Mark Grossi?s San Joaquin River restoration article March 25 says farmers will lose up to 230,000 acre feet of water. Farmers will not lose 230,000 acre feet of water annually. People will lose the food that could be produced with 230,000 acre feet of water. How much food?

Based on University of California crop budget water use estimates and average yields, you are looking at roughly:

64 million boxes of table grapes irrigated with 230,000 acre feet of water.

92 million boxes of lettuce grown with 230,000 acre feet of water.

13.8 billion bread loaves from the wheat irrigated with 230,000 acre feet of water.

64 million boxes of oranges irrigated with 230,000 acre feet of water. Every single year!

Farmers will not lose 230,000 acre feet of water annually. A hungry world will lose food. Food would be produced from that water being used to restore a handful of fish.

Let?s start putting a value ? a human food value ? on all this water now being allocated to fish.

Harry Cline