Sacramento Valley Salmon Resiliency Strategy

[ElGuapo]

Just saw a post by the California Natural Resources Agency. http://www.norcalfishreports.com/fish_r ... pecies.php

The post links to the "Sacramento Valley Salmon Resiliency Strategy" which refers back to the Delta Tunnels plan indirectly. Link to doc here: http://resources.ca.gov/docs/Salmon-Res ... rategy.pdf

On page 13 it lists the "California WaterFix" (Delta Tunnels) as part of the solution for restoring Delta habitat.

Interesting how they are masking the controversial proposal under the guise of saving salmon and adjacent industries.

[mark poulson]

Page 13 says:

"Restore Tidal Habitat in the Delta
 Action and objectives: Restore 11,000 acres of tidal habitat for improved rearing and reduced
reverse tidal flows in critical migratory channels. Action includes existing U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service biological opinion requirements for tidal habitat restoration, additional California
EcoRestore tidal habitat restoration goals, and restoration pursuant to California WaterFix
Proposed Action. Potential project delivery mechanisms could include but are not limited to the
existing or modified RFP process for tidal habitat restoration. "

This is double speak for making the Tunnels the savior of the salmon, when, in fact, it will destroy that fishery, and the entire San Francisco Bay/Delta Estuary system. It will bring salt all the way into the central Delta, and turn it into a salt marsh.

[gabuelhaj]

Notice the listed funding sources. Nowhere does it say the end users will pay....

Consistency with existing priorities: California EcoRestore, California WaterFix consultation.

 Estimated costs: To be determined.

 Funding source: DWR, Reclamation, state and federal water contractors, others.

 Timing: Completed by 2025.

[mark poulson]

I'm pretty sure we taxpayers are the "others". Sucks, bigtime!

[gabuelhaj]

Just confirming the lies from the lying "authorities".

Good luck!

[MGJR]

We had the Calfed, Bay-Delta project, this, that and the next...have there been any measurable imrovements in salmon pops? Nope! still an unstoppable POD. Funny...wonder what the common denominator is? Oh wait...it's too much water out of the Delta. Where's my 500 million? I just solved the problem.

[mark poulson]

We had the Calfed, Bay-Delta project, this, that and the next...have there been any measurable imrovements in salmon pops? Nope! still an unstoppable POD. Funny...wonder what the common denominator is? Oh wait...it's too much water out of the Delta. Where's my 500 million? I just solved the problem.

What was once a means to supply water to the SoCal area has become a scheme to supply below market rate water to the San Joaquin water districts, so they can turn around and resell it for huge profits.

[ElGuapo]

Aside from Restore the Delta, which has been doing yeoman's work in our defense, are there any other larger organizations that are singularly focused on defeating the tunnels? I'm thinking on the scale of the Sierra Club but they, of course, focus on many different causes.

[briansII]

Aside from Restore the Delta, which has been doing yeoman's work in our defense, are there any other larger organizations that are singularly focused on defeating the tunnels? I'm thinking on the scale of the Sierra Club but they, of course, focus on many different causes.

Not singularly focused on the tunnels, but....

California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, CSPA

http://calsport.org/dev/

briansII

[ElGuapo]

Thanks Brian.

updated site is simply (without the "/dev")

http://calsport.org/

[mark poulson]

Here's what Cal Sport said about the tunnels:

CSPA Submits Rebuttal Testimony in Part I of WaterFix Hearing
April 6, 2017 by Bill Jennings
The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance et al. (CSPA, CWIN and AquAlliance) joined the County of San Joaquin and Local Agencies of the North Delta in submitting rebuttal testimony in Part I of the State Water Resource Control Board’s (SWRCB) evidentiary hearing on the California Waterfix project proposed by the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR). The project would construct two huge tunnels to siphon Sacramento River water under the Delta for export to southern California. Part I of the hearing is focused on water rights and harm to legal users of water and Part II will address fish & wildlife and public trust issues. CSPA participated in Part I because we hold riparian water rights at Collinsville.

CSPA secured the services of Mark Del Piero, a professor of water law and former Vice-Chairman of the SWRCB (1992-1999), to testify that the WaterFix project would harm existing water users and that DWR and USBR would need to obtain new water right permits. Mr. Del Piero’s twenty-seven-page rebuttal declaration eloquently describes the over-appropriation of water in California and that proponent’s need to apply for new water rights, as the project’s existing rights have expired. He discusses the lack of an adequate project description, the failure of proponents to provide required water availability and “no injury” analyses and that the project will, in fact, grievously harm and cause injury to existing legal users of water. The law prohibits the SWRCB from granting a change in point of diversion if the change would harm existing water users. Brandon Nakagawa, San Joaquin County’s Water Resources Coordinator, provided rebuttal testimony on proponent’s failure to identify the legal users of groundwater within the project area and how the project will harm legal users and uses of groundwater.

During direct testimony in Part I, CSPA et al. provided eight expert witnesses that provided extensive testimony regarding the WaterFix project’s myriad inadequacies and how construction and operation will irreparably injure legal users of water. We will be an integral participant in Part II and the inevitable subsequent legal challenges.

Del Piero Rebuttal Testimony [Note: the testimony appears with deletions because the hearing officers ordered Mr. Del Piero to save all discussion of impacts to fish and wildlife and the public trust for Part II of the hearing.]

Nakagawa Testimony

Posted in Bay Delta Conservation Plan, Bill Jennings, California Delta, Fisheries, No Tunnels Campaign, State Board Bay-Delta Standards, Water Quality, Water Rights |