Acting on orders from Donald Trump, the Army Corps of Engineers released billions of gallons of water into the San Joaquin valley. From Gabrielle Canon writing in The Guardian:
Billions of gallons of irrigation water were laid waste in California’s thirsty agricultural hub this month, a move that left water experts shocked and local officials scrambling. The water, stored in two reservoirs operated by the army corps of engineers, is a vital source for many farms and ranches in the state’s sprawling and productive San Joaquin valley during the driest times of the year. It will be especially important in the coming months as the region braces for another brutally hot summer with sparse supplies. The reservoirs are also among the few the US president can control directly.
Notably, the enormous release of water (equivalent to 3,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools) impacted many farmers in that region who overwhelmingly supported Trump in the 2024 election. And, The Guardian adds, it was apparently ordered to justify Trump’s false argument that the released water would help extinguish the year’s wildfires.
Staged to give weight to Trump’s widely debunked claims that flows could have helped Los Angeles during last month’s devastating firestorm and to show that he holds some power over California’s water, he ordered the army corps to flood the channels. Less than an hour of notice was reportedly given to water authorities down-river who rushed to prepare for the unexpected release, which threatened to inundate nearby communities.
