Lawsuit filed to address potential impacts on State Water Project operations by Sacramento River upstream drought management plans
Press release from the State Water Contractors
Today, the State Water Contractors (SWC) filed a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) lawsuit against the Glenn Colusa Irrigation District (GCID) to ensure that new drought operations and projects on the Sacramento River consider operational impacts to the State Water Project.
Last year, GCID began an Environmental Impact Review (EIR) process to modify drought-year water operations across Sacramento River water rights holders in order to improve operational flexibility. While there are several aspects that are likely to be beneficial to the whole watershed, including for water supply and ecosystems, there is a potential for adverse impacts to the State Water Project. As such, SWC actively engaged in the process and raised concerns about the plan’s potential impact on State Water Project operations through the CEQA process.
Earlier this month, GCID issued a final EIR and associated Notice of Determination, in which SWC’s concerns were not fully addressed. Ongoing discussions to address SWC concerns have been positive, but unfortunately, CEQA only has a 30-day statute of limitations to challenge an EIR. As such, SWC litigated to extend the time for all parties to resolve outstanding conflicts.
The State Water Project is the backbone of California’s water supply delivery system, serving more than 27 million Californians, 750,000 acres of farmland and businesses throughout the state. Operational changes upstream that impact the State Water Project downstream could be felt by millions of water users if and when we return to drought conditions.
It is unclear how Glenn Colusa Irrigation District’s new water operation guidelines for the Sacramento River would impact our members’ operations and the overall effectiveness of the State Water Project, which is why a suit has been filed. All parties involved need more time to better understand the net impact of this project on the State the Water Project to continue to responsibly manage our state’s water resources.
The State Water Contractors is a statewide, non-profit association of 27 public agencies from Northern, Central and Southern California that purchase water under contract from the California State Water Project. Collectively the State Water Contractors deliver water to more than 27 million residents throughout the state and more than 750,000 acres of agricultural land. For more information on the State Water Contractors, please visit www.swc.org.
