Storage
From: Walter
Andrews, Sacramento Bee
Re "Signs of
drought raise salmon risks" (Page A1, June 27): We need dams no matter
what Delta solution we finally adopt.
There is no telling
when a comprehensive solution that satisfies all parties will get defined and
implemented. North-South, urban-farmers, dams-Sierra Club,
tunnels-environmentalists, federal-state, and Democrat-Republican are all in
play.
Coalition Response... Several new water storage facilities are currently under
consideration---Sites Reservoir in western Colusa County and Upper Temperance
Flats in eastern Fresno County. Both projects would provide benefits to fish
and add to a water supply that needs to be increased, as pointed out by the
author. Increasing the height of Shasta Dam, already in the planning process,
would also provide these benefits. Just as important is the added flexibility
these projects would bring to a water delivery system that was constructed
years ago to serve a population that is half of what it is today.
To receive full
benefits from those projects in the Sacramento Valley, an improved conveyance
system must be implemented in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Any new conveyance
system must create a reliable water supply for deliveries to those who have
struggled with water shortages and also improve the Delta ecosystem.
Storage
From: Editorial
Staff, Redding Record Searchlight
If the Bureau of
Reclamation decides to spend a billion dollars beefing up Shasta Dam and
enlarging the reservoir, the agency won't be doing it for us - that is, for the
lake's closest neighbors.
So who will
benefit?
Water Bond
From: Bee Staff,
Sacramento Bee
There has been
plenty of coverage, including in the newspaper that Capitol Alert calls home,
of the contentious questions swirling around Gov. Jerry Brown's massive
proposed water project. Much of it has focused on the environmental
repercussions, the consequences for Central Valley farmers and the north-south
standoff over water resources.
From: Lisa
Lien-Mager, ACWA
The Assembly Water,
Parks & Wildlife Committee will hear a presentation Tuesday, July 2, on
principles for the 2014 water bond developed by an Assembly working group.
Transfers
From: John
Holland, Modesto Bee
The board of the
Oakdale Irrigation District, an active player in the water transfer market,
will talk this morning about selling to the nearby Modesto and Turlock
irrigation districts.
The board will
consider sending a letter that asks generally whether the MID and the TID might
buy some of the OID's Stanislaus River supply.
Water Supply
From: Gabrielle
Karol, Fox Business News
As drought
conditions and extreme heat continue to plague California, farmers in the
Central Valley are struggling to get enough water to feed their land -- the
bread basket of the Golden State.
But the weather
alone isn't to blame. Fish and Wildlife regulations tightly control water
resources in the state, making it impossible earlier this year for the
reservoirs to capture the rain, when it fell late last fall. And because of the
endangered species in the region, pumping water is also restricted, leaving
farmers high and dry.
Bay Delta
Conservation Plan
From: Mark
Cowin, Western City Magazine
For 60 years the
biggest water projects in California have been drawing water out of the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for cities and farms. People have been talking for
even longer about a better way to divert that water.
From: Glen
Becerra, Western City Magazine
California has
great challenges to match its size. Among its longest-standing and most vital
issues is water - specifically the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta that is
the lynchpin of drinking water for most Californians.
From: Don
Nottoli, Western City Magazine
The 2009
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Reform Act calls on leaders at all levels to work
to achieve the coequal goals of "providing a more reliable water supply
for California and to protect, restore and enhance the Delta ecosystem."
It also prescribes that the coequal goals "shall be achieved in a manner
that protects and enhances the unique cultural, recreational and natural resources
and agricultural values of the Delta as an evolving place."
From: Darrel
Fong, Western City Magazine
California needs a
statewide solution to its water problems, which must be addressed so that
everyone has access to clean, safe, reliable and affordable water. The
governor's preferred proposal, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), will
degrade the water reliability and quality of life for Northern California's
residents because it lacks enforceable water supply assurances for the region.
Without these assurances, the north state's economy and natural resources are
in jeopardy.
From: Martha
Lennihan, Western City Magazine
The Bay Delta
Conservation Plan (BDCP) raises a number of questions related to existing law.
The following list highlights some - but by no means all - of the key legal
issues likely to come into play if the BDCP goes forward.
Farming
From: Bradley
Fikes, U-T San Diego
Plants use less
water when given an inexpensive chemical discovered by a UC Riverside
researcher, according to a new study. Products developed from this research
could help farmers cope with an increasingly strained water supply, in
California and worldwide.
Blogs
From: Jay Lund,
California WaterBlog
California needs a
new environmentalism to set a more effective and sustainable green bar for the
nation and even the world.
From: Maven,
Maven's Notebook
At its June 19
meeting, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) heard a
progress report on the update of the Bay Delta Plan, the water quality control
plan that identifies the beneficial uses of the Delta's waters and then sets
water quality objectives to protect those uses. The State Water Board is
the state agency that is charged with protecting water quality as well as
allocating water rights, and develops statewide policies and regulations for
California's water bodies under the authority of the Federal Clean Water Act
and the state's Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act.
From: Anjanette
Shadley-Martin, NCWA Blog
Sharing the story
with you of the successes of the "award winning*" Butte Creek Fish
Passage Improvement Project never gets old. Year in and year out, the locals
wait for salmon to show up at their "favorite spots." My favorite
spot is at Durnel Bridge between Durham and Nelson. I've been taking pictures
and video to post on Western Canal Water District's Twitter and YouTube channel as
they made their presence known in bold numbers earlier this year. Estimates are
predicting the return of 12,000 - 15,000 adult spawners. Due to a continuing
trend of promising return numbers, the California Department of Fish and
Wildlife (DFW) has determined that Butte Creek is "the best of three creeks supporting naturally returning
spring-run salmon."
From: Maven,
Maven's Notebook
A summary of recent
blog posts by Chris Austin.
