Release Immediate
Aug. 22, 2013  

FLOWS TO BE RELEASED ARE DRAMATICALLY REDUCED

(The following is a statement by Dan Nelson, Executive Director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, in response to Judge O’Neill’s order lifting the temporary restraining order which prevented the release of water from Trinity Reservoir for use on the lower Klamath River.)

“Today’s decision by Judge O’Neill to lift the temporary restraining order which prevented the release of water from Trinity Reservoir results in a significant decrease in the harm originally expected to occur. Yesterday, the United States reduced their stated need of up to 109,000 acre-feet of water, which they claimed just last week was the amount necessary, to now only 20,000 acre-feet. Clearly the scientific justification they provided last week just couldn’t hold up.

“We appreciate Judge O’Neill’s understanding of the urgency and importance of this matter. We also recognize the burden he placed upon himself by setting aside his heavy case load to allow for the careful consideration of the question at hand. In his decision, Judge O’Neill stated that, “all parties have prevailed in a significant, responsible way.”

“While no one knows whether or not this action will alter what would of happened in its absence, it is clear that in order to move beyond this current conflict we must all work together to develop a lawful long-term approach to managing these requests that is balanced and scientifically supportable.”

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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.

Editorial: Delta tunnels just another South State water grab?

Coalition response...Questions from individuals and organizations from throughout the State, including the Sacramento Valley, have been directed for years toward the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. Questions related to protection of local water supplies have been answered with existing California law that safeguards areas of origin and prohibits any new projects from negatively impacting existing water rights.

The Bay Delta Conservation Plan 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.

An explanation of the operation of the proposed tunnels as been on the BDCP website for five months with an easy-to-understand diagram of variable export rates based on Sacramento River flow conditions. When water levels are high in the Sacramento River, more water will be available to move through the tunnels. When river levels are low, less water will be diverted. Individuals seeking to learn more about the flow of water through the tunnels can read it themselves at  http://bit.ly/18FGxrl.

Attempts to compare the proposed tunnels to the Peripheral Canal of 1982 are an effort that is absent in facts. Capacity of the tunnels is only 9,000 cubic feet per second and the canal would have transported 21,800 cfs. Many other improvements have been incorporated into the current BDCP process thanks to public input and responsiveness by the Resources Agency. Learn more about the differences between yesterday’s canal and today’s state-of-the-art tunnel proposal at  www.farmwater.org/p-canalcomparison.pdf.

The economic impact study of the tunnel proposal identifies an $84 billion contribution to the State’s economy and $11 billion in new job wages during the first ten years of the permit. Who is opposed to that as the state recovers from tough economic times?

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: Delta plan misses main point

Coalition response…This editorial would have California turn its back on more than a century of water deliveries that began in the 1800s as water districts were formed to deliver water to areas of need. Since those early beginnings, more water districts formed and delivery projects by California and the federal government have worked together to provide water that has fueled the growth of one of the top ten economies in the world.

The Bay Delta Conservation Plan 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.

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

Viewpoints: Court decision on Trinity River water could determine if salmon live or die

Coalition response…The court decision will determine whether the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is required to follow the law. The intent of the lawsuit is force Reclamation to abide by the 2000 Trinity River Diversion Record of Decision that set aside water for fish protection. When it came time to use that water this year, Reclamation had already used it and they turned to water that was designated for other users.

Reclamation must follow the laws and regulations just like everyone else. That is what the judge is ruling on.

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: Tunnel realignment won’t ease worries

Kudos are in order for Mark Cowin, the director of the California Department of Water Resources. For months, Cowin has taken seriously the concerns of farmers and landowners whose lives and businesses could be upended by a gargantuan water tunnel project the state wants to build through the Sacramento- San Joaquin Delta.

Coalition response…The changes announced last week to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan as outlined by this editorial is a continuation of changes that have taken place with the planning process. People may forget, or may not even be aware that at one time the proposal called for three tunnels. These and other changes have been the result to listening to comments and conducting studies and analyses to determine if they would benefit the Plan.

It is puzzling why the editorial continued to question how the project will be operated during different times of the year or in wet or dry years. The BDCP Conservation Measure 1 – Water Facilities and Operations brochure has been on the BDCP web site for five months with an easy-to-understand diagram of variable export rates based on Sacramento River flow conditions. When water levels are high in the Sacramento River, more water will be available to move through the tunnels. When river levels are low, less water will be diverted. Individuals seeking to learn more about the flow of water through the tunnels can read it themselves at http://bit.ly/18FGxrl.

It is also important to remember that the objective of BDCP is to obtain a 50-year endangered species permit that will improve the Delta through a long-term conservation strategy. These improvements should also increase the reliability of water supply deliveries to almost 4,000 farms and 25 million Californians from the Bay Area to San Diego.

