Bay Delta
Conservation Plan
From: Dana Bartholomew, LA
Daily News
A century ago, Los Angeles opened
an epic waterway that ran 233 miles from the eastern Sierra to sate the thirst
of its expanding city. But the L.A. Aqueduct wasn't enough.
The State Water Project opened in
1964 and now supplies water for 25 million Californians and agriculture for
millions more. But now its levees are vulnerable to rising sea levels, extreme
flood and a major earthquake. And dozens of species of fish and wildlife have
been adversely threatened.
To protect the environment, a
federal court six years ago ordered its water shipments cut by up to a third.
To fix it, the state has proposed a controversial $25 billion Bay Delta
Conservation Plan. Draft environmental documents are expected to be available
for public comment in November.
Coalition response...Dr. William Patzert misses a key point in his comments about
agricultural water use. Farmers use water to grow the food people in Southern
California and across the nation buy at the grocery store. It may seem to
Patzert that farm water use is high but farmers and consumers are actually on
the same side of the table. Consumers want a variety of fresh fruits and
vegetables at an affordable price for their families. Farmers need dependable water
supplies to grow them.
Since 2003 San Joaquin Valley
farmers have invested more than $2 billion on upgraded irrigation systems. In
recent decades food production has doubled while the amount of water used to
grow it has remained about the same. On-farm water use efficiency is state of
the art. Dr. Patzert would do well to examine the benefits consumers derive
from California farms rather than simply accusing farmers of using too much
water.
San Joaquin River
From: Associated Press, SD Union-Tribune
From: Associated Press, Fresno Bee
From: Associated Press, Modesto Bee
From: Associated Press, Sacramento Bee
From: Associated Press, SLO Tribune
From: Associated Press, Manteca Bulletin
A year ago federal officials
trucked 116 spawning salmon to the upper San Joaquin River in Central
California and invited media to watch them swim free for the first time since a
dam cut off the river's flow a half century ago.
The effort to see if gravel
riverbeds still could sustain eggs cost $237,000. A few months later, the
offspring died.
Coalition response...The restoration of the San Joaquin River is not going as planned. Cost
overruns, financing difficulties, delays in constructing needed projects and
operational efforts that have resulted in farmland being flooded have plagued
the restoration plan. Cannon Michael's suggestion should be given serious
consideration. The "wait and see" attitude articulated by the fishery
agency representative may be a significant part of the problem. Federal
agencies have the luxury of time and little accountability for deadlines.
Farmers do not.
Bay Delta
Conservation Plan
From: William Kahrl, LA Times
(A subscription may be required
to read this article.)
One hundred years after its
opening, the Los Angeles Aqueduct continues to cast a long shadow over the
rough and tumble of California water policy. The arrival of water from the
Owens Valley made the modern city possible. But it also reshaped Los Angeles to
suit its capabilities and changed water politics forever."
And the efforts of state and
federal water planners today to ensure that these systems will continue to meet
the needs of two-thirds of California's people through the implementation of
the proposed Bay Delta Conservation Plan likewise rely on the assurance that
the rights of Northern California water users will be protected.
From: Andy Lipkis, LA Times
(A subscription may be required
to read this article.)
On Nov. 5, 1913, William
Mulholland stood before a crowd of 40,000 people near San Fernando and unfurled
an American flag, signaling the official opening of the Los Angeles Aqueduct.
As water from the Owens Valley rushed through the spillway for the first time,
Mulholland exulted to the assembled onlookers: "There it is. Take
it."
It was a good line. But
Mulholland should have pointed skyward - because that is the true source of our
water.
Spurred on by advocates,
including Green LA Coalition's local water committee and the Council for
Watershed Health, public agencies across the region are looking at investments
to create alternatives to importing water from far away.
From: Jeremy B. White,
Sacramento Bee
While avian aficionados and
flying fowl flock to the Sacramento Delta to revel in its natural bounty,
legislators and policymakers continue to hammer Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed Bay
Delta Conservation Plan for potentially disrupting the area's precarious
ecological balance.
From: Alex Breitler, Stockton
Record
With Gov. Jerry Brown expected
next month to formally propose his twin tunnels project, Stockton-area leaders
say it's time to tell the Delta's "real story."
The Delta Coalition - a diverse
group of local politicians, environmentalists, business and farming interests -
will host a forum on Monday in the hope of educating both state lawmakers and
the general public.
The event, called "The Real
Delta Story," is from 10 a.m. to noon at the University of the Pacific
Alumni House, 1022 Dave Brubeck Way.
Water Supply
From: Calvin Men, Santa Cruz
Sentinel
Maintaining the state's water
resources, restoring water habitats and concerns about recycled water were
topics the California Secretary of Natural Resources John Laird touched on
Saturday at the Louden Nelson Community Center.
Water Plan
From: Seth Nidever, Hanford
Sentinel
A California water action plan released
this week is too farsighted, according to agricultural leaders who view the
20-page draft document as big on long-term goals but short on immediate
answers.
Groundwater
From: Staff, Imperial Valley
News
The California State Board of
Food and Agriculture will focus on groundwater supply issues at its upcoming
meeting on Tuesday, November 5th in Sacramento. This meeting will be held from
10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the California Department of Food and Agriculture,
1220 'N' Street - Main Auditorium, Sacramento, CA 95814.
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