News articles and links from June 24, 2013

Water Supply

Letter: Community Conversation: Economy grows when water flows

From: John Woods, Fresno Bee

I would improve our surface water storage and delivery systems. Raise Shasta Dam, build Temperance Flat dam, build the delta tunnels. These expenditures will provide a continuing, self-supporting return on our investment. All of the revenue generated with viable agriculture and its associated support industries is enhanced. We would have a dependable source for groundwater recharge. Eliminate the political, agenda-based roadblocks to agriculture, the backbone of the San Joaquin Valley's, as well as California's economy. More permanent and seasonal jobs and more tax dollars are created as more money churns in our free enterprise system.

Water Quality

Letter: Farmers are improving water quality

From: Jack Hamm, Sacramento Bee

Re "Farm bill would be a disaster for conservation, California" (Viewpoints, June 12, 2013): Kari Hamershlag's op-ed included assertions about worsening pollution linked to farms. Those assertions are simply not true.

Delta

Viewpoint: Familiar feeling as lawsuits ripple across the Delta

From: Mike Klocke, Stockton Record

Our newspaper has had a number of very good environmental reporters over the years, one of them the always straight-shooting Jim Nickles, rest his soul.

In the late 1990s, I ambled over to Jim's desk to get his thoughts on some iteration of news dealing with the monolithic CALFED/Bay Delta program that was charged with overhauling California's water policy.

"Who are the big winners with this development?" I asked Jim, only two see him form a facial expression that was 50 percent smirk and 50 percent disgust.

"The winners? Oh, that would be the water lawyers," he responded.

Editorial: Delta's new plan has same outcome

From: Chico Enterprise-Record

Our view: The newly completed Delta Plan avoided the fundamental water issue in California: How much water moves south?

Well, a new plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has been drafted, and quite predictably, lawsuits have already been filed over it.

The Delta Plan, drafted by the Delta Stewardship Council under authority of the Legislature, was supposed to restore the delta's environment while at the same time assuring a reliable water supply for the state.

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

Supes will hear Delta updates

From: Melissa Murphy, Vallejo Times-Herald

Proposed plans to revamp the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to move water south will impact Solano County. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will receive an update on Delta-related issues and activities.

According to staff, Solano remains actively engaged in Delta water issues, as many current projects and programs will have varied and potentially significant impacts on the county and the whole Delta region.

Transfers

Reclamation Releases Final Environmental Documents on 2013 Central Valley Project Water Transfers

From: Press release, USBR

The Bureau of Reclamation today released the final environmental documents for the transfer of Central Valley Project water by CVP contractors located north of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The water will be purchased by up to 10 San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority member agencies located south of the Delta.

Regional Water Plan

Officials release Merced area water plan

From: Ramona Giwargis, Merced Sun-Star

The region's first integrated water management plan has been released, and the collaborative effort provides a "big picture" perspective on water, officials said.

Multiple agencies, including the city of Merced, Merced County and the Merced Irrigation District, joined forces with more than 35 community stakeholders - a Regional Advisory Committee - to create the plan.

Groundwater

Tracking Nitrogen Through the Soil to Reduce Pollution From Agriculture

From: Susan Moran, Discover Magazine

On this gray, drizzly winter morning, the California coastal mountains in the distance look like a mirage hovering over a flat swath of fields at Russell Ranch, a 300-acre experimental farm in the Sacramento Valley. One of the researchers in charge is Martin Burger, an angular, intense-looking Swiss ecologist. He steps out of his Ford F-150 pickup and leads me down a gravely path to a field covered in neat rows of lime-green triticale - a cereal grain - and bean shoots.

Above ground, the scene looks orderly and static. But Burger and his colleagues at the University of California at Davis are interested in what lies hidden below the surface. Down there, it's a highly dynamic and far-from-predictable scene. To get a glimpse, they have buried an array of instruments that can trace the trajectory of nitrogen. They are trying to help solve the many ecological and human health problems caused by this troublesome element while helping farmers grow crops more efficiently

News articles and links from June 21, 2013

Bay Delta Conservation Plan 

Bay Delta Conservation Plan more than tunnels, state leader says

From: Mark Grossi, Fresno Beehive Blog

I listened to the state's top water leader talk for an hour Thursday about the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. Then I tried to check some of his data online.

