Water Storage
From: Sen. Dianne Feinstein,
Sacramento Bee
Flying over California recently
on my way back to Washington, I was dismayed to see how bone-dry the state is
so early in the summer season.
There was virtually no snowpack.
Lakes and reservoirs are circled with rings of barren, dry soil. And plumes of
smoke from forest fires dot the skies, something that will worsen as the fire
season progresses.
The message is clear: We must do
more to prepare for increasingly harmful dry years by capturing more water in
wet years. In short, California needs a lot more water storage - and we need it
now.
Coalition response... Senator Feinstein understands the dire situation water users in
California face. Improving Delta conveyance by implementing the Bay Delta
Conservation Plan and adding storage to capture more water in wet years will
help thousands of family farmers and millions of consumers through improved
reliability. It will also help native fish species, such as the endangered
Chinook salmon, by having more cold water in the rivers when they need it most.
The Senator is right in urging
state leaders to act before the situation goes from bad to worse. We agree with
Senator Feinstein that modifying the Endangered Species Act should be
considered to help regain balance in managing our state's water scarcity. We
don't know exactly what combination of actions it will take to ultimately
resolve California's long-term water supply crisis but a lot of land devoted to
food production is at risk without relief in one form or another.
Unfortunately, the Senator's
statement that Reclamation may be able to achieve a water supply equivalent to
40% south of the Delta is overly optimistic. Assessment of Reclamation's
current efforts to address this year's water supply shortages suggests that
they may only result in a 1% increase. The inability of Reclamation to
address this year's water supply shortage is sadly another demonstration of
just how broken California's water system is.
Fortunately Senator Feinstein is
willing to pursue all avenues that can provide immediate relief during this
historic drought and, at the same time, look ahead to addressing what will
continue to be extraordinary regulatory and water supply challenges in the
coming months.
Bay Delta
Conservation Plan
From: Mike Wade, Sacramento
Bee
Re: "Delta tunnel plan
repeats mistakes of 1960s" (Letters, sacbee.com, June 12): Much of California's
water storage and delivery system was designed and built in the 1960s when our
state's populations was about 16 million; today's population has jumped to 38
million. No one questions the need to modernize this water system and the Bay
Delta Conservation Plan is the right project to do that.
From: DWR Staff,
Baydeltaconservationplan.com
In October 2012 the DWR
Agricultural Land Stewardship Workgroup (ALS Workgroup) distributed a paper
called the BDCP and Delta Farmland Discussion Paper. The DWR ALS
Workgroup is now beginning the next phase of the paper's development called the
Draft Agricultural Land Stewardship Strategies Discussion Paper. Even with
implementation of the mitigation measures and commitments proposed in the
administrative draft BDCP and EIR/EIS, there will still be impacts to Delta
agriculture.
Water Quality
From: Friant
Water Authority, Friant Waterline
An about-face by a Sacramento
County Superior Court judge may have cleared the way for the Central California
Regional Water Quality Control Board to proceed with approval and
implementation of its controversial southern San Joaquin Valley
groundwater-related quality regulations aimed at controlling nitrate discharges.
Agriculture
From: Sentinel Editorial
Board, Santa Cruz Sentinel
Considering the role agriculture
has played in the history and identity of Santa Cruz County, it has been
surprising the overall economic impact of the industry had not been added up.
Now it has -- $1.5 billion a year
in 2011 and more than 11,000 jobs.
From: Rand Green, The Produce
News
Total acreage planted and yet to
be planted this season for cantaloupes on the West Side of California's San
Joaquin Valley is expected to be similar to last year, with perhaps a slight
variation up or down depending on the observer.
But what is apparent is that
there has been some shift in where the acreage is planted, as water
restrictions, particularly in the Westlands Water District, which supplies
federal water to much of the West Side, has put some traditional melon acreage
out of production.
Water Supply
From: Friant Water Authority,
Friant Waterline
There is no denying that the
current water year's conditions have been extremely dry but nature has provided
the San Joaquin River with a welcomed supply surprise. As a result, Friant
Division users of Central Valley Project Class 1 water have received a pair of
water supply increases during June's first two weeks.
Twitter
Delta Tour
Capitol Public Radio's Amy
Quinton tours the Delta with Water Education Foundation. Follow her twitter feed here.
No comments:
Post a Comment