From News Line, a daily compilation of farm water news distributed to CFWC members and others upon request. To receive News Line, click here.

Opinion: Water issues gurgle on the surface and below

Coalition response…Those “pipe-dream tunnels” the author refers to will be paid for by those water users who receive the water according to the benefits received. The statement saying, “…we’ll get stuck paying part of the shipping and handling costs,” simply isn’t true if you’re not benefiting from the project.

From News Line, a daily compilation of farm water news distributed to CFWC members and others upon request. To receive News Line, click here.

ACID water export to San Joaquin Valley discussed at Cottonwood town hall meeting

Coalition response…Pat Minturn is mistaken in his thinking that the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and its proposed tunnels will divert twice the amount of water needed in the San Joaquin Valley. Operation of the tunnels is designed to deliver about 5.2 million acre-feet, the average amount delivered over the past 20 years. The BDCP is about improving the reliability for users south of the Delta that have been unable to receive the amount of water they have a legal right to use. Area-of-origin water rights are protected by State law that prevents new projects from having a negative impact on existing upstream users.

The amount of water that can be delivered at any given time is limited by a number of factors that protect existing water rights holders, water quality and the environment. According to BDCP documents, the project would only be permitted to operate with regulatory protections, including river water levels and flow, which would be determined based upon how much water is actually available in the system, the presence of threatened fish species, and water quality standards. Individuals seeking to learn more about the flow of water through the tunnels can find information at http://bit.ly/18FGxrl.

From News Line, a daily compilation of farm water news distributed to CFWC members and others upon request. To receive News Line, click here.

To Build or Not to Build the Delta Tunnels

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.

From News Line, a daily compilation of farm water news distributed to CFWC members and others upon request. To receive News Line, click here.

 

Our Voice: Valley aquifer disaster is under our feet

Coalition response…This editorial is correct in recognizing the efforts of the Coachella Valley Water District and the Desert Water Agency to preserve the water that underlies the Coachella Valley. It is also correct in more can be done by everyone who lives in the valley. The water districts have reached agreements that bring water from the Colorado River and through the State Water Project for local use and to recharge the aquifer. Reducing the demand on groundwater by all water users is an ongoing goal that will require continuing efforts.

The Coachella Valley is a recipient of the water that flows through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and is delivered  via the State Water Project to 25 million Californians and three million acres of farmland. This water supply has been interrupted in recent years as government regulations written to protect Delta fish species have kept a portion of that water from being delivered. Sadly, no definitive results exist that prove these actions are benefiting fish. Earlier this year more than 700,000 acre-feet of water was lost to users. Visit https://farmwater.org/watersupplycutshurtusall.pdf for more details.

The Bay Delta Conservation Plan is being developed to provide a reliable supply of water moving through the Delta to users, including the Coachella Valley via an exchange agreement. The Plan will also improve the Delta’s ecosystem by restoring wetlands and habitat. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan is the best opportunity to secure California’s water future and its implementation is critical to our state.

Sept. 10, 2013

Release Immediate

 

Governor’s continued leadership is needed in water discussion

Governor Jerry Brown’s continued leadership in resolving California’s water problems was the number one request from a panel of farm water representatives speaking during a joint meeting today of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture and the California Water Commission.

That answer was in response to a question asked by Craig McNamara, president of the Board of Food and Agriculture, as to what were the top messages that his board could deliver to the Governor.

Executive Director Mike Wade of the California Farm Water Coalition said securing a reliable water future for California is important for jobs and the economy.

 

 

“There is a lack of understanding on the part of the public regarding the serious water issues we face,” said Wade. “The Governor’s leadership in the ongoing water discussion is important, especially as it pertains to statewide initiatives designed to provide a reliable water supply and increase water storage.”

Statewide Viewpoint

Wade told members of the two State boards earlier in the meeting that water issues transcend regions and impact every individual in California. He pointed out that current water supply issues from the Colorado River to the North Coast are important to California’s farm economy.

“There needs to be a reliable water supply for farmers throughout our state,” he said.

Wade added that a reliable water supply not only safeguards the 600,000 agricultural jobs on the state’s farms but also has a “ripple effect” that creates another 700,000 jobs off the farm. He identified a dockworker from the Port of Oakland whose job is connected to the movement of one-third of California’s agricultural exports through the port as one of those off the farm jobs.

“Agriculture isn’t an industry that competes with consumers or the environment for its share of California’s water supply,” Wade concluded. “It is intertwined through food production, habitat, jobs and the economy.

“Our economy depends on the state’s farms and farms depend on water to produce food, fiber and nursery products.”

The California Farm Water Coalition is the state’s largest organization to focus only on farm water. Its membership represents 5.4 million irrigated acres.

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From News Line, a daily compilation of farm water news distributed to CFWC members and others upon request. To receive News Line, click here.

Jobs fail to sway foes of tunnels

Coalition response…By definition, critics are those who have already chosen their position. Regardless of how factual, extensive or valid the evidence is that is placed in front of them, if it comes from an opposing viewpoint then they will automatically reject it. Repeating their refusal to accept facts and reciting their rhetoric does little to evaluate honestly the information being discussed. Challenging the credentials of a researcher with the reputation for excellence Dr. David Sunding of Berkeley brings to the topic is ludicrous. He headed extensive study efforts to determine the cost-benefit analysis of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. Learn more for yourself about Dr. Sunding’s credentials and the efforts put into his study at http://www.swc.org/images/stories/BDCP_Cost_Benefit_Studies_8.26.13_FINAL.pdf in a comparison of analyses.

