President Trump repeatedly accused Gabin Newsam and other California leaders for the devastating fire of Los Angeles. The President accused the state of the Democratic Party stubbornly to send sufficient water to Southern California to fight fire. He is due to the desire to protect the intimidated fish, Delta confectionery.
However, when Trump prepared for a Friday visit to California, California's water expert often said that his explanation was wrong or glossy about complicated water dynamics. They pointed out that the Southern California reservoir was generally full of water at the beginning of the year, and there were other causes of fighting against fire.
Trump's views on the situation can have a very realistic result. He threatened on Wednesday that if California did not send more water from the northern state of the state to the southern half, the Federal Relief Fund would be set. He also issued a presidential order on the first day of his inauguration, “Place a person on a fish.” This instructed the cabinet members to find a way to re -route more water south.
This instruction brings an optimal method for nearly 40 million residents, along with the agricultural industry, fisheries, and ecosystems, as the California itself, which is valuable in the state, is as old as California itself. I will bring.
The mountains along the spine of California -the Sielanebada and the southern end of the cascade range are important parts of the state water supply. The same storms that make Yosemite National Park into a mysterious country in winter and create a ski playground near Lake Taho will leave a snow pack that blends into streams and rivers by spring and summer.
Most of the state water is generated and stored in Northern California, but most of the state population lives in Southern California. The agricultural industry, which is concentrated on water, is located in Central Valley, where rain is not enough to maintain the crops every year.
“Look, Gavin has one of his can,” said Trump in an interview with Sean Hannity, the host of Fox News on Wednesday. “He can release water from the north. There are a lot of water, rainwater, and mountain water. When it comes with snow, it melts and descends. “
However, the supply of water to Southern California said that it had nothing to do with the fire that was incapacitated on the night of January 7 and had no connection with the destruction of over 10,000 structures.
“There are a lot of things that can be said to be able to show California worse, but if you want to do it, this is not one of them.” Resources and environmental engineering.
Complex water hub
When Mr. Trump and other Republicans criticize the California to the Pacific Ocean, they refer to an agreement that guarantees the state to provide a sufficient downstream to protect important ecosystems. A part of the water is ultimately heading to the sea.
It all floats on the San Francisco Bay salt water in the northern California Sacramento and Hoakinderta in Sun, which mixes the freshwater of the river. Delta is the largest estuary on the West Coast, an environmental and politically sensitive estuary.
Through the delta, the state and the federal government supplied tap water to two -thirds of the population of the state, and the embankment, embankment, pumps, and labyrinths on the island are on millions of acres. Irigate the water. The amount of water that runs through the delta is a source of water bundle in a state where drought is likely to occur for decades, and in the battle, the most politicized target is one of the smallest residents, Delta confectionery. It was the world.
After the fire began, Trump called it “essentially worthwhile fish”, and New Sam wanted to protect it.
Delta, which played an important role in the ecosystem by providing food to countless types of fish and birds, was once abundant. Currently, in a crisis of extinction, they provide the advantages of different ecosystems, and experts say: protect other conventional fish that need some freshwater that flows into the estuary. I will help you.
“There are many kinds of fish that need protection and need to be managed,” said Peter Milu, an emeritus professor at the University of California, Davis. “If you do not consider fish, it will disappear one by one at a time.”
But for decades, the smell has come to express one thing for many farmers in the central valley. Demand for competing with water supply for irrigation.
This is not the first time that the Trump administration has aimed for Delta confectionery, a humble fish that only exists in California. In 2019, we weakened fish protection. This is the movement announced as a farmer's victory.
“If President Trump could find a way to send more water to the south, his actions would cause a major problem between Delta and the northern half of the state,” said Dr. Mil.
According to John Rosenfield, a scientific director of San Francisco Bekeper, the confectionery in question is the seven threats of Delta, which harms the deteriorated habitat caused by diverting too many water. Or one of the extinction ED species of fish. They include steel head trouts, green chocolate, and two types of chinook salmon. Other Chinooks have been carried out in recent years, so the salmon fisheries in the state must be closed for the past two years.
