Friday, July 29, 2011

News articles and links from July 29, 2011

WATER SUPPLY

For farmers, efficient water use can only go so far

Opinion

By Paul Wenger

From SJ Mercury News – Thursday, July 28, 2011

DELTA

The future of Suisun Marsh

Blog

By Peter Moyle, UC Davis

From California WaterBlog – Thursday, July 28, 2011

McNerney positions himself on water

Blog

By Alex Breitler

From The Record – Thursday, July 28, 2011

GROUNDWATER

New UCLA School of Law Report Recommends Improvements in Groundwater Regulation to Secure California’s Water Supply

Press release

From UCLA School of Law – Thursday, July 28, 2011

Groundwater: Too Big to Fail

Blog

By Spreck Rosekrans

From EDF – Thursday, July 28, 2011

Thursday, July 28, 2011

News articles and links from July 28, 2011

Delta

Delta debate back before Fresno federal judge

Story

From Fresno Bee – Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Coalition response...One should never be short-sighted when formulating water policy and only look at the present year. Future years and their water conditions must be a part of the policy-making process. Also, factual and complete information must be analyzed and applied. The information used by federal officials in their attempt to reposition X2---the salt line---further west in the Delta from its present location is weak. The basis for this proposal is that smelt do not do well in saline water. Yet, studies have proven that smelt do survive in a wide range of saline water. Adopting this proposal would further reduce the amount of water that is delivered to 25 million Californians and several million acres of farmland.

PEOPLE

In Western Water Wars, Fighters and, Yes, Peacemakers

Story

From NY Times – Wednesday, July 27, 2011

DELTA

Central Valley congressman comes out against peripheral canal

Story

From Central Valley Business Times – Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Representative Jerry McNerney blasts peripheral canal plans

Blog

By Dan Bacher

From IndyBay Media – Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Forum Friday to celebrate the Delta

Story

From The Record – Thursday, July 28, 2011

RIVERS

Water district calls inaugural rivers symposium a ‘valiant effort’

Blog

From The Record – Wednesday, July 27, 2011

CONGRESS

Thompson leads successful fight to remove ‘extinction rider’ from Interior bill

Story

From Lake County News – Thursday, July 28, 2011

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

News articles and links from July 27, 2011

Delta

Delta Smelt numbers show improvement

Story

From Vacaville Reporter – Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Coalition response...An increase in smelt population is good news. Crediting high flows in causing better habitat conditions and water quality leaves out one important factor in the smelt increase---food supplies. Scientists and biologists have agreed that ammonium from wastewater discharges have diminished the available food supply for smelt and other species. The high flows may have diluted the discharges and resulted in an increased food supply. However, it is important to remember that the high flows experienced this year resulted from Mother Nature and operation of the water supply systems through the Delta cannot duplicate the high flows.

DELTA

BDCP Management Committee Meeting on August 3rd

Announcement

From BDCP – Thursday, July 21, 2011

FISHERIES

Salmon season slowly picking up steam

Story

From Corning Observer – Tuesday, July 26, 2011

QUANTIFICATION SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT

Water transfer agreement lawyer hiring is postponed

Story

From IV Press – Wednesday, July 27, 2011

COURTS

DFG lawsuit: Groups can’t intervene

Story

From Siskiyou Daily News – Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Storing Water for a Dry Day Leads to Suits

Story

From NY Times – Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

News articles and links from July 26, 2011

Water supply

Water systems key to restoring jobs, food production

Opinion

By Zeke Grader

From Modesto Bee – Monday, July 25, 2011

Coalition response...The author fails to acknowledge recent scientific studies that have pinned the drop in salmon numbers on ocean conditions, including warm water temperatures and a lack of an adequate food supply. The biological opinions that are held to such high esteem by the author have been ruled “arbitrary and capricious” and “sloppy science” by a federal judge. Federal fish agencies have been ordered to rewrite the opinions. The author also fails to reference comments by the National Academy of Sciences’ committee that stated further study is needed into the impacts of predators on juvenile salmon. The inclusion of select informational items and the purposeful exclusion of factual information renders this opinion article as seriously lacking in its believability.

