Friday, June 28, 2013

News articles and links from June 28, 2013


Bay Delta Conservation Plan 

From: Alastair Bland, Marin Independent Journal

On the brisk, foggy seascape of the Gulf of the Farallones, 15 miles from shore, another rod bends over under the weight of a hefty Chinook salmon. The frantic energy moves up the line, into the hands of the fisherman, and from there into the blood of every angler onboard. Yes - salmon possess this kind of power.

In fact, though they're armed with hooks, lines, nets, and billy clubs, most fishermen are allies of the Chinook salmon, and the greatest threat may be people of political power who work in the stodgy suit-and-tie chambers of Capitol Hill. Here, state officials are now polishing up plans to build a pair of huge underground tunnels that could take away half or more of the Sacramento River before it even reaches the Delta, diverting the water instead into a state-of-the-art delivery system serving San Joaquin Valley farmers and thirsty cities.

Coalition response...It is understandable that fishermen are concerned about the possible effects the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) may have on fish but those concerns need to be based on facts. Saying the tunnels "could take away half or more of the Sacramento River before it reaches the Delta" does not reflect reality. Mandated water levels flowing through the Delta will be maintained under BDCP. The flow of water through the tunnels will be governed according to available supply. When the flows are high, more water will move through the tunnels. Lower flows mean less water will be exported. See more at www.farmwater.org/exportthrottle.pdf. 

BDCP includes more than a 100,000 acres of habitat that will be created to protect fish by providing safe harbor from predators and an improved food supply.

Too many people mistakenly believe that the pumps that deliver water to thousands of farms and 25 million Californians are the primary cause of the dwindling salmon population of recent years. Yet, the National Marine Fisheries Service has concluded that poor ocean conditions---warm water and a reduced food supply---is the leading cause of the drop in salmon populations.

Fisheries

From: Matt Weiser, Modesto Bee

(This article previously appeared in the Sacramento Bee.)
In a sign of growing drought in California, state officials recently took the unusual step of loosening environmental water quality rules in hopes of protecting salmon in the Sacramento River.

The move illustrates how drought forces difficult trade-offs in modern-day California, where water supplies are stretched to the limit even in normal years.

Coalition response...The solution to providing sufficient water for fish migration while continuing to meet the water supply needs of Northern California and the rest of the state is the development of new storage in Northern California. Construction of Sites Reservoir and expanding Shasta Dam would help improve water management flexibility for all of California. These projects can accomplish this by increasing the reliability of Sacramento Valley water supplies and other parts of the state by reducing Sacramento River diversions at a time when salmon need it most. Combined, Sites and Shasta could add over 2 million acre-feet to California's water supply and ecosystem portfolio, which is a win-win for people and the environment.

Delta 

From: Genevieve A. Suzuki, Mission Times Courier

Looking upon the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, it's easy to dismiss it as just another modern marvel, crafted to bring 25 millions of Californians drinking water. Water flows in and out of our faucets, hoses and toilets every day; it's a given we all take for granted.

All it takes is one of Metropolitan Water District's inspection trips to the Bay Delta to force you to confront reality about water truly being one of our more precious resources. And, as with any precious resource, there is a wealth of issues surrounding its maintenance and distribution.

Salton Sea

From: Ian James, Desert Sun

The state budget signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday commits $30 million for a study and habitat restoration work at the Salton Sea, but the governor also used a line-item veto to cut $3 million that would have gone toward other projects at the shrinking lake.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

News articles and links from June 27, 2013

 
Fisheries

From: Matt Weiser, Sacramento Bee

In a sign of growing drought in California, state officials recently took the unusual step of loosening environmental water quality rules in hopes of protecting salmon in the Sacramento River.

The move illustrates how drought forces difficult trade-offs in modern-day California, where water supplies are stretched to the limit even in normal years.

Coalition response...The solution to providing sufficient water for fish migration while continuing to meet the water supply needs of Northern California and the rest of the state is the development of new storage in Northern California. Construction of Sites Reservoir and expanding Shasta Dam would help improve water management flexibility for all of California. These projects can accomplish this by increasing the reliability of Sacramento Valley water supplies and other parts of the state by reducing Sacramento River diversions at a time when salmon need it most. Combined, Sites and Shasta could add over 2 million acre-feet to California's water supply and ecosystem portfolio, which is a win-win for people and the environment.  

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

From: Mike Wade, California Farm Water Coalition

The Bay Delta Conservation Plan represents a seven-year effort by water industry professionals working in the Delta for more than 40 years to develop a plan that increases water supply reliability and restores ecosystem resources in the Delta. The water supply for almost 4,000 farms and 25 million Californians has become increasingly unreliable in the wake of environmental pressures unforeseen at the time our existing water supply system was conceived. Experts say that climate change and earthquakes pose additional risks to our water supply.

