Commentary By Samuel Strait – January 30, 2023

It so often boggles the mind that in this day and age of information
that such ignorance continues to exist.  We no longer should be reliant
on the obvious lack of ability to become educated by the public schools
and use the opportunities afforded to us by the wealth of information
available in this age of technical information.  Yet, even there the
ability to be led astray is ready and waiting.  Most of us that have
taken the opportunity to become aware of the fact that water has become
a huge issue in that California which has a plentiful supply to offer
during certain times of the year, cannot seem to figure out how to supply
the needs of its citizens during times when water is not plentiful.

In a recent article in the Triplicate, environmental genius, Rocky
Barker, penned a guest column titled “What a long strange trip to kill
four dams”.   With a breath taking level of ignorance, Mr. Barker
proceeds to display his complete lack of intelligence about what has
become painfully obvious to those that experience water shortages most
summers in the central and southern regions of this state which is a
government so beholden to the environmental forces in California that
any thought of storing water when it is available does not appear to
exist in the minds of Rocky and his geniuses in Sacramento.

There is a fact of life that human being do not live very well or long
in a world without water.  Some of the most vicious struggles through
out history center around water.  All of which for some time is
preventable.  In the 1960’s California was experiencing rapid growth and
found it necessary to initiate several massive infrastructure plans to
cope with a population that had grown to nearly 20 million.  In the
years since, California has continued to grow in population where it now
is nudging on twice that number.  What has happened since those days of
Sacramento behaving responsibly towards its citizens with regard to
water issues is little to nothing except pay attention to voices such as
Mr. Barker and diminish the state’s ability to provide water for it’s
burgeoning population.

Proudly trumpeting his ignorance, Mr. Barker gleefully writes that he
welcomes the fact that 1200 reservoirs behind the nation’s dams have
been eliminated and he is breathlessly waiting for the four Klamath
River dams to join them.  He further claims that it has had the
immediate effect of river restoration and fish populations.  Something
for most rivers we continue to wait for it to happen.  All the while,
thanks to Mr. Barker and his ilk, trillions of gallons of storeable and
drinkable water drain into the Pacific Ocean.

In 2008, citizens that recognized that California was desperately short
of water during certain parts of the year passed a Bond measure
authorizing billions of dollars to go toward rectifying that oversight. 
Since that time Sacramento’s government has spent much of that money to
actually have reduced California capacity to store water, the future
demolition of four dams on the Klamath River being among those
activities.  Nothing of that money has gone towards  improving
California’s water storage issues.

Recently, unless you are Mr. Barker, Governor “Climate Change” Newsom
and the Sacramento government you will have noticed that California,
throughout most of the State, had a relatively wet January.  This is
not an unknown state for California as it occurs at regular intervals. 
California, for the most part to the south of the State was a desert
where it had very little occasion to rain.  Water brought in from other
sources allowed for Southern California to blossom and prosper.  There
is a limit to how much that can be brought in from other sources when
much of California has the ability to supply its own needs if the State
had built sufficient storage capacity when excess water is available. 
It has not.  The State could, if it wished to be a part of the solution
for the water needs of the State, build reservoirs, not necessarily
behind dams, but in available spaces to capture excess water that
becomes available when it rains rather than let it escape to the ocean.

While clearly this is an idea that escapes Governor Newsom and the
geniuses of the environmental crowd, Mr. Barker are you listening? 
Water that flows during the drier season in California can be left
unimpeded.  Stored water can be used to meet the needs of Agriculture,
Industry, and Residential needs.  What already exists behind California
Dams should be left undisturbed until this magic occurs.  It will not
when ignorant voices such as Mr. Barker, continue to ignore the fact
that California is not anywhere near that state.  Until Governor Newsom
and the Sacramento government wakes up to that simple fact, water in
California will continue to be a shrinking commodity and will satisfy no
one.  Yet another of the many issues that the “empty suit” in the
governor’s office continues to mishandle.