The download of so many documents crashed my computer. Let's just go straight to the talk at The Fresno Bee editorial board meeting, which did not break any news.

Letter: Tunnels worse than peripheral canal

From: Stan Grant, Modesto Bee

If the peripheral canal was a bad idea, then the Bay Delta Conservation Plan tunnels are a horrible idea. The construction and operation of the tunnels will, in effect, gut one of the most beautiful and agriculturally productive environments in the state, while at the same time diminishing the functions of the ecosystems and wildlife habitats it claims it will improve.

Storage

Letter: Dianne Feinstein is right about California's water needs

From: Tim Quinn, Sacramento Bee

Re "California needs more water storage to end conflicts, bolster its economy" (Viewpoints, June 14): Sen. Dianne Feinstein's view of California's water situation is right on.

Feinstein offers a multi-faceted prescription for California's critical water needs. Increase storage to capture flows during wet years. Develop sensible management of the Endangered Species Act. Craft a downsized state water bond that funds storage and other priority water management actions.

Delta 

Why did the water exporters sue?

From: Alex Breitler, eSanJoaquin.com Blogs

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?

Transfers

Water transfer moves ahead amid opposition

From: Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise-Record

A transfer of 5,000 acre-feet of water was approved Thursday by the Board of Directors of Glenn-Colusa Irrigation district.

The vote came after environmentalists, the Butte County Board of Supervisors and the city of Chico asked the district to reconsider.

Groundwater

Satellites reveal depth of water depletion

From: David Perlman, San Francisco Chronicle

Satellites peering down on California's great Central Valley have discovered evidence that the nation's prime food source is fast losing precious reserves of water from the valley's underground aquifers.

News articles and links from June 20, 2013

Infrastructure

Viewpoints: Calls for new storage ignore need for reforms of how we use water

From:  John Lawrence, Sacramento Bee

There are no politics like water politics. For Westerners, and Californians in particular, no issue excites passions, fuels regionalism or hits the economic bottom line like water.

Facing a dry year and the prospect of quite a few more in the future thanks to climate change, the demands for massive new water development once again are rising to fever pitch, especially from Gov. Jerry Brown and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, both longtime proponents of water development. "The message is clear. ... California needs a lot more water storage - and we need it now," Feinstein wrote in a recent column in The Bee.

Coalition response...

Taxpayers would be foolish to ignore the tremendous success that their investment in infrastructure has brought to our state and country. Since 1941 new tax revenue from farm operations, made possible by the federal Central Valley Project, totals $124.4 billion on an initial  investment of just $7.3 billion.

John could learn a lot from talking with a modern California water user, much has changed since 1991. California's agricultural water users remain among the most progressive in the world, investing hundreds of millions annually in precision irrigation and water management to produce food and fiber.  California's Water Plan Volume 2 discusses changes in irrigation methods, documenting significant shifts toward drip and micro-irrigation. Between 2003 and 2010, San Joaquin Valley farmers alone invested $2.1 billion dollars upgrading their irrigation systems. But improvements in water management are only one of California farm water success stories, learn more about the economic benefits of California's irrigated farms at www.moneygoeswherewaterflows.org

Delta

Gov. Brown, Calif. Mayors Talk Water, High-Speed Rail and More

From: Bob Moffitt, KPBS

The mayors of California's largest cities met with Governor Jerry Brown Wednesday at the state Capitol. They talked about a host of issues including prison realignment, high speed rail and the governor's proposed Delta water project.

Farming

How to feed a planet of 9 billion

From: Layne Cameron, Western Farm Press

An international team of scientists has developed crop models to better forecast food production to feed a growing population - projected to reach 9 billion by mid-century - in the face of climate change.

