Bay Delta
Conservation Plan
From: Associated Press, Stockton Record
From: Associated Press, Sacramento Bee
From: Associated Press, Modesto Bee
From: Associated Press, Washington Post
From: Associated Press, Marysville Appeal-Democrat
From: Associated Press, Visalia Times-Delta
From: Associated Press, ABC News
From: Associated Press, KERO-TV 23
From: Associated Press, KFMB-TV 8
From: Associated Press, KFSN-TV 30
As a giant harvesting machine
uprooted and sucked in hundreds of tomato plants a row at a time, Dan
Errotabere contemplated massive strips of bare land on his farm.
"Everything we have in our
operation is under duress," he said, looking at a stretch of fallow acres
once covered in garlic, onions and other crops.
Errotabere and hundreds of others
who run massive farms in California's Central Valley have left tens of
thousands of acres barren this year after seeing their water supplies severely
curtailed. He and the other members of the nation's largest federal irrigation
district say the restrictions are hindering their growth and jeopardizing their
future.
Coalition response...Another way of looking at this issue would be that farmers are battling
to regain the water supply that they lost when it was reallocated for
environmental purposes. Public water agencies and the farmers they serve are
seeking reliability in water deliveries that have been plunged into chaos.
Government regulations are to blame for taking water away from one of the most
productive food-growing regions in the country. Despite misrepresentations that
a small number of large agribusinesses benefit from this water supply, most of
the operations are actually smaller, multi-generational family farms that have
worked the land in some cases for more than 100 years. Provide a reliable water
supply to these farmers and consumers will not be faced with grocery shelves filled
with products from overseas sources.
Critics who think farmland in the
San Joaquin Valley should be abandoned refuse to acknowledge that the valley
includes some of the most productive farmland on earth. Food grown in this area
can be found in markets around the corner and around the world. Exports mean
good paying jobs for California's workforce.
Westlands Water District does not
stand alone in seeing the water it delivers to farmers be cut back by as much
as 90 percent in recent years. An additional 28 public water agencies that
receive water from the federal Central Valley Project (CVP) have also
experienced these same cutbacks.
Contrary to Kate Poole's comment
about Westlands being "behind in paying back the cost of existing
irrigation facilities," water agencies that receive CVP supplies are doing
the best they can under current circumstances to repay the construction,
operation and maintenance costs of the system. These water suppliers pay
according to how much water they receive as stipulated in their contracts. If
Poole and others want the districts to be paying more, then they should support
restoring water deliveries so water users have a means to repay their
commitments.
Water Supply
From: Kevin Johnson,
Sacramento Bee
California has a water problem.
The water is in the north while the majority of Californians are in the south.
Although we have made great strides in conservation, our demand for water is
still greater than our supply. These challenges are compounded by the impacts
of climate change, which will further strain California's water infrastructure
and supply. Gov. Jerry Brown has delivered innovative, forward-thinking
solutions to many of California's most pressing issues. That is why I believe
Gov. Brown can come up with an innovative solution when it comes to water
policy.
Coalition response...In 2009 the California Legislature directed water officials to create a
reliable water supply and restore the ecosystem of the Delta. This directive
did not include increasing our state's water supplies. The development of the
Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) is following the legislature's direction and
is the best opportunity to help secure a reliable water future for California.
Attempts to delay BDCP
implementation while developing a "comprehensive state water plan"
fails to recognize that a water plan for all of California is a constantly
evolving process. Many of the actions that people claim should be in a plan are
already taking place. Conservation, recycling, development of local supplies
and more are already underway throughout our state.
The cost of constructing tunnels,
restoring habitat and improving the Delta ecosystem as part of BDCP will be
paid by those who benefit. Water users who will benefit from the tunnels will
pay their share of the construction costs, estimated to be $14 billion.
California law mandates that
existing water rights shall not be negatively impacted by new projects. This
means that the BDCP is restricted from harming someone else's water right.
Comparing the future of the Sacramento Valley to the Owens Valley is a serious
misrepresentation of the benefits BDCP offers to all of California. Mayor
Johnson should have known better that to enflame the public discussion with
this type of politically charged rhetoric.
Bay Delta
Conservation Plan
From: Press Release, Natural
Resources Agency
A new economic analysis of the
costs and benefits of Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr.'s plan to revitalize the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem and stabilize water deliveries shows a
net benefit to California residents of $4.8 billion to $5.4 billion statewide.
Economic study available here.
BDCP Statewide Economic Impacts
Fact Sheet available here.
Finance Working Group meeting on August 8.
Water Supply
From: Laura van der Meer,
Marysville Appeal-Democrat
California's dry spell is
increasing the possibility of water delivery deficiencies for farmers in 2014,
according to data from the Yuba County Water Agency.
