If you read the various PPIC reports and the DRMS Phase One report and wondered what unrecognizable place they described, you will be happy to see the Delta Protection Commission’s “Economic Sustainability Plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta,” just released in a first administrative draft. Portions of the “Economic Sustainability Plan” are still under development. ...Read More

We reported recently on a new study by California Water Research Associates showing that 100,000 acres of land retired by Westlands Water District is not going to come back into irrigated production, no matter HOW much water Westlands gets. New evidence of this is contained in the district’s agricultural lease. Westlands owns essentially all of...Read More

The California Water Commission (CWC) met on June 15, 2011 at exactly the same time as the BDCP was having its first public meeting since Jerry Meral introduced his divide-and-conquer working group strategy. “Due to state budget constraints,” the CWC meeting was not webcast live, and 36 hours later, video of the meeting was still...Read More

At the June 15th meeting, the Commission dispensed with the first six agenda items in just about as many minutes, then proceeded to a prolonged parsing of language for Agricultural Water Measurement Regulations.  They were still at it when they took a break at 3:30 and RTD staff fled for daylight.  Here’s what we can...Read More

When we talk about beneficiary pays, just which beneficiaries are we talking about? DWR staff came up with five main categories of public benefit plus a couple more and submitted them to the Commission, which must define public benefits of dams and conveyance under the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010,...Read More

As already noted, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan Public meeting was held at the same time that the Water Commission met. What was striking about the BDCP meeting was that little substantive information was once again presented to the public regarding the progress of the peripheral canal project or the real processes for creating and...Read More

Those of you who commented that no one from the Delta was invited to participate in the Delta Vision Foundation’s Panel Discussion on June 16th should know that Restore the Delta WAS invited to participate.  One staff member and one board member got invitations, both on June 14th. When the agenda was already set. And...Read More

For four years, Restore the Delta has been arguing that the true economic value of Delta agriculture and Delta recreation have been deliberately undervalued by those who want to drain the Delta for their economic gain.  The first draft of the Economic Sustainability Plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta with great detail and documentation affirms...Read More

The Bay Delta Conservation Plan is up and running.  Staff with the California Natural Resources Agency, working under the direction of Undersecretary Jerry Meral, sent out an announcement giving community and civic groups a whole four-day notice to decide which of the thirteen working groups they would like to join. Restore the Delta staff decided...Read More

Congressman Devin Nunes (Visalia) was absent from yesterday’s second hearing on his bill HR 1837, which reduced the acrimonious rhetoric that was unleashed on the California fishing community at the first hearing on the bill and later on Delta farmers on the Families Protecting the Valley website.  According to Nunes, the problem with California water is:...Read More