A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
August 6, 2007
3. Watersheds
DELTA ISSUES:
Editorial: Water deal threat to Delta, cities diminished - Contra Costa Times
Guest Column: Debate revived; 25 years after voters defeated the 'peripheral canal,' proposal resurfaces as an option to save the Delta - Sacramento
Guest Column: Arguments against building a 'peripheral canal' -
DELTA ISSUES:
Letters to the Editor - Tracy Press
RIVER RESTORATION FUNDING:
Will
RESTORATION PROJECT:
Pristine waterway to replace polluted inlet Community effort: In neglected Bayview neighborhood, forgotten slough's restoration will be part of planned 350-acre waterfront park -
INVASIVE SPECIES:
Mussel fight shifts to containment - KVOA Channel 4 (
DELTA ISSUES:
Editorial: Water deal threat to Delta, cities diminished
Contra Costa Times – 8/6/07
DRY WEATHER and a decaying Delta environment are placing severe strains on
More than 25 million Californians rely on water that flows through the Delta. Many water districts are being forced to get by with diminished supplies, and there is still no solution to the rapid decline in several key species of fish in the Delta.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders are working on competing plans to save the Delta and provide a dependable and adequate source of fresh water to a growing population and the state's economically vital agricultural sector.
Despite the formidable environmental and economic challenges facing
Fortunately for
Even if dry weather persists and more water is needed to protect the Delta environment and there are no new reservoirs or other supplies, Westlands farmers would receive a substantial flow of fresh water.
However, the water deal is not as harmful as one proposed earlier in which Westlands would get water ahead of urban users.
Under the new proposal, Westlands farmers would be subject to cutbacks in dry years and would not be unduly favored over other users.
Understandably, the prospect of large flows of water to Westlands has alarmed water districts, environmentalists and others seeking to preserve the state's water supply for cities and the Delta with its imperiled fish.
In the 1990s, the Westlands Water District, a coalition of large agribusinesses in the
The water deal now under consideration would settle the lawsuit.
Another way to resolve the suit would be to retire about 200,000 acres of tainted Westlands cropland and clean up salty runoff from surrounding areas.
This solution would cost the federal government an estimated $2.6 billion. Extending liberal water contracts to Westlands farmers lets the federal government off the hook for that expense. But the cost to the Delta environment and millions of
It would make more sense for the federal government to pay off Westlands farmers for the damage done to their property because of a lack of proper drainage in the federal Central Valley Project.
Granting the farmers access to huge supplies of water in exchange for them paying to clean up their own farmland raises questions.
Fortunately, no water deal can be finalized unless it has congressional approval. We urge Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has been actively involved in water policy, to take the lead in opposing any plan that jeopardizes the ecological health of the Delta and urban water supplies.
At a Wednesday meeting on the issue, it appears Feinstein made considerable progress, and Westlands will get extended contracts instead of water rights, which is more appropriate.
Westlands farmers, recipients of government largesse for decades, do deserve compensation for the failure of the federal Central Valley Project's drainage system.
However, no small group of wealthy landowners should be allowed to use a huge percentage of
http://www.contracostatimes.com/opinion/ci_6554937?nclick_check=1
Guest Column: Debate revived; 25 years after voters defeated the 'peripheral canal,' proposal resurfaces as an option to save the Delta
Sacramento
By Jerry Meral, director of the National Wildlife Federation. He served as executive director of the Planning and Conservation League and deputy director of the California Department of Water Resources
More than 50 years ago, the California Department of Fish and Game recommended that the giant state and federal water projects divert the water they export from the Sacramento River near the town of
Diverting the water from dead-end channels in the south Delta would make it impossible to successfully screen out fish sucked in by the massive pumps.
Half a century later, Fish and Game is being proven right. Delta smelt and other native fish species are threatened with extinction, because the
Now there are other, more urgent reasons to divert water from the
More than 20 million Californians in the Bay Area, Central Valley and
It has long been known that a major earthquake could crumble many old, fragile Delta levees. The likelihood of massive levee collapse, which would lead to water supplies being cut off to cities and farms, has increased because of predictions of a major earthquake. A huge flood from upstream rivers could have the same effect. Rising sea level due to global warming makes all these problems worse. The Department of Water Resources estimates that massive levee failure could eliminate the Delta water supply for a year or more. It might never recover if there were multiple levee failures.
