Today, Governor Brown and other officials today announced a revised approach to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, which is now going to be split into two programs: California EcoRestore and California WaterFix, which is BDCP’s Alternative 4A. Click here for the Governor’s press release.
Here are reactions from organizations and interest groups, listed in alphabetical order:
From Californian’s for Water Security:
Today Californians for Water Security expressed strong support for Governor Jerry Brown’s revised plan to fix California’s aging water infrastructure and create a more secure water supply for our state. The coalition urges immediate action moving forward with the plan, warning that the status quo leaves water supplies for two-thirds of the state’s population in jeopardy, especially during times of drought or during a natural disaster like an earthquake.
“California’s historic drought is a stark reminder that we need to address the state’s severe water infrastructure problems immediately,” said Allan Zaremberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of CalChamber. “It is time to support the Governor’s ‘California Water Fix’ to secure our water system into the future.”
“We must act urgently to protect the water supply for California’s homes, farms and businesses, while also protecting the critical habitat, species and environment of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta,” said Robbie Hunter, President of the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California. “We support the Governor’s plan to move us forward.”
Currently, two-thirds of water for Californians starts in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and flows through the state’s main water distribution system through the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta to other parts of the state, including Northern California, the Bay Area, Central Valley and Southern California.
But this system of aging dirt levees, aqueducts and pipes is outdated and at risk of collapse in the event of a major earthquake or flood. Problems with this aging system have already resulted in significant water supply cutbacks and shortages for people, farms and businesses, as well as damage to fish, wildlife and the environment.
From the Center for Biological Diversity:
California’s $25 billion twin tunnels project to divert water from the San Francisco Bay-Delta to Southern California and industrial agribusinesses no longer includes provisions to protect habitat for endangered salmon and smelt and more than 50 other imperiled species. The Brown administration has now removed the habitat conservation component from the project, which is now focused solely on tunnel building.
“The new plan is a giant step backward. If it goes through, this massive project’s boosters will be able to build these tunnels without having to do anything to protect our wildlife and waters — and will neatly sidestep input from the public,” said Chelsea Tu, a staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. “This backdoor process will waste more taxpayer money and kill more Delta species like endangered salmon and smelt.”
Since 2007 state and federal water contractors and public agencies have spent more than $240 million just in planning the so-called Bay Delta Conservation Plan, which would green-light the water-export tunnels in exchange for promised measures intended to benefit the Delta environment.
The new plan would be subject to review only under Section 7 of the federal Endangered Species Act, which could only require federal wildlife agencies to determine whether it will harm 21 wildlife species that are listed or proposed to be listed under the Act. Under the previous approach, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan planned to protect 56 imperiled species. A Section 7 consultation would only take place among federal agencies and would likely not contain mandatory mitigation requirements or a public participation process.
Widely opposed by conservationists, Delta farmers, California taxpayers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the plan proposes two massive, 35-mile tunnels between the Sacramento River and State Water Project pumps to the south of the Delta, which would dewater the Delta to send water to Southern California. Freshwater in the Delta would be sharply reduced, decimating sensitive aquatic species including chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead trout, Delta and longfin smelt, and green and white sturgeon. The plan would also destroy the food and habitat availability for migratory birds and terrestrial species that depend on the Delta ecosystem to survive.
“As drought becomes the new normal, California can’t afford to continue lose Delta species that are already on the brink of extinction,” said Tu. “Instead of siphoning more water from the Delta to fuel speculative sprawl and export agribusinesses, California can solve its water crisis by adopting a combination of water conservation, efficiency, reuse and desalination strategies for both cities and farms. The state and the nation should invest in these proven strategies, instead of wasting tax dollars to perpetuate water exports at the expense of the fragile Delta ecosystem.”
From Adam Scow at Food and Water Watch:
“Governor Brown’s plan to build massive tunnels to divert the Sacramento River away from the San Francisco Bay Delta – estimated to cost as much as $67 billion – has always primarily been a scheme to send massive amounts of water to corporate agribusinesses on the west side of the Central Valley. These powerful agribusinesses, including Stewart Resnick’s Paramount Farms and growers in the Westlands Water District, have planted excessive amounts of water-thirsty almonds and pistachios, most of which are exported overseas and need massive amounts of water to succeed in the hot and dry climate of the west side.
