Webinar
From: The Irrigation
Association
Studies continue to show that
food production must double by 2050 to meet global demand. In an era of
increased competition over water resources, meeting this aggressive growth
target will require the adoption of innovative technologies, practices and
policies. In this session, experts from the agricultural and irrigation
industries will discuss how to meet the challenge of feeding the future with
today's resources.
Register for this live webinar
presentation that begins at 11 am this morning. CFWC Executive Director Mike
Wade will speak on "The Value of Water in California."
Rivers
From: Staff, Sacramento River
Watershed
We are pleased to have Lee Bass,
Acting Deputy for Programs and Project Management as our opening speaker and
have invited Jason Peltier, the Chief Deputy General Manager of the Westlands
Water District and Congressman John Garamendi to engage in a lively discussion
around California water issues. We are anticipating a stimulating forum agenda
that will feature panel discussions on topics including:
-- a
comprehensive new framework for system wide flood management,
-- existing
and proposed water storage,
-- a vision
for Sacramento River fisheries, and concerns and efforts surrounding one of our
most important resources, our headwaters.
From: Alex Breitler, Stockton
Record
County water leaders took the
first tentative step Wednesday toward cooperatively sharing Mokelumne River
water with the Bay Area - a concept that has been discussed for more than a
decade but has never been successfully executed.
Bay Delta
Conservation Plan
From: Richard Stapler,
California Natural Resources Agency
In an effort to spur discussion
about desperately needed upgrades to California's water supply delivery system,
some water districts in California along with Natural Resources Defense Council
have urged the study of a tunnel delivery system in the Delta that is a third
of the size of the emerging proposal. The basic idea was to spend less on new
conveyance and more on replacing lost Delta supplies with new local water
sources and additional storage facilities.
While BDCP's environmental
analysis process is not yet complete, the Department of Water Resources has
conducted extensive economic and water modeling analysis of a potentially
smaller water conveyance fix and habitat restoration for the Delta than
proposed by BDCP. The findings point to some fundamentals of engineering and
math. A tunnel that is a third of the size is in no way a third of the
construction cost. Constraining the future water system reduces public water
supplies. It increases reliance on 50-year old pumping facilities in the
southern Delta that are of concern to the environmental organizations
themselves. And it doesn't free up nearly the necessary funds to replace the
lost water supplies.
From: Alex Breitler,
eSanJoaquin
State officials said this
afternoon that the so-called "portfolio plan" proposed by some
environmentalists and water agencies is "not a viable solution."
Read Secretary for Natural
Resources John Laird's letter today (linked to within BDCP blog entry)
to the San Diego County Water Authority, and its accompanying analysis.
Water Bond
From: Maven, Maven's
Notebook
The Water Bond Working Group convened
by Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez and chaired by Assembly Member Anthony Rendon
has completed its initial work on rebooting the critically flawed water bond
passed by the Legislature in 2009. Rendon commented:
"I am very proud of the
efforts of the Working Group. Each member dedicated a tremendous amount of time
representing the priorities and concerns of their communities and constituents.
We convened a very broad and public process to craft a leaner and cleaner
proposal to move forward."
The product of the Working Group
will appear in print in AB 1331, currently in the Senate, on Thursday,
September 12. This initial revised bond totals $6.5 billion and addresses
Drinking Water Quality, Protecting Rivers & Watersheds, Regional Climate
Change Response Projects - Integrated Regional Water Management, Protecting the
Delta, and Water Storage for Climate Change.
From: Lisa Lien-Mager, ACWA
An informational hearing on the
2014 water bond is set for Sept. 24 in the state Senate.
The Senate Natural Resources and
Water Committee and the Senate Environmental Quality Committee have slated the
joint hearing, titled "Setting the Stage for a 2014 Water Bond: Where Are
We and Where Do We Need To Go?," for 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in room 4203 of
the state Capitol.
Drought
From: Kevin Oliver/KCRA-3 TV,
CDFA Planting Seeds
"It can be a disaster for
some of our farmers if they have to leave land idle," says Richard
Rominger.
Water Supply
From: Assembly Member Jim
Patterson, California Ag Today
(State Assembly member Jim
Patterson represents the 23rd district, which encompasses eastern
Fresno County and part of eastern Tulare County. His comments on what
needs to be done regarding California water for agriculture and urban use were
made at the recent Water Summit in Fresno.)
I am new to the Assembly, in
"sponge-mode"/listening mode and attempting to understand what we can
and cannot achieve in the short-term and long-term. So what I have been trying
to do is to set a framework in which I can be engaged and supportive of the
water bond in 2014. And my hope is that the Senate democratic leadership will
be as clear as possible with respect to the principles that the 2014 bond is
going to put forward.
Salton Sea
From: Antoine Abou-Diwan,
Imperial Valley Press
If approved, Assembly Bill 71
would require the state Natural Resources Agency to coordinate with the Salton
Sea Authority on restoration efforts. It would also allow the Salton Sea
Authority to proceed with a funding and feasibility study that identifies
potential funding sources and matches them with regional needs, such as a
revitalized wildlife habitat, economy and environment.
From: Matt Williams,
ACWA
Legislation that would tweak the
governance structure for developing a comprehensive restoration plan for the
Salton Sea has advanced to the governor's desk.
Sponsored by Assembly Member V.
Manuel Pérez (D-Coachella), AB 71 would direct the California Natural Resources
Agency to lead restoration efforts, in consultation with the Salton Sea
Authority.
Fisheries
From: Rep. Jared Huffman, SF
Chronicle
In "Dirty Harry," Clint
Eastwood memorably asked, do you "feel lucky?" It made for great
theater, but it's no way to manage North Coast salmon. Unfortunately, that's
been the policy of the U.S. Department of Interior toward the near-record run
of chinook salmon that is migrating up the Trinity and Klamath rivers. Instead
of a comprehensive strategy to fulfill its duty to protect this iconic fishery,
the department is rolling the dice. So far, the salmon have been lucky.
From: Kenny Priest, Eureka
Times-Standard
Marginal seas, opening weekend of
NFL football, freezers full of fish. For whatever the reason, the 2013 ocean
salmon season -- which some locals would rate as the best ever -- came to a
peaceful end last Sunday.
No comments:
Post a Comment