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

Extra water releases planned to protect Klamath River salmon

Coalition response…Farmers along the San Joaquin Valley westside are again seeing a portion of their water being taken away as Reclamation plans to send water down the Trinity River for fall-run Chinook salmon in the Klamath River, which is not an endangered species. Reclamation reports the extra water is expected to protect an anticipated high number of returning salmon from a disease that is already established in the Klamath. A salmon die-off occurred once back in 2002, which is what Reclamation is hoping to avoid with extra water releases this year. However, there were no supplemental releases from 2005 through 2011 and no die-off of salmon either. So, where’s the reasoning for this month’s planned action?

Taking an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 acre feet of water out of the system could further harm Valley farmers who already experienced an 80 percent cut in their water supply this year from the Central Valley Project.

Reclamation has claimed its authority to take this action comes from obligations imposed by the Trinity River Division Central Valley Project Act of 1955. However, the 2000 Trinity River Restoration Record of Decision provides the water to meet those obligations and, given proper planning, would have been sufficient to meet the needs of this action without creating further undue impacts upon Central Valley Project water and power customers, including wildlife refuges.

In July 2012, then-Regional Director Donald Glaser of Reclamation said in a letter that a supplemental release in August 2012 would not harm CVP water users this year. He stated that Reclamation would identify any effects that might result from last year’s action. He also promised a long-term strategy for addressing fish flows. Water users are still waiting for that plan in hopes that it will avoid such situations that we are facing today.

We’ve seen this before: water taken from farmers for environmental purposes with no proven benefits.

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

Blog: Could desalination technology help California farmers?

Coalition response…One important clarification needs to be made to Todd’s blog—the water that will be transported through the proposed tunnels is not sea water. Water diverted into the tunnels will take place in the north Delta off of the Sacramento River before it reaches the ocean. Farmers have been looking at new technology for decades and I expect they will continue to do so.

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: Raise water prices so we’ll learn to conserve

Coalition response…Many agricultural water suppliers already employ tiered pricing, which increases the cost of water for amounts used above a base amount at a base price. Kern County farmers do not receive any subsidies for water they receive from the State Water Project which is used to irrigate over half-a-million acres of productive farmland. Kern County’s fresh fruits, nuts, vegetables and dairy products can be found around the corner and around the world. Kern County farmers that receive their water from the State Water Project pay the full cost for water every year and in years when they receive less than their contracted amount, they still pay as if they receive 100 percent. This year their supply was cut by 65 percent but they are still paying as if they received their full amount, which more than doubles the unit cost of water. This kind of unreliability has driven farmers to more efficient irrigation systems to make the most of what they receive.

Farmers have been increasing water use efficiency for decades. Farmers in the San Joaquin Valley invested more than $1.6 billion in high efficiency irrigation systems on almost 1.2 million acres. Other efficiency practices include soil moisture monitoring, high efficiency pumps, micro irrigation and GPS. As a result, crop production has almost doubled in the last 40 years while applied water has remained flat.

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

Opponents: State Delta tunnels plan analysis full of holes

Coalition response…Biologists, engineers, water policy experts and water industry officials at all levels have worked for seven years in the development of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). Multiple aspects of the plan, including the two tunnels that are proposed to send water under the Delta, have analyzed and in some cases changed. The proposed tunnels have been reduced from three to two and their size has also been changed from a capacity of 15,000 cubic feet per second to 9,000 cfs. To state that the work that has gone into the BDCP has not looked at alternatives is weak.

The BDCP provides the best opportunity to secure a reliable water supply for California’s future and at the same time restore the Delta’s ecosystem. The economic analysis of the benefits resulting from BDCP presents an $84 billion contribution to the state’s economy over the 50-year life of the Plan. It not only provides new jobs but it protects existing jobs. These are real benefits that the people of California need.

