carney to deploy the military to help with evacuation flights. He has also asked for additional aid from other provinces. B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said Thursday more than 50 firefighters and equipment have been sent to Manitoba. "My thoughts are with the people of Flin Flon right now," Parmar said, adding that the B.C. Wildfire Service has also received a request from Saskatchewan. From Manitoba to Alberta, wildfires have forced thousands of residents from their homes as the summer season heats up. About 600 residents from the town of Lynn Lake, northwest of Winnipeg, were already out. Two weeks ago, a blaze near the Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet forced close to 1,000 people to flee. In Saskatchewan, three First Nations have declared a joint state of emergency as thousands escaped ahead of the flames. Affected communities include Pelican Narrows, Denare Beach, Hall Lake, Southend and Montreal Lake in the province's northeast. The Lac La Ronge Indian Band, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and Montreal Lake Cree Nation say fires are boxing in communities and they need help. They urge Premier Scott Moe to call a provincial state of emergency. Moe is set to speak Thursday at a news conference with wildfire officials. In Creighton, Mayor Bruce Fidler said nearly all of the town's 1,200 residents have left. Most are heading south to Nipawin, roughly 270 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon. 'We do have a few people here that we need, our essential workers and firemen,' he said. 'The fire is still threatening the communities, but they're holding it steady. Michele Sorensen with the town of Nipawin said evacuees are staying in hotels. She said the town is prepared to open a help centre should provincial officials or the Canadian Red Cross request one. Meanwhile, in north-central Alberta, the 1,300 residents of Swan Hills, 175 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, were ordered earlier this week to leave ahead of an advancing, wind-whipped fire, estimated to have grown to 36 square kilometres in size. Late Wednesday, a mandatory evacuation was issued for Chipewyan Lake, west of Fort McMurray. People in the northern community were to head to the Lakeview Sports Centre in Wabasca. Not far away, those living in Red Earth Creek have been ordered to leave and seek shelter in Peace River. People in Loon Lake, Peerless Lake and Trout Lake are being told to evacuate to Slave Lake. — With files from Jeremy Simes in Regina, Wolfgang Depner in Victoria and Aaron Sousa in Edmonton. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025. Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press
Politico
08-03-2025
- Politico
This farmer is taking the long view on Trump
Presented by With help from Alex Nieves, David Ferris, Annie Snider and Ben Lefebvre POUR ONE OUT: Stuart Woolf likes the extra water President Donald Trump is promising Central Valley farmers — but he doesn't think it'll be enough to change their fate. Woolf, the president and CEO of Woolf Farming and Processing and the current chair of the board for the trade group Western Growers Association, grows almonds and tomatoes in one of the most arid regions of the Central Valley. He's also been an early champion of agave, the drought-tolerant crop used in tequila and mezcal, which he sees as key to sustaining the region's agriculture in an era of limited water supplies, and the development of solar panels on fallowed farmland. A self-described independent, Woolf isn't backing away from his vision. 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Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth was here talking about the Delta conveyance project and leaning into changes to environmental limits to pumping in the Delta. Do you not see a change of course? I think we're a long, long way from getting the tunnel moving or approved. We're a long, long way from getting Shasta. It's great to hear she's optimistic about some of these things, but one of the things I was going to ask her was like, Well, how do you define long-term success? Is it the reduction of 500,000 acres? We're figuring out how to exchange, market, do all these other things, but at the end of the day, we're still going backwards, by my metric, which is total acres under production. Have you seen anything from the state or the federal government right now that would help transition farmland, or are they just talking about water? 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For the business community, the worst thing is to create a lot of uncertainty and risk. And I think he's creating a lot of uncertainty and risk. I've got loads of agave coming from Mexico that I'm going to be planting, and I'm bringing over loads for other growers to do this. For me, I'm really thrilled about this whole agave thing, because I think it's part of a solution in California to address water demand. I really think it's part of a story of adaptation. And now I'm going to be paying like 25 percent more for this product coming over. It's a really challenging period. The almond industry, for example, is just beginning to come out of four or five years of really tough times. If we have countervailing duties on the stuff that we're exporting, it is going to be really damaging to California. Do you have any big meetings coming up in D.C. or in Sacramento? What are you trying to advocate for these days? 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