All this week, KCBS Radio is taking a look at California’s emerging drought crisis. Part One looked at how the dry conditions are affecting one region of the Bay Area. Part Two examined the impact on the state’s agriculture industry and the people who rely on it and Part Three focused on how people are responding to new warnings of disaster on the heels of a pandemic.
In Part Four, Jeffrey Schaub reports on the tug-of-war over water being used to grow legal cannabis.
As they face what may be the worst drought in generations, Sonoma County residents are fighting back against proposals to dramatically expand water-thirsty cannabis farms.
Sanjay Begai owns a ranch a few miles west of Petaluma and says just across the road are two large cannabis farms that each draw vast amounts of water.
“They ran all the wells dry within a 10-mile radius, because we’re on the same water table.”
15 miles due east, Ron Evenich and his neighbors are fighting to stop the county from approving a large cannabis farm in their area, fearing it will run their wells dry too.
“One acre of cannabis takes six to seven times the amount of water as an acre of grapes,” said Evenich.
The fears are growing as the county faces a drought crisis. Grant Davis, general manager of Sonoma Water says this drought could be the worst ever recorded.
“Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino are at their lowest ever recorded this time of year.”
But Erich Pearson, a cannabis cultivator with a three acre ranch says his farm obeys all the county rules, carefully monitors its water usage and thinks that cannabis is being unfairly targeted.
“Legal grows use water, like any other agriculture does. The difference between cannabis and other agriculture is that our water use is limited and metered and regulated by the government.”
Chuck Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife agrees that law abiding growers are not the problem and supports the county’s efforts to expand cannabis cultivation.
But he worries about people who might flaunt the law, as there have been several reports of growers illegally trucking in water.
“In times of scarcity, some people will decide to break the law for a profit motive,” Bonham said.
Protestors gathered this week to oppose the county’s proposal to expand cannabis cultivation.
“If nothing else, table it until we are out of a drought,” said one demonstrator.
County Supervisors ultimately chose to do just that, delaying consideration of the proposal for as much as a year, in part because of concerns over water use.
Related
