Category: Blog Round-Up

“All of ’em. I’ll speak for all the agencies right now.” On the Public Record writes, “The State Board is setting instream flows for the rivers of the northern San Joaquin Valley.  Their first estimate is that districts must leave about 40% of the unimpaired flow in the rivers.  That would be about 390,000af more water in the rivers than […]

Why California Water Fix is a path to extinction:  Doug Obegi writes, “Last month, the website Water Deeply published an op-ed I wrote about the likely harm to salmon and other endangered species from the California WaterFix project.  This op-ed followed a letter that NRDC sent to the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service regarding major flaws […]

Impacts of the Delta tunnels proposal: Delta community submits testimony to State Water Board hearing: “Today Earthjustice, representing Restore the Delta, submitted detailed testimony from the communities that will be most affected by Governor Brown’s proposed $17 billion Delta Tunnels (CA WaterFix).  … Trent Orr, staff attorney with Earthjustice said, “Today’s testimony comes from farmworkers, Native Americans, subsistence and recreational […]

It Is Strange To Be Accused of Bias By WaterFix Supporters for Following The Information in Their Own Documents and Applications for Project Approval, says Dr. Jeff Michael: He writes, “The response from opponents to the benefit-cost report is both predictable and a little bit strange. Someone from the Department of Water Resources criticizes it for not using the “declining […]

Historically Low San Luis Reservoir Highlights Broken Water System: Tim Quinn writes, “If you need a sign that the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is broken, look no further than San Luis Reservoir. Despite near-average precipitation this year and healthy storage in other north state reservoirs, San Luis is so precipitously low that deliveries were nearly shutoff in early August.  Meanwhile Shasta […]

Delta Tunnels hearing: the view from the cheap seats: Alex Breitler writes, “Just for fun, here are a few random thoughts after the first three weeks of the water board’s twin tunnels hearing.  Disclaimer: I haven’t attended in person yet, and I’ve probably seen less than half of the hearing on webcast. Gotta have some time to actually report on […]

MWD rolls the dice with our water supplies during drought:  Tracy Quinn writes, “One would think an agency caught in the grips of one of the worst droughts California has ever seen would handle and account for its water supply with extreme prudence.  And yet, in attempting to avoid mandatory conservation measures, the Metropolitan Water District has grossly overestimated its […]

Accounting and accountability in California water:  Doug Obegi writes, “There is a certain satisfaction in watching the bad guys brought to justice in just a single hour of Law & Order. The police find the criminal, the District Attorneys prosecute, and justice is served.  In the world of California water, however, things are never so easy.   It is commonly held […]

Jason Peltier is still making sense on delta tunnel economics: Dr. Jeff Michael writes, “A look back 4 years shows the WaterFix is an even worse financial deal than the BDCP. Jason Peltier was quoted on tunnel economics in the Sunday Sacramento Bee, “How can we go to farmers and urban customers and say, ‘We’re going to pay our portion […]

MWD boss on being a ‘good neighbor’:  Alex Breitler writes, “Now that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California officially owns 20,000 acres of Delta farmland, a question asked of General Manager Jeff Kightlinger at a public forum last week becomes even more relevant.  The question: As an absentee landowner in the Delta, what does it mean to Metropolitan to be […]