Sac Bee Cartoon 12/15/13 Field Day (click to enlarge)
SF Chronicle Cartoon 12/15/13 (click to enlarge)
Restore the Delta: News of Interest 12/16/13
Brown’s top water official to retire
Sacramento Bee
Shaky rationale behind Brown tunnel plan
Los Angeles Times
A catastrophic earthquake could topple current levees, flood the delta and cut off much of the fresh water supply to Central and Southern California for months, …
First, the state must act to stave off disaster. Second, no one will get all the water they want.
The Edge – Published Dec. 15, 2013
Stockton Record
… of the Pacific, made some interesting comparisons between the finances for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (twin tunnels) and the High-Speed Rail Plan.
Top water official linked to tunnel plans to retire
Sacramento Bee Fresno Bee 12/14/13
Top water official linked to tunnel plans to retire … the Delta, said Meral told Stokely the Bay Delta Conservation Plan “is not about,… the Delta cannot be saved.
Walters: More storage may be California’s most important water issue — The release last week of detailed plans for building water tunnels beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta touches off a legal and political battle that could take years to resolve. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee — 12/16/13
Bay Delta Plan a solid start for water future
San Francisco Chronicle Published 6:22 pm, Friday, December 13, 2013
Amid the flood of charts, graphs and documents (more than 34,000 pages) released by state and federal officials as another step toward realizing Gov. Jerry Brown’s ambitious water plan, there are a few currents of hope for Northern California… The rules also diminish the possibility the tunnels would be built, as the increased flows for the delta and bay ecosystem mean less, not more, water for Southern California. University of Pacific economist Jeffrey Michael suggests the economics of the project won’t pencil out with less water unless urban water users agree to subsidize the cost of water for farms. So far, urban agency officials have said emphatically no.
Brown’s tunnel vision on state water plan
By U-T San Diego Editorial Board 5 P.M.DEC. 14, 2013
Simple fact: Nothing is more important to the economy of San Diego and all of California than a reliable supply of water. But the intensely controversial proposal of Gov. Jerry Brown to achieve greater reliability through environmental restoration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta – the hub of California’s massive water system – and re-engineering of the delta’s intricate plumbing increasingly appears unworkable.
Southern Californians must get worried about water: Editorial
Los Angeles Daily News-Dec 13, 2013
It’s safe to say few Californians will make it all the way through the 10,000 pages of the Environmental Impact Report on the proposed Bay Delta Conservation …
Mike Dunbar: Don’t try to bury us under your Bay Delta Conservation …
Merced Sun-Star
The state’s 34,000-page draft study leaves unanswered key questions about the plan to divert water from the Delta to points south using two huge tunnels.
LOIS HENRY: How water from Kern grows sprawl in Madera
Bakersfield Californian-Dec 14, 2013
So, a pile of water banked in Kern County is being used to support a massive urban development in Madera County. Before you try and wrap your head around … In 2009, another Resnick company, the Westside Mutual Water Company, made a deal with North Kern to pull some of that banked Paramount water out and give it to neighboring Shafter-Wasco Irrigation District for ultimate delivery to Root Creek in Madera.
Could birds pluck governor’s prized tunnels?
Central Valley Business Times
by Gene Beley, Delta Correspondent … be the white knights for those fighting the Bay Delta Conservation Plan’s twin tunnels, so fervently trumpeted by Gov.
L.A. Times columnist George Skelton now questions the common concern that an earthquake will bring down Delta levees en masse, calling that belief “a stretch.” …
It would seem those advocates have had at least some success spreading their message beyond the five Delta counties.
Northern California Water Bond Education for Voters
Sonoma County Gazette-Dec 13, 2013
… divert water around the Sacramento-/San Joaquin Delta to send more water to the … in the Sacramento Valley (modestly claiming “Accounting for every drop.
