Bay Delta
Conservation Plan
From: Bettina Boxall, LA Times
Of the many issues hanging over
the proposal to burrow enormous tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
and replumb the hub of California's water system, the one most likely to make
or break the $25-billion project is money.
Just who, exactly, is going to
pay for it?
Coalition response...This article is full of speculation that results from water officials
and agencies doing their jobs by investigating multiple alternatives. The Bay
Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and its proposed tunnels has been seven years in
the development process to create a reliable supply of water for 25 million
Californians, many of them in Southern California, and 3 million acres of
farmland. Farmers use the water that flows through the Delta to grow a food
supply that fills the grocery store shelves throughout the state.
Failure to look at the "what
ifs" in relation to BDCP would be a mistake in the planning process and,
yet, this article portrays these possibilities as negatives.
The beneficiary pays concept is
guiding the discussion of who pays for the construction and operation of the
tunnels. In other words, those who receive the water that moves through the
tunnels will pay according to the benefits they receive.
BDCP remains the best opportunity
to secure a water future for California. It will safeguard the economy and
protect the jobs we all depend on.
From: George Skelton, LA Times
The Brown administration and some
water buffaloes want to muck up one of the most unique, mysterious and
picturesque areas of California. Muck it up literally.
OK, they're really trying to
update California's vital waterworks and prepare the state for the future.
Coalition response...The Bay Delta Conservation Plan and its proposed tunnels provide
multiple benefits that will be felt throughout the state, including the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta which this columnist refers to as a "Huck
Finn paradise." The author correctly cites the soil or "tunnel
muck" that will result from the underground boring for the tunnels that
will be used to shore up the Delta levees. This is a substantial benefit that
will not only protect the residents of the region but also those who rely on
the water that flows through the Delta in avoiding the consequences of an
earthquake.
The cost to Southern California
residents for the tunnel construction is estimated at only $3-4 per month per
household that will receive BDCP water. Compared to other costs, such as cable
TV, a cell phone or even a good latté, that's cheap insurance for something as
vital as the water supply that we depend on every day.
Fish and wildlife will also
benefit from the Plan. The effect of south Delta pumps that the author says
"chomp up fish" will be greatly diminished with the tunnels. The
tunnels will deliver water to the pumps and reduce the pull of water and fish
from the main channels of the Delta to the pumps.
The sandhill cranes that visit
Staten Island are one of the 57 species listed under the BDCP that will receive
increased protection and long-term benefits. Characterizing the cranes as
"victims" of the BDCP is misleading since they are already scheduled
to benefit from planned ecosystem improvements to occur in the Delta region.
There should be no confusion that
the Bay Delta Conservation Plan will provide benefits to people, farms and
business while creating a reliable water supply and restoring the Delta
ecosystem. The result is a secure water future for California.
From: Matt Weiser, Sacramento
Bee
When it comes to water supply in
California, nothing is easy or cheap. Experts will tell you the simple
solutions were tapped decades ago, and most new water development projects are
about stretching whatever water nature has left.
Coalition response...Matt Weiser does a good job explaining the statewide consequences of
failing to invest in our water supply infrastructure. Public water agencies
have a responsibility to deliver water to their customers and part of that
includes planning for the future. Central Valley agriculture and Southern
California businesses provide California with the economic vitality and the
food to feed our families like no other place on earth. It takes dependable
supplies of water to accomplish those goals and Weiser's explanation of planned
system improvements is helpful in understanding that.
Groundwater
From: Jay Famiglietti and
Sasha Richey, LA Times
Gov. Jerry Brown's Office of
Planning and Research convened a meeting this month of groundwater experts from
the University of California to determine what is currently known about the
state's underground water reserves and how they may be changing in the future.
This and other recent overtures from the office are strong indications of the
governor's growing interest in the state's complete water picture.
Coalition response...Unreliable surface water deliveries have pushed farmers to groundwater
in order to survive. When similar groundwater issues occurred in the 1920's the
State and federal governments initiated the water projects that helped farmers
continue to produce fresh fruits and vegetables for California and the nation.
Today those projects are crippled by environmental regulations, such as the
Endangered Species Act. A comprehensive solution, such as the Bay Delta
Conservation Plan, which enhances the ecosystem and invests in new water
facilities, is what's needed to resolve some of today's groundwater overdraft
issues. Doing that should minimize future water supply cuts that have left
hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland unproductive and unable to grow the
food we all depend on to feed our families.
From: Mark Grossi, Fresno Bee
The state has not declared a
drought after two dry winters, but farmers and city leaders in the central San
Joaquin Valley don't need an official pronouncement.
Everyone looks at the bottom line
in the Valley - the groundwater. Big withdrawals have been made this summer
from the already sinking underground water table in the Valley.
Coalition response...Unreliable surface water deliveries due have pushed farmers to
groundwater in order to survive. When similar groundwater issues occurred in
the 1920's the State and federal governments initiated the water projects that
turned California into a economic powerhouse. Today those projects are crippled
by environmental regulations, such as the Endangered Species Act. A
comprehensive solution, such as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, which enhances
the ecosystem and invests in new water facilities, is what's needed to resolve
some of today's groundwater overdraft issues as well as the water supply cuts
that have left hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland fallow and
unproductive.
Weather
From: Valerie Gibbons, Visalia
Times-Delta
After two years of drought Mother
Nature is playing it close to the vest when it comes to forecasting the upcoming
rainy season.
For the first time in a decade
there aren't any El Niño or La Niña conditions in the equatorial Pacific that
foretell either an unusually wet or dry winter in Central California. Warming
of ocean waters by more than 1 degree can mean an unusually warm, wet winter
with high snow levels. Cooling can mean a drier, colder winter with snow levels
reaching down into the lower elevations with many storms.
From: Paul Rogers, Contra
Costa Times
The storm that dampened the Bay
Area over the weekend was like an old friend who doesn't visit much anymore.
And with good reason. Despite
Saturday's healthy soaking, when it comes to 2013, it's been dry. Record dry.
Bay Delta
Conservation Plan
From: Q&A, The Planning
Report
Last month, the California
Department of Water Resources announced changes to the Bay Delta Conservation
Plan, a series of projects backed by Governor Brown to increase ecosystem
restoration efforts and water supply reliability in the Sacramento-San Joaquin
Valley. In the following MIR interview, Jeff Kightlinger, General Manager of
the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, details the recent
adjustments to the BDCP. He also describes how the plan's various
environmental, infrastructure, and water-related projects will be funded, as
well as his own agency's efforts at conservation, efficiency, and consensus
building across the Southern California Region. While aspects of the BDCP have
been rethought, Kightlinger makes clear its necessity and statewide
significance.
Colorado River
From: Antoine Abou-Diwan,
Imperial Valley Press
Although recent storms in
Colorado dumped a year's worth of rain in under a week and flooded many out of
their homes, officials say the magnitude of water is unlikely to improve
conditions on the Colorado River in the near term, where 14 consecutive years
of drought and urban growth are squeezing water supplies.
Salton Sea
From: Ian James, Desert
Sun
With its shores slowly receding
and its waters gradually growing saltier, the Salton Sea presents a set of
complex dilemmas that have for years defied attempts at partial solutions.
Douglas Barnum of the U.S. Geological Survey likens efforts to remedy its
looming problems to juggling, trying to keep various balls in the air at once.