“The Governor has slightly repackaged his euphemistically named Bay Delta Conservation Plan, because the tunnels plan will likely not meet federal water quality standards in the Bay Delta, but the fundamental problem with the project remains: it is grossly unfair for the Governor to make California taxpayers and water ratepayers subsidize a massive project that only benefits a handful of California’s most powerful agribusinesses. Forcing taxpayers to subsidize agribusiness is especially wrong now that the Governor has demanded all Californians reduce their own water use or face substantial fines. In addition, removing fresh water from the Bay Delta via tunnels will only worsen conditions for California’s threatened wild salmon.
“Instead of pushing this outdated tunnels project, the Governor should limit agricultural irrigation on the west side and stop sending enormous amounts of public water to agriculture tycoons at the expense of California taxpayers and the fragile ecosystem and fish populations supported by the San Francisco Bay Delta.”
From the Kern County Water Agency:
Today, Governor Brown and representatives of the Obama Administration announced a new approach to restoring the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) and improving the water supplies of the 25 million Californians and more than 3 million acres of farms that depend on water from the Delta. The new approach announced today continues plans for large-scale habitat restoration in the Delta and continues development of new pipelines to move water through the State Water Project.
The previous approach to solving the Delta’s ecosystem and water supply crisis, known as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), was developed over the past eight years to provide ecosystem enhancements in exchange for 50-year permits to move water across the Delta. However, in recent months, the State and federal agencies responsible for issuing the permits have indicated they are unable to issue them because of uncertainties related to climate change and other environmental factors. The Governor’s new approach continues the investment in habitat restoration and construction of new pipelines; however, now under short-term permits that can be more easily modified in the future.
“We are anxious to see the details of the Governor’s new approach, and to review the habitat restoration and water supply benefits of the new plan. The Kern County Water Agency was a major funding partner for the BDCP, and we are hopeful that the new approach will provide the similar water supply benefits,” said Kern County Water Agency (Agency) Board of Directors President Ted Page.
California’s water supply infrastructure is many decades old and was designed to serve a much smaller population. The risk of earthquakes, drought and ever-tightening environmental regulations make it essential for California to upgrade its water system now. The Governor’s new plan is intended to allow the State to transport water more efficiently by protecting the water system from earthquakes, better preparing for droughts and improving the Delta ecosystem.
“Once the State and federal agencies release the details of the new plan, the Agency will review them to determine if the new plan can meet local water supply needs at an affordable cost,” said Page.
From the Metropolitan Water District:
Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, issues the following statement regarding a revised proposal by the Brown and Obama administrations to advance water system and ecosystem improvements in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta:
“Metropolitan appreciates the exhaustive efforts of the Brown and Obama administrations to identify a comprehensive solution in the Delta that both restores habitat and provides for reliable water supplies for California. Our State Water Project supply is at risk long-term if California does not confront this challenge and take decisive action. We will thoroughly review with our board this new proposal to advance the modernization of the Delta water system and restoration of the ecosystem on separate, but coordinated tracks. Metropolitan has long stood ready to invest in a Delta solution that works for both the environment and California economy. Any successful final plan must do both.”
From Restore the Delta:
Restore the Delta (RTD) and other opponents of Gov. Brown’s rush to build massive underground water tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom sustainable farms, salmon and other Pacific fisheries, today responded to Gov. Brown’s abandonment of habitat restoration in his Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) tunnels project, saying the new plan violates the statutory ‘co-equal goals’, end-runs the EPA and federal scientists who refused to issue permits for the project. The governor has called the massive change “technical,” but opponents said it results from fatal flaws in the BDCP and the lack of funding for the restoration formerly proposed under the BDCP.
The new maneuver ignores the judgment of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Delta Independent Science Board (DISB), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after scientific reviews that the tunnels project didn’t meet minimum Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Clean Water Act (CWA) standards. The agencies found in particular that the project would jeopardize, rather than help recover key species, and violate anti-degradation laws to protect the Delta waterways as fishable, swimmable and drinkable.