The islands in the Delta are eroding from farming that oxidizes the peat soil; some islands are more than 25 feet below sea level. Based on field experiments by the U.S. Geological Survey if wetlands replaced Delta farmlands, soils could recover and huge amounts of carbon could be captured, which would help reduce global warming. But farming continues to be allowed, even on state-owned islands. With so many islands below sea level, if a levee were to break and an island flooded, it would be very costly to restore.
Scientists at the
Only an ostrich could deny the problems of the Delta and argue for business as usual. But some say that building a peripheral canal to move water around the Delta must wait. And wait. And wait.
A variety of reasons are given. Some argue that we don't know how much water must flow past the intake of a peripheral canal to preserve the water quality in the Delta, meet Delta farmer water rights and preserve the fisheries. Although tens of millions of dollars have already been spent to answer these questions, undoubtedly we will learn more after the facility is built. Strong requirements must be put into place to take advantage of that new knowledge to adapt the operation of the facility to changing conditions.
Others fear the power of urban and agricultural water users from the Bay Area, the
Finally, biologists note that huge amounts of money are needed to restore habitat for fish and wildlife in the Delta and the
In the past,
It will take a decade or more to build the canal after it is authorized and approved by the voters. During that time, the risks to the environment and water supply will gradually increase. We must start immediately to authorize and construct the facility, and hope that nature will be kind enough to wait until it is finished before unleashing a storm or earthquake. We must also immediately stop farming on Delta islands that are below sea level and begin to rebuild them. Perhaps at least some islands can be restored to sea level before the big one hits. Spending $5 billion now can prevent more than $40 billion in economic damages if the levees fail. #
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/307840.html
Guest Column: Arguments against building a 'peripheral canal'
By Jonas Minton, Jonas Minton is the water policy adviser to the Planning and Conservation League. He served as deputy director of the California Department of Water Resources
A major threat to values we treasure is widely recognized. Experts are sent in to carry out inspections. But even before all the data are gathered, the chief executive takes decisive action. It appears there has been a quick victory.
Unfortunately it soon turns out that the problems were as complex as many had predicted. Costs skyrocket. Locals do not shower us with flowers but instead resent our presence. The overall situation is worse than before we acted. We respond with heroic surges but conditions continue to deteriorate.
Does this sound familiar?
Those are exactly the risks some ask us to take by approving a "peripheral canal" before we have all the facts about building an aqueduct around the east side of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The Delta -- the largest estuary on the west coasts of North and South America -- is one of
More than 515,000 residents live in the Delta, a maze of islands and sloughs. All of the salmon in the
There is no disagreement that the way the Delta is currently managed is not sustainable. In the past 150 years man has altered the landscape of the Delta by building levees and digging channels, with a loss of more than 90 percent of the natural habitat.
Houses are built below sea level behind inadequate levees that cannot be protected. Pollution from farms and cities poisons the water and its life. One fish species, the Delta smelt, teeters on the brink of extinction while others, like the green sturgeon, are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Fortunately, experts have identified many actions that can and should be taken immediately. Now is the time to reduce pollution coming from agricultural and urban areas. There should be no further delays in fully enforcing the Clean Water Act to protect our drinking water as well as endangered fisheries. Floodwater bypasses such as the Yolo Bypass need to be expanded or created. Damaged habitat needs to be restored. Conservation and recycling of our existing waters supplies need to be increased.
It is also time to recognize that the balkanized land-use decision-making in the Delta must be reformed. Some of the cities and counties need to stop allowing housing to be built in floodplains and behind inadequate levees.
At the same time we join with others in recognizing that the Delta is valuable as a conveyance for sending water to other regions of the state. That is why environmentalists, members of the business community, Delta residents and major water districts are pushing to fast-track a phased, scientifically based approach to evaluating Delta water conveyance options.
In determining an approach to better export water through the Delta, initial preference should go to the least intrusive actions and ones easily reversed. Based on what is learned and, if necessary, more aggressive options can be taken to fix the Delta's plumbing.
However, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other supporters of a peripheral canal are saying they have already studied the issue and are ready to implement the most aggressive option. They are not disclosing that their intel is based on studies done more than 25 years ago.
Look at the critical information they are not telling us: How large would such a canal be? How much would it cost? Would it be $1 billion, $5 billion, $10 billion? Who would pay for it? Who would benefit (e.g. corporate agriculture) and what subsidies would they receive? How would it survive a rise in sea level? The proposed intake near Hood just south of
Scientists -- those pesky fact people who politicians try to ignore -- have confirmed that one of the biggest causes for the collapse of the Delta ecosystem has been that too much water has been sucked from its veins. Over the past two decades, water diversions upstream as well as direct diversions from the Delta itself have reduced average annual outflows to the
Despite what politicians are saying, it is not known if a peripheral canal would actually make conditions for fish better or worse.
