Delta environmental review begins amid skepticism

Read the story about the National Academy of Sciences meeting in the Bee. Lots of controversy about the speakers. It seems strange that representatives of the salmon fishing industry and residents of the Delta are not part of the program.

2009 another bad year for Delta ecosystem

It's not just smelt and salmon in decline. The numbers cited at the end of this article are startling.

We went on one of those fish trawling trips in the Delta with Peter Moyle. Look for it in the upcoming documentary.

Fall Salmon Run Down Again

The Fall Chinook Salmon run looks to be about the same (meaning very bad) or worse than 2008, according to this piece by Matt Weiser in the Bee. Also, it appears that the run is increasingly becoming a hatchery based one, with almost 90% of returning salmon coming from hatcheries - which raises other concerns.

And with three straight years of dismal fall salmon returns, there's a good chance the run could be listed on the Endangered Species Act, at a time when the ESA is facing increasing scrutiny, especially from Central Valley water interests. Depressing news all the way around.

From the Jet Propulsion Lab

NASA Data Reveal Major Groundwater Loss in California

December 14, 2009

PASADENA, Calif. – "New space observations reveal that since October 2003, the aquifers for California's primary agricultural region -- the Central Valley -- and its major mountain water source -- the Sierra Nevadas -- have lost nearly enough water combined to fill Lake Mead, America's largest reservoir."

More

More evidence that the amount of water used for agriculture in California - from groundwater pumping in the Central Valley to diversions from the Delta - is unsustainable for the long term.

Where the $ for the water bill are going

The $11 billion water bill is a lot of money, but to understand how much it really is and where the money is slotted to go, read this article in the Bee. Stunning amounts and something for virtually every player in the California water power game.

And here's a cool Google map from KQEDhealth.

Major Water Bill Passes, Huge Fight Ahead

An $11 billion bond initiative will go to the voters next November. Expect an epic California political battle: north vs. south, coastal vs. inland, enviros vs. farmers, water districts vs. water districts. The total package may top $40 billion.

Schwarzenegger wants this as his legacy project and will fight very hard for it as he goes out the door next year. He's also pledged to build the peripheral canal, a huge battle within the battle. And this water package is sure to be a big issue in both the Governor and Senate races.

I'll post some of the analysis as it becomes available. Here's coverage from the NYT and LA Times on passage of the package.

Delta Blues will cover many of these issues. Look for it in early 2010.

Here's Schwarzenegger's Announcement of the Water Package

Warning: It's long

State GOP tries to steal Dems' fire over water

Interesting political aspect to the California water story. Will it work?

Op-Ed in Sacramento BEE

My View: Farm, fishing industries can't remain foes in water debate

The author, Larry Collins, is in Delta Blues. Here's an excerpt:

"...California farmers and fishermen are in the same boat, but the two groups are being pitted against each other in rhetoric used by politicians, activists and the media."

Nice piece in the Fresno Bee on restoring the San Joaquin

For San Joaquin River, a historic reawakening

Sen. Feinstein Urges Outside Review of Calif. Water Restrictions

A puzzler, although Feinstein has always looked after Central Valley interests and enjoys strong support from the typically Republican farming community.

Note the fourth paragraph about the letter from billionaire Stewart Resnick. So now the Obama Administration has to deal with California's Governor, senior Senator and big Ag interests all pressuring it to reopen the two biological opinions.

Here's the article.

UPDATE: Why Feinstein seeks review of delta findings

Interior Secretary Salazar Responds...

...to the Wall Street Journal's editorial on the Delta's problems. Their take: It's all about the smelt.

Here's the original WSJ editorial.
Here's Salazar's response.

Fixing the Delta: How Will We Pay for It?

A new report from the Public Policy Institute of California:

"This report examines the question of how to pay for urgently needed investments in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta."

As the debate gets more contentious, and all the competing interests involved with the Delta become increasingly dug into their positions and slogans like "fish vs. farmers" become the main debating points, the PPIC provides a much-needed analytical perspective on the Delta's problems.

Get the report here.

Another Cause of Delta Woes - Groundwater Pumping

This opinion piece in the Sacramento Bee points to excessive groundwater pumping in Sacramento County as another cause of the environmental decline in the Delta.