The change also results from the failure of the BDCP to identify the required funding to meet the financial assurances provisions of the ESA. The BDCP relied heavily on future unidentified state bonds, and state and federal budget allocations. Though a key promise made to pass the 2014 Water Bond was that it would not fund the BDCP, the administration has now indicated it does intend to take Prop. 1 funds for restoration to attempt to address the damage from overpumping the Delta, which the tunnels would compound.
“After 9 years and $250 million dollars, creating a stack of planning documents over 27 feet tall, the governor has admitted that the BDCP could not protect Delta species and therefore could not meet HCP and NCCP standards,” said Bob Wright, senior counsel for Friends of the River. “The BDCP, a plan that conserved little and would cost ratepayers and taxpayers over 25 Billion dollars to subsidize giant unsustainable agribusiness, is now even worse for the people, the environment, and sustainable water policies.”
From the Southern California Water Committee:
Governor Jerry Brown, joined by the U.S. Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary Michael Connor, today unveiled an updated plan to resolve water supply and environmental problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta), the hub of California’s water supply system. The governor’s two new programs, ‘California WaterFix’ and ‘California EcoRestore’, will accelerate action to resolve the mounting Delta crisis.
“One-third of our water supplies move through a sprawling system of dirt levees that are ill-equipped to protect freshwater in the event of an earthquake—it is quite literally a disaster waiting to happen. For nearly a decade, state and federal agencies have been leading a critical effort to modernize the state’s primary water delivery system to protect this important water supply and the surrounding environment. The need for decisive action is greater than ever, and we’re hopeful that Governor Brown’s revised proposal brings us closer to securing water supplies and restoring Delta habitat. As communities throughout California take immediate steps to manage emergency drought conditions, we also need to continue advancing long-term actions that prepare us for the future. A secure water delivery system, innovative local water supply projects, conservation and efficiency efforts are all key elements of a stable water supply plan for California.”
Charles Wilson
Chairman
Southern California Water Committee
From the State Water Contractors:
“Developing a plan to secure water supplies and restore the Delta environment in the face of an inherently uncertain future is a challenging but necessary undertaking. An unprecedented amount of research, analysis and outreach has been dedicated throughout the past eight years to advancing a solution for the Delta. If the results of those efforts point to a new approach that still meets the goals of securing water supplies and restoring the environment, then it’s an option we need to carefully consider.
“The need to modernize the state’s water supply system is more apparent now than ever as the threat of an earthquake looms over us and the state is plagued with drought. The constraints of California’s antiquated water delivery system prevent water agencies from capturing and storing water when it’s abundant, squeezing us even tighter during dry times. Water for 26 million Californians, the food we eat and businesses from Silicon Valley to San Diego that drive our economy will be in jeopardy until California moves forward with a solution for the Delta that works for both the environment and water supplies. If we don’t do what it takes to fix the broken system, the State Water Project could become little more than a stranded investment and the Delta none the better.”
Terry Erlewine
General Manager
State Water Contractors
From Senator Lois Wolk:
Senator Lois Wolk (D-Davis) issued the following statement today regarding the Governor’s announcement of changes to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan:
“The science is in. The tunnels don’t work for the environment. Fishery agencies will not grant a restoration permit to the tunnels. Instead of changing the project, the Administration is changing the permit. Lowering the bar isn’t good for the Delta, it isn’t good for Southern California water reliability, and it isn’t good for California. It’s time to move beyond the tunnels. California needs aggressive development of drought resilient, reliable water supplies.”
“Today’s announcement confirms what I feared in 2009. The commitment to coequal goals in the Delta has been broken. The tunnels will move forward, and the commitment to the health of the Delta has been reduced in large part, and relegated to a separate track.”
“In 2009 the Legislature gave up significant oversight authority over the tunnels based on the commitment to the co-equal goals. That commitment has been broken. The Legislature must now consider taking back the authority relinquished in 2009.”
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