Water

Water

Water

Approximately two-thirds of California's water supply originates north of the Delta, a great portion of which is within the counties I represent. Northern California water users hold longstanding superior water rights, many of which predate the construction of either the Central Valley Project or State Water Project. As such, I will always fight to ensure our area of origin water rights are fully protected and enforced.

In Congress, I have been working hard to build new water storage, such as Sites Reservoir. If this project existed right now, we would be able to store nearly 280 billion gallons of water this year, enough to serve 6.3 million Californians. My legislation authorizing the construction of Sites, as well as language guaranteeing more water for the North State to protect us from water grabs, has been included in every water bill considered in Congress.

For more information concerning my work and views related to Water, please contact me.
 

More on Water

LaMalfa Announces FEMA Grant Funding for Paradise Irrigation District

Jul 28, 2020 Press Release
(Paradise, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa issued the following statement after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded $3,440,574 to the Paradise Irrigation District as a result of damage incurred due to the Camp Fire in 2018.

FERC Agrees with LaMalfa: KRRC Can’t Handle Klamath Dams’ License

Jul 16, 2020 Press Release
(Siskiyou County, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa issued the following statement after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced that the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) lacked the finances and experience to be the sole licensees of the four dams on the Klamath River. At PacifiCorp’s discretion KRRC may be a co-licensee, but PacificCorp would retain liability for the hydropower dams on the Klamath River. PacifiCorp previously announced they would seek to transfer the license to operate these dams to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, who would assume all liability and then oversee their removal. FERC’s July 16th Order states KRRC is “not equipped to handle” this project, and “has limited finances and no experience with hydropower dam operation or dam removal.”

Interior Secretary Bernhardt and Reclamation Commissioner Burman travel to Klamath Basin at LaMalfa Request

Jul 10, 2020 Press Release
(Klamath Falls, OR) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa attended Klamath Water Users Roundtable with U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman, and other stakeholders in the Klamath Basin to discuss the bureaucracy-created disaster – this year’s last-minute reduction of Basin farmers’ water allocation from 140,000 acre feet in April to 80,000 acre feet in May. After Congressman LaMalfa continuously engaged with the Trump Administration, water allocations were restored to the April commitment, and the tens of thousands of acres of already planted crops would be able to survive the growing season. Congressman LaMalfa and Congressman Greg Walden (OR-02) extended the invitation to Secretary Bernhardt and Commissioner Burman to visit the Basin for today’s events.

LaMalfa Applauds Trump Administration for Restoring Water to Klamath Basin Farmers

Jun 9, 2020 Press Release
(Modoc County, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) released the following statement after today’s announcement from the Bureau of Reclamation that farmers in the Klamath Basin would receive the full 140,000-acre feet of water committed to them in April. In May, after locals spent more than $60 million to prepare for the growing season, their forecasted delivery was cut nearly in half to 80,000-acre feet. LaMalfa participated in the “Shut Down & Fed Up” rally with thousands of participants to spotlight the farmers’ need for their full water allocation, otherwise their already-planted crops would wither under the summer sun.

Klamath Basin Water Crisis

Jun 1, 2020 Page

After the successful "Shut Down & Fed Up" rally and hours of discussions with the Trump Administration, the water has been restored to Klamath Basin Farmers!

LaMalfa: Federal Government Disaster Threatens Klamath Farmers’ Way of Life

May 29, 2020 Press Release
(Modoc County, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) will take part in a tractor convoy, where hundreds of tractors and other farm vehicles drive a route from Merrill to Midland, OR to bring national attention to the most damaging water crisis ever in the long-troubled Klamath Basin.

LaMalfa Rejects Court Ruling to Deny Water to California Farmers

May 13, 2020 Press Release
(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) responded to California Governor Newsom’s lawsuit to deny Californians much-needed water in favor of growing salmon and smelt populations. A temporary court ruling, announced by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, granted a preliminary injunction to the state’s lawsuit, ultimately blocking the Trump Administration’s biological opinions.

LaMalfa: Farmers Need Maximum Water Allocations to Ensure Stable Food Supply Chain

Apr 10, 2020 Press Release

(Washington, DC) — Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after sending a letter to President Donald Trump asking that he use his emergency powers to maximize water allocations to farmers and ranchers in the Klamath Basin, Sacramento Valley, and San Joaquin Valley. LaMalfa reiterates the importance of a domestically grown food supply as part of our national security.

LaMalfa Statement on FEMA Reimbursement for Oroville Dam Spillway

Feb 21, 2020 Press Release
(Oroville, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after FEMA announced that it would provide an additional $113 million in reimbursements to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) for costs associated with the main spillway at Oroville Dam. This additional funding essentially covers the complete cost of the main spillway, which nearly failed in early February 2017. Beyond costs associated with the main spillway, FEMA has spent about $150 million on disaster recovery, including debris removal and mitigation of the Feather River.

LaMalfa Praises Trump Administration for California Water Rights Protection

Feb 19, 2020 Press Release
(Richvale, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after the President and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt visited California to sign a Record of Decision formalizing biological opinions that would reduce water flushed to the San Francisco Bay and provide more water for wildlife refuges and California farmers’ irrigations systems.

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