Its a Paso Robles water basin pirates dream

May 28, 2026

Greg Grewal

OPINION by GREG GREWAL

In the shadow of the oaks where the golden hills roll,
There’s a battle for the water
There’s a battle for control

The Paso Robles Basin, where appropriators’ dream, of reallocating your water
The water pirates dream

And now the water pirates are coming with a scam called Prop 26,
A lying funding plan

They’re looming in the backroom,
Plotting out the lines
Claiming evaporation will measure water on the vines

They call it regulation, yeah, they say it’s for the best
But it’s just to tax the people and put the money in the consultant chest

Yo, it’s the water pirates, sailing on the dust,

Turning every gallon into something we can’t trust
They want to tax the rainfall,
They want to steal the flow,
In the Paso Water Basin, tell them where to go

Keep your hands off my well,
Keep your eyes off the creek,

The Pirates want the power
But the water basin’s not theirs to reap!

From the Adelaida Hills to the Creston Plains,
They’re looking at the aquifer and counting up the gains.

Private equity sharks in a suit and tie

Want to pump the Paso Basin , leave the small farmer dry!

They talk about the “levels” and the overdraft blues while they’re drafting up a bill for
the water that you use

It’s a heist in the open, they’ve been pushing it for years,
How to steal your water, leaving you in tears

So hold the line, Paso Basin
Don’t let’em take the tap
Don’t let‘em map the future with a water pirates map
The water is the life blood, the water is the key,
Your land will be worth nothing if this warning you don’t heed!