Study identifies $84 billion boost to State’s economy

(The following is a statement by Mike Wade, California Farm Water Coalition Executive Director, in response to a comprehensive economic study released today by the California Natural Resources Agency regarding the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.)

“Nearly every individual living in California will benefit from the implementation of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and the proposed tunnels that will send water under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to thousands of farmers and 25 million Californians. The study estimates an increase of $84 billion to the State’s economy and the creation of 1 million jobs over the 50-year lifetime of BDCP.

“Of the $13 billion in construction costs in the first 10 years of the project, $11 billion or almost 85 percent is wages. That is money in the pockets of construction workers, maintenance personnel, farm and farm-related employees and the people who will manage the enhanced environmental areas that are part of the project.

“The report also says that 390,000 urban and 134,000 farm jobs will be preserved as a result of the BDCP. That means that if we don’t move forward with the project, people who may not even have a direct connection to the BDCP are at risk of losing their jobs in the future because of reduced water supply reliability and a declining economy.

“The report is good news for a state that has struggled under the weight of economic difficulties and high unemployment. These numbers provide hope for Californians who are unemployed or underemployed. They also provide hope for businesses that want dependable resources to help them grow. And the certainty of a water supply for thousands of farms means that California consumers will continue to find locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables in the market.”

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The Bay Delta Conservation Plan is a good deal for California

The Governor’s plan to fix California’s aging water system and improve the movement of water across the Delta will produce huge economic benefits for the state. That’s the conclusion of a comprehensive new Statewide Economic Impact Report released today by the Brown Administration. Authored by economist Dr. David Sunding of The Brattle Group, the report details the long-term economic benefits of a more reliable, higher quality water supply as well as the enormous stimulus and hundreds of thousands of new jobs that the construction project will create.

In the simplest terms, BDCP and the proposed twin tunnels, will generate $84 billion in statewide economic activity and create more than 1 million jobs over the next 50 years. It accomplishes that by helping to restore reliability to California’s water supply, which has currently been denied to almost 4,000 San Joaquin Valley farms and 25 million consumers who depend on water moving reliably through the Delta.

So who benefits from the BDCP? The answer is just about everyone. Of the $13 billion in construction costs in the first 10 years of the project, $11 billion, or almost 85 percent, is wages. That is money in the pockets of construction workers, maintenance personnel, farm and farm-related employees and the people who will manage the enhanced environmental areas that are part of the project.

The report also says that 390,000 urban and 134,000 farm jobs will be preserved as a result of the BDCP. That means that if we don’t move forward with the project, people who may not even have a direct connection to the BDCP are at risk of losing their jobs in the future because of reduced water supply reliability and a declining economy.

The report is good news for a state that has struggled under the weight of economic difficulties and high unemployment. These numbers provide hope for Californians who are unemployed or underemployed. They also provide hope for businesses that want dependable resources to help them grow. And the certainty of a water supply for thousands of farms means that California consumers will continue to find locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables in the market.

There are costs associated with the BDCP. They’re important but they add up to much less than the overall benefits of the project. In the Delta, for example, the report estimates there will be $34 million in reduced agricultural production,  up to $79 million in transportation delays during construction, and air quality impacts of  up to $16 million.

In contrast, according to the report, economic and enhanced recreational opportunities in the Delta will far outweigh the costs and disruptions outlined above. In addition to 177,000 direct construction jobs, fishing, boating, hunting and other recreational activities will benefit to the tune of an additional $222 million to $370 million as a result of habitat restoration and other enhancements. California will also benefit from a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by as much as half a billion dollars over the 50-year life of the project permit.

Taken as a whole, the total cost over the 50-year project period comes to $129 million. Compared to the overall increase in economic welfare for residents of $4.8 billion to $5.4 billion, the report concludes that these costs only amount to about 2.3 percent of the total value that BDCP will deliver for the state.

