Archive Page 39

Why isn’t anyone looking at desalinization as part of the plan?

Published January 27, 2013 DSC/Delta Plan , News and Events , Tunnel(s) 3 Comments

Save the California Delta Alliance submitted a formal set of comments in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Delta Plan. A contingent of concerned citizens traveled to Sacramento Thursday January 24 to show their concern and present comments at the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC) hearing. We told them about our community and boating concerns and questioned why the DSC is not reviewing alternatives to the BDCP/Peripheral Canal.

Various alternatives have been proposed including Dr. Pyke’s concept for a new intake at Sherman Island or restructuring the current location with state-of-the-art fish screens. Or better still, options which avoid removing additional water from the Delta by leveraging the millions of acre feet of water now diverted into the flood control structures on the Sacramento River north of the proposed point of diversion or the Tulare Lake Basin Restoration proposals.

It seems obvious any alternative should include desalinization plants to improve regional self-sufficiency for the Central and Southern portions of the state.

The position the Delta Stewardship Council has taken is that they are responsible for guidelines protecting the Delta and the Bay and Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) is responsible for the Tunnel project. The DSC says therefore they are only responsible for reviewing the BDCP proposal. That doesn’t make sense to us. That leaves no one in the state looking for better alternatives than exporting even more water out of the Delta after the current level of exports have sent the environment into crisis mode. The BDCP’s plan will increase salinity, deteriorate our water quality, impact the fish and waterfowl. We think the Council can and should evaluate the merits and feasibility of various options.

There are many options much better than huge twin tunnels. One of our Discovery Bay residents, a prior engineer, has offered a new variation that has some unique ideas. I think his ideas combine the best of the best solutions and would save our Delta from the damage we all know would result if the twin tunnels (aka Peripheral Canal) is built.

———————————————–
This is Eric Jensen from Discovery Bay.
My background is in Engineering with my last 20 years at Hewlett-Packard.

I have studied the water problem that faces California and have come up with a solution that will benefit all Californians.

Water solution:
1) Cancel the twin tunnels and instead spend the money to build large desalinization plants inland, close to the existing canal infrastructure. Run them full time, with the excess water being sold to Arizona and Nevada or even further inland.
2) Create water storage solutions for Southern and even Central California [Store excess in Lake Mead, restore the Tulare Lake Basin, replenish ground water]
3) Improve the existing pumps by installing numerous large self cleaning fish filters, saving millions of fish from death at the pumps. This type of filter already exists, you can see one in use near the intersection of Bixler and Denali in Discovery Bay or I can send you photos that I have taken.

Why this the best solution:
1) This eliminates the “all your eggs in one basket” twin tunnel concept, because it prevents the drought situation that is inevitable (look at Kansas wheat today or the Mayan civilization that perished in an extended drought).
2) Population throughout California will continue to increase, as will the need for water. We do not need a different distribution of the existing water, we need more water.
3) Allows for storage of excess water when California has an excess rainfall.

Results:
1) Yes, water will cost more, but the cost will be shared by all Californians not just those using the more expensive per acre foot desalinized water. Selling the excess water will lower Californians cost.
2) We have purchased an “insurance policy” that California will have water during drought, not just for now, but for it’s future generations.
3) With the improved fish filters, the existing pumps can safely send less expensive water south when water is available or to storage during excess years.
4) We have created more water, not fought over the distribution of existing water that will disappear in an extended drought that is inevitable.

Hope you like the concept, thanks,

Eric Jensen

—————————-
References:
Dr. Pyke’s Open Letter August 28, 2012
January 9, 2013 – Dr. Pyke’s Addendum to the Proposal

Lack of Alternatives being Considered

Published January 18, 2013 News and Events , Tunnel(s) 5 Comments

One of the big complaints of the Delta Plan and related processes for “fixing” the Delta is the lack of alternatives being evaluated and presented.

The current plan being advocated by Gov. Brown and the BDCP is the huge massive twin tunnels to export 4 million gallons of water per hour from the Sacramento River to send South which would move the water around the Delta instead of flowing through it. The amount of water the tunnels could remove is basically all of the fresh water from the Sacramento River which would leave the Delta farms and communities surrounded only by brackish, stagnant water – not exactly an environmentally friendly situation.

Mary Piepho, Contra Costa County Supervisor, expressed her concerns last week in a KCBS San Francisco Radio Interview.

