Yesterday, the Department of Water Resources and Bureau of Reclamation today released a joint Partially Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report/Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the California WaterFix, a derivative of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. Here are the reactions I’ve received, listed by organization name in alphabetical order:
From Californians for Water Security:
“Today, in response to the state releasing a revised Environmental Impact Report (EIR), Californians for Water Security expressed strong support for the California Water Fix (Alternative 4A) – the Governor’s plan to repair California’s aging water infrastructure and create a more secure water supply for our state. The coalition urges immediate action to move forward with the plan.
The recirculated documents are the culmination of nearly a decade of extensive expert review, planning and scientific and environmental analysis by the state’s leading water experts, engineers and conservationists, and unprecedented public comment and participation. The California Water Fix reflects significant changes and improvements to the plan to address comments from the state and federal governments and other stakeholders.
“We must act urgently to protect the water supply for California’s homes, farms, businesses and industries, 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 California Water Fix as the best solution to build these protections and move us forward.”
“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 of CalChamber. “It is time to support the Governor’s California Water Fix to secure our water system into the future. This plan will help ensure we have the ability to move water during wet years in order to increase water supplies during future droughts.”
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But this system of aging dirt levees, aqueducts and pipes is outdated and at risk of collapse in the event of a major earthquake or flood.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.
“In the event of a levee break or system failure, much of Los Angeles’ water supply could be interrupted for up to one year,” said Gary Toebben, President & CEO, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. “The California Water Fix will upgrade and repair the state’s water system, and protect hundreds of thousands of regional jobs that depend on the stability of this water supply.”
“The California Water Fix is a bold, responsible strategy to ensure our state is making the most of our limited water supplies,” said Mike Mielke, Senior Vice President for Environment & Energy at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. “This plan is especially important to the economy and quality of life of the Bay Area and the Silicon Valley. Not only will the California Water Fix reliably deliver water to people and businesses, it will also protect water supplies for the environment, fish and wildlife in the Delta.”
“Family farmers cannot endure years more of a crumbling water infrastructure system that delivers inadequate water supplies to sustain crops,” said Ryan Jacobsen, CEO/executive director of the Fresno County Farm Bureau. “Upgrading our water distribution system will help us better deal with droughts and limited water supplies. If the Central Valley is going to continue to grow the fruits, vegetables, nuts and other crops consumed by much of the world, the time to create a secure water system is now. We cannot afford to wait.”
From the Delta Counties Coalition:
“In response to the Brown Administration’s latest draft of the California WaterFix Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement, county supervisors from the Delta Counties Coalition (DCC), composed of the five Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta counties, issued the following comments today:
“We all agree California needs a comprehensive plan to address the state’s ever-growing water needs; however, the ‘California Water Fix’ really doesn’t fix anything as it relates to many other pressing California water issues, such as the need to capture, conserve and preserve our limited water supplies now and into the future,” said Sacramento County Supervisor Don Nottoli.
“The latest tunnel plan not only moves away from the mandated co-equal goals of a stable water supply and enhanced environmental protection, but it still fails to provide one additional drop of water to our parched system,” said San Joaquin County Supervisor Kathy Miller.
“We remain concerned about the potential impacts of the tunnels on local communities in the Delta, including Clarksburg,” said Yolo County Supervisor Oscar Villegas. “A six-week comment period for a project of this magnitude, with significant local traffic, noise, water quality, and other impacts, does not allow affected agencies or residents enough time to review and provide meaningful comments.”
“We agree there is an urgent need to address the problems with California’s water supply and to restore the Bay-Delta ecosystem and are supportive of the comprehensive approach developed by the State in the January 2014 California Water Action Plan. However, this flawed California WaterFix proposal that solely looks at a Delta plumbing fix does nothing to improve the Delta ecosystem or provide a more reliable water supply” said Contra Costa County Supervisor Mary Nejedly Piepho. “The DCC calls on the State to refocus on setting flow requirements and export restrictions necessary to restore and sustain the Bay-Delta ecosystem and to support actions to produce additional local water supplies for the state (wastewater reuse projects, desalination, additional storage), rather than further sacrificing the already fragile Delta.”
“The changes to the revised-BDCP do not make for a stronger, healthier Delta or reflect critical Delta stakeholder input,” said Solano County Supervisor John Vasquez. “A six-week comment period for a project of this magnitude, with divestment of a major habitat conservation component and other modifications, does not allow enough time for affected agencies such as the Delta Counties, to review and provide meaningful comment.”
The DCC has collaborated over the past seven years to advocate for protecting the interests of the Delta and California’s water supply and continue to seek opportunities to work with the State to address these critical issues. To achieve a Delta that has economic and environmental balance, the DCC has repeatedly pursued a Delta plan that genuinely meets the criteria of the 2009 Delta Reform Act. Such actions include:
1) Improving the ability to move water around as needed with water system improvements.
2) Increasing storage capacity.
3) Reinforcing our levee system.
4) Protecting and improving water quality and quantity.
5) Local storage, increased conservation plans, water reuse and recycling and desalination.
6) Restoring the Delta’s health.
The DCC was formed to better represent the nearly 4 million people throughout the Delta region and works collaboratively to give one voice to the Delta and engage in efforts to achieve three goals: improve the Delta ecosystem, provide a more reliable water supply for the State, and protect and enhance Delta communities.
From Congressman John Garamendi:
“This Draft EIR/EIS just reinforces what we already knew: this project is not about restoring the environment,” warned Garamendi. “California law requires meeting the co-equal goals of providing a reliable water supply and preserving the environment. The twin tunnels are about building a plumbing system that will suck the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta dry and damage water quality in the San Francisco Bay. This plan would not create a drop of new water, and would destroy the largest estuary on the West Coast of the Western Hemisphere. I have already developed a Water Plan for All California that would provide a comprehensive, cost-effective water solution that preserves the Delta and plans for the needs of California’s future.”