The worst-case scenario for
Fortunately there are proven, cost-effective methods to immediately improve the reliability of our water supply. World-renowned scientists, including Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute in
The governor's State Water Plan shows that these three sources alone can provide water for more than 25 million additional Californians. That is 10 times more water than the two controversial dams he proposes would hold. And they will require less energy and actually reduce greenhouse gasses.
Readers will remember that for years the Planning and Conservation League has tried to sound the alarm that the collapse of the Delta ecosystem would have grave effects. Water interests and their political friends systematically ignored the signs. We are glad that the governor and the water industry have finally awakened to the crises.
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/307841-p2.html
DELTA ISSUES:
Letters to the Editor
Tracy Press – 8/5/07
By Paul Priaino, general manager, Alameda County Water District, Fremont; G.F. Duerig, general manager, Zone 7 Water District, Livermore; Stan Williams, CEO, Santa Clara Valley Water District, San Jose
EDITOR,
Too often, the fight over Delta water gets characterized as Northern California vs. Southern California, as if only
In reality, much of the Bay Area relies significantly on the Delta for its drinking-water supplies, and many
Nearly 3 million people in five Bay Area counties rely on Delta water, for drinking water as well as for a healthy ecosystem, economic stability, agricultural operations and quality of life.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District, Alameda County Water District and Zone 7 Water Agency seek supply reliability for our existing water allocations to protect the health, safety and economic stability of our communities. We are working with other Delta interests to develop a long-term vision to protect Bay Area water supplies and the Delta ecosystem, and to ensure that all alternatives are explored.
We need solutions soon to protect both the Delta’s water supplies and its ecosystem. As discussions continue about how to deal with
http://tracypress.com/content/view/10491/2244/
RIVER RESTORATION FUNDING:
Will
By Alex Breitler, staff writer
The Hoopa Valley tribe has lived for thousands of years along far Northern California's tumbling Trinity River, only to see most of its water diverted east to farms in the Central Valley.
A plan to restore the mountain stream is in place. But the Hoopa now fear that a more expensive project to resurrect the
The tribe is fighting legislation that would authorize a settlement ending 18 years of legal battles over the
Conservationists who brokered the settlement say the tribe's fears are groundless. Nevertheless, Hoopa officials continue to criticize the
"Maybe the negotiators originally had the best of intentions, ... but they appear to have lost their perspective" by focusing only on the San Joaquin and neglecting the rest of
At issue is a restoration fund to which water and power contractors contribute each year. The fund, usually about $40 million per year, is dedicated to projects lessening the environmental impacts of diverting water.
The Hoopa worry that the expensive
Both projects will need money in addition to what they get from the restoration fund, said U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Jeff McCracken. Indeed, last year the Trinity program's budget included $2 million from the restoration fund and $9.2 million from other sources.
"There's a lot that's been done up there," McCracken said. "There are a lot of successes and a lot more water coming down the river."
The Natural Resources Defense Council sued the government and farmers for diverting too much water from the
Hal Candee, an attorney with the San Francisco-based resources group, said there's no conflict in restoring both streams.
"We are a strong supporter of
It has been 11 months since farmers, conservationists and the government announced the
But in the meantime, planning continues, Candee said.
"We're not aware of any impact on the ground ... from the delays that have been experienced," he said.
A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein said the senator remains hopeful that the legislation can be passed later this year. #
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070804/A_NEWS/708040323
RESTORATION PROJECT:
Pristine waterway to replace polluted inlet Community effort: In neglected Bayview neighborhood, forgotten slough's restoration will be part of planned 350-acre waterfront park
San Francisco Chronicle – 8/6/07
By Julian Guthrie, staff writer
The transformation of one of
The revitalization of the inlet across from
Behind the greening of the degraded land is a deeper goal: to bring new life and industry to the most marginalized and isolated area of
The cleanup of Yosemite Slough will create
By the time the Yosemite Slough project at Candlestick Point is completed, work is scheduled to begin at nearby Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, similarly turning contaminated land into usable space. The Navy has spent more than $500 million cleaning up its former military base, and is in the process of handing decontaminated parcels over to the city for reuse.
