Delta Flows – Weekly Highlights from Restore the Delta
For the Week of January 29, 2007
The Delta Protection Commission Rules Against Development in the Delta’s Primary Zone
One of the great joys about being part of a coalition is that quite frequently one is given the opportunity to watch others accomplish great things related to the goals of the coalition.
Several individuals and groups this last week accomplished a great deal toward ensuring the preservation and restoration of the Delta and deserve special recognition.
First off, Clarksburg resident, Peggy Bohl and the Delta Alliance deserve special recognition for pulling together a successful community coalition to challenge and defeat urban development in the primary zone of the Delta. (The Delta Protection Act of 1992 designated the primary zone as the roughly 500,000 acres in the heart of the Delta marked for agriculture.)
After hearing numerous speakers in a public meeting on January 25 that lasted past 1:00 a.m., the Delta Protection Commission found that the proposed Sugar Mill Project in Clarksburg, which would have added 300 new residents to the town, was not in sync with the Delta Protection Act. The Delta Protection Commission decided that the project did not have adequate flood protection and not meet buffer zone requirements between residential and agricultural areas.
In past conversations with Restore the Delta, Peggy Bohl expressed her fear that if this project were approved, “it would open the door for major development within the primary zone.” By enforcing the Delta Protection Act, which limits development to what is labeled the secondary zone – the roughly 235,000 acre buffer surrounding the Delta’s interior – the Delta Protection Commission has effectively enforced what is already law.
While Restore the Delta’s primary focus is on water quality, we are very happy with the DPC’s ruling because development within the primary zone of the Delta would, more than likely, lead to further negative impacts on Delta water quality.
Congratulations to Peggy Bohl and the members of the Delta Alliance for their ongoing vigilance and efforts on behalf of the Delta.
The National Marine Fisheries Service Suspends Formal Review of the So-Called South Delta Improvements Program (SDIP)
As many of you have seen in newspapers for the last several days, the National Marine Fisheries Service has stopped formal review of the SDIP citing several areas of significant concern, hampering state efforts to implement the SDIP (also known as the South Delta Increase Pumping Plan). Consequently, the Department of Water Resources will now be forced to look at reducing pumping in order to meet Delta water quality standards as set by the State Water Resources Board for 2009. (For further details on the National Marine Fisheries Service’s response to the SDIP, check out Matt Wieser’s article in the Sacramento Bee -- http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/115376.html.)
What cannot be found in these articles, however, is an understanding of how people from within the community began working to stop the SDIP well over a year ago, before Restore the Delta was conceived.
For instance, Gary Adams, President of the California Striped Bass Association, and Dan Bacher, publisher of Fish Sniffer, worked many, many hours to mobilize the fishing community to sign petitions, to send letters, and to attend public meetings. They led the fight to make it clear to water agency officials the additional ills that crashing fisheries would experience within the Delta as a result of increased water exports and the installation of permanent barriers.
Legislative strategists from the Planning and Conservation League in Sacramento stayed on top of DWR’s efforts to push through this bad plan, and shared information with local groups as it became available. Jonas Minton, Mindy McIntyre, and Matt Vander Sluis were the first to educate Restore the Delta staff on the ills of the SDIP and to point out how this plan failed to take into account the impact of sea level rise on the Delta. Also adding to the effort to stop the SDIP over the last year, staff members from Earthjustice and NRDC worked with the fishing community.
Fishermen and environmentalists, however, were not alone. In recent hearings on salinity and water quality in the South Delta, Delta farmers made it clear that the permanent operable gates that have been proposed as part of the SDIP would not improve South Delta Water quality. (See Delta Flows for 1/22/07).
And without a doubt, the ongoing critique, comments, and leadership provided by Delta champion Bill Jennings (California Sportfishing Protection Alliance) have kept the Delta community focused on how the SDIP could have brought an end to the Delta as we know it today.
When fishermen, farmers, environmentalists, legislative experts, and everyday citizens voice their concerns about protecting the California Delta, much can be accomplished. And while these efforts to stop the SDIP were not all part of a formal coalition, we believe that so many different groups expressing their concern prompted officials to look twice at this horrific Delta mismanagement plan.
Going forward, Restore the Delta looks forward to this once informal coalition strengthening its ties so as to secure a permanent victory over implementation of the SDIP, and to create an even brighter future for the Delta.
This Is Not to Say That We Are Out Of the Sloughs…
While it is important to celebrate victories, one must always remain vigilant in observing and responding to the next bad idea, that if implemented, could undo the California Delta.
Restore the Delta is still monitoring SB27 – Senator Joe Simitian’s Peripheral Canal Bill, also known as the Dirty Delta Water Bill. Why have we given Senator Simitian’s bill this name? Because if a peripheral canal were set in place, the Delta could not meet the standards as set by the Clean Water Act. If and when it is necessary, we will want you all to send letters, emails, and make calls to representatives and to editorial boards. Stay tuned!
And Because Our Strength Is In Our Numbers…
Please tell your friends about Restore the Delta and refer them to www.restorethedelta.org. By signing up for our alerts, they too can become part of the effort to sustain and restore the Delta.
And Because Community Work Is Fashionable…
Watch our website for a limited opportunity to order an
authentic, first-run Restore the Delta tee shirt. Sure to
become a coveted item among outdoors people, shirts will be
available in about 3-4 weeks – in time for the Delta
recreation season.
