Allensworth Tackles Water Issue

Three years of below-normal rain and snow fall caused Governor Jerry Brown to declare a Drought State of Emergency on January 17th.  2013 was the driest year on record and predictions for 2014 don’t look any better.  According to state officials, within four months, 17 rural communities will face a severe water shortage.  Cutbacks in irrigation water have forced Central Valley farmers to forgo the planting of crops and ranchers to truck in alfalfa to feed their cattle. 

On February 5^th the U. S. House of Representatives passed a bill that permits federal and state authorities to pump more water out of the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta.  The Obama administration however, has threatened to veto the bill if it passes the Senate.

According to Allensworth resident Kayode Kadara, the drought has not hit Allensworth yet. But again Allensworth residents have dealt with a substandard water supply for the last one hundred years; beginning in 1914 when the Pacific Farming Company failed to honor its commitment to supply water to the town.

On Tuesday, February 11th Allensworth will have the second in a series of community meetings to discuss long-term solutions, opportunities and options to the town’s water issues.  The goal of the meetings is for community members, county representatives and nonprofits to work together on a plan for a safe and reliable drinking water system for the town.

The meetings are facilitated by the Rural CommunityAssistance Corporation (RCAC), a nonprofit that provides technical assistance, training and financing, so rural communities can achieve their goals and visions. In 2013, some Allensworth leaders, an FOA member and community advocates/activists from several disadvantaged San Joaquin Valley communities like Allensworth attended an RCAC leadership training program.  The program was held one weekend per month over four months.

With the help of nonprofit organizations like RCAC and SelfHelp Enterprises and local community leaders, Allensworth will continue to be “The Town That Refuses to Die”.