The Santa Clara Valley Water District’s latest proposal to end
water rate discounts for local farmers who save water and use less
fertilizer is a bad idea.
Asking farmers to shoulder a 50 percent rate increase – which is what the Santa Clara Valley Water District is proposing – is counterintuitive and counterproductive.
Eliminating the discounts would save the district an estimated $50,000 to $100,000 in the next fiscal year.
The district, which spends an astonishing 40 percent of its budget on fat employee salaries and benefits, is proposing eliminating discounts for farmers that encourage saving water and using fewer fertilizers. These practices are good for the district and its customers. Considering that agricultural customers are among the district’s biggest water users, those benefits are multiplied.
If the Santa Clara Valley Water District board of trustees approves this senseless proposal when it comes before the board in June, farmers who take advantage of the discounts would pay $21.50 an acre foot for water instead of $14.
That’s right, water district officials are proposing hiking farmers’ water rates by a stupefying 50 percent.
We really don’t get it, but somehow, the well-paid officials at the district think that eliminating discounts that encourage its biggest customers to save water and use less fertilizer is a good idea.
Especially in a dry water year, it’s stunningly shortsighted.
Many farmers – already struggling to survive in Santa Clara County – made expensive improvements to their irrigation systems to qualify for the discounts, making the proposal to yank the discount startlingly unfair.
We note that two water district board members – Larry Wilson and Greg Zlotnick – were listed as endorsing last year’s Initiative for the Conservation of Hillsides, Ranchlands and Agricultural Lands (Measure A). Backers of that measure frequently claimed they “support working farms.” Given that, we’re sure that Mr. Wilson and Mr. Zlotnick will oppose this ridiculous water district proposal that will greatly harm working farms.
After all, it would be intellectually dishonest, it seems to us, to support Measure A because you “support working farms” and then vote to discontinue water rate discounts that clearly achieve that goal.
Because Morgan Hill City Councilman Mark Grzan and former Morgan Hill Mayor Dennis Kennedy also endorsed Measure A, we’re counting on them to work hard to defeat this water district proposal that will damage Morgan Hill’s working farms.
We’re sure that $50,000 to $100,000 of waste can easily be found at the district. We’re sure there’s not $50,000 to $100,000 of waste in our local working farms.
Contact South County’s water district trustees, Rosemary Kamei and Sig Sanchez, and urge them to do what’s right, fair and sensible. Urge them to vociferously oppose this unfair and shortsighted proposal to eliminate water rate discounts for farmers.
CONTACT THE WATER BOARD
Santa Clara Valley Water District
5750 Almaden Expressway
San Jose, CA 95118-3686
E-mail: cl*************@va*********.org
Voice: (408) 265-2607, ext. 2270
Fax: (408) 266-0271