"We have a plan that calls for 350 acres of new waterfront park, which will be the largest parks improvement project since
Cohen said the city has two sets of plans for the area: one that includes a new stadium at Hunters Point and the other without, in case the 49ers relocate to
"There's so much at stake for the city in terms of parks, jobs, affordable housing and development that we're going forward with or without the stadium," he said.
Yosemite Slough, last in the news in 1990, when a wayward whale named Humphrey drew international attention by becoming lost there, is about a mile north of
Touring the area last week, Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the California State Parks Foundation, said, "It's a big lump of discarded everything that we're converting into a park."
The nonprofit foundation is managing the project on behalf of California State Parks, and has received donations from state agencies including the California Coastal Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Board, and from private sources - notably $1.5 million from
Ann Meneguzzi, a park ranger for 30 years who now supervises the Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, said there is an impressive array of wildlife despite the spoiled land. She regularly sees herons, egrets, coyotes and red-tailed hawks in the area, to name a few. A 2004 study of Yosemite Slough by the Audubon Society observed 118 species of birds, 14 butterfly species, three snake species, and mammals including rodents, rabbits and seals.
Meneguzzi has been a ranger in spectacular wilderness, including Calaveras Big Trees State Park, with its giant sequoias, and in
"This is exciting to bring parks to people who haven't had such opportunities," Meneguzzi said, walking along the rocky shore. "You can get the same refreshment of the spirit right here."
Before that happens, the land - covered in non-native fennel and ice plant - will be excavated and tested, with polluted parts hauled away. The site will be graded and turned into wetlands, before being replanted with thousand of native plants.
The native vegetation is being propagated by Bayview youth at a half-acre nursery across the road from the Alice Griffith Public Housing Projects. Under a sign, "Plants Gone Wild," is some of the vegetation that will eventually take root around Yosemite Slough. The vegetation includes alkali heath, gum plant, coyote bush, California sage, blue wild rye, red fescue, buckwheat and salt grass. An estimated 10,000 plants are needed from the nursery each year.
Patrick Rump, who works for Literacy for Environmental Justice, manages the nursery. Seven youths from the neighborhood participate as interns in the yearlong program, working up to nine hours a week and receiving an hourly stipend of $9.14.
"The site that we're restoring is heavily polluted," Rump said. "We're trying to remediate this little piece of urban land and return it to a state that's safe and usable for the community. We're trying to provide a better quality of life."
One overlooked aspect of improving quality of life is providing clean open space and access to the waterfront, he said.
"You can take an hourlong bus ride to Crissy Field, but if people are going to have a strong connection to the environment, it helps to have it closer to home and have it as more of a part of the community."
He added, "One of the things I get from my interns is that most have really hectic lives growing up in this community. The nursery program is controlled and safe. It gives them something to create that is beautiful. It's a little sanctuary for them."
Connie Shahid, who attends
Janisa Francis, who lives in the Alice Griffith Housing Projects and attends Phillip and Sala Burton High, said she would like to live in a neighborhood that doesn't feel neglected.
"Creating open space would bring happiness because something that was not nice will be nice," she said. "If you go to Crissy Field or
Saul Bloom, executive director of Arc Ecology, an environmental group involved in the planning of new parkland at Hunters Point, believes the timing is right for the transformation.
"For political and practical reasons, revitalizing the Bayview and south side just wasn't a value the city had," Bloom said. "But it's really the last bit of
"The thing that gets me out of bed in the morning is that we do have this chance to build an enormous park, almost half the size of
"It's not often you get an opportunity like this." #
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/06/MN2ORAUJK1.DTL
INVASIVE SPECIES:
Mussel fight shifts to containment
KVOA Channel 4 (
The mussels showed up less than eight months ago in
Wildlife managers think the mussels found their way to the west inside ballast tanks or underneath boats that were exposed to the mollusks and were never properly cleaned using hot or high-pressure water.
They have since multiplied quickly and made their way down the Colorado River into
The goal now is to figure out the best way to minimize the quagga's effect on people and resources said Larry Riley, an Arizona Game and Fish Department wildlife-management coordinator.
Riley add they probably won't be able to make the quagga go away.
Quagga have so far stayed out of
But the multiplying mussels have already gummed up the intake canal along the Colorado River used by the City of
The water district was forced to drain the canal and clean out the thumbnail-size quagga which can clog pipelines.
Dubbed "ecological engineers," the species can populate to a density of hundreds of thousands per square yard and deprive fish and other organisms of food.
Quagga mussels were introduced accidentally to the Great Lakes region in the ballast of ships from eastern Europe and the
http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6889742
No comments:
Post a Comment