Groundwater

Wine and water: Paso's water gamble (Part 4 of 5)

From: Tonya Strickland, The Tribune

For years, Paso Robles thought its water supply was an endless bounty. City leaders sat atop a liquid treasure trove - a vast underground basin that in 1979 was said to have enough water to last the entire North County more than 250 years.

Wine and water: Search for solutions (Part 5 of 5)

From: David Sneed & Julie Lynem, The Tribune

Residential wells in North County neighborhoods will continue to dry up, Paso Robles' wine industry will be in jeopardy, and city water supplies will be threatened unless San Luis Obispo County leaders act soon to stop declining water levels in the Paso Robles groundwater basin.

Faced with this unprecedented crisis, county officials and stakeholders know immediate steps must be taken to stabilize it. But they have only begun to develop viable solutions to balance the needs of homeowners, businesses and North County vineyards, by far the largest water users.

Litigation

How does the Delta Plan make any sense?

From: Pat Snelling, indybay.org

The delta is starving for water, so California officials setup a plan to take more water out of the delta. How does that 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.

Press Release

Statement: California Representatives Meet with Interior Secretary Jewell to Discuss Water Issues

From: John Garamendi

Today, several U.S. Representatives from northern California met with Secretary Sally Jewell of the U.S. Department of the Interior to discuss the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP).  The members expressed their opposition to Governor Jerry Brown's flawed plan for the BDCP and lack of input from stakeholders in the Bay-Delta Region.

Rivers

Tunnel Vision Part Two: Rivers in Peril

From: Robert Gammon, East Bay Express

California is blessed with some of the most beautiful rivers in North America, and none is more breathtaking than the Merced. From its headwaters in Yosemite National Park, the river gradually grows larger before it cascades over two world-famous waterfalls - Nevada and Vernal - and then flows past El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall in Yosemite Valley. Once it leaves the park, the Merced begins its one-hundred-mile journey to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and San Francisco Bay. But a portion of the Merced is now in jeopardy of being destroyed, and if that were to happen, it could ultimately lead to the decimation of Northern California's last remaining unspoiled rivers.

News articles and links from June 19, 2013

Supply

San Joaquin Valley farmers get bleak report on water supply

From: Mark Grossi, Fresno Bee

Growers jammed into the Westlands Water District field shop Tuesday to hear bad news: Expect a zero percent water allocation next February if winter doesn't start out stormy.

A leader with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which sells water to the farmers, described a bleak situation, but stopped short of predicting zero next year. Westlands general manager Tom Birmingham didn't hesitate.

Delta

Agencies Have Made Progress in Delta Planning, But Lack Integration, Report Says

From: Pamela Martineau, ACWA

State and federal agencies have made progress in major planning and regulatory actions in the Delta, but their efforts lack integration, which has led to polarization, according to the 2013 report card on the Delta that was released June 18 by the Delta Vision Foundation.

Letter: State should focus on clean drinking water

From: Albert Kammerer, Sacramento Bee

Re "State has been slow at spigot with millions in U.S. water aid" (Capitol & California, June 17): It is a sad state in which any percentage of the population must go without drinkable water.

If this governor wants to leave a legacy, there are many more rewarding projects than rail or raping the Delta to the benefit of Southern California water barons.

Flood plan would pile tons of rocks at Brannan Island park

From: Matt Weiser, Sacramento Bee

From: Matt Weiser, Modesto Bee

California water officials are moving to store large piles of rock and sand in key locations throughout the Delta, including Brannan Island state park, as part of a broader effort to improve flood response.

The California Department of Water Resources was directed by 2008 legislation to stockpile "flood fight" materials at strategic points in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This includes large rocks up to 2 feet in diameter, known as riprap, and the conveyor belts and cranes necessary to move it.

Statements

McNerney statement

From: Jerry McNerney, eSanJoaquin.com

"I have long asked that the people of the Bay-Delta region have a seat at the table when it comes to any plan related to the BDCP.  I was pleased to have the attention of Governor Brown's administration today and look forward to our meeting tomorrow; however, I will only be satisfied when I see concrete results.