Delta

Why the Scientists Say Delta Smelt Population Improved Slightly this Year

Blog

From Green Roots – Monday, July 25, 2011

Coalition response...Flows alone will not cause an increase in smelt numbers. An adequate food supply that is not threatened by wastewater discharges containing ammonium is needed. While flows may have aided in diluting the ammonium that biologists agree endanger the food supply found in the Delta, it is the food that smelt and other species need to flourish. These higher than usual flows were caused by Mother Nature; these levels cannot be achieved through the operations of the current water supply systems.

Congress

Congressman Nunes’ Attempt to Destroy California’s Salmon and Fishing Jobs

Blog

By Zeke Grader

From SF Chronicle – Monday, July 25, 2011

Coalition response...This author’s use of inflammatory descriptions to mischaracterize farmers along the San Joaquin Valley Westside provides a false depiction of those who are growing the food and fiber that we all require. For several months during the year the only source of lettuce for consumers comes from these farmers. He labels these farmers as “agribusiness barons” and attempts to label them as “corporate farmers” as if that is a derogatory term. He and others need to realize that over 90% of all California farms have incorporated while maintaining the decision-making process within the family. His attempt to liken these family farmers to those whose operational decisions are made in corporate board rooms fails the test of truth. It’s too bad his admitted “anger” fueled his continued use of falsehoods in describing California farmers.

PEOPLE

Kern County Water Agency Mourns Loss of Former General Manager Thomas N. Clark Press release

From KCWA – Monday, July 25, 2011

Kern’s water rainmaker was a force

Column

By Lois Henry

From Bakersfield Californian – Monday, July 25, 2011

Former Kern water agency chief dies

Blog

By Mark Grossi

From Fresno Bee – Monday, July 25, 2011

Nelson statement

By Peter Nelson, CFWC President

From CFWC – Tuesday, July 26, 2011

WATER SUPPLY

Updates on Lake Powell and Lake Mean/Monsoon Moisture

Blog

By Ken Clark

From Accuweather – Monday, July 25, 2011

Highlights of July’s CWC meeting

Blog

By Paul Selsky

From Brown and Caldwell Water News – Monday, July 25, 2011

DELTA

Canal or tunnel would devastate local economy

Opinion

By Craig W. Anderson

From SJFB News - July 2011

Who’s in charge here?

Blog

From Restore the Delta – Monday, July 25, 2011

FISHERIES

Salmon may face greater threat than water shortage

Story

From SF Chronicle – Monday, July 25, 2011

Monday, July 25, 2011

News articles and links from July 25, 2011

Water supply

Cry me a river, Mr. Beck

Letter

From Sacramento Bee – Saturday, July 23, 2011

Coalition response...While attempting to portray Jim Beck as ignorant of California’s water system, the letter writer demonstrates his own lack of understanding of California’s water supply and system in his claims. Mr. Beck’s knowledge is based on years of experience and education. Contrary to the letter-writer's opinion, restoration of the Delta ecosystem is a priority for all water users. When the letter-writer challenges the co-equal goals of the BDCP by questioning the order of goals, it is informative to refer to the very first paragraph of the BDCP’s working draft that reads: "The members of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) Steering Committee provide this memorandum reporting on our progress in developing a plan to achieve the co-equal goals of restoring the ecosystem and water supply reliability of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta." This order of reference is repeated throughout the working draft, further disputing the letter writer’s assertion.

Delta

Delta smelt numbers ‘improve’ as pumps kill millions of splittail

Blog

By Dan Bacher

From IndyBay Media – Friday, July 22, 2011

Coalition response...The upsurge in smelt numbers is good news and it is important to recognize the factors that cause these numbers. Recent weather conditions have likely caused an increase in food supply that the smelt need. We must remember that these weather conditions are significant and also remember that operation of California’s water supply systems through the Delta could not match these same conditions; it took mother nature to step in and create the factors that spurred the smelt increase.

