Save the California Delta Alliance (STCDA)

I had a nice vacation in September to see the Fall Colors on a cruise from Quebec, Canada, down the St. Lawrence Waterway, with stops in the Maritime Provinces then on to Bar Harbor (Maine), Boston, and New York City.

Although it was advertised as a “Fall Colors Cruise,” there weren’t really any “fall colors” yet. It was still too early in the year, except for this one tree:

Meanwhile, here on the Delta, a lot was happening. I have updated our Events Tracker page. That’s a page that has kept track of all of the activities related to the Delta since August 2009 when we found out about the Two-Gates Fish Protection Project, and shortly thereafter the Peripheral Canal/Delta Tunnels effort.

Since people don’t often check that page unless there is something specific they want to look up, here’s what happened in September:

• Sep 17 – Delta Conveyance & Construction Design Authority (DCA) announces the formation of a “Delta Stakeholders Engagement Committee.” Immediately, there is an objection from STCDA and other concerned groups that the DCA is run by the water contractors (thus is hardly an independent agency).
• Sep 17 – STCDA writes to Wade Crowfoot objecting the Stakeholders Committee reporting to the DCA, an agency run by the water contractors. Wade crowfoot responds.
• Sep 19 – Newsom vetos SB1, the bill approved by the legislature to counteract the Administration’s roll-back of environmental protections.

  Response from STCDA: “We are very disappointed in Governor Newsom’s decision to bow down to the Trump administration’s roll back of environmental protections for the Delta and its fish species. SB 1 would have guaranteed the continued existence of environmental protections, including restrictions on over-pumping of Delta water for export. SB 1 was good for fish and for the people who live and recreate in the Delta. The veto causes us to question whether the new Governor’s supposed commitment to take concerns of Delta stakeholders seriously is genuine.”

• Sep 19 – Karen Mann, President STCDA, is accepted on the Delta Stakeholders Engagement Committee. Even though we object to the process of having the Stakeholders reporting to the DCA (an agency run solely by the Water Contractors), Karen took a seat at the table to keep us involved with the activities.
• Sep 26 – Disappointed in Wade Crowfoot’s response and decision to move ahead with the Delta Stakeholders Engagement Committee as part of the DCA, STCDA issues a letter of concern to Erik Vink, the Delta Protection Commission.
• Sep 30 – Various groups oppose the Voluntary Agreements (VAs) being proposed as an alternative to increasing the Delta Flows. California Water Research details the issues with VAs.