Bay Delta
Conservation Plan
From: Staff, Los Angeles
Magazine
A twitter feed? A reality show?
Whatever it is, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta needs something to boost its
name recognition in Southern California. Supplying a third of the region's
water and vast tracts of farmland, the delta is where the San Joaquin and
Sacramento River systems, which drain the Sierra Nevada, mingle with the salty
tides of San Francisco Bay. Divided up with earthen levees more than a century
ago in order to cordon off the water and make room for people, it's become a
crazy quilt of islands, farms, suburbs, roads, shipping channels, bridges,
pumps, and aqueducts. More than 25 million people and a huge chunk of the
state's economy rely on the delta. And it is in trouble: The delta is at the
center of a historic court brawl between farmers and fishermen, and its
infrastructure is so challenged that a natural disaster could cut off the flow
of water from the area, which would be catastrophic.
Coalition response...Water flowing through the Delta irrigates millions of acres of farmland,
the source of much of the fresh produce that makes its way to Southern
California. Consumers widely prefer local California produce as opposed to
imported food products. It just makes sense that a reliable water supply is
necessary to keep California farms productive.
Government regulations intended
to protect the ecosystem have disrupted the water supply to almost 4,000 farms
and 25 million Californians. Earlier this year those regulations prevented the
delivery of more than 800,000 acre-feet of water to farms, homes and businesses
in many parts of the state. Sadly, these regulations have failed to restore the
Delta to a level that adequately protects wildlife.
That's where the Bay Delta
Conservation Plan (BDCP) comes in. The BDCP is a new approach to endangered
species protections that will enhance the ecosystem while at the same time
restore reliability and security to California's water supply. That means a
secure water supply for Southern California and the variety of fresh fruits and
vegetables we all want from local California farms.
Water Bond
From: Editorial Staff,
Riverside Press-Enterprise
Legislators should finish next
year a task they started in the just-finished session: crafting a more
realistic water bond measure focused on the state's most pressing water needs.
California needs to ensure a reliable supply of water for the future, but
asking wary voters to approve a bloated water bond is not a feasible way to
reach that goal.
Salton Sea
From: Erica Felci, Desert Sun
A bill that would give local
stakeholders greater say in the Salton Sea's restoration is awaiting
endorsement from California Gov. Jerry Brown.
Assembly Bill 71 looks to revive
the never-approved restoration proposal by having the local Salton Sea
Authority work directly on a plan with the state's Natural Resources Agency.
Courts
From: Staff, Porterville
Recorder
A disputed fee charged to
California water rights holders is invalid, a judge says in a proposed
decision, because insufficient connection exists between the amount charged,
the benefits received and the burdens imposed by those who pay the bill. In his
proposed decision, Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Raymond Cadei said
that the State Water Resources Control Board should not "apply or
enforce" the fee, which it has imposed since the 2003-04 fiscal year.
Water
Facilities
From: Press Release, USBR
The Bureau of Reclamation has
scheduled a negotiation session with Fresno County Waterworks No. 18 for the
long-term transfer of the operation and maintenance of Reclamation-owned
facilities located at Friant Dam.
Meetings
From: Jim
E. Winburn, Daily Press
The Mojave Water Agency will host
a talk from its ABCs of Water series to provoke a discussion on water and
politics.
Kirby Brill, General Manager of
the Mojave Water Agency, will lead participants in the talk, "Muddying the
Water: Mixing Water & Politics," at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 24 at the
Mojave Water Agency.
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