Our Response to MWD’s Secret Campaign to Keep its Water Monopoly and Destroy Delta Farms & Fisheries

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, April 24, 2014
Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; steve@hopcraft.com; Twitter: @shopcraft; @MrSandHillCrane; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 barbara@restorethedelta.org; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta

Restore the Delta Responds to MWD’s Secret Campaign to Keep its
Water Monopoly and Destroy Delta Farms & Fisheries:
MWD will stop at nothing; Westlands planning $1 million blitz

Restore the Delta Executive Director Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla responded to news reports detailing a secret campaign by MWD to attack its critics:

“Metropolitan Water District’s (MWD) participation in a secret underground media campaign to influence the thinking of Southern California water rate payers reveals that they will stop at nothing to protect their position as the largest wholesaler of water exported from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta. MWD has proven that they do not have the moral authority to speak to a genuine water policy solution that restores the health of the Bay-Delta estuary. MWD will punish member agencies that question their rate structure. MWD’s staff resources and time would be better-spent promoting regional self-sufficiency for water management. Even worse, MWD has no qualms about participating in a secret society to undermine those who raise questions about the need for the proposed Delta tunnels project boondoggle. Without a doubt, the real threat to the Delta is MWD’s push for the BDCP, which will decimate the estuary and the economy of the five Delta counties.

“We know that Westlands Water District is using ratepayers’ monies for a $1 million PR campaign. We can’t wait to see the lies that effort will add to the pile. Is it legal for these public agencies to engage in this type of secret activity?”

Articles can be read here: http://bit.ly/1fbLwYA and http://bit.ly/1rqzHjl. The Eastern documents are being discussed by the Water Authority’s Imported Water Committee during the Board of Directors regular monthly meeting today. To read the Board memo and documents obtained by the Water Authority’s Public Records Act request, go to: http://www.sdcwa.org/public-records-eastern-municipal-water-district