Considering California’s history it is not surprising that an investment in water supply infrastructure will pay big dividends. From the Gold Rush to local projects in the 1880s to the State and federal projects in the middle of the last century, water development has helped fuel business opportunities and improved the quality of life for California’s residents. Together, all of California’s water supply projects have helped propel the state into one of the top 10 economies in the world. The benefits provided by the BDCP and the water supply reliability it will bring is the same kind of catalyst for jobs that will add still more luster to California’s reputation as “The Golden State.”

 

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

Powerful water district backs tunnel plan

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.

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: State needs more water, not just improved sharing

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.

On July 31, 2013 the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority and Westlands Water District issued a letter to express significant concerns over the planned supplemental release of Trinity Reservoir water to the lower Klamath River in August and September 2013. The following is a summary of the comment topics covered in the letter. The full 33-page letter is available here.

 

Summary of comment topics on Draft Environmental Documents for Use of Trinity Reservoir Water to Make Supplemental Releases to the Lower Klamath River [EA-13-07-NCAO and FONSI 13-07 NCAO]

 

I. Reclamation Has No Authority To Make The Proposed Supplemental Releases

 

a. The Proposed Releases Would Violate The Trinity ROD And CVPIA Section 3406(b)(23)

 

b. The Proposed Releases Would Violate CVPIA Section 3411(a) And 43 U.S.C. Section 483

 

c. The Proposed Releases Are Contrary To Reclamation’s Contractual Obligations to Optimize Deliveries

 

 

II. The Draft EA’s Statement Of Purpose And Need Is Inadequate

 

III. The Draft EA’s Discussion Of Alternatives Considered But Eliminated From Further Consideration Is Inadequate

 

IV. Reclamation Must Prepare An Environmental Impact Statement To Comply With NEPA

 

a. The Proposed Action May Have A Significant Effect On Water And Power Resources

 

i. Impacts To CVP Water Supply Allocations

 

ii. Impacts To Hydropower Generation

 

iii. Impacts To Cold Water Pool Management

 

iv. Impacts To Recreational Activities In Trinity Lake

 

v. Impacts To Groundwater Resources

 

vi. Cumulative Impacts

 

b. The Proposed Action May Have A Significant Effect On Biological Resources

 

i. Impacts To Trinity River Salmon

 

ii. Impacts To The Yellow Legged Frog, Western Pond Turtle, And Lamprey

 

iii. Impacts To Central Valley Salmonids

 

iv. Impacts To Green Sturgeon

 

v. Impacts To Delta Smelt

 

vi. Impacts To Longfin Smelt

 

c. The Proposed Action May Have A Significant Effect On The Environment With Respect To Climate Change

 

d. The Draft EA Fails To Adequately Address Environmental Justice

 

e. The Proposed Action May Have Significant Effects Within the CVP Service Area South Of The Delta

 

i. Shortages Of CVP Water Cause Reliance On Inadequate Alternative Supplies That Carry Significant Costs And Adverse Environmental Impacts

 

ii. The Socioeconomic Consequences Of Reduced Water Supply

 

f. Air Quality And Land Use May Be Significantly Affected By The Proposed Action And Require Further Analysis

 

i. Air Quality

 

ii. Land Use

 

V. The Proposed Action May Affect Species Listed Under The Endangered Species Act, And ESA Consultation Is Required

 

 

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

Water transfer from small reservoir in Butte County raises big concerns from environmental groups

Coalition response…This transfer of water to farmers south of the Delta will be used to help them stay in business and grow the food that consumers in California enjoy, even people in Butte County. Deliveries to these farmers have already been cut by 80 percent, due mainly to government regulations that took nearly a million acre-feet of water away from users earlier this year and instead let it flow out the Delta to the ocean for fish purposes. This action repeated the pattern of agencies taking water without any proof of intended benefits.

The California Department of Water Resources approves water transfers only after it is clear they will not cause harm to the local environment. This one-time transfer meets those standards and the money received by Thermalito Water and Sewer District will assist in funding their local efforts.