Document Details

Drainage without a drain

The Bay Institute (Bay Institute) | January 1st, 2003


Agricultural drainage problems in California’s San Joaquin Valley have been a threat to the environment and to agriculture for at least the last forty years. Though some improvements have been made, inaction – not progress – has been the most characteristic result of efforts to deal with the problem.

A recent federal appeals court ruling has focused the debate by establishing that there is no legal mandate to build the San Luis Drain and granting the federal government discretion to propose the best means of providing drainage service. This Briefing Book explores opportunities to break the decades-old political logjam and proposes a strategy for making long-needed progress on the agricultural drainage problem in the San Joaquin Valley.

Keywords

agriculture, water quality