The Republican presidential candidate suggested California should stop “taking the water and shoving it out to sea.” The comment suggests he’d divert water away from wetlands and toward farms.
Chris Carlson / AP
The Republican presidential candidate made the comments during a rally in Fresno, California, where many attendees hoisted "farmers for Trump" signs. Early on, he said California has "a water problem that is so insane. It's so ridiculous."
"They're taking the water and shoving it out to sea," Trump exclaimed.
Trump was referring to California's long-running drought, which is now in its fifth straight year and covers 94.5% of the state. Trump did not go into detail on his drought plan but did promise that if elected he would address it.
"If I win, believe me we're going to start opening up the water so that you can have your farmers survive so that your job market will get better," Trump announced.
Chris Carlson / AP
The specific problems mentioned by Trump included "a certain kind of three inch fish" — a reference to the delta smelt that lives in central California. The fish is controversial; officials listed it as threatened in 1993, leading to frustration among farmers who say billions of gallons of water are sent downstream to maintain its habitat.
When Trump mentioned the fish, the crowd broke out in boos.
Trump's "shoving" comment also seemed to be a reference to how much water California devotes to environmental uses. The state generally allocates 10% of it's water to cities, 40% to agriculture, and 50% to "environmental" uses such as rivers and wetlands. About 7% of the state's water is used just to keep seawater out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, according to KPCC.
It was unclear how exactly Trump would deliver on his water promises. Though endangered species listings are federal designations, California's overall system is the product of a byzantine web of state and local agencies, regulations, and century-old water rights.
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