Opinion

Letter: Southern California should face facts: It's a desert

From: Phyllis Ehlert, Sacramento Bee

Re "Wave of suits hits Delta Plan" (Page A1, June 18): Finally, people are speaking up. Some of the biggest Southern California water users are farmers. Read history to understand that irrigated farming is a delaying tactic. Babylon had fertile fields and a greater population than modern day Iraq until its agriculture collapsed.

Farming

Wineries working to conserve water

From: Julie Lynem, The Tribune

Richard Sauret never studied viticulture at a university, but after decades of working on vineyards in his native Paso Robles, he said it doesn't take a college degree to understand that grapes do not need tons of water to produce quality wine.

For years, Sauret, former president of the Independent Grape Growers of the Paso Robles Area, has dry farmed zinfandel wine grapes on his 40-acre property off Drake Road. He relies on annual rainfall and plants vines less densely so that their roots have to search for water.

Opinion: Critique of California dairies outdated and underreported

From: Robert Hargreaves, Bakersfield Californian

The headline in the June 13 Californian read "Chinese demand for dairy products has a big environmental impact on California," but most of the full-page story had little to do with China. Instead, it was devoted to telling everything that is supposedly wrong with California dairies.

The authors, Susanne Rust and Serene Fang of the Center for Investigative Reporting, obtain their information from second- and third-hand sources.

How will drought hit California's berries?

From: Jeannette Warnert, Western Farm Press

Will berries taste like colored Styrofoam if water supplies for farmers are cut? Or will a reduction in irrigation only intensify their flavor?

To find out, farm advisors around the state are comparing strawberries, blueberries and blackberries grown under four irrigation regimes - one that reflects the normal practice, one half the normal amount of water, one 75 percent of normal, and one that is 25 percent more than normal. The studies are being conducted in Santa Clara, San Luis Obispo, San Diego and Fresno counties.

Litigation

Lawsuits filed against California's Delta Plan

From: Contra Costa Times, AP (Previously appeared on KCRA.com, News10.net)

Environmental and fishing groups have filed a lawsuit against a broad, long-range plan to manage the ailing Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The lawsuit - announced on Monday - is the fourth lawsuit filed against the Delta Plan over the past month.

News articles and links from June 18, 2013

Press Release

Statement on the lawsuits against the Delta Plan

From: Chris Knopp, Delta Stewardship Council

Chris Knopp, Executive Officer of the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC), released the following statement regarding the recent lawsuits filed against the DSC seeking a redo of the Council's recently adopted (May 16) comprehensive management plan for the Delta.

Blogs

Lawsuit-Palooza

From: Alex Breitler, eSanJoaquin.com

By my count, seven lawsuits have been filed targeting the recently approved Delta Plan.

Here are all seven complaints. Happy reading.

The Delta won't rise again

From: Jay Lund, Californiawaterblog.com

Much of the western and central Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has sunk deeply below sea level, and it continues to subside as its marsh soils erode from being drained and farmed. At the same time, sea level is rising. The two trends increase these islands' likelihood of flooding from major storms, earthquakes, burrowing rodents and even ship collisions (Lund 2011).

Litigation

Fourth lawsuit filed against state's Delta plan

From: KTVU.com

Several opposing groups have filed lawsuits against a broad, long-range plan to manage the ailing Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta that was adopted in May.

The four suits, filed over the course of the past month by environmental groups and water users, argue the Delta Plan does not fulfill its two co-equal goals of providing a more reliable water supply for millions of Californians and protecting and restoring the delta ecosystem.

Group claims north state would suffer under Bay Delta plan

From: The Record Searchlight

Several opposing groups have filed lawsuits against a broad, long-range plan to manage the ailing Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta that was adopted in May.

The four suits, filed over the course of the past month by environmental groups and water users, argue the Delta Plan does not fulfill its two co-equal goals of providing a more reliable water supply for millions of Californians and protecting and restoring the delta ecosystem.

(Coalition Note: Record Searchlight authors include comments from CWIN representative and exclude DSC public statement found in KTVU Story.)

