The Delta Stewardship Council met October 28-29 with a full agenda and a weighty packet of supporting documents. Following are some highlights.
According to an Agreement Listing provided in the meeting packet,
- Ongoing grants for the Delta Science Program (with start dates ranging from 2005 to 2010 and end dates ranging from 2010 to 2012) total over $14 million.
- Delta Science Program contracts total over $9 million more, including $50,000 each to the nine Delta Science Board members for 15-month contracts.
- Executive Office contracts account for almost $3 million more, with $1.5 million for legal services alone (in a contract with the Department of Justice).
These costs are offset by Receivables from agencies including the Bureau of Reclamation, the USGS, DWR, USF&G, and NOAA.
So a lot of money is changing hands in this process that does nothing to, for example, reinforce Delta levees. But it does provide employment in one sector of the economy.
The DSC had a preliminary discussion of proposed Early Actions, which will be considered by a committee this week. Early actions included stockpiling rock for levee repairs, and there was a lot of discussion about which counties or other entities had already stockpiled rock, whether it was there for maintenance or to protect water supply, and how the costs should be shared. Chair Isenberg said it would be a “modest victory” if they could work this issue out.