From: Alastair Bland, Sacramento News & Review

The brown water of the Sacramento River lumbers quietly downstream along the levee bank, swirling eddies and occasional surges of turbulence revealing the power of this greatest of California's waterways. It is nearly 100 degrees in the town of Hood, about 20 minutes south of Sacramento, and the heavy sun crushes the midday hours into idleness. The streets are quiet, except for the occasional passing of a car on Highway 160, the rushing of the trees and the corners of a sign on a gate flapping in the hot wind. It reads:

"STOP THE TUNNELS."

Water Supply

Dry Winters, Water Rationing Force Output Cuts, Test Fragile Regional Economy
From: Jim Carlton, Wall Street Journal

Two years of dry weather and regulatory water cuts are taking a mounting toll on California's giant farm belt, forcing farmers to idle more fields and workers even as much of the rest of the Golden State continues to recover from a debilitating recession.

As they did last year after a dry winter forced state and federal water managers to cut their allotments, farmers here in the Central Valley again this year are letting fields go fallow after being advised they would receive as little as 20% of their contracted supplies of water from the mountains of Northern California.

Aiding SoCal's water needs requires studying north's resources
From: Tony St. Amant, Chico News & Review

Governor Jerry Brown recently signed an executive order that directs immediate action to deal with the dry conditions in the state and water-delivery limitations to the San Joaquin Valley. Responsive to immediate need? Absolutely. Responsive to long-term needs? Not even close!

What the governor is overlooking is the need to develop a projection of how much water realistically will be available if we are in fact entering the long-term dry spell many have predicted. Without thoughtful planning and a lot more study, he runs the risk of creating a second water-starved valley-this one north of Sacramento.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Why California needs BDCP

"The Bay Delta Conservation Plan sets out a comprehensive conservation strategy for the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta (Delta) designed to restore and protect ecosystem health, water supply and water quality within a stable regulatory framework. The BDCP reflects the outcome of a multiyear collaboration between public water agencies, state and federal fish and wildlife agencies, nongovernment organizations, agricultural interests and the general public."

Bay Delta Conservation Plan Introduction


The Bay Delta Conservation Plan represents a seven-year effort by water industry professionals working in the Delta for more than 40 years to develop a plan that increases water supply reliability and restores ecosystem resources in the Delta. The water supply for almost 4,000 farms and 25 million Californians has become increasingly unreliable in the wake of environmental pressures unforeseen at the time our existing water supply system was conceived. Experts say that climate change and earthquakes pose additional risks to our water supply.

Why is the BDCP so important for California? Because it helps restore critical habitat for native fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and it will help restore water deliveries to areas of the state where water supply cuts have left communities devastated and thousands of people looking for jobs. To erase any question of the hardship that exists in some of California’s most productive food growing regions, the chart below shows the direct connection between reduced water supplies and unemployment.

(click above to open larger chart)

For consumers who shop for local, California-grown food products the risk is just as real. Reduced water supplies for farmers this year are already having an effect on the land that would have been used to grow food next year. Much of what would have been planted to annually produce fresh fruit and vegetables will now lie fallow because of water shortages. That can affect what is available at the grocery store and how much it will cost.

Many concerns about potential impacts exist within the Delta, which is the focus of the BDCP, as well as upstream and downstream areas. There are serious questions that need to be answered and that process is underway. The BDCP public review draft is due out this fall and the public will have an opportunity to submit comments to help improve it. The BDCP also includes a planned adaptive management strategy that is designed to address issues and concerns over the life of the project in order to minimize or eliminate any potentially negative impacts. 

California’s water supply and environmental problems are significant and in one way or another they affect almost everyone in the state. The BDCP is a big solution at a time when it is needed most, but it isn’t the only element needed for the future. New storage designed to capture water during wet periods will help meet future water supply needs including water quality improvements and in-stream flow requirements for fish and the aquatic ecosystem.


A small investment by everyone today will help ensure long term water supply reliability, adequate water for our farms and ecosystem restoration activities that will benefit some of California’s native and most iconic fish species.


News articles and links from June 26, 2013


Water Supply

From: Steve Adler, Ag Alert
From: Steve Adler, Sierra Sun Times

Already struggling with short water supplies in 2013, farmers on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley have been warned that next year could be worse.

That's the assessment of Tom Birmingham, general manager of the Fresno-based Westlands Water District, which buys water from the federal Central Valley Project. Growers this year are receiving a 20 percent allocation and, unless there is a very wet winter ahead, Birmingham said the initial CVP allocation next spring could be zero.

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

From: Mark Grossi, Modesto Bee

(This article previously appeared in the Fresno Bee.)
After hearing the state's top water leader talk about the Bay Delta Conservation Plan last week, I went online to check some of his facts.

