Climate Wire | As historic fires rage through the Los Angeles area, President-elect Donald Trump is calling on Governor Gavin Newsom to “open up the water mains” and “make sure beautiful, clean fresh water flows into California.”
At first glance, that seems to make sense. Why aren’t state leaders, whose northern regions currently enjoy above-average winter precipitation, trying to divert water south to deplete fire hydrants and quell burning metropolises?
First, the central spigot in the Sierra foothills isn’t something Newsom could open with a giant wrench. Add to that the fact that firefighters were hobbled by Santa Ana’s fierce winds rather than empty hydrants due to water shortages from Northern California.
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Read a detailed explanation from a California-based water expert about the state’s complex water system and a brief history of President Trump’s obsession with the issue.
What happened to the “Water Supply Restoration Declaration”?
On Wednesday, President Trump posted on Truth Social: “Governor Gavin Newscome has announced his commitment to the Water Restoration Proclamation filed before him, which will allow millions of gallons of water from excess rain and snowmelt from the north to flow into many areas each day. They refused to sign, including areas in California that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic state.”
Newsom’s communications director countered, saying, “There is no such document as a Water Restoration Declaration. It is complete fiction.”
is that so? Not completely. Even though he used an unknown name, Trump was referring to a genuine document that left even the most astute California water official scratching his head. The president-elect’s press secretary, Caroline Leavitt, pointed to the five-year legal battle between Newsom and Trump over how state and federal systems such as pumps, reservoirs and canals that move water around California are managed. , explained this mention.
In short, how much water should be pumped from the state’s major rivers, where they meet in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River deltas, to farms in the drier Central Valley and cities in Southern California? The two sides have different opinions on whether they should be pumped out. We need to keep fish in the ecosystem to maintain dwindling fish populations, including the Delta smelt, which Trump frequently targets. Their separate plans for pumps make little difference to the actual water supply, but they take on a political life of their own.
The conflict reached its peak in 2020, when President Trump announced a “record of decision” at a rally in the Central Valley that solidified his rule, only to be sued by Newsom over environmental harm. Ta.
Tom Birmingham, former general manager of the Westlands Water District, the nation’s largest agricultural irrigation district, said: “This is a project of his first term in which both President Trump and Governor Newsom have a personal interest.” “It was the last major water policy decision made during his term.” He sided with Trump in that battle.
Are there water mains in Northern California?
No, as President Trump suggested on Thursday’s Truth Social, Newsom would “immediately go to Northern California and open the water mains and instead of letting the water flow, we’re going to bring water to a dry, hungry state.” It would be difficult to “flow away”. To the Pacific Ocean. ”
But Southern California cities rely on snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada mountains, home to world-famous Yosemite National Park, and on Delta pumps for about 30 percent of their water supply. Another 20 percent comes from the Colorado River, and 50 percent comes from local sources such as groundwater and recycling.
Much of California’s water flows into the Pacific Ocean. Much of it is set aside for environmental use, keeping rivers flowing, fresh enough to supply cities with tap water and keep endangered fish populations alive. The quality is maintained. According to an analysis of state data by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California, the breakdown of California’s overall water use is about 10 percent for communities, 40 percent for agriculture, and 50 percent for the environment.
What are the origins of President Trump’s California water obsession?
This isn’t the first time President Trump has used H2O as a cudgel against Newsom. He has also threatened to withhold disaster aid unless Newsom crosses the waterway, and during a Southern California campaign stop last year said the governor “if you don’t sign these papers, we’re going to put out all the fires.” We will not provide any funds for this.” ” (“Those papers” presumably refers to the Water Restoration Manifesto mentioned above).
The president-elect’s interest in the Golden State’s water dilemma may be traced back to a visit to the agriculturally rich Central Valley in 2016 with former Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, one of Trump’s early supporters. is high.
President Trump’s frequent mentions of the fight “suggests that California’s water issues hold a very special place in his heart and mind,” according to Central Valley Farmers Services. said Johnny Amaral, chief operating officer of Friant Water Authority, which provides water services, and Nunez’s predecessor. Chief of Staff.
“He often talks about the time he visited the Central Valley before the 2016 election and Devin took him on a tour of the farmland,” Amaral added. “It warms our hearts a little bit when he tells us that it’s still a 30-minute to an hour drive on the east side.”
Nunes was trying to impress on Trump that farmers in the conservative-leaning Central Valley needed more water from northern states and federal water pumps. He was clearly persuasive.
it’s not. Much of Southern California is currently in a drought, according to federal statistics, as California’s typically wet winter began with dry conditions. However, there is no significant shortage of imported water from Northern California, and in contrast, rainfall has so far been relatively average. Water levels in the state’s reservoirs, including Southern California’s largest reservoir, Diamond Valley Lake, are currently above historic levels.
Janice Quiñones, CEO and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said Wednesday that fire hydrants in Los Angeles were emptied Tuesday night due to “tremendous demand.” As a result, water pressure decreased. The city’s 3 million-gallon water tank, which supplies Pacific Palisades, was cut off by 3 a.m. Tuesday after firefighters began extinguishing the fire, and backup water had to be trucked to the scene.
How are Democratic leaders responding?
During a White House briefing on Thursday, President Joe Biden explained about dry fire hydrants. He said power to local water pumps had been cut off to avoid further fires caused by power lines. Biden said fire officials are now bringing in generators for the pumps.
Speaking on CNN Wednesday night, Newsom accused President Trump of playing politics and trying to divide the country over the tragic fires. Also Wednesday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass blamed water shortages for the unprecedented scale of the disaster, which is expected to be the deadliest in U.S. history.
Debra Kahn and Julia Marsh contributed to this report.
Reprinted from E&E News Published with permission of POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2025. E&E News provides news that matters to energy and environment professionals.