Garamendi has consistently called for the twin tunnels to be scrapped in favor of water projects that actually create new water for the state and make the state more capable of adapting to future drought and flood conditions. You can see his plans for a more sustainable Delta conveyance here.
From the Golden Gate Salmon Association:
“Until the State Water Board makes a final determination of how much water is needed to restore the delta and our salmon runs to health, how can a peripheral canal type project be planned? The tunnel planners simply don’t know how much water might be available to divert, so how can they know how big or small to make their tunnels?
It’s hard to imagine they can pay for this thing without greatly jacking up the average household’s water costs so Californians better hold on to their wallets if this thing goes through.”
John McManus
Executive Director
Golden Gate Salmon Association
From the Metropolitan Water District:
““We are reaching the end of a long, winding road. Metropolitan and other public water agencies have invested nearly a quarter billion dollars in this process because California simply had no other plan to reliably deliver water to two-thirds of California and to restore the Delta. Today represents the last planning milestone before producing a final plan for Metropolitan and the other agencies to consider. We applaud the bold leadership of Governor Brown in pursuing this necessary project. A million hours of planning must result in a final plan that is good for the California economy and environment. Everyone loses with the continued status quo.”
Jeffrey Kightlinger
Metropolitan Water District
From Restore the Delta:
“Today, Restore the Delta and a coalition of advocates for the San Francisco Bay-Delta held a teleconference to preview the EIR/EIS for the revised Delta Tunnels project (formerly known as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan) to be released on Friday, July 10.
The old plan failed to meet federal standards under the Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act, or to pencil out for water users. Under the leadership of Governor Brown’s administration, and public relations efforts like Californians for Water Security, tunnel boosters have rebranded the project “CA Water Fix” and “CA Eco Restore,” though it will do neither.
Advocates warned that this repackaging of the water export tunnels will waste up to $60 billion dollars without creating any new water, won’t help desperate communities during the drought, or fund innovative water conservation, stormwater capture, or water recycling projects that cities are eager to build for resilience in a changing climate.
In addition, the lack of scoping meetings for the new plan, lack of details regarding financing, and addition of 8,000 new pages for public comment on top of the existing 40,000 pages, reveal that the Brown administration is seeking to move forward with the project without transparency. $248 million spent thus far on drafts and publicity have netted a project-concept that will not produce one drop of new water for the state, but that has enriched special interest water and engineering consultants over the last eight years.
In a teleconference Wednesday morning, Delta experts outlined three ways present State and Federal government action is harming the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary:
1. Mismanagement of the Delta by the State Water Resources Control Board during the drought by suspending water quality standards;
2. Federal legislation aiming to further weaken Delta protections and increase water exports;
3. The plan to build massive Delta tunnels that will imperil Bay-Delta water quality and Northern California fisheries, inundate Delta family farms with salt water, and continue California’s history of unsustainable water policy paid for by water rate and property tax payers.”Note: Media call was covered on the Notebook blog here: Media call: Tunnel opponents comment in preparation for release of recirculated BDCP / Cal Water Fix documents; comment on HR 2898
From the San Diego County Water Authority:
““The future of the Bay-Delta is important to all Californians, as is the strategy that the state adopts to address the Bay-Delta’s many costly and complex environmental and water supply challenges. The Water Authority will review the new set of California WaterFix documents and likely provide formal comments in keeping with our longstanding efforts to promote viable and cost-effective solutions in the Bay-Delta.
“The Water Authority is committed to a Bay-Delta fix and the co-equal goals of improved water reliability and ecosystem restoration. Over the past four years, the Water Authority has conducted one of the most exhaustive Bay Delta Conservation Plan reviews of any water agency in the state, with nearly three dozen public meetings on the topic. Without endorsing any specific project or proposal during this process, our Board of Directors heard from an array of Bay-Delta stakeholders and experts, including Delta community leaders and elected officials, farming interests, state agencies, independent economists, environmental groups and others. In addition, the Water Authority has invited officials with the California Natural Resources Agency to discuss their latest proposal with our Board in coming months.
“As the largest customer of the largest State Water Contractor, the Water Authority has a great deal at stake in the Bay-Delta. Of critical concern are issues such as who is going to pay for upgrades and how much water will be produced, in line with the Bay-Delta Policy Principles set by the Water Authority Board and the water supply reliability and diversification goals in the Water Authority’s 2010 Urban Water Management Plan.”
Maureen Stapleton, general manager
San Diego County Water Authority
From the State Water Contractors:
“This project has evolved substantially over the past eight years, and we’re at a critical juncture now as the state gets closer to a final plan. The antiquated water system we use today isn’t working. Regulations prevent us from capturing and storing water that would help us through droughts, earthquakes pose a constant threat to freshwater supplies and the environment still deteriorates. After cutting water deliveries for years and brutal drought, we are acutely aware of the need to invest in a more reliable water system that can better serve millions of people, businesses and farms. Our agencies will carefully consider the changes proposed, recognizing that we need a secure water supply and modernizing the Delta water system is essential to making that happen.”
Stefanie Morris
Acting General Manager
State Water Contractors
From the Southern California Water Committee:
““Today’s release marks an important milepost for advancing this crucial plan. Given the ever-present threat of seismic disaster on our horizon, it is imperative that we act now to secure our statewide water supply. Millions of people in Southern California depend on fresh water that moves through the Delta. California WaterFix proposes a modern, new system capable of protecting one of our most important water sources.”
Richard Atwater
Executive Director
Southern California Water Committee
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