Accusations that a wealthy couple, Stewart and Linda Resnick, are hoarding water needed to fight a war. wildfires in southern california It is widely spread on the internet. The Resnicks have their own water rights in the state, but they claim they are hoarding water supplies and obstructing the fight for water rights. control the flame That’s not true. Here’s what we know:
Who are the Resnicks?
Stewart and Linda Resnick own Wonderful Company. Founded in 1979, the company’s portfolio includes Wonderful Pistachios, POM Pomegranate Juice, Hello Tangerine (all water-intensive agricultural businesses), and Fiji Water. The company claims to be one of the world’s largest food producers and grows a significant portion of its produce in California.
But it’s the Resnick family’s large stake in the Kern Water Bank, a 32-square-mile underground reservoir 150 miles from Los Angeles, that has received negative attention in recent weeks.
The Kern Water Bank can store approximately 500 billion gallons of water. The Resnick family owns 57% of that water rights. The large amount of water has fueled outrage online, with some on social media falsely claiming that the couple owns 60% of the state’s water, leaving firefighters without the water they need to fight fires. He blames this on one of the reasons why he did so. put out the fire. Those claims are not true.
How do California water rights work?
In California, water rights are owned by a collective of municipalities, homeowners, and agricultural interests. Rights holders do not actually own the water. They own the right to use the water. The California Water Resources Control Board clarifies that a water right is “a legal permission to use a reasonable amount of water for a beneficial purpose, such as swimming, fishing, agriculture, or industry.” Rights holders can also sell access to water.
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Felicia Marcus, former chair of the California Water Resources Control Board, said the state constitution includes “prohibitions against waste and unreasonable use.” That means the government could step in if “someone actually finds themselves in a situation where they are withholding water on a large scale.” In such situations, the state would be allowed to order the rights holder to reduce water use or divert water. We provide water to areas with greater need, and in some cases, we may cancel water rights themselves.
A Wonderful Company spokesperson said Kern Water Bank is one of several water sources to which the company owns the rights, and that the company only supplies water to Kern Water Bank during the dry season.
“The Wonderful Company uses less than 1% of the state’s water and operates as part of a community of farmers and ranchers who together produce a quarter of the nation’s food. is all about health foods,” said Seth Oster, corporate director. A Wonderful Company official told CBS News.
What does this have to do with the Los Angeles area fires?
The Resnick family’s water rights are not affected. los angeles water supply Throughout the bushfire crisis.
In the event of a severe drought, Los Angeles County or the City may require water to be drawn from the Kern Water Bank. But all Southern California reservoirs that cities and counties rely on are currently at or above historical averages, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
Frederick J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
“What’s happening in Los Angeles is not because we don’t have enough water stored in Los Angeles,” Marcus told CBS News. “No urban water system is built to handle a firestorm like this.”
Marcus acknowledged the state’s water system has problems, including difficulty enforcing limits, confusing rules and regulations, and a tiered system that gives more privileges to senior rights holders. .
“There are problems with California’s water rights system, and let me be clear, those are not related to this fire,” she said.
On January 15, The Wonderful Company announced a $10 million pledge to support wildfire relief efforts.
“Specific initial donations announced today include $1 million to the Los Angeles Fire Foundation and $500,000 to the Los Angeles Police Foundation,” the company said in a statement. “Remaining commitments will be identified and disbursed as relief efforts continue in Los Angeles.”
Alexander Hunter contributed to this report.
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