These same conditions have also increased the population numbers for other species, including splittail. Agencies and biologists knew in advance that the salvage numbers at the pumps would increase because of the higher populations.

In summary...weather conditions caused an upsurge in smelt numbers and an increase in the salvage numbers at the pump.

WATER SUPPLY

Proposal raises fears of terrorist attack on drinking water supply

Story

From The Record – Sunday, July 24, 2011

Local officials help identify new reservoir in Northern California

Story

From Santa Clarita Signal – Monday, July 25, 2011

West Kern Water District proposes to build solar panels to provide electrical power to pump our water

Story

From Taft Independent – Friday, July 22, 2011

How the Fresno Clean Energy Park could serve the Valley’s need for energy, water and a cleaner environment

Viewpoint

By Barbara Lydick

From Visalia Times-Delta – Friday, July 22, 2011

DELTA

Sharing a south Valley perspective on water

Story

From The Record – Sunday, July 24, 2011

Friday, July 22, 2011

News articles and links from July 22, 2011

WATER SUPPLY

Have we lost the will for big projects?

Comment

By Victor Davis Hanson

From Sacramento Bee – Friday, July 22, 2011

Satellites confirm farms need water

Column

By Don Curlee

From Hanford Sentinel – Thursday, July 21, 2011

Adaptive management means never having to say you’re sorry

Blog

By Jay Lund, Ellen Hanak, Brian Gray

From California WaterBlog – Thursday, July 21, 2011

FISHERIES

Invasive Species in California

Conservation strategy

From CDFG


Local delegation fights sucker fish regulation

Story

From Highland Community News – Thursday, July 21, 2011

Thursday, July 21, 2011

News articles and links from July 21, 2011

Fisheries

Delta smelt population up – wet winters appears to have helped

Story

From Sacramento Bee – Thursday, July 21, 2011

Coalition response...The increase in smelt numbers from last year is good news but we need to be careful in rushing to a reason for this bump in numbers. California has experienced an extraordinarily wet winter, with flood control operations running for seven months. Outflow conditions from the Delta have been far beyond any level that the water projects could possibly do under more normal conditions. It is unfortunate that only a DFG biologist and one environmental group were included as resources in this article. Additional data is available, including a five-year study (POD) that cost millions of dollars that concluded there are many factors affecting the species; indicating that not just one factor (flows) will provide the answer. A food supply that is not threatened by ammonium discharges into Delta waters will play a vital role and must not be overlooked.

WATER SUPPLY

Solution for water woes relies on success of Bay Delta plan

Viewpoint

By Jim Beck

From Sacramento Bee – Thursday, July 21, 2011

It’s time to invest in California’s water infrastructure

Opinion

By Tim Quinn

From Capitol Weekly – Thursday, July 21, 2011

A Paradox for the West’s Pumping System: Flood on the Top, Drought on the Bottom

Story

From NY Times – Thursday, July 21, 2011

WEATHER

Central Valley Flood Risk

Video

From YouTube – Wednesday, July 20, 2011

COURTS

Karuk Tribe, others not part of suit; groups can’t intervene in Siskiyou water use case

Story

From Redding Record Searchlight – Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

News articles and links from July 20, 2011

WATER SUPPLY

Record Bay-Delta Water Exports = 80% of Maximum Contract Allocations

Blog

By Doug Obegi

From NRDC – Tuesday, July 19, 2011

FISHERIES

Klamath Chinook listing is unwarranted, group argues

Story

From Capital Press – Tuesday, July 19, 2011

RIVERS

Will a river ever run through it?