I crashed my computer trying to download a lot of files. So let's just go straight to the talk last week at The Fresno Bee editorial board meeting, which broke little news.

Transfers

From: Garth Stapley, Modesto Bee

It's nice to make some money while helping a close relative, Modesto Irrigation District leaders said Tuesday as they put final touches on a short-term deal to sell water to the Turlock Irrigation District.

It would be even nicer to have in place formal water-sale guidelines, some said, that might ease the rancor that accompanied a previous proposal to shop water to San Francisco.

Salton Sea

From: Alejandro Davila, Imperial Valley Press

Concerns over Imperial Irrigation District procurement practices were raised Tuesday as two public relations firms were hired by the Board of Directors to work on matters related to the Quantification Settlement Agreement and the Salton Sea.

Colorado River

From: Sandra Postel, National Geographic

The history of water, especially in the western United States, is largely one of reaching further out to distant water sources as population grows and local supplies get tight.

But five southern California cities that today rely heavily on water transferred hundreds of miles from the Colorado River and the San Francisco Bay-Delta are reversing this trend: they aim to cut their dependence on long-distance water imports by ramping up conservation, recycling and reliance on local supplies.

From: Bob Berwyn, Summit County Citizens Voice

Projections of future flows in the Colorado River have been all over the map, ranging from a 6 percent reduction in flows all the way up to a 45 percent drop.

Getting a better handle on that number is critical for water managers from Colorado to California, but fine-tuning models to address global warming impacts on the scale of a single river basin is a big challenge.

Farming

From: Laura van der Meer, Marysville Appeal-Democrat

The PVC pipes and drip lines have arrived, and prune farmer Raghbir Atwal is looking forward to having 40 more acres of his Yuba City orchards converted to a micro-irrigation system.

"I have not seen any drawbacks on this system," said Atwal, who has been farming since 1971. "I'm very happy."

Political Campaign

From: Andy Vidak, Bakersfield Californian

Water is the lifeblood of our Central Valley, and whoever wins this election will be representing over 900,000 people in Kern, Kings, Fresno and Tulare counties on this vital issue.

The economy in our Valley is driven by agriculture and that means we must have water. You don't need to drive a tractor to depend on agriculture for your livelihood. People who work in banks, stores, restaurants and other types of businesses rely on farming to buy their goods and services. Governments depend on the sales taxes from these transactions as well as the income and property taxes of farmers for a significant part of their revenue as well.

From: Leticia Perez, Bakersfield Californian

No region in California has been impacted more by our state's broken water system than the Central Valley. The lack of water has left thousands of acres of farmland fallow and people unemployed, causing economic hardship and putting futures at risk.

Fortunately, Gov. Jerry Brown's Bay Delta Conservation Plan and the 2014 Water Bond provide immediate and viable solutions to keep the breadbasket to the world going and growing.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

News articles and links from June 25, 2013


Delta  

From: Pat Snelling, Vacaville Reporter

The Delta is starving for water, so California officials set up a plan to take more water out of the Delta. How does this make any sense?

California has had a long history of water wars, with many battles and, once again, the state is gearing up for another fight.

The latest "new" Delta plan was released on May 16. Since then, seven lawsuits were filed and probably more are to come.

The Delta Stewardship Council says its plan meets the "co-equal" needs of those depending on Delta water and provides "reliability" for water contractors.

Coalition response...Water in California has generated differing viewpoints throughout our state's history, all the way back to the Gold Rush. Today's discussion focuses on a proposal to provide water to 25 million Californians and almost four thousand farms while restoring the Delta ecosystem, including habitat that will benefit fish species. Pivotal to this discussion are the facts that surround the proposal.

This piece does little to provide factual information on how the Bay Delta Conservation Plan will work for California. The following are some corrections the statements made by Pat Snelling:

Fact #1---The proposed Bay Delta Conservation Plan and its two tunnels are prevented by California law from negatively impacting existing water rights.

Fact #2---Since 2003 San Joaquin Valley farmers have spent more than $2.1 billion upgrading the irrigation systems on more than 1.8 million acres to increase their water use efficiency.

Fact #3---Westlands Water District is a public water agency with a publicly elected board of directors, not a privately owned business. 

Fact #4---More than 50 percent of Westlands farmland grows fresh fruits and vegetables.

Fact #5---The average farm size in Westlands Water District is actually less than 900 acres, not 3,000 as the author claims.

Fact #6---Increased water storage is essential to the future of California and also requires an improved conveyance system through the Delta.

Each Californian should seek the facts regarding water issues confronting our state and not rely on emotion expressed by others.

Bay Delta Conservation Plan 

From: Dennis Wyatt, Manteca Bulletin

The Delta Twin Tunnel plan could rob Manteca of water it has contractually tied up from the Stanislaus River basin.