Maven’s In commentary this weekend…
Maven’s week-end news:
BDCP appears unworkable, says the San Diego Union-Tribune: “Simple fact: Nothing is more important to the economy of San Diego and all of California than a reliable supply of water. But the intensely controversial proposal of Gov. Jerry Brown to achieve greater reliability through environmental restoration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta – the hub of California’s massive water system – and re-engineering of the delta’s intricate plumbing increasingly appears unworkable. Brown’s plan has two central components. … ” Read more here: Brown’s tunnel vision on state water plan
Twin tunnels convey promises, not water, says C-Win’s Carolee Krieger: “There’s no way around it: Santa Barbara is on the State Water Project’s hook. The question is whether we willingly sink the steel deeper. By now, most of us understand the essential details of our dilemma. In the 1990s, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) promoted construction of the Coastal Branch, an aqueduct designed to deliver water from the State Water Project to the Central Coast. Santa Barbara County took the bait. After all, it looked like a good deal. DWR promised the project would cost no more than $270 million and would deliver 97 percent of contacted water allotments. … ” Read more from the Santa Barbara Indpendent here: The Waterless State Water Solution
Fracking rules must have merit as no one is happy, says Thomas Elias: “There is little doubt an economic bonanza awaits California beneath the surface of the Monterey Shale, a geologic formation stretching from San Benito County south along the west side of the San Joaquin Valley right into parts of Southern California. One study put the possible job-creating potential of this oil and gas trove at more than 20,000. For sure, it would spread oil industry jobs far beyond their current centers in Kern County and some coastal areas of the state. Oil reserves said to lurk within rock formations are said to amount to at least 15 billion barrels. Not to mention many millions of therms of natural gas. … ” Read more from Thomas Elias at the Santa Monica Mirror here: Fracking Rules Must Have Merit; No One Completely Happy
State needs cost-effective water bond By Special to The Davis Enterprise
12/15/13 By Lois Wolk
The Legislature will return to Sacramento in January and will immediately face a trio of questions about water.
State Sen. Lois Wolk, a Democrat, is a longtime Davis resident. This piece was published originally in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Money, Environmental Concerns Could Sink Governor’s Delta Water Plan Lauren Sommer, KQED Science | December 13, 2013 | 0 Comments
The floodgates are open for public feedback on California’s plans for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Starting Friday, the Brown administration is accepting comments on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan – its effort to stem the decades-long battle over the hub of the state’s water supply.
State officials say the water supply for 25 million Californians from the Bay Area to San Diego is at stake, as is the health of the largest estuary on the West Coast.
Maven’s minutes 12/16/13:
DWR Spotlight 12/13/13 A Comprehensive Water Reliability and Ecosystem Restoration Plan Developed from seven years of analysis and hundreds of public meetings, the draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan is now available for public review and comment. Today the 120-day public comment period begins on the draft plan (9,000 pages) and its Environmental Impact
Pressure Amounts Against Bay Delta Conservation Plan
Big Pressure Against BDCP California Ag Today 12/11/13
According to Families Protecting The Valley there is enormous pressure from opponents of the BDCP. (Families Protecting the Valley)
Reminder: Delta Stewardship Council meeting Wed., & Thurs. – for info on the meetings click here and for 12/19 click here
Letters — Published Dec. 16, 2013
Stockton Record-9 hours ago
I strongly oppose the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, a monstrous plan by the State of California and water contractors to build two tunnels 40 feet in diameter, …
Letters — Sac Bee
Let the people decide on Bay-Delta water plan
Published: Sunday, December 15 2013 – 7:10 am
Re “Tunnels still $1.2 billion away from go-ahead” (Page A1, Dec. 7): President Abraham Lincoln resolved in his Gettysburg Address that “government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.” Gov. Jerry Brown and his agencies, such as the California Department of Water Resources, should remember these profound words and let the people of this great state vote on the controversial the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.
Delta tunnel planners must examine farms’ water use
Published: Saturday, December 14 2013 – 7:10 am
Re “Bay-Delta water study leaves big questions” (Editorials, Dec. 12): The cost-effectiveness of the Delta tunnels project should be evaluated in tandem with the state’s agricultural practices. Agriculture uses 80 percent of the state’s water supplies, with rice and almond crops coming in first and third highest in usage. Almond growers export 70 percent of their crops to other countries, while rice growers export 40 percent. Further, not all farmers utilize the most efficient irrigation practices. …
State News: 12/16/13
California Slow to Map Dangerous Earthquake Faults 11/14/13 KQED Science
California is just one major earthquake away from death and damage — billions of dollars in damage. That’s why the state is always looking for ways to improve preparation for the next Big One. That preparation includes mapping active earthquake faults so new developments don’t get built on top of them. But the effort still has a long way to go.