Amid mounting signs of ecosystem disruption and ongoing damage to the vulnerable Bay-Delta Estuary, local advocates, Tribal leaders, and policymakers are calling for stronger water quality protections and renewed scrutiny of the Delta Tunnel proposal.
Representative Josh Harder has formally urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deny the federal permits required to advance the Delta Tunnel, citing concerns about the impacts to Delta waterways, local communities, and the regional economy. At the same time, Tribes and environmental groups are pressing state leaders to safeguard the estuary by rejecting the inequitable and weak Voluntary Agreements included in the latest Bay-Delta Plan update. Restore the Delta’s Morgen Snyder, Director of Policy and Programs, emphasized these concerns in a recent interview with ABC 7 San Francisco (13:27). Fresno-based independent radio journalist Vic Bedoian also notes, “Voluntary Agreements won’t change the status quo, and instead will give water exporters a free pass on providing more flow without adequate water quality standards.”
Concerns about insufficient protections are cemented by evidence that reduced water flows have already contributed to steep declines in key fish populations, including Chinook salmon and Delta Smelt. The Delta ecosystem also faces compounding threats from harmful algal blooms and the spread of invasive golden mussels. Advocates argue that this is a critical time to enact stronger, enforceable protections to restore the health of California’s largest estuary and to protect the communities that depend on it.
News Roundup:
Representative Josh Harder Stands Against Delta Tunnel
- DELTA TUNNEL: Harder Calls on U.S. Army Corps to Reject Permits for $20 Billion Boondoggle. Representative Josh Harder.
- Harder steps up pressure to derail the Delta tunnel. The Manteca Bulletin.
Local Advocates Critique the Bay-Delta Plan
- Changes Coming to Bay Area Water. ABC 7 San Francisco – watch at 13:27
- Delta Advocates Criticize Bay-Delta Plan. Vic Bedoian.
- Advocates Say Bay Delta Plan is Deficient. Vic Bedoian.
- Tribal Nations and the Bay Delta Plan. Vic Bedoian.
Ongoing Threats to the Delta Ecosystem
- NOTEBOOK FEATURE: State water officials are faced with a once-in-a-generation chance to save California’s salmon. Maven’s Notebook.
- Mussel mania: San Joaquin Valley water agencies gear up to fight invasive mollusk. SJV Water.
- It’s final: No Delta smelt found in annual survey for 8 years as ecosystem collapses. Daily Kos.
###