We are indebted for today’s opening quote to the website for The Dolphin Group. This is not an organization committed to looking out for the welfare of dolphins or other aquatic creatures.   It is a 30+ year-old political consulting firm with offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento. The Dolphin Group specializes “in helping clients identify...Read More

Former federal judge Oliver Wanger, who just retired a couple of months ago, lost no time in taking on Westlands Water District as a client. He was all set to defend Westlands in a lawsuit filed by several Northern California groups. But this week, he changed his mind. As a judge, he had presided over...Read More

The BDCP folks had a lot of explaining to do last week when the following premature ad for a construction manager for new conveyance was posted by Jacobs Engineering: Manage the Jacobs Construction Management (CM) Team for the $10.5 Billion Delta Habitat Conservation and Conveyance Program (DHCCP). The DHCCP will be one of the world’s...Read More

A few notes on Delta Stewardship Council chair Phil Isenberg’s November 28 meeting with people in the North Delta, thanks to Nicky Suard of Snug Harbor Resorts. Isenberg said, “You can’t expect consistency in water flow calculations.”   But Suard points out that the State Water Resources Control Board’s 2008 Strategic Plan said that “inappropriate inconsistency...Read More

Delta landowners have won a victory in the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB’s) systematic challenge to the reparian/pre-1914 water rights in the Delta. The SWRCB had issued several Cease and Desist Orders (CDOs) challenging the existence of riparian and/or pre-1914 water rights of property owners on several Delta islands.  As a result of hearings...Read More