Water Pump Mystery: Trump's Claims Face California’s Facts

President Trump caused a stir on Monday night with a claim on Truth Social that the military had entered California to turn on water pumps. He suggested that this action would send more water flowing from the Pacific Northwest. However, the state of California quickly responded with a statement of their own. They clarified that the military had not entered the state, and that the federal government had simply restarted water pumps after routine maintenance. The pump restart followed an executive order signed by President Trump directing federal agencies to maximize water deliveries in California. This order aimed to override state policies if necessary, highlighting a long-standing debate between Trump and California's Governor, Gavin Newsom, over water management. Newsom and state departments have continually disputed Trump's claims, insisting that there is a sufficient water supply in Southern California. The Association of California Water Agencies reinforced this point, noting that reservoirs are at or above average storage levels for this time of year. The executive order, issued on Friday, focuses on increasing water pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. It directs the Interior and Commerce secretaries to "immediately take actions to override existing activities that unduly burden efforts to maximize water deliveries. " This targets the federally managed Central Valley Project, which transports water southward from the Delta. Trump's order also criticizes California’s water policies and calls for abandoning a plan adopted by the Biden administration last month. Instead, he wants federal agencies to follow a plan from his first presidency, which faced legal challenges from California and environmental groups over inadequate protections for endangered fish species. Trump has focused on weakening environmental protections, questioning the need to maintain certain river flows for species like the delta smelt. Despite his claims, water managers and experts assert that Southern California’s cities are not currently short of water, with reservoirs at record-high levels after ample supply deliveries in 2023 and 2024. California officials also stressed that pumping water south from the Delta is unrelated to the local fire response in Los Angeles. The Central Valley Project mainly serves farmlands producing crops like almonds and pistachios in the southern San Joaquin Valley, not Southern California’s urban areas.