Save the California Delta Alliance (STCDA)

We’re headed to Sacramento this Friday, October 26, to give our final comments to the Delta Stewardship Council about why the Delta Tunnels (California WaterFix) should not be part of the Delta Plan.

Are you coming with us? Please email stcda@NoDeltaGates.com if you can join us on the bus for $25/person!

The bus (if we have enough people responding “yes”) will leave the Discovery Bay Marina/Boardwalk Grill Parking Lot at 7:30 AM in order to get to Sacramento at 9 AM.

Location of the Meeting:
Ramada Inn West Sacramento – Conference Center
1250 Halyard Drive
West Sacramento, CA 95691

Michael Brodsky and others representing the Delta forces working to protect the Delta, will be doing our final arguments to the DSC on Wednesday and Thursday. Then Friday is the final public comment period to the Delta Stewardship Council.

We need you to attend and stand up and tell the Council why the Delta Tunnels don’t protect the “Delta as a Place” or Recreation. The question is whether the tunnels project is consistent with the Delta Plan. Our commenters should say the “tunnels project is not consistent with the Delta Plan because…….” and then give their reasons.

Here are some of the things we are arguing in our appeal to the Council.

1. Achieving the “coequal goals” is the guiding principle for the Delta Plan. The Coequal Goals are “ the two goals of providing a more reliable water supply for California and protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Delta ecosystem. The coequal goals shall be achieved in a manner that protects and enhances the unique cultural, recreational, natural resource, and agricultural values of the Delta as an evolving place”

   The tunnels do not protect and enhance recreation and do not protect and enhance the cultural values of the Delta. The Tunnels EIR admits that the project will have “significant and unavoidable adverse impacts on recreation,” which are “long-term and cannot be mitigated to a level of insignificance.” These impacts will “occur year-round” This is all found in the EIR at p.15-469. The EIR also found that the Tunnel Project would have significant adverse environmental impacts on agricultural resources.

   People should talk about whatever impacts concern them the most. Most importantly, the Delta Tunnels have failed to address recreational appropriately – it is a weak spot and Achilles Heel for them. Comments about how this impacts recreation and why that is important to you personally is important. Others who aren’t boaters should talk about impacts to them personally – to their communities, farming, etc.

2. The Tunnels Project is not consistent with the Delta Plan because the water contractors have failed to implement measures to reduce reliance on the Delta as required by the Delta Plan.
3. The Tunnels Project is not consistent with the Delta Plan because it does not contain measures required to mitigate traffic impacts. Here people can talk about the traffic impacts on Highway 4. In case you haven’t been paying attention, the plan is to route construction traffic 24×7 from Antioch to Bacon Island Road. That is passed Discovery Bay, across the single-truck-lane bridge, and tearing up our fragile 2-lane Highway 4 levee road. (They are doing similar over-loading of all of the little Delta highways – Highway 12 and 160). The stupidity of having a huge construction project located in an area where there are mainly waterways and little levee roads is beyond belief. Yet here we are. That plus the barges that will flood the waterways will bring noise, pollution, and a mess into the center of the Delta.

I have attached the brief Brodsky filed with the Council. You can look there to get more talking points:
Michael A. Brodsky appeal c20185-a2 no attach

Are you coming with us? Please email stcda@NoDeltaGates.com if you can join us on the bus for $25/person so we know whether to have a bus (or 2)! Wear your tee-shirts or we’ll have more for people to buy. And Stop the Tunnel signs!