From: Maven, Maven's Notebook
At the July 25th meeting of the
Delta Stewardship Council, the Council heard an update from the Department of
Water Resources on hydrologic conditions and a panel of water managers briefed
the Council on how their particular agencies and regions were meeting the
challenges of the dry conditions. At the request of Council members, staff will
be arranging for the Council to have regular updates on drought conditions,
water operations, and the related impacts on stakeholders and the Delta
ecosystem through the end of 2013 and beyond as needed and as conditions remain
dry.
From: Wendilyn Grasseschi,
Mammoth Times
The hot, dry summer of 2013 is
not over.
But for some farmers, it might as
well be.
Last week, when the National
Weather Service posted a notice that all Eastern Sierra counties are in a state
of severe drought, it was no surprise to the ranchers and farmers in the region.
Delta
From: Mark Grossi, Fresno Bee
A crowd of about 500 applauded
often Saturday as San Joaquin Valley water leaders called for change in
policies that drastically limited their irrigation supplies this year,
resulting in many barren acres of farmland.
Northern California fish
protections this year added to drought problems and left federal water
contractors with a 20% allocation from the sensitive Sacramento-San Joaquin
River Delta.
From: Staff, CBS-TV 47
Valley leaders gathered Saturday
at Fresno State to discuss how to resolve the current shortage of water in
California.
Over a dozen speakers spoke about
what can be done to make water more available now and in the future.
From: Mark Grossi, Fresno
Beehive
Readers emailed to clarify a
point in my Delta Water Summit story, which referred to seven lawsuits over the
Delta Plan that was approved by the Delta Stewardship Council on May 16.
The Delta Plan is not a draft of
the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. The Delta Plan, required in 2009 by the state
Legislature, contains rules for the longer-term approach or framework for
managing the sensitive Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
From: Editorial Board,
Sacramento Bee
The scene at Folsom Lake isn't
pretty, and it's sure to become far uglier if Mother Nature doesn't save the
state with a wet winter.
Some of the region's water
agencies, including the San Juan Water District and the Placer County Water
Agency, accuse Reclamation of mismanaging water supplies in Folsom Lake to the
detriment of local users. Reclamation officials dispute these claims, arguing
that, as part of the Central Valley Project, they are obligated to operate
Folsom for several uses - including local water supply and recreation but also
for flows downstream to maintain water quality and fish flows in the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Fisheries
From: Staff, FISHBIO
The role of predation in aquatic
ecosystems can be a complex matter, and when it concerns Central Valley salmon
and steelhead populations, a contentious one as well. Recently, the California
Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) held a two-day workshop in Davis,
California, to obtain independent scientific input on the topic of predation
from an expert panel. The primary purpose of the workshop, titled "State
of the Science Workshop on Fish Predation on Central Valley Salmonids in the
Bay-Delta Watershed" was for the panel to evaluate and summarize the
current state of knowledge related to predation in the Central Valley. In
addition, the panel was charged with developing a strategy for future research
to reduce scientific uncertainty related to predation. In mid-September, the
panel will issue a formal report that addresses the key questions of the
workshop and future research strategies.
Dams
From: Mark Grossi, Fresno
Beehive
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is
preparing a report on raising San Luis Dam to enlarge San Luis Reservoir in
western Merced County.
The 2 million acre-foot reservoir
is already the key west Valley holding place for irrigation water for a broad
swath of farming, including 600,000-acre Westlands Water District.
Bureau Commissioner Michael
Connor on Saturday mentioned his agency is working on a draft appraisal, which
roughly describes the benefits, costs and feasibility of raising the dam.
Connor was a panel member at the Delta Water Summit.
ESA Ruling - Orca
Whales
From: Steve Milne, Capital
Public Radio
Orca whales that spend their
summers in Seattle's Puget Sound eat salmon from the Sacramento River when they
head into the Pacific Ocean each winter.
California farmers face water
restrictions to protect those salmon.
The Sacramento-based Pacific
Legal Foundation filed a petition on behalf of farmers arguing that the orcas
don't qualify for the 2005 endangered species listing because the animals are
part of a north Pacific population that is not endangered.
From: Associated Press, SF
Chronicle
Killer whales that spend their
summers in Puget Sound are a distinct population group and will remain
protected under the Endangered Species Act, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration announced Friday.
Klamath Basin
From: Associated Press, Redding Record Searchlight
From: Associated Press, Modesto Bee
Amid drought and major fires, a
task force trying to pick its way through the Klamath Basin's long water
struggles has met again, with some contention and no resolution.
