The Trump administration has ordered the federal agency’s layoffs and redemptions which operates aquatic infrastructure in California, potentially putting the agency’s capacity to manage the dams and deliver water, according to Central Valley Water officials.
Elon Musk’s government’s government’s office of Reclamation’s office of Reclamation was ordered by the Office Elon Musk, according to two office employees knowing the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly.
The office, which employs around 1,000 people, is expected to lose around 100 employees in California through layoffs and buyouts, eliminating around 10% of its regional staff, said one of the employees. But larger reductions in the workforce are planned and the office has been ordered to prepare plans to reduce their staff by 40%, said this person.
The targeted people first for the dismissal were employees during their first year, and others who were at the shortest agency.
The Trump administration has offered millions of civil servants Eight months of salary if they voluntarily agree to leave.
Employees who asked for redemptions of “deferred resignation” include Karl Stock, the regional director of the office for the Californian basin region. Those who take the acquisitions should leave in March and will be paid until September as part of the program, which Musk directs.
Unions Representing federal employees to have contested the program in court.
The internal documents examined by Times show that the eliminated positions include maintenance mechanics, engineers, fish biology and other specialists.
“This will have a significant impact on our operations,” said an employee of the Reclamation Bureau.
The Government Ministry of Efficiency did not respond to a request for comments. Staff cuts were previously reported by Politico.
The loss of jobs at the agency worries the leaders of California Water Districts. The managers of 14 aquatic agencies in the Central Valley warned in a Letter of February 25 To the interior secretary Doug Burgum and to the acting commissioner, David Palumbo, what to do with such major reductions in the restoration office “would compromise his ability to fulfill his mission to deliver water and power”.
“Recovery employees in this region have critical knowledge of the many quirks of our aged infrastructure. This knowledge is absolutely essential To ensure continuous and reliable delivery of water throughout the state, ”said the directors of the Water Agency in their letter. “A reduction in force that eliminates rehabilitation employees with the specialized knowledge necessary to manage, exploit and maintain our aging infrastructure could have a negative impact on our water delivery system and threaten public health and security.”
Aquatic agencies that have recorded concerns include agricultural suppliers such as the Glenn Colusa irrigation district and municipal suppliers such as the Costa Water Contra. The agencies receive water from the Valley central project exploited by the federal government, a system of more than 20 dams and tanks which extends more than 400 miles and delivers water from the Sacramento-San Delta river to the agricultural land and the communities of the San Joaquin valley.
Sandy Day, the head of public affairs of the Bureau of Reclamation, said that the agency “remains focused on the supply of essential water and hydroelectricity to the American public in the 17 Western states”.
“Although we are not starting staff issues, we are committed to improving labor management and collaborating closely with the staff management office to adopt new optimization and innovation opportunities,” said Day in an email.
The large agricultural aquatic agencies of the Central Valley have supported Trump’s recent order So that the federal government “maximizes” water deliveries.
The 14 water agencies declared in their letter that they were ready to collaborate with the Interior Department and the Office of the Relocation “to develop a strategic and thoughtful approach to implement actions in accordance with the policies of the President while protecting, by maintaining and effectively exploiting the vital infrastructure”.
The Bureau of Reclamation operates the large California dams, including the Shasta dam, as well as the Jones CW “Bill” pumping plant, which draws water from the Delta and sends it south in the Delta-Menota canal.
The Regional Water Authority, made up of municipal water suppliers in the Sacramento region, also told Trump administration that staff cuts “would harm the agency’s capacity” to operate and maintain water infrastructure and “cause” public security risks “.
Jim Peifer, executive director of authority, wrote in a February 24 For Burgum and Palumbo, “the element of control of public security floods and the disruption of the country’s food supply must be envisaged.” He noted that the Water Deliveries from the Reclamation Bureau of Reclamation are essential for agriculture and that this year, the agency’s infrastructure protected the Sacramento region against dangerous floods.
“It is not a secret for anyone that our water supply infrastructure is seriously exceeded and requires an upgrade,” wrote Peifer. “A reduction in force that eliminates rehabilitation employees with the specialized knowledge necessary to move water in our aging infrastructure could paralyze our water delivery system and create a significant security risk.”
Peifer said that the organization is already “extremely supported by staff” and that new manpower cuts would put people who live near the in danger.
Staff cuts at the Bureau of Reclamation coincide with similar mass shots in other agencies, especially Noaa and the National Weather Service. The layoffs were condemned by Democrats, scientists and former government employees as a destructive effort that will undermine the vital work of agencies, to provide weather alerts to manage fishing and protect beaches from pollution.
Gordon Lyford, a former employee of the Reclamation Bureau, who is now vice-president of the Water League, a defense group for non-profit defenders, said that the federal water infrastructure is complex and requires specialized knowledge to function.
He noted that Shasta and current dams, for example, were built in the 1940s, and they are increasingly needing repairs and inspections to ensure safety.
“Having too few employees can increase the chances of a disaster or a failure,” said Lyford.
“The current employees’ discounts have no meaning. There was no evaluation or planning, cutting a lot at the same time, “said Lyford. “It simply harms the country and the economy.”
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