Contra Costa Supervisor Worries Gov’s Plan Would Divert Too Much Water To SoCal


“Brown’s nearly $24 billion tunnel system would divert water from farmland and cities.” “They’re focusing on the delta specifically to resolve greater statewide problems. The delta simply does not have the supply, the capacity or the ecosystem to withstand that sort of pressure,” Piepho said. Click here to read the entire article and hear the radio interview first-hand.

This week environmental groups proposed an alternative to the two massive tunnels called the “‘Portfolio-Based’ Single Peripheral Tunnel Proposal” which would export less water than the BDCP plan and still pump some water from the existing Tracy pumps in the South Delta. While this does result in some fresh water flowing through the Delta, Save the California Delta Alliance (STCDA) does not deem that as a viable alternative since it means exporting more water from the already stressed Delta.

The Restore the Delta response to the Single Tunnel Proposal was “We maintain that the best way to restore the Delta is to improve levees to the highest standard, to add habitat to those wide upgraded levees, to restore flows in and through the Delta, to screen the existing pumps properly, in addition to promoting regional self-sufficiency for water development in other parts of the state. If the existing pumps at Tracy remain in use, and a 3000 cfs tunnel is added at Hood, the total export capacity from the Delta would remain at 6 million acre feet. You cannot restore the Delta by taking that much water out of it.”

STCDA response to the Delta Plan calls for the Delta Stewardship Council to consider other alternatives besides the massive tunnels which to-date have been the sole focus of Governor Brown and the BDCP. Thursday the Contra Costa County Supervisors formally called for a wider range of options to be studied.

There are better alternatives. STCDA suggests evaluating better use of spring water runoff, which now overflows into the Yolo Bypass and various Weirs and is not recovered, and instead piping it south to re-charge central valley aquifers. A new proposal has been suggested to build a reservoir on Sherman Island in the West Delta and pipe water from there to the Tracy pumps, thus allowing the fresh water to first flow through the Delta. Proposals have long existed to restore the Tulare Lake basin. And of course water conservation, retiring toxic farmlands that leach salt and selenium, and a plan for regional self-sufficiency seem like the most obvious first steps.

Destroying the Delta can’t be the only alternative for the state’s water issues.

Don’t forget to Save the Date for the STCDA Town Hall Meeting on Delta Water including a free showing of Restore the Delta’s acclaimed movie “Over Troubled Waters.”

Recent and Upcoming Events

Published January 15, 2013 DSC/Delta Plan , News and Events 2 Comments

Governor’s Big Mistake

Last week SFGate publishes article “Governor’s Delta Plan is a Big Mistake”.

It’s a great article. Concise. A must-read.

Delta Plan Comment Period Ends

Thanks to everyone who submitted comments to the Delta Plan! We all have concerns from making sure that our home values are protected, our boating access assured, local farmers and businesses are not impacted and the environment maintained.

STCDA’s legal council submitted Rulemaking comments for the Delta Plan finding the Delta Plan inadequate since it does not take account of the peripheral canal or provide the Council adequate criteria to assess the canal when it comes for approval and to insure adequate protection of the Delta after the canal goes into operation. Additional concerns are the Council’s decision to not study conveyance options/alternatives.

If the Delta Plan, which is supposed to be the regulatory document for Delta operations from now on, doesn’t consider the canal, which is the biggest threat to the Delta, then the Plan can’t be complete!

Lets Take our Message to the Delta Council!

Next week, Thursday January 24th is an important public hearing meeting for the Delta Stewardship Council to take additional public input on the Delta Plan Rulemaking procedures. STCDA representatives plan to attend and encourage all others who can to show up and demonstrate local concern for the Plan and process. Having faces in the room is a great way to make a strong impact! The meeting is from 9:30 – 11:30 AM at the Ramada Inn & Suites, 1250 Halyard Drive, West Sacramento, CA 95691 – see Delta Council public hearing. People are welcome to show up at the Boardwalk Grill 5879 Marina Road in Discovery Bay at 8 AM to grab a hot coffee and carpool together. See you there!


Carpool and Meeting Info

Issues with the Delta Plan versus the BDCP/Canal

Published January 13, 2013 Tunnel(s) Leave a Comment

Here are additional comments we recommend concerning the Delta Plan (final comments due tomorrow January 14th). If you concur with these or any of these, please send an email directly to cindy.messer@deltacouncil.ca.gov titled “Comments on Proposed Rulemaking”. These specifically address the issue that the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC) continues to say the Delta Plan is “separate” from the BDCP and the Canal/Tunnels but can’t logically be separated. We think these are important bullet points that deserve attention.