Lawsuits filed against Calif.'s Delta Plan

From: KCRA.com, AP

From: News10.net, AP

Environmental and fishing groups have filed a lawsuit against a broad, long-range plan to manage the ailing Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The lawsuit - announced on Monday - is the fourth lawsuit filed against the Delta Plan over the past month.

Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Plan slammed with lawsuits

From: Matt Weiser, Sacramento Bee

From: Matt Weiser, Modesto Bee

A planning document intended to resolve decades of water conflict in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta was instead greeted by a flood of lawsuits on Monday.

At least seven lawsuits were filed in three counties against what is known as the Delta Plan. The plan, which lays out a long-term strategy for developing and managing the sensitive estuary, is required by 2009 state legislation. That law also created the Delta Stewardship Council, a seven-member appointed commission charged with crafting the vision.

Lawsuits hit new Delta Plan from all sides

From: Matt Weiser, Sacramento Bee

A plan intended, at least in part, to resolve decades of water conflict in the Delta has instead spawned a flood of lawsuits, with at least five separate suits filed against the plan in recent days.

The Delta Plan, as it is known, was required by 2009 state legislation, which also created the Delta Stewardship Council, the organization that adopted the plan on May 16.

Groundwater

Monterey desal project: State water board hears spirited debate over pumping rights

From: Jim Johnson, Santa Cruz Sentinel

State water board members received an earful Tuesday of the fierce debate over California American Water's potential right to pump from the overdrafted Salinas Valley groundwater basin for the Monterey Peninsula water project.

During a special meeting at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, the State Water Resources Control Board heard from Salinas Valley growers, their allies and Peninsula interests as part of a public workshop on the water board staff's draft review of the sticky water rights issue.

Wine and water: In rural North County, all is not well (Part 2 of 5)

From: David Sneed, The Tribune

On the surface, the rural parts of San Luis Obispo County north of the Cuesta Grade are a picture of pastoral idyll.

Rolling hills are dotted with country homes - some modest, some palatial - many with horses and other livestock grazing peacefully nearby. Much of the area is also covered with thousands of acres of vineyards.

Wine and water: Liquid gold in a glass (Part 3 of 5)

From: Julie Lynem, The Tribune

With its miles of vineyard-covered hills, Paso Robles is a wine enthusiast's dream and a boon to the local economy. Wine and its related businesses generate thousands of jobs, from the workers who tend the vines to those who design the wine labels, and it has helped spawn a booming tourism industry.

Although the wine industry's growth over the past 30 years has been one of the key economic drivers for San Luis Obispo County, it has come at a high price. The Paso Robles groundwater basin has suffered declining water levels, and that has fueled grave concern about whether there will be enough water to sustain North County residents and businesses - as well as the wine industry.

California's groundwater management is like Texas: It's the wild West

From: David Sneed, The Tribune

California is one of only two states in the nation that have not comprehensively regulated their groundwater. The other is Texas.

The California Constitution states and courts have upheld the doctrine that landowners whose property overlies an underground aquifer have the right to pump reasonable amounts of water from that aquifer as long as it is put to a beneficial use, such as irrigating crops or supplying drinking water.

Water Bond

Letter: California needs a water bond

From: Richard Lambros, Sacramento Bee

Re "California needs more water storage to end conflicts, bolster its economy" (Viewpoints, June 14): Sen. Dianne Feinstein's call for capturing more water that flows needlessly into the ocean in wet years in preparation for dry years is right on.

Her push for more water storage in advance of parching conditions reinforces what another statesman, Winston Churchill, once said: "Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning."

Delta 

Letter: Delta interests cause delta problems

From: Jeremy Freitas, Sacramento Bee

It's hypocritical for Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta interests to accuse west side farmers of irrigating lands that should of never been irrigated when the majority of the farmland in the delta exists because of levees that were created by farmers.

The west side has some of the most fertile land in the world, and produces some of the highest yielding crops per acre of any land in California. More storage, more conveyance, an end to discharging partially treated sewage into the delta, and reevaluation of the Endangered Species Act would ensure the recovery of this great state.