That's the fear that the Manteca City Council has of the Delta water solution being pursued by Southern California and Bay Area urban water interests as well as large southern San Joaquin Valley farming concerns.

Mayor Willie Weatherford noted construction of the $24.54 billion update of the 1980 Peripheral Canal proposal is being justified by three goals: Saving the Delta, preserving wildlife, and sending more water south.

Coalition response...The concern expressed by Manteca city leaders regarding their water supply is similar to questions raised by others. BDCP officials have repeatedly answered these concerns by stating that the proposed Plan, including the two tunnels, are prevented by California law from negatively impacting existing water rights.

Understanding that the current proposal is not a remake of the 1982 Peripheral Canal is crucial. The current plan offers improvements that did not exist in the canal plan such as the BDCP tunnels will only move 9,000 cubic feet per second of water compared to 21,800 cfs with the Peripheral Canal. Only two fish species, salmon and striped bass, were identified for protection in the canal plan while BDCP includes 214 biological goals and objectives for 57 fish and terrestrial species, their habitat and the Delta ecosystem. Learn more at www.farmwater.org/p-canalcomparison.pdf.

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

From: Mark Truppner, Mother Lode

The State of California and the Obama Administration agreed to a formal deadline of October 1, 2013 for the release of the draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and accompanying environmental documents for public review and comment.

Governor Jerry Brown was Tuesday's KVML "Newsmaker of the Day".

The BDCP will enable the state to make significant progress toward achieving the co-equal goals of securing California's water supply and restoring the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem.

Blogs

From: Maven, Maven's Blog

Welcome to Tuesday's blog round-up!  This week's round-up is action packed, so let's get started.

So why did the exporters sue over the Delta Plan?  Alex Breitler says the topic has come up:  "The question came up at yesterday's local Advisory Water Commission meeting: Why did water exporters sue over the Delta Plan? Delta-area folks think they're clearly getting the short shrift; what can the folks down south have to complain about? ... "  Alex ponders the possible reasons on his blog here:  Why did the water exporters sue?   

Yesterday, the State Water Contractors issued their own fact sheet explaining why, giving several reasons, including this:  "While SWC supports how the California Legislature directed the Delta Stewardship Council to create a comprehensive management plan for the Delta, the legislation did not give the Council power to influence or establish future water delivery quantities for public water agencies. However, the Environmental Impact Report for the Delta Plan assumes that its implementation will reduce export levels. Such assumptions are beyond the DSC's legal jurisdiction. This over-reach of legal authority threatens the delicate balance of Delta oversight. Establishing export levels in relation to outflows is a highly-regulated process involving three agencies with state and federal Endangered Species Act jurisdiction as well as the State Water Resources Control Board."  Read the full fact sheet here:  BDCP-Delta Plan Lawsuit SWC Fact Sheet.   

Water Supply

From: KSEE-24 TV

Fresno Irrigation District water deliveries for 2013 will begin coming to an end by the middle of July for the Fancher and Dry Creek Systems as a result of this year's limited water supply. At its June 18 meeting FID's Board of Directors voted to continue deliveries of water through July 31 on the Herndon system.

From: Tim Hearden, Capital Press

The manager of Fresno County's largest farm group says even though the county remained tops in the nation in terms of crop value last year, steeper declines may be on the horizon.

Ryan Jacobsen, the Fresno County Farm Bureau's executive director, said this summer's drought and low water allocations south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta forced more land in the valley to be fallowed this year.

From: Tim Hearden, Capital Press

Like Westside melon growers and other California growing operations, table grape producers are feeling the pinch of cutbacks in water allocations.

It's not expected to hurt volumes this year - another record crop is possible since vineyards plan to make up the difference by pumping more groundwater.

But it's a temporary fix.

Fisheries

From: Rebecca M. QuiƱones, California WaterBlog

The Klamath River basin presents one of the best opportunities for the reform of hatchery practices and the recovery of wild salmon and trout populations in California.

Much of the habitat for the Klamath's Chinook, coho and steelhead fisheries is in relatively good shape compared with conditions in the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems. Also, political and legal support for Klamath River restoration is growing.

Invasive Species 

From: Matt Weiser, Sacramento Bee
From: Matt Weiser, Modesto Bee

The State Lands Commission voted Friday to postpone rules that require cargo ships to treat their ballast water before discharging it within California's borders.

Meetings 

From: Water Association of Kern County

Jerry Meral, Deputy Secretary - California Natural Resources Agency
Update on Bay Delta Conservation Plan
July 23, 2013 11:30 a.m.
The Water Association of Kern County Board of Directors and Membership Meeting at the Petroleum Club of Bakersfield, 5060 California Ave., 12th Floor, Bakersfield, CA