Courts
Coalition response... Pumping restrictions
to protect the smelt began Dec. 7, 2012, and they are still continuing.
According to the biological opinions that govern the rate of pumping,
these restrictions will continue into June. And they could
get worse. From the day the restrictions first went into place
through Jan. 26, 2013, almost 632,000 acre-feet of water was lost to
California's farms, families and businesses and allowed to flow to the
ocean. At a replacement cost of $150 per acre-foot that equates to about $95
million, and that's just the beginning. The lost economic
opportunity of putting that water to work, according to
economists, is in the range of $3.5 - $4.5 billion. And that
number is going up every day. Allowing actions in the biological
opinions written years ago, and which have been found unlawful by a
federal judge, to continue to hammer California's struggling economy
without demonstrating a measurable benefit to fish is a waste we should no
longer tolerate. The time is now to make immediate changes in interim actions
that are more reasonable and broad-based while
comprehensive solutions to improve the ecosystem in the
Delta and restore water supplies vital for California's economy are
finalized in the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.
WATER SUPPLY
Story
DELTA
Feb. 4-5, 2013
California Resources
Deputy Secretary Jerry Meral will be the luncheon speaker on the second day of
the 51st Annual California Irrigation Institute Conference next week in
Sacramento. With a theme of "Embracing Innovation: The Next
Generation," the conference will include urban and agricultural water
managers in discussions focused on new irrigation technology and regional
solutions to water issues. The conference is Feb. 4-5, 2013, at the Sacramento
Arden Hilton. Registration and more information are available at www.caii.org .