The Bee has also started an online page on all things Delta: http://www.sacbee.com/delta/

Ocean Conditions?

One of the reasons given over the last few years for the decline of salmon runs on the west coast is "ocean conditions," which is a euphemism for the lack of food for salmon to fatten up on before they return to the rivers to spawn. The cause can be just about anything: warmer water, tricky currents, not enough upwelling, etc., but it also seems to be one of those excuses that can explain a difficult problem while offering no realistic solution. Some fisheries experts believe this is just another excuse to not focus on the real problem: fixing the Delta.

Here is an interesting eyewitness account of current "ocean conditions"

Give the Delta a Voice! Rally

A rally on the Capitol steps in Sacramento on July 7th.

Delta gates proposal builds support, but environmental impact remains murky

From Matt Weiser at the Bee:

"A plan to build gates across two Delta channels has strong support from state and federal leaders, though little is known about how the project would affect the environment.

The so-called "two gates" project would build moveable gates across Old River and Connection Slough in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta."

Big backer is the Metro Water District of Southern California. More...

Despair flows as fields go dry and unemployment rises

Article in the Los Angeles Times about tough times in the Central Valley for farmers and workers.

Here are the numbers:

"Water scarcity looms as a major challenge to California's $37-billion agricultural industry, which has long relied on imported water to bloom. The consequences of closing the spigot are already evident here in rural Fresno County, about 230 miles north of Los Angeles. Lost farm revenue will top $900 million in the San Joaquin Valley this year, said UC Davis economist Richard Howitt, who estimates that water woes will cost the recession-battered region an additional 30,000 jobs in 2009."

Interior Secretary Salazar visits Central Valley

He offers up cash and a plan to expedite water transfers.

From the AP:

"At a spirited town hall meeting in California's agricultural heartland, Salazar told a packed auditorium that Deputy Interior Secretary David J. Hayes will "bring all of the key federal agencies to the table" to coordinate efforts.

Salazar said he wanted to direct $160 million in Recovery Act funds to the federal Central Valley Project, which manages the dams and canals that move water around the state, and will expedite water transfers from other areas."

NOAA Biological Opinion Released

Here's the NOAA press release. The full report is linked to at the bottom of the release. An excerpt:

"NOAA released its final biological opinion today that finds the water pumping operations in California’s Central Valley by the federal Bureau of Reclamation jeopardize the continued existence of several threatened and endangered species under the jurisdiction of NOAA’s Fisheries Service.

The bureau has provisionally accepted NOAA’s recommended changes to its water pumping operations, and said it will begin to implement its near-term elements as it carefully evaluates the overall opinion.

Federal biologists and hydrologists concluded that current water pumping operations in the Federal Central Valley Project and the California State Water Project should be changed to ensure survival of winter and spring-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, the southern population of North American green sturgeon and Southern Resident killer whales, which rely on Chinook salmon runs for food."

New way to save salmon in the delta

Here's an article in the SF Chronicle about a high-tech solution to help salmon in the Delta. Interesting, but it doesn't solve the main problem: high quality water flow.

Low snow, reservoir levels force rationing

Snowpack is 66% of normal in the Sierra. Last year it was 72%. Bad news for everyone (and the fish).

Read the article in the Chronicle here.

Hundreds Protest Cuts in Water in California

Lots of coverage of the march protesting the lack of water for the Central Valley. More than ever, it seems this story is about fish vs. farmers.

I planned on covering it for the documentary but was out of town all week and was unable to get there. If you know anybody who shot video of the protest, please let me know at info (at) veriscope.com.

New York Times Story

Fresno ABC station story with video

San Jose Mercury News story

U.S. to ban commercial salmon season

No surprise, but still sad.

Delta rivers top U.S. most-troubled list

From the Sacramento Bee:

"The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers will be named today as the nation's most endangered waterways by the environmental group American Rivers.

It will be a news flash mainly for the other 49 states.

Many Californians are already well aware of the myriad problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its two main rivers. They've lived for several years with water shortages caused by the Delta's environmental problems, and with the threat of its declining fish populations, aging levees and problem plumbing."

More...