Los Banos Rotary Club History
Gives Resume Of Downey Book

An interesting resume of Senator Sheridan Downey's much discussed book, "They Would Rule the Valley," was given members of the local Rotary Club Tuesday noon by George Nickel, Jr. Nickel is in charge of Miller & Lux farming operations in this area and is intimately familiar with irrigation problems of this district.

Briefly tracing the history of the U. S. Reclamation Act since its inception in 1902 to the present day, Nickel first outlined the scope and importance of the Central Valley Project, which is being developed under U. S. Bureau of Reclamation direction for the purpose of bringing surplus irrigation waters from the northern section of the state to the deficient water areas in the southern part of the San Joaquin valley.

The project will also supply needed hydro-electric power, protect the Sacramento river area from flood danger; and provide salinity control for the fertile acres near the river's outlet in San Francisco bay.

Senator Downey, who has frequently criticized the Bureau for the manner in which it is proceeding with the project, brings forth in the book two major points: first, that the Bureau's "100-acre plan" isn't practical as applied to this project; and second, that during the last ten years Bureau policies and activities have been guided by leaders who are not qualified engineers.
Regarding the 160-acre limitation law, Nickel quoted the Senator's objections are being primarily based on the fact that, first, underground water inheritently belongs to the land above; and second, in this particular instance almost 50 per cent of the water delivered southward to the Bakersfield area will be for replacement of the underground water. Large landowners, who represent some 23 per cent of the agricultural land in the Bakersfield region, will be excluded from the Central Valley Project by virtue of the 160-acre limitation law, but hey will benefit from any underground waters that result from surface irrigation waters delivered to smaller farmers.

Farm land in the local area, Nickel explained, will not be effected by the 160-acre limitation, as under the contract entered into between the Bureau and the local canal companies, this territory will receive exchange water from the Delta-Mendota canal to replace the waters of the San Joaquin river, which will be impounded at Friant dam and is to be routed southward via the Friant-Kern canal.

August 3, 1948

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