Save the California Delta Alliance (STCDA)

The “In Delta” meetings appear to have been just a scam so that the tunnel proponents could claim they are listening to the Delta citizens. “People Showed Up for the In-Delta Meeting”

Did we get answers? No!

It’s been over 3 months since the meetings so I did a survey of our members asking the question: “If you attended one of the In-Delta meetings August/September (e.g., at the Brentwood Library), can you let me know if you did, what meeting, and if you have received any responses back to your questions/comments.”

Guess what! The result was UNANIMOUS. No one received answers, not one! Surprise, surprise.

A couple of people received email directing them to a BDCP site titled “Your Questions Answered.” That page now has a short list of sixteen questions and answers, none addressing any of the concerns and comments I heard while there. And only sixteen! The page says “Each week we will compile common questions and issues and address them below.” The first In-Delta meeting was August 22. That was 15 weeks ago. So with all of their staffers, they can only address one question a week? Maybe they’ll have more time now that their 30,000 page EIR is being released tomorrow.

Obviously, the questions they “answer” are questions the DWR wants to reply to with their “Newspeak” answers.

Are these Our questions?

One of the latest questions added is “How will the BDCP protect water supplies in the event of an earthquake or levee failure?” That is OBVIOUSLY a trumped up question. First, how to protect the supplies of water being shipped away from us is definitely NOT one of the the top-of-mind concerns from the In-Delta community. Second, no one who lives in the Delta is worried about the bogey earthquake risk made up by the water contractors.

I could be wrong – please let me know if that was one of your questions/concerns.

The entire list of questions we supposedly asked is below. If you asked any of those, go to the BDCP Your Questions Answered website and click the question to see if the answer is a real answer or just another example of Newspeak. Because to me, this page is yet another brainwashing tactic by the state.

• Will the BDCP affect upstream reservoirs or cause “dead pool” conditions?
• Can the BDCP Drain the Sacramento River?
• Would BDCP Divert More Water from the Delta?
• Is a Biological Opinion required prior to the release of the Draft BDCP? – NEW!
• How has the BDCP ensured transparency in its planning?
• How will the BDCP protect water supplies in the event of an earthquake or levee failure? – NEW
• How will the BDCP address the Delta’s resiliency and adaptability to the effects of climate change?
• How would BDCP construction affect sandhill cranes in the Delta?
• Would the BDCP Benefit All 57 Species It Would Cover?
• What is the California Water Action Plan, and how does the BDCP fit into it?
• Why can’t the BDCP be replaced by desalination?
• Will the federal government shutdown impact the BDCP?
• Will the BDCP impact private wells in the Delta?
• Will the BDCP impact groundwater levels in the Delta?
• Will water pumped from the Delta be used for fracking in the Central Valley?
• How Can a New Water Diversion Help the Delta?

Do you “Buy” their Answers?

Every write-up on that page is just more Newspeak.

If you read their answer about Sandhill Cranes, notice that while in the first sentence the refer to both the Greater Sandhill Crane and the Lesser Sandhill Crane (both are endangered), throughout the rest of the write-up they narrowly focus on how they hope to protect only the Greater Sandhill Crane. The Lesser Sandhill Crane is also inexplicably missing from their list of “57 Covered Species” along with the Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret and others. Do they know that those are at risk from their construction project or from deteriorating water quality so are avoiding including them in the EIR? I don’t know. I’ve asked, but gotten no direct answer. It makes you wonder.

Meanwhile the BDCP Media Carnival Continues

While the Delta Community got bogus “In-Delta” meetings, meanwhile John Laird, Jerry Meral and others continue to attend various Central Valley farm meetings and speak at other venues to sell the tunnel plan with resulting press coverage. We’ve seen busloads of LA reporters touring the Delta. We’ve seen the media blitz below and expenses being paid for (probably by the taxpayers) to convince the urban communities that they need these tunnels.
Only the Free Press can Counteract the BDCP Marketing Campaign

Hopefully more mainstream Press reports will expose the facts like Linda Yee’s Channel 5 Delta 2-Part special and recent SJ Mercury News editorial that says that the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) (aka Delta Tunnels) is the wrong solution for California’s water woes and recommends the readers “follow the money.”

They seem to have plenty of money for media blitzing:
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