“You've never heard of Donald Trump and his ally talking about salmon that ED in a crisis or closed salmon fisheries. Dr. Rosenfield said. “Why? Because people know what salmon and butterfly is.”
Even under the more restrictive rules that had been implemented until 2019, the special regulations to Delta Milt were responsible for the average 1.2 % additional water flowing in the San Francisco Bay.
Pacific parisade infrastructure problem
Some of the Pacific Parisards have been well documented that the hose is dry when the fire runs off the water on a night when the fire torn in the neighborhood and try to erase the flame. The water pressure declined, and the fire hydrant could not catch up with the whole community.
At the same time, a reservoir that could provide millions of water to the Pacific Parisard was empty for repair.
Mr. Trump uses these examples to support his claim that California could not supply enough water to South California. However, none of the problems were the result of the movement of water from the north.
Like many American communities, the water system in the Pacific city of the Pacific has never been built to maintain thousands of burning wildlife flames. I say not. The storage tanks and pump systems designed to provide services in the neighborhood of the hill could not keep the pace of the night.
Dr. Lund said that the reservoir around Los Angeles was at a high level at the end of December. The biggest problem he pointed out was that the intense breeze usually adhered to airplanes and helicopters that controlled mountain fire.
“South California had enough water to OWN in 20 -foot water, but could not reach those places,” he said.
State reservoirs, which store the water used by South Californians, remain 100 % or more of the regular marks at this time.
“The state reservoir is a record high or nearby, and the extinction SPECIES species of SPECIES has been a matter of lawsuit, arbitrated, and politicized as long as I live,” said New Sam. I said to. Trump's visit. “They are not novel for this administration. They return to George HW Bush.”
Pacific coast northwestern part?
Recently, Trump has been hinting on the non -existent water pipeline.
“Los Angeles can use a huge amount of water,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday. “The only thing they need to do is to turn the valve, which is a valve that returns from the northwest of the Pacific coast, so even in a week and one day, it is often poured into California. To Los Angeles, California.
Mr. Trump further stated that California leaders have detoured the water into the Pacific Ocean through the valve.
However, there is no valve that controls water from the northwestern part of the Pacific coast. The idea of ​​creating a pipeline from Oregon and Washington has previously been proposed by Californians, but it has been a long time to build a system that can carry water throughout such long distances and towering mountains. In the meantime, it has been regarded as expensive.
And if the Washington and Oregon officials agree to send their water south, they will face political issues. However, the state exports one by -product of water to California in the form of hydroelectric power that crosses large transmission lines.
“It's difficult to explain what he's talking about, because no one knows what he's talking,” said John Bub, a general counselle of the Biodiversity Center, an environmental group. Se said. “The idea that the valve and water flows are ridiculous.”
South South benefits farmers
For decades, farmers have been fighting to secure more water through Delta. They are the most likely to benefit from the movement to move the water to the south.
Mr. Trump has been focusing on the debate this month to support the Pacific Parisard firefighters and supply southern California residents, but the farm has historically used water that is several times more than the residents in the state. I have done it.
The President has many times on the past tours of Central Valley Farm with former representatives, Devin Nunnes, California Republican members, and other Republican members who are likely to have influenced his beliefs. He has revealed that the California farm wants to benefit more.
“I saw these vast land, but it just seemed to be burning,” Trump told Hannity on Wednesday. “It was dark, dry, and there were small patches, small green patches, and beautiful green patches.
“And why is this land all these small patches?” They said, “We are allowed to agriculture because we have no water.” I said, “Are you drought?” They turned off the water. They turned off Spigot from the north to protect Delta confectionery. “
Mike Wade is an executive director of the California Farm Water Union and proposes more water for farmers concentrated on Central Valley. He commented that the President's Northwest Valve was compared to manage Delta's water supply, and that the group was well functioning with both the Biden and Trump administration.
Wade said that farmers desperately need more water.
“Looking at the past 25 years, I have seen 1 million across farmland excluded from production due to lack of water supply,” he said. “We have land, so if we have water, we can do more agriculture than now.”
Adam Nagarney Contributed from Los Angeles.