Editorial

From The Record – Wednesday, July 20, 2011

QUANTIFICATION SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT

IID director asks for QSA lawyer to be placed on agenda

Story

From IV Press – Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

News articles and links from July 19, 2011

Delta

Kern Commission Smaller Delta Conveyance Study with Surprising Results

Blog

From Planning & Conservation League – Monday, July 18, 2011

Coalition response...This blog fails to fully report the conclusion of a presentation made by the State and federal contractors to the Delta Habitat Conservation and Conveyance Program (DHCCP) and instead uses only one of the 35 slides that were presented to suggest that a 5,000 cfs conveyance facility is all that is needed. An accurate reporting of the presentation would have revealed that a 5,000 cfs conveyance would only be useful as long as pumping in the south Delta continues without additional restrictions. The presentation clearly concluded that a larger conveyance facility would be the best choice to provide the water supply needed for the State and federal contractors while providing appropriate protections for the environment.

WATER SUPPLY

California Water War: The Diversions are a Diversion

Blog

From California Greening – Monday, July 18, 2011

DELTA

Solar request ignites debate

Story

From The Record – Saturday, July 16, 2011

FISHERIES

Salmon fishing season booming

Story

From Eureka Times Standard – Tuesday, July 19, 2011

WEATHER

Drought: A Creeping Disaster

Opinion

By Alex Prud’Homme

From NY Times – Saturday, July 16, 2011

Monday, July 18, 2011

News articles and links from July 18, 2011

WATER SUPPLY

Lessons learned from California’s most recent drought

Blog

From CalCan – Sunday, July 17, 2011

Conserving ag water isn’t a quick or easy fix

Viewpoint

By Ellen Hanak/Richard Howitt/Ariel Dinar

From Sacramento Bee – Saturday, July 16, 2011

California’s “Newest” Reservoir – It Isn’t in California

Blog

By Tom Philp

From SF Chronicle – Sunday, July 17, 2011

From humble beginnings: The Imperial Irrigation District celebrates 100 years

Story

From IV Press - Sunday, July 17, 2011

House Central Valley water bill worries EID

Story

From Mountain Democrat – Thursday, July 14, 2011

DELTA

City largely MIA on Delta canal

Column

By Michael Fitzgerald

From The Record – Sunday, July 17, 2011

Delta exports projected to reach record level in 2011

Blog

By Spreck Rosekrans

From EDF – Friday, July 15, 2011

Friday, July 15, 2011

News articles and links from July 15, 2011

Fisheries

Annual NOAA report shows ‘steady progress’ toward rebuilding fisheries

Blog

By Dan Bacher

From IndyBay Media – Thursday, July 14, 2011

Coalition response...This author trumpets NOAA’s report that fish populations are rebounding following reduced fishing programs. Yet when the fishing restrictions of recent years were announced by federal fish agencies, he and other fishing interests screamed against the action...and now he is holding up a report that justifies the action?

Although he sometimes poses as a friend to environmental concerns over declining fisheries when it suits his ideological purposes, the fact is that Dan Bacher’s number-one priority is fishing, which is an effective means of killing fish. Ironically, the NOAA report said that 40 fish stocks are overfished and among them are some of the species that Bacher flaunts on his commercialized fishing web site.

It is also ironic that this author is quick to recognize a qualifier in the NOAA report that suggests other factors beyond fishing may impact fish populations that are characterized as “overfished.” But in a 2010 report by the National Academy of Sciences on the Delta and the biological opinions that cited fish salvage at the Delta pumps, Bacher ignored the NAS “qualifier” that other predation factors need to be studied to achieve a complete understanding of the predation issue.

WATER SUPPLY

Wet winter bringing summer benefits

Story

From Porterville Recorder – Friday, July 15, 2011

Response to ‘Siskiyou County priorities’

Opinion

By Leo “T” Bergeron

From Siskiyou Daily News – Thursday, July 14, 2011

Climate change tempers good news about Colorado River Basin Water Supply

Story

From Climate Central – Wednesday, July 13, 2011

DELTA

A voice for California’s flyover country

Viewpoint

By Jon Mendelson

From Tracy Press – Friday, July 15, 2011

Machado strikes back

Blog

By Alex Breitler

From The Record – Thursday, July 14, 2011

State high court rules on Delta drilling

Story

From The Record – Friday, July 15, 2011

Supreme Court orders review of order authorizing DWR’s entry

Report

From Somach Simmons & Dunn – Thursday, July 14, 2011

Delta Conservancy wants your stories

Story

From Sacramento Bee – Thursday, July 14, 2011

RIVERS

River restoration meets resistance in Congress

Story

From Fresno Bee – Thursday, July 14, 2011

FISHERIES

Annual stock report shows steady progress toward rebuilding our nation’s fisheries