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

Steinberg strategy offers hope for a Delta compromise

The Bay Delta Conservation Plan took a dramatic turn in the right direction Thursday, acknowledging some of the concerns of Delta farmers by re-routing the proposed massive tunnel system to affect a smaller area and stay mostly on public land.

Coalition response…Those who benefit from the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and the proposed tunnels will not only pay the construction costs, but also those costs associated with the operation and maintenance during the lifespan of the permit. The objective of BDCP is to obtain a 50-year endangered species permit that will improve the Delta through a long-term conservation strategy. These improvements should also increase the reliability of water supply deliveries to almost 4,000 farms and 25 million Californians from the Bay Area to San Diego. Consumers share farm water benefits through a variety of fresh, local and affordable fruits and vegetables at the grocery store.

Regardless of the facts, some individuals and organizations continue to argue against the BDCP and refuse to accept the benefits resulting from BDCP. In monetary terms, California’s economy will receive an $84 billion boost, including the creation or protection of 1.1 million jobs over the 50-year life of the permit, including an $11 billion payroll in the first ten years from construction of the project and associated habitat components. These are real economic benefits that will help California’s economy.

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: Delta tunnel project still stuck with unacceptable baggage

Coalition response…The changes announced last week to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan as outlined by this editorial is a continuation of changes that have taken place with the planning process. People may forget, or may not even be aware that at one time the proposal called for three tunnels. These and other changes have been the result to listening to comments and conducting studies and analyses to determine if they would benefit the Plan.

It is puzzling why the editorial continued to question how the project will be operated during different times of the year or in wet or dry years. The BDCP Conservation Measure 1 – Water Facilities and Operations brochure has been on the BDCP web site for five months with an easy-to-understand diagram of variable export rates based on Sacramento River flow conditions. When water levels are high in the Sacramento River, more water will be available to move through the tunnels. When river levels are low, less water will be diverted. Individuals seeking to learn more about the flow of water through the tunnels can read it themselves at http://bit.ly/18FGxrl.

It is also important to remember that the objective of BDCP is to obtain a 50-year endangered species permit that will improve the Delta through a long-term conservation strategy. These improvements should also increase the reliability of water supply deliveries to almost 4,000 farms and 25 million Californians from the Bay Area to San Diego.

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: Release the water

Humboldt County supervisors to Fresno judge: Release our water: Board warns of repeated fish kill

Coalition response…Reclamation had more than 400,000 acre-feet of water to use for fishery protection this year and has determined that its necessary to take additional water from other legal uses including protection of endangered species, management of waterfowl, clean power generation, recreation, industry, daily human needs, and, yes, farming. Regarding the question of what the judge’s ruling means for the future, northern California residents should take comfort from a possible decision protecting existing water rights and uses.

What has been missing from the discussion is the fact that current flows under the 2000 Trinity Record of Decision are actually double what they would be this time of year under natural conditions. That water is coming from storage. An unfortunate die-off occurred one time more than a decade ago. No science exists that links diminished water flows in 2002 to the incident. It is irresponsible to cut additional supplies from rightful water users in an experiment to protect non-endangered fish.

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

Put water to local use first

From: Editorial, Chico Enterprise-Record

Coalition response…The judge’s decision has nothing to do with north state or south state water “desires.” There are quantities set aside for both under federal law. What is in question is whether or not the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation can take more water than the law provides. Reclamation had more than 400,000 acre-feet of water, enough to farm about 160,000 acres or to meet the daily needs of 800,000 families, to use for fishery protection this year. Rather than properly plan to legally provide supplemental flows to minimize the effect of diseases that exist on the Klamath River on an expected near historic number of salmon returning to spawn, they choose instead to try and take this water from other legal uses including protection of endangered species, management of waterfowl, clean power generation, recreation, industry, daily human needs, and, yes, farming. Regarding the question of what the judge’s ruling means for the future, northern California residents should take comfort from a decision to not allow an illegal infringement upon water rights to occur.

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: Twin-tunnels plan doesn’t pencil out

Coalition response…This letter-writer may want to update his information before writing again about the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and its proposed tunnels. A full economic impacts study has been conducted by The Brattle Group, coordinated by Dr. David Sunding, Thomas J. Graff Chair in Natural Resource Economics at U.C. Berkeley. Sunding is also the founder of Berkeley Water Center and his clients include the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and U.S. Department of Justice. He is currently providing expert testimony in two interstate water disputes before the U.S. Supreme Court. His credentials are impeccable.

According to Dr. Sunding, the statewide benefit to California from implementing the BDCP is an $84 billion increase in business activity, $11 billion in wages for California workers and 1.1 million jobs over the 50-year BDCP lifespan. These economic benefits should be embraced by everyone struggling in this current economy. Read the study at: http://baydeltaconservationplan.com/Libraries/Dynamic_Document_Library/Draft_BDCP_Statewide_Economic_Impact_Report_8-5-13.sflb.ashx.