For Immediate Release: 4/23/20Contact: Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Restore the Delta, 209-479-2053, [email protected] Stockton, CA – On Earth Day 4/22/20, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed new documents in the State’s ongoing legal action seeking to overturn the Trump Administration’s new biological opinions for federal water pump operations in the San Francisco Bay-Delta.The Trump biological opinions are the result of an administration intent on weakening the protections required by existing biological opinions.The court documents filed yesterday are: An amended complaint, which adds claims that the Bureau of Reclamation’s operations of the CVP violate the Endangered Species Act and violate the California Endangered Species act;A motion for a preliminary injunction, asking the Court to limit pumping next month to the levels required by the 2008 and 2009 biological opinions, rather than [...]

Friends, The extended Delta Conveyance Project Scoping Period ends tomorrow April 17, 2020. People have until 5 PM to submit their comments regarding the tunnel project. How to Comment: All comments received during the scoping period will be considered in the development of the Draft EIR. DWR is seeking public input on the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIR and input about alternatives that meet the project’s objectives. Comments may be submitted in several ways: Email: [email protected] Mail: Department of Water Resources, Attn: Renee Rodriguez, P.O. Box 942836, Sacramento, CA 94236 Fillable online form: View form The NOP and related availability and informational materials can be viewed online or at one of these locations. Comments must be received electronically or postmarked on or before April 17, 2020. Join us [...]

This weekend, California’s environmental hero Congressman George Miller (ret.) explains what a coherent policy for California Water including dealing with Harmful Algal Blooms in the Delta and a flood plan for Stockton. What Gov. Gavin Newsom needs to do to