Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
April 17, 2009
1. Top Items–
Valley march for water ends today
The
Marchers face uphill battle
The Capital Press
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Valley march for water ends today
The Fresno
By Robert Rogdriguez
Demonstrators in the four-day March for Water will wrap up their 50-mile journey today with a rally near the base of the San Luis Reservoir.
Organizers expect several thousand people to gather at the Basalt Boat Launching Facility in the San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area at 10 a.m.
Among the list of speakers will be Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and actor/comedian Paul Rodriguez, who is chairman of the California Latino Water
The marchers include a coalition of farmworkers, growers, community members and politicians. They are demanding, among other things, that government officials relax pumping restrictions at the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta so that more water could flow to farmers in the
Many growers on the west side of the Valley won't receive any water this year, forcing them to fallow thousands of acres and lay off hundreds of workers.
Several thousand people began the march in Mendota on Tuesday, but by Thursday that number had dwindled to about 1,000, said Mario Santoyo, a water coalition member.
Marchers were temporarily stopped Thursday afternoon at Dos Amigos Pumping Plant near Los Banos.
Don Strickland, a spokesman for the Department of Water Resources, said the facility is not open to the public.
"The main thing is public safety, because we do have a few people fall into the aqueduct every year," Strickland said. "So for safety reasons, we did not think it was a good idea."
Santoyo said that while the marchers tried to get through, they understood the state's concerns.
The marchers took an alternate route on
"The bottom line is that the march continued, and we are looking forward to the rally on Friday," Santoyo said. #
http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/1336674.html
Marchers face uphill battle
The Capital Press – 4/17/09
By Wes Sander
Organizers of this week's Latino-organized march in the
But with water shortages as the theme this time, they've got several politicians firmly on their side, along with most of the state's agriculture industry. Thus, the group doesn't lack support for its stance on federal environmental rules, a stance that also offers the group's greatest potential for opposition.
That opposition is characterized by turns as urban and Democrat. And as the drought drags on, it's not nearly as vocal as those pushing for more irrigation water from the Delta.
Like many in the debate over
The group's only real controversy would stem from its support of lifting species protections from the delta during drought times. It's the same proposal put forth by Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, in a bill introduced to Congress.
The bill - HR856, titled the California Drought Alleviation Act of 2009 - would allow the Delta's southern pumps to run without environmental restrictions during droughts. Thus it likewise proposes a temporary suspension of protections under the Endangered Species Act that are reducing Delta pumping.
Radanovich claims bipartisan support for the bill. Among its seven co-sponsors, three represent urban
That suggests a partisan divide more than an urban-rural split, a notion supported by Mario Santoyo, technical adviser with the Latino Water Coalition. Santoyo says the group had no problem gaining the support of officials from urban water districts, who see their own welfare at stake if drought conditions continue.
"The focus is on what's happening in the Delta, because it's ground zero," Santoyo said. "But the understanding is that (drought impacts are) going to ripple out with time. That translates into a whole lot of pain for a whole lot of people."
In Congress, the questions surrounding environmental laws will come down to a partisan split, said Spencer Pederson, spokesman for Rep. Radanovich. And the political reality, Pederson says, is that Radanovich's bill likely won't get far.
"(House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi would not let it happen, although common sense would tell you that she would," he said. "This is an environmental issue, and the Democrats have an environmental constituency that they need to be mindful of."
Pelosi's office did not return calls for comment.
Reps. George Miller, Lois Capps, Joe Baca and Grace Napolitano, all California Democrats representing urban districts who serve on the House Natural Resources Committee, did not return calls seeking comment.
It all serves to emphasize the necessity of restructuring
While the argument for suspending environmental laws is prominent right now, the greater importance rests with long-term planning at the state level.
"It all starts with the Delta," Santoyo said. "Unless we correct the conditions associated with the Delta, we are going to have more serious problems than we have today. So a new conveyance system is completely necessary."#
http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=67&SubSectionID=616&ArticleID=50511&TM=48523.31
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