Press release

From NOAA – Thursday, July 14, 2011

Report: 40 fish populations being fished too hard

Story

From Redding Record Searchlight - Thursday, July 14, 2011

From SF Chronicle – Thursday, July 14, 2011

From Sacramento Bee – Thursday, July 14, 2011

From KFMB-TV 8 – Thursday, July 14, 2011

WETLANDS

Ranching, Wetlands Collide in North Coast

Story

From The Wall Street Journal – Thursday, July 14, 2011

Thursday, July 14, 2011

News articles and links from July 14, 2011

RIVERS

Be Careful What You Ask For – Eliminating Federal Funding for the San Joaquin River Agreement

Blog

By Barry Nelson

From NRDC – Wednesday, July 13, 2011

GROUNDWATER

Groundwater Lacks State Oversight in California – That Can Lead to Overuse

Story

From Bay Citizen – Tuesday, July 13, 2011

RESERVOIRS/WEATHER

Conditions for major reservoirs

From CDEC – Tuesday, July 13, 2011

Cooler summer our new norm? Not likely, experts say

Story

From Sacramento Bee – Thursday, July 14, 2011

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

News articles and links from July 13, 2011

Water supply

Ag prospers, but Valley’s crop of social ills persists

Column

By Bill McEwen

From Fresno Bee – Saturday, July 9, 2011

Coalition response...This article is disappointing to read because of the false picture it paints of San Joaquin Valley farmers as being uncaring about their workers and squirreling away huge profits while not contributing to the social malaise affecting the valley. Farmers do care about the lives of their workers and their families; many of these workers have been employed for over 10, 15 and 20 years by the same farmer. This doesn’t happen if a callous disregard exists toward the worker, despite the level of mechanization that has developed.

The writer’s attempt to portray a shifting of farm revenue from the valley to “corporate headquarters and investors outside of the Valley” belies the fact that only 7% of the 81,000 farms in California are corporate-owned. Farmers rely on their local communities not just for a source of employment but also supplies that keep their farms operational.

This writer has been with The Bee for over 30 years and it is sad to realize that in all that time he has failed to understand the important role that farming plays in the life and economy of the San Joaquin Valley.

Delta

Carnage at the Delta death pumps continues unabated

Blog

By Dan Bacer

From IndyBay Media – Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Coalition response...This tired old drum will collapse pretty soon if critics of the flow of water from the Delta to 25 million Californians and several million acres of farmland that grows food and fiber products continue to beat it in relation to the reported number of fish taken at the pumps. Biologists have explained this spike in numbers as a result of weather conditions. These biologists knew that the take number would increase in proportion to the overall population explosion of these species. Biologists have recorded the ups and downs of the take numbers at the pumps over the years in relation to weather conditions and the species are still around. No alarm has been sounded over these numbers other than by those individuals and groups who continue to talk among themselves.

WATER SUPPLY

Agricultural Water Stewardship

Report

By California Roundtable on Water and Food Supply

From Aquafornia – July 13, 2011

State Water Board General Fund cuts Result in Increased Fees

Story

From ACWA – Tuesday, July 12, 2011

GROUNDWATER

Groundwater and Secession in California

Blog

From California Greening – Tuesday, July 12, 2011

QUANTIFICATION SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT

IID could bring in “fresh blood” for second opinion on QSA

Story

From IV Press – Wednesday, July 13, 2011

COURTS

Agricultural water discharge approval is challenged

Story

From Central Valley Business Times – Tuesday, July 12, 2011