California approves Delta tunnel project, pitting water agencies against environmentalists – Sacramento Bee – 12/21/23
California’s leading water agency approved a controversial water infrastructure project to build a tunnel underneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta Thursday, marking a significant step in a decades-long effort to advance it. Governor Gavin Newsom has long advocated for the tunnel, called Delta Conveyance, as a key way to protect water supply from climate change. The Department of Water Resources’ decision is expected to usher in extensive legal challenges….
Delta residents, farmers, Native American tribes and environmental groups vigorously oppose the tunnel projects. Opponents say drawing freshwater from the historic region coupled with years of construction will endanger native fish, imperil farms and destroy vulnerable communities. “We and our broad coalition of partners will engage in all necessary processes, and when necessary, litigation, to stop the Delta Conveyance Project once and for all,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director for Restore the Delta in a statement Thursday.
California water czar gives OK to delta tunnel project – Courthouse News Service 12/21/23
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — The plan to build a huge tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta passed a key hurdle Thursday with the California Department of Water Resources approval following the release of an environmental impact report this month….
The project has seen strong opposition over the years. Signs against the tunnels are common sights in some areas. Additionally, U.S. Representative Josh Harder, a Democrat who represents the areas of the Central Valley including parts of the delta, reintroduced a bill in February called the Stop the Delta Tunnel Act. It would prevent the Army Corps of Engineers from issuing a permit required to build the project.
How can California solve its water woes? By flooding its best farmland – Grist 12/20/23
Like many other parts of the West, the Central Valley always seems to have either too little water or too much. During dry years, when mountain reservoirs dry up, farmers mine groundwater from aquifers, draining them so fast that the land around them starts to sink. During wet years, when the reservoirs fill up, water comes streaming down rivers and bursts through aging levees, flooding farmland and inundating valley towns.
The restored floodplain solves both problems at once. During wet years like this one, it absorbs excess water from the San Joaquin River, slowing down the waterway before it can rush downstream toward large cities like Stockton. As the water moves through the site, it seeps into the ground, recharging groundwater aquifers that farmers and dairy owners have drained over the past century. In addition to these two functions, the restored swamp also sequesters an amount of carbon dioxide equivalent to that produced by thousands of gas-powered vehicles. It also provides a haven for migratory birds and other species that have faced the threat of extinction.
Delta Flows: There’s A Better Future – Restore the Delta 12/18/23
The Newsom Administration has executed a water plan with the usual suspects, reusing propaganda techniques and stale ideas, rather than developing a water management plan for broad flood protection with the type of large-scale floodplain restoration in the Central Valley that could heal our water systems and provide relief in dry years. The Newsom Administration lacks original thinking and moral courage regarding California water management.
Metropolitan Water District leaders have said publicly that 85 percent of their water exports from the Delta will not come from the tunnel, but the existing pumps, and they are investing heavily in local water projects for water security.
DWR, however, uses State Water Contractor polling to sell the project, which has always been questionable, because it never delivers facts around true costs and real benefits. Issues around housing, public safety, solving homelessness, expanding the electric grid, preventing wildfires, paying state scientists an equitable wage, dealing with the budget deficit, and advancing best protections against climate change impacts all linger underfunded and unresolved.
But the State Water Contractors instead created a faux groundswell to prop up the same-old expensive, wasteful water solutions for Governor Newsom so that he can appear to be tackling climate change.
Support our work in 2024!
Our next generation staff is expanding on the sturdy foundation that we have built together — to lead and respond to a future that we cannot fully imagine. Much in the same way my parents set the stage for me with their example of community engagement, we are doing the same with our staff, interns, and next generation leaders in partnering organizations, teaching by example.
With your continued support, we can empower our next generation leaders to protect and improve the Delta for the future, to deal with environmental complexity, to resist bad plans for water and resource management, and to build healthy communities and genuine sustainable economic opportunity. They are learning when and how to resist the idea of water and resource extraction for special interests at the expense of the region.
Your tax-deductible year-end gift to Restore the Delta will enable us to expand and solidify the work we started together in 2006 at a kitchen table, with sixty supporters, a laptop, and a cell phone. It will enable us to keep building a top-notch nonprofit organization to advocate for the environmental health and wealth of the region. You can donate here, or mail a check along with this form to 2616 Pacific Ave #4296, Stockton, CA 95204.
Delta Co-Op – Space Available
Restore the Delta has workshare space available for environmental and social justice organizations and positive environmental/sustainable businesses! Located in Stockton, near the Port of Stockton and I-5, our facility includes a conference room with hybrid meeting capability, ample parking, multiple kitchens, bathrooms, and great partner organizations to collaborate with on a regular basis. We also offer a large community meeting room.
The Delta Co-Op has 4 workstations available presently with access to all facilities and storage (designated closet/cabinet areas) for $300 per month. Our community meeting room is also available to rent for specific events and includes a kitchenette. The community meeting room can be rented for $300 for 8 hours or $150 for 4 hours.
Contact Mariah Looney today to learn more about the Delta Co-Op and to schedule a tour. Mariah can be reached at Mariah@restorethedelta.org, or 209-479-2559.
Restore the Delta has new merch!
Restore the Delta is excited to announce that new merch is available! Shop for the holiday season for family, friends, and loved ones who share a fondness of the Delta!
