Trump says a 'valve' can solve California's water woes. Experts say it's not true.
Trump is taking aim at water supplies for an endangered fish, but scientists say he’s missing the point.
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People fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River delta's Elkhorn Slough near Courtland, California. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)
By Dino Grandoni and Joshua Partlow
It’s one of California’s thorniest problems. The nation’s most populous state is full of sprawling cities, vast farmland, rich ecosystems — and it must decide how to divide scarce water resources among them.
But for President Donald Trump, the solution is simple: Turn a valve and more water will flow.
“Los Angeles has massive amounts of water available to it,” Trump said at a news conference Tuesday. “All they have to do is turn the valve.”
As Trump prepares to visit Los Angeles, which has been ravaged by wildfires, on Friday, he has offered different theories for how Southern California could get more water to fight fires.
He is blaming a minnow-sized fish, claiming water can be diverted from Canada and suggesting a single valve could be turned to solve the state’s water woes.
Trump said during a Fox News interview on Wednesday that California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) “can release the water that comes from the north.”
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I'm not sure how good or bad his grades were. But Dad Fred made a nice donation to the military school, and Donny spent 4 years marching and spit shining his shoes. I don't believe he read many books during that time.
Take many flushes…many.
Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_divide
In North America, the rainwater and groundwater flows east on the right side of that red line. The water on the left of that red line flows towards the west. What complicates things is that gold area called the "Great Basin" where water flows into it from the Sierra Mountains and the western Rockies. The Colorado River (flowing south to Mexico) provides much of the drainage for the Great Basin area.
You're right about Canada, most of their rainwater doesn't flow south except where it feeds the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes.
Thanks!