The US Army Corps of Engineers opened two dams in Central California and released around 2.2 billion gallons of water from reservoirs. The word is this happened after President Trump ordered it done to supposedly help with the fires in Southern California and send water to LA. The problem is experts are saying the water will not actually make it to LA, and it was pretty much wasted because it got released during the wet season. Now farmers in the Central Valley might be in trouble once summer rolls around, and that definitely affects our community too.
I know a lot of us here in this forum have family in California or buy produce grown in the Central Valley. The region is famous for growing all sorts of fruits, nuts, and veggies, and a good number of Asian American families have ties to farms or work in food supply there. If the water supply is not there when it is needed, the price of everything from rice to oranges could jump, which is rough for folks already dealing with higher grocery costs. This decision was basically done without California's input. It is like a huge mess that nobody asked for, yet everyone might pay for in the long run.
I feel like Asian American communities, whether in LA, the Bay Area, or even other states, are going to be hit by rising food costs. It is also depressing that so many farmers rely on stored water in those reservoirs during dry summers. Reading through the comments, you can tell how frustrated people are, especially since this situation seems totally avoidable. The water was released supposedly to help with fires, but it is not even set up to go to the right areas. Now that water is gone at a time when we have already seen how drought can mess us up.
Anyway, thought I would share this with everyone here. It is so easy to forget about water rights and reservoir management until something huge happens. Hoping we do not see the worst outcome come summertime, but it is definitely something to keep an eye on. Let me know what you all think. Do you have family who farm in that area? Do you think grocery prices will spike? Let me know. I am genuinely worried about how this plays out.