For Immediate Release: 3/29/2016
Contact: Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director, Restore the Delta 209-479-2053, [email protected]
RE: DWR/Contra Costa Water District Agreement & California Delta Tunnels
Today, the Contra Costa Water District announced a withdrawal of their protest petition with the State Water Resources Control Board regarding the “Change of Diversion Petition” filed by the lead state and federal agencies promoting the Delta Tunnels.
The Contra Costa Water District has settled with the Department of Water Resources claiming that the state is going to pay for their new water diversion facility, rather than CCWD customers, to mitigate impacts to drinking water quality resulting from operation of the Delta Tunnels.
Response from Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director, Restore the Delta:
“The settlement is, in itself, an indictment of the Tunnels and represents Contra Costa Water District’s self-interested approach to the Delta as a whole.
“The new CCWD intake will have an impact on water quality and quantity in the Delta and is not covered in the EIR for the Delta Tunnels. The settlement says that DWR reserves the right to override environmental needs and concerns to build/operate the Delta tunnels. They are setting up the project as beyond the law, a project by Governor Brown’s fiat.
“Meanwhile, the CCWD says they are not supporting CA Water Fix — this is simply their insurance policy for their customers. However, Contra Costa residents still need good water quality in the Delta for all the other uses. Contra Costa residents recreate in the Delta in high numbers.
“In addition, a new intake for the Contra Costa Water District will require another change in the point of diversion petition to be brought to the State Water Resources Control Board. The process will continue to unfold for years, yet water exporters still do not have money on the table to continue moving the process forward or to finance the project.
“Sadly, CCWD has sacrificed other Delta communities and Bay-Delta fisheries by agreeing to this settlement, as everyone else in the Delta would be left with degraded water quality. Clearly the Brown Administration is attempting to carve up Delta communities, in the same way Owens Valley was carved up for a water grab many years ago.
“California taxpayers are going to be on the hook to pay for this mitigation so that mega growers in the Westlands Water District and in Kern County can continue to grow almonds in the desert for export. All of this deal making is to create a system that subsidizes mega growers at the expense of California taxpayers and the environment.
“This strategy of CA Water Fix is to work around public processes and to keep the public in the dark in an attempt to push the project through no matter the impacts on the San Francisco Bay-Delta, or the people or species who live here.”
We support Restore the Delta’s comments regarding this travesty 100 percent. It is clear that corruption and politics govern California water policy.
Thomas & Susan Coss
How can we stop this insanity? The CA Water Fix is quite the opposite; it fixes nothing. Taxpayers revolt! Bombard the CCWD with your complaints. Tell them you want them to represent you; not big money interests. Governor Brown has made it clear that the whole delta is slated to be non-agricultural. That is ridiculous. Some of the best crops in the world are grown here. Our government is no longer controlled by the people. The world has gone mad…
This is disappointing to find out just how far corporate greeds reach has become. The tunnels fix nothing and anyone with a brain can see this. I will continue to fight against it!
So sad the tunnels are forced upon us due to greed. Grow more almonds in the desert to export to China. Now a So. Cal water district us buying 3 delta islands. The end is near…no stopping big $. Truth is we are powerless to stop it.
The CCWD has sold out! The residents of the delta, whether human, feathered or aquatic have rights to this environment. This land and these waters belong to Mother Nature. We have been blessed to have this estuary to use as our home. But we humans do not have the right to destroy this World. The tunnels and water fixes are fatal to this estuary. I am strongly opposed to the CCWD sellout.
Money controls everything, it’s disgusting how people know what the right thing to do is yet the profits they get from the wrong thing overpowers their decisions. We need a big name to support us, to bring attention to the conflict and discuss these matters state-wide. I’ll do my best to attend this.
Stop the tunnels!!
This strategy of CA Water Fix is to work around public processes and to keep the public in the dark in an attempt to push the project through no matter the impacts on the San Francisco Bay-Delta, or the people or species who live here.
Our Politicians are self-serving Crooks
Liability limitations are referred to in my state as the “Texas Miracle!” It’s how the environment and citizens get screwed with closed door additions to Plans meant to fairly settle differ interests of stakeholders. Actually there are amendments to federal Endangered species Act which let stakeholders control what models and date the scientists can use and what the Plan’s priorities
The amendment in the ESA that does that has left environment and people and economies at great risk and should be changed so as not to allow stakeholders to influence and control science. However other parts of the ESA require the plan to include risk assessment and funding to mitigate harm…but the stakeholders get out of that with their lawyers all working out liability limitations that crooked city employees agree to while leaving citizens and environment taking a hit without being able to hold those that harm them responsible but they are not even aware because they assume risk assements and funding for mitigation from harm was included in the Recovery Plan as is the law even though that is not the case because of the liability limitation agreements and shifts in responsibility from the one doing the harm and profiting to those harmed and denied resouces. So insist on agencies making sure to not allow liability limitations and insist on assessment of risks that prioritize protection of public and environmental health and affordable access to healthy water and insist on stakeholders plans including public funds to mitigate harms to environment and public access to adequate affordable and healthy water supply. Now it seems greedy stakeholders dominate the stakeholder process and with help of federal law provisions that let them decide the priorities and how to do the science…now the Plans have priorities to only assess risks to private profits and only use public funds to mitigate harms to their private profits. So please I insist and beg of you stop allowing parts federal laws to do either stakeholder decisions for science and priorities and stop allowing liabity limitations as an excuse to let stakeholders not comply with federal laws that require harms to public and environment health be assessed and public funding for mitigating any harms to be available which liability agreements make impossible which is why they should not be allowed.
There is reliable scientific evidence that the CA Water Fix, as proposed, will do the Delta more harm. I am in opposition of the Twin Tunnel project and know that sitting on the sidelines is not an option. Therefore, I have placed my name on the November ballot for a seat on the Contra Costa Water District Board. I hope to gain support from like minded people. Please visit my website at martinez4ccwd and pledge your support through a contribution to my campaign.
There is reliable scientific evidence that the CA Water Fix, as proposed, will do the Delta more harm. I am in opposition of the Twin Tunnel project and know that sitting on the sidelines is not an option. Therefore, I have placed my name on the November ballot for a seat on the Contra Costa Water District Board. I hope to gain support from like minded people. Please visit my website at martinez4ccwd.com and pledge your support through a contribution to my campaign.