Monday, May 11, 2009

Wine Water Issues Simmer in California

Mendocino and Sonoma counties face restrictions; Gallo may pay penalty; vineyard will demo conservation options.....
A third consecutive dry year is heating up debate about water resources in California's North Coast vineyards; agriculture in general and the winegrape industry in particular are seeing increased official and public scrutiny of their water-use practices. A recent article in a Mendocino newspaper cast light on the controversy. Addressing "struggles with lack of water for agriculture," the Ukiah Daily Journal described a historical anomaly (or governmental misstep) that gives most of the water in the Lake Mendocino reservoir to Sonoma County, forcing Mendocino's Redwood Valley to purchase water from the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA). The article drew numerous reader comments, most of them vehemently hostile toward the grapegrowers who comprise Redwood Valley's largest industry, contributing an estimated $30 million annually to the local economy. Clic on this Link for the rest of the article