The discounting of jobs that will be created by the construction of the tunnels by those who are secure in their jobs fails to consider the viewpoints of individuals who are seeking work. I’m sure if you asked them whether the potential jobs would be beneficial their answers would be different.

People continue to overlook that the Bay Delta Conservation Plan provides benefits throughout the state and those who look with a narrow viewpoint are rejecting the advantages available for all of California.

By Mike Wade

9/4/13 Editorial in OC Register

In a normal year about 30 percent of the water supply needed by Southern California flows through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. A portion of that water is stored in San Luis Reservoir along Highway 152 near the town of Los Baños. But this year was anything but normal.

From December through February Northern California experienced some of the heaviest rainfall it has seen in years. That’s usually good news for Southern California because the water that makes it way through the system helps meet the needs of people from the Bay Area to San Diego. It is also an important water supply for farmers who grow much of the food that fills the produce aisles of our grocery stores here and across the nation.

But that didn’t happen this year. Over 800,000 acre-feet of water, an amount sufficient to meet the needs of more than 6 million people for a year or 200,000 acres of farmland, was flushed out to the ocean.

Why? Because Endangered Species Act protections for Chinook salmon and the tiny, two-inch Delta smelt prevented water from being delivered to Southern California in an attempt to protect the fish.

San Luis Reservoir stores water from winter storms like the ones we had this year. It holds more than 2 million acre-feet that is used throughout the year by farms, homes and businesses and by two-thirds of the people who live in California. But today the reservoir sits nearly empty with barely 15 percent of the water it could hold. A dry winter later this year could spell disaster.

Water users are anxiously looking ahead to what the next water year will bring. If it is anything but a gully-washer and if there’s no relief from the federal regulatory restrictions, water officials have already indicated that deliveries could be even less than this year. Farms that depend on water stored in San Luis Reservoir may not receive any water at all.

There is also a significant risk that a seismic event in the Delta region will damage existing water delivery infrastructure, making it unable to deliver the water we need. Seismic experts say there is a two-thirds chance that a significant earthquake will hit the region sometime in the next 30 years. Or it could happen tomorrow.

No one knows for sure. A significant outage could cost California’s economy $40 billion, much more than the initial cost of upgrading the infrastructure that delivers our water today.

It doesn’t have to be this way. There is a solution being developed by scientists, engineers, biologists and water leaders called the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. It provides protection for many fish and wildlife species including the Chinook salmon and Delta smelt. If the BDCP had been in place this year, the loss of over 800,000 acre-feet of water would have been avoided.

By adding the right protections for the ecosystem it will improve water supply reliability for 25 million Californians and almost 4,000 farms that grow fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and dairy products for our grocery store shelves.

What will this added water supply reliability cost? About $5 per month for the typical household, according to the public water agencies that deliver our 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.

From News Line, a daily compilation of farm water news distributed to CFWC members and others upon request. To receive News Line, click here.

Letter: Desalination cheaper solution to water needs than tunnels

Coalition response…San Luis Reservoir lost the potential of storing 800,000 acre-feet of water earlier this year because of federal regulations. These regulations kept the water in the Delta for fish species instead of allowing it to be rightfully diverted to nearly 4,000 farms and 25 million Californians. Instead, this water flowed to the ocean with no demonstrable benefit for the fish.

Looking for new water supplies is always a good idea. Studies are underway on several projects—Upper Temperance Flat on the San Joaquin River, Sites Reservoir in western Colusa County and raising Shasta Dam—that would increase the water supply for California. It is estimated that 120 desalination plants the size of the recently approved Poseidon facility in San Diego would be required to meet the 6 MAF requirements of the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. With 840 miles of California coastline, a desal plant would have to be placed every seven miles and would still not connect to our current water distribution system. Plans already underway, such as the above and the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, would be much cheaper and more environmentally-friendly than lining our coastline with desal plants.

From News Line, a daily compilation of farm water news distributed to CFWC members and others upon request. To receive News Line, click here.

Editorial: Even the best case for Delta tunnels holds zero for north

Coalition response…Those who claim that the Bay Delta Conservation Plan will simply “preserve the status quo” refuse to acknowledge the benefits contained in the Plan. BDCP is an effort to obtain a 50-year endangered species permit that will improve the Delta through habitat restoration and protection of species. In doing so it is expected that water supply reliability will improve for users who have a legal right to use existing water supplies.

The BDCP does not increase the average amount of water that has been delivered through the Delta over the past 20 years. This permit should improve water supply reliability for almost 4,000 farms and 25 million Californians. The importance of a dependable supply of water to farmers means California consumers can depend on a variety of safe, healthy and affordable food products from local sources.

Restoring thousands of acres of habitat for fish and providing a reliable supply of water so farmers can grow crops are benefits that do not exist today.

 

From News Line, a daily compilation of farm water news distributed to CFWC members and others upon request. To receive News Line, click here.

Editorial: A federal judge opens the spigot
Editorial: Keeping the Klamath safe for salmon

Coalition response…This editorial does not include the complete information surrounding the court ruling that allows supplemental water to be sent down the Trinity River from Trinity Reservoir.  During the court proceedings, the U.S. Department of Interior reduced the amount of water they wanted from up to 109,000 acre-feet to just 20,000 acre-feet. It was evident that the scientific arguments they had put forth for the higher amount were not justified.

In his ruling, Judge O’Neill wrote that “all parties have prevailed in a significant, responsible way.”

All parties must now work together in reaching a long-term approach to managing requests for supplemental water that is balanced and scientifically supportable.