California's water wars reach 'new level of crazy' this year

Good piece by Mark Grossi in the Fresno Bee about this year's version of the "crazy" California Water Wars, which will only escalate as we exit the (not very) rainy season. A lot of these same issues are covered in the Delta Blues documentary - they just keep rolling through every few years. This year's historic drought is likely to make everything worse for fish and farmers, and the impact will be felt for years.

California officials forecast ‘zero’ water deliveries

From the Sac Bee's Matt Weiser:

"State officials announced Friday that 29 water agencies serving 25 million people across California can expect “zero” water deliveries from the State Water Project this summer because of the worsening drought.

Although that delivery projection could change, it is the first time a “zero allocation” forecast has been made in the 54-year history of the State Water Project, which is operated by theCalifornia Department of Water Resources and typically delivers Sierra snowmelt to cities and farms throughout the state."

This will have a huge impact on farms and fish in the Delta and the entire state of California for years to come. Unless it rains, starting now.  

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/31/6119042/california-officials-forecast.html#storylink=cpy

Delta Blues Now Available Online

The documentary Delta Blues is now available here for streaming online and to all mobile devices for $4.99:

http://vimeo.com/ondemand/deltablue/.

Lots of action in Cal water this week

First there was this: "A topsy-turvy week in a federal courtroom in Fresno, Calif., has led to the imposition of water flow restrictions to aid endangered delta smelt in the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta." This was after Judge Wanger ruled with Westlands last week and allowed additional pumping. Read more in the New York Times.

Also, yesterday Dianne Feinstein threw her support behind Central Valley farmers with legislation in the Senate. Some strong comments from NorCal House members in this article.

Finally, chinook salmon numbers are out for 2009 and they're dismal. Looks like a third straight year of closure for the commercial salmon fishing season. Lots of jobs and businesses impacted. More here.

Congressmen want more water for California farmers

Citing massive unemployment and economic collapse in their districts, some California Congressmen are seeking an exception to the Endangered Species Act to allow more water to flow into the Central Valley.

From the San Jose Mercury News:

"Speaking before the House Natural Resources Committee, several of the state's lawmakers discounted the drought as the reason for the San Joaquin Valley's lack of water.

Rather, they said it was a matter of priorities, with the government valuing fish over families."