To: cindy.messer@deltacouncil.ca.gov
Subject: Comments on Proposed Rulemaking – Final Draft Delta Plan

Some bullet points:
——————————————————————————–
The Council should include regulatory policies governing conveyance, including the peripheral canal, because we need you to be the judge of whether the canal harms the Delta. The water contractors are running the BDCP and we certainly can’t depend on them.

How can the Council decide what is good for the Delta when it doesn’t take account of the peripheral canal? The canal is the biggest threat to the Delta. Trying to build a plan to restore the Delta while ignoring the canal just doesn’t make sense.

We are opposed to the giant tunnels that the water contractors are pushing to drain the Delta. We understand that you have decided you don’t have any authority to determine if the tunnels are a threat to the Delta or not. How can this be? How can you be the chief protector of the Delta yet you don’t have any say so over the tunnels?

The Delta Plan says that you only have “contingent” authority over new conveyance facilities (AKA the GIANT tunnels). This makes no sense. You are responsible to see that the Delta is brought back to life. How can you accomplish your mission if you have to stand by and allow the water contractors to drain the Delta?

We understand that the State Water Resources Control Board is supposed to provide you with information about how much water must stay in the Delta and how much can be exported. But you have completed the Delta Plan before you even have that information. How can you say what is needed for the Delta when you don’t have the most basic scientific information?

How can you achieve the co-equal goal of restoring the Delta when you don’t even know how much water can safely be exported because the State Water Resources Control board hasn’t provide the required scientific information? Aren’t you putting the cart before the horse by going ahead with the Delta Plan when you don’t have this information?

Why doesn’t the Delta Plan discuss alternatives to the giant tunnels? What about Dr. Pyke’s concept for a smaller facility in the west Delta?

Why doesn’t the Delta Plan discuss the many alternatives to the giant tunnels submitted by many environmental groups?

Why does the Delta Plan assume that the only answer to California’s water needs is the Giant tunnel project? Shouldn’t you include in the regulations a range of alternatives that should be considered before deciding on the tunnels? What about the west Delta Intake Concept? What about harvesting flood waters from the Yolo Bypass or Sacramento Weir instead of taking water out of the Delta?

We think the regulations don’t make sense because they don’t say anything at all about how you will decide to approve or disapprove the giant tunnels. You’ve been at this for years. Surely by now you could have developed some regulatory criteria to judge the tunnel project. Please go back to the drawing board and come up with some regulations that have teeth.

Why don’t the regulations require the water contractors to consider a plan where they would harvest the millions of gallons of water that are wasted when the big storms come and the flow of the Sacramento River is diverted down the Yolo Bypass and over the flood control weirs into farmers fields. It make more sense to take this water than to drain the Delta.

Delta Plan Comments due before January 14th

Published December 30, 2012 News and Events , Tunnel(s) Leave a Comment

Don’t forget to submit any comments to the Delta Plan Final Draft before the January 14th deadline. Email your comments to deltaplancomment@deltacouncil.ca.gov. The PDF of the Final Plan is here. The website with all of the details and appendices is here.

The Plan has a lot of good information, clearly states the problems and issues facing the Delta today and recognizes the Delta as a “place” for communities, boating, and farming as well as being an important ecosystem. However for boaters, while it recognizes the value of boating to the Delta communities and all of Northern California, there is nothing that discussed boaters’ significant concerns and issues which would be caused by restricting navigation such as was planned for the Two Gates project.

In addition, a primary focus for “fixing” the Delta is “habitat restoration” – flooding Delta islands. However, the scientific reviews I have heard and read are concerned that there is no proof that flooding islands does help significantly and it reduces fertile farmland in order to send water to the desert Westland farms that leech selenium and other chemicals and toxic salts so they can expand growing water-intensive crops such as cotton and almond production for export. I for one am not excited to reduce our local wonderful produce in exchange for supporting the growing market for almonds and pistachios in China. I feel there aren’t enough restrictions and guidelines about exporting water and for what.

The comments I submitted are here in case they are useful: Jan’s Comments.

“Save the California Delta” Petition

Published December 2, 2012 News and Events , Tunnel(s) Leave a Comment

On November 19th, a new petition was initiated by Jan McCleery of Discovery Bay to Save the California Delta because of concern about the ongoing progress towards a Peripheral Canal (aka Delta Tunnels) which local scientist know will cause the dismise of the Delta.

