Op-Eds on Outdated Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan

SF Chronicle op-ed: How to revive a dying delta

In case you missed it!  San Francisco Chronicle OPINION: How to revive a dying delta By Peter Drekmeier  October 25, 2016 Original link   Scientific reports published over the past several years have been unambiguous. The delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast, is on the brink of collapse.   Starved of freshwater inflow due to dams and water diversions, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta’s health has faced a precipitous decline over the past few decades. The recently released Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan offers our last best hope to revive the estuary that defines our region. The new plan calls for requiring more water to be released from dams into rivers, such as the Tuolumne, to help [...]

Delta Tunnels: Three Experts Worth Hearing, Contra Costa Times Op-Ed, "Guest commentary: State's irresponsible actions could be the death of the Delta"

Our media release for today and, in case you missed it, two great op-eds in the Contra Costa Times and the Sacramento Bee, one by Contra Costa County Supervisor Mary N. Piepho and the other by Raul Grijalva calling out latino front groups by Westlands Water District. For Immediate Release: Feb 9, 2016 Contact: Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Restore the Delta 209-479-2053, [email protected] DELTA TUNNELS Three Emerging Issues, Three Experts Worth Hearing Stockton, CA – In a letter sent last week to the Santa Clara Valley Water District, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta, recommended the inclusion of three independent experts to appear before the Board to assist them in their consideration of continued financial support for the Delta Tunnels (California WaterFix). The three [...]

LA Times Op-Ed: Can the Delta survive more 'regulatory flexibility'?

In case you missed it… Los Angeles Times Op-Ed Can the Sacramento Delta survive more 'regulatory flexibility'? By Doug Obegi  Published: February 3, 2016 Original article at LA Times. The state and federal Endangered Species Acts were created to prevent the extinction of our native fish and wildlife, and they've been tremendously successful. Yet despite these laws, California is on the verge of killing off some of its native salmon and other fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and San Francisco Bay, the largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas. Not just fish are at risk. Our state's salmon industry is economically crucial to coastal communities and thousands of fishermen and fishing families. Salmon are also essential [...]

SF Chronicle Op-Ed: There is no map to California's water future

In case you missed it…  San Francisco Chronicle  There is no map to California's water future Original article at SF Chronicle. By Joan T. Buchanan  Published: January 28, 2016 Remember paper road maps? They had a useful life of just a few years; eventually, construction, road closures and alternative routes would render them obsolete. Modern map apps on our phones have made us safer and better informed travelers. These days, drivers would be crazy to take a road trip into unknown regions with a 20-year-old map. The San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary is in crisis. Multiple native fish and wildlife species in the estuary are on the brink of extinction because of lack of freshwater flows. Salt water now intrudes further [...]

Delta Tunnels news: Reaction to State of the State address, Sac Bee Op-Ed, "Will state water resources board protect the Delta?"

For Immediate Release: January 21, 2016 Contact: Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Restore the Delta, 209-479-2053 [email protected]  STATE OF THE STATE: Restore the Delta Reaction (Sacramento) In his State of the State address today, Governor Jerry Brown said: “The challenge is to solve today’s problem without making those of tomorrow even worse.” On water issues he said: “There is no magic bullet, but a series of actions must be taken. We have to recharge our aquifers, manage the groundwater, recycle, capture stormwater, build storage and reliable conveyance, improve efficiency everywhere, invest in new technologies – including desalination – and all the while recognize that there are some limits…Pitting fish against farmer missed the point and grossly distorts reality. Every one of us and every creature that dwells [...]