(Note: If you search on the SignOn site you will see two petitions with exactly the same name. Someone else started the second one yesterday – we are not sure if that person had good intentions or wants to divert signees. Be sure you use the link so you find the right petition so the community speaks with one voice and doesn’t end up divided.)

In July Governor Brown said they will build the Canal first, then figure out how to restore the Delta later. In October, Congressman Jerry McNerney, John Garamendi and other local legislators cosponsored H.R. 6484, the SAFE Levee Act, to push the need for a complete cost-benefit study on the impact of the Peripheral Tunnel proposal, which the state and federal governments have thus far refused to do.

The Delta Stewardship Council (DSC), Bay and Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and other well-funded efforts directed by the Governor continue to move forward in their drive to build a Peripheral Canal – a shortsighted alternative to solving California’s water issues.

Enough is enough. Recent news about on-line petitions garnering thousands of signees made me hopeful that the people against the Peripheral Canal can do the same to make our voices heard by signing Save the California Delta.

The Petition Statement is: We oppose Governor Brown’s push to build huge tunnels, estimated to cost up to $60 billion, to bypass the California Delta. The impacts to the fish, fertile Delta farmland, Delta economy and recreation in both the Delta and San Francisco Bays more than offset any benefits provided by the tunnels.

Petition Background: Help us save the California Delta – the largest freshwater estuary West of the Mississippi, critical to the Northern California environment (the most important biological asset on the west coast, home to 750 species of fish, birds and other animals), recreation, local Delta farmers and Delta economy. Water exports have increasingly affected Delta water quality, resulting in a salmon fishery closure in 2008/2009 with significant economic losses, all to benefit the desert farmland’s big agribusiness millionaires. I live on the Delta and love it – it’s my backyard. Current plans will cause the demise of salmon and other fish and fowl and will harm the Delta economy and the health and quality of Delta water.

MAKE SURE YOU SIGN THE RIGHT PETITION. SOMEONE ELSE STARTED A COMPETING PETITION ON THURSDAY WITH THE EXACT SAME PETITION NAME BUT THAT WILL DIVIDE OUR NUMBERS.

MAKE SURE YOU SIGN JAN McCLEERY’S Save the California Delta PETITION.

Report on the November 15th Delta Stewardship Council

Published November 26, 2012 Tunnel(s) Leave a Comment

The November 15th DSC meeting was attended by a Discovery Bay representative. Here are a few key points from the meeting to be aware of the current projects and plans under way:

  • The Meadows Restoration: They are looking at various areas in the Delta where habitat restoration projects can begin within about 5 years. McCormick Tract is on the top of their list and this is where The Meadows is located. After the presentation about restoration opportunities there (which was rather vague), I asked the presenter how this would affect recreational boating and anchorage in the meadows. She said “That’s a really good question.” Then she said she didn’t think it would have any negative impact on boating and might even increase the size of the anchorage and add some additional sloughs in there for boats to meander around. She added that it would be more prone to winter flooding and the area might not be usable for boating during winter storms. There were about forty people at the meeting representing various interest groups. There was no one else there with any interest in boating. Bottom line: this needs to be watched closely and steered in a direction that won’t hurt (and might even help) boating interests.

  • Invasive Species (bass or weeds?): They are working on a short list of invasive species that should be controlled. They have money to do this long term. The representative from the Metropolitan Water District of Los Angeles (who is at every meeting) made clear that he thinks the stripped bass to be an invasive species that should be eradicated because it eats Delta Smelt. The Council did not get so far as to talk about what species should be on the list but directed staff to work on it more. At a break our representative talked to one of the council members about this. He said that they had previously considered eradicating stripped bass but had rejected the idea. [Note: We previously reported that in February, 2012, the California Fish and Game Commission took final action to reject the Department of Fish and Game’s controversial proposed changes to striped bass regulations. Commission President Jim Kellogg, as his last piece of business in his two year term as President, declared striped bass a native species.] He also said that egeria densa would certainly be considered when they get that far in the process.

  • Peripheral Canal (Delta Tunnels): The folks who are pushing the canal will soon release their Environmental Impact Report (maybe before the end of the year). At this stage, the Delta Stewardship Council will review the report and make comments. There was a discussion of what areas they would comment on. The MWD rep said that they shouldn’t bother making a thorough review of the EIR and let’s just get started building the canal.

  • Delta Independent Science Board: The ISB is very important. They are the ones who wrote the scientific report that was highly critical of 2-Gates. They report to the Delta Stewardship Council but are supposed to be entirely independent and not subject to any agenda or political pressure. They will review the peripheral canal EIR, write a report about it and send it to the Delta Stewardship Council. They will meet on November 30 to discuss how they will go about reviewing the EIR when it comes out. In discussions with their scientist who as at the meeting, it is clear that they would welcome and use comments from the public flagging areas that they should look at. There is yet another independent science panel that also looks at the “effects analysis” of the canal.

A Delta Weekend

Published October 8, 2012 Tunnel(s) 2 Comments

After updating the STCDA nodeltagates.com website on Friday, my husband and I went to the Restore The Delta documentary “Over Troubled Waters” in downtown Brentwood. If anyone in California thinks the Delta Tunnels (aka Peripheral Canal) is a good idea for anyone except large-scale agri-corporations and millionaires like Stewart Resnick, they need to see this film. It’s also a good refresher for those of us who have been following the water situation in Northern California to be armed with real facts and figures for discussions with friends and neighbors.

The film is making rounds throughout California and is a participant in this year’s 9th Annual Artivist Film Festival to be held November 1-4 in Hollywood, California. Restore the Delta has now been recognized as the scientific expert representing Delta issues as an NGO member of the United Nations Department of Public Information (UN-DPI). I bought a copy of the movie to loan if you want to see it. Have a viewing party. Or pick up a copy yourselves for only $20 at a showing or from Restore the Delta.

We then walked out of the theater and the Farmers Market was still going on in Main Street. We bought great, fresh produce from the local Delta farmers. These are the same multigenerational farmers on the richest soil in California who are the farmers the Delta Tunnels will destroy so that we can get our produce from outside the US while the Westlands desert farms produce cotton and almonds and rice to ship to Asia.
Brentwood Farmers Market Produce
Local Delta Farmers – Brentwood Farmers Market Produce

We then took our boat out to anchor overnight in Mildred Island. As usual, it was calm, wonderful. Hundreds of birds. Only two other boats. Put our “Save the Delta – Stop the Tunnels” sticker we got at the screening on our boat – put one on our car, too.

Save the Delta - Stop the Tunnels Sunset Over Mt. Diablo
Stop the Tunnels at Mildred Island Sunset over Mt. Diablo from Mildred Is.



It will all be gone if the Delta Tunnels proceed.

Over Troubled Waters

Published October 5, 2012 News and Events , Tunnel(s) Leave a Comment

The Delta is still in danger, make no mistake, and it’s time to pay keen attention to what is happening.

Restore the Delta has created a new documentary “Over Troubled Waters” and showings began in September. It is narrated by Ed Begley, Jr. and is a MUST SEE. See http://overtroubledwaters.org/buy-tickets/ for upcoming show times and locations.

The next showing is Saturday October 6th in Brentwood, CA at 10:00 AM. A Question & Answer session follows at 11:15.

What: Over Troubled Waters
Doors open at 10:00am, Screening 10:30am, Q&A 11:15am
Where: Delta Cinema, 641 1st Street, Brentwood
When: Saturday, October 6, 2012

Tickets: ADMISSION TO THIS EVENT IS FREE, FIRST COME FIRST SEATED.

See Over Troubled Waters: Sustainable Water Advocates, Premiere Film on Water Wars for more information on the film.

See http://overtroubledwaters.org/buy-tickets/ for all show times and locations.

Some thoughts on the delta tunnels (Jon Carroll, SFGate)

Published August 2, 2012 News and Events , Tunnel(s) Leave a Comment

Good SF Gate article in August, 2012:

“I cannot believe that Jerry Brown is trying to sell these delta tunnels as a really good idea. They’re not. Their potential for environmental damage is almost incalculable. The only good thing about them is that fracking is not involved.

“These tunnels are designed to move water across the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta area and away from the delta itself, which uses water to, like, produce rivers and streams and sloughs and marshes, all of them good for the ecosystem. It’s a fragile system at best, having survived various assaults on its integrity over the years, but this thing … you just know something is going to go wrong.

“And once it goes wrong, it’s going to be hard to stop. It’s hubris over common sense, an attempt to build our way out of a problem we can’t escape: too many people, too little water. That’s a problem now; that’ll be a problem if this multibillion-dollar boondoggle is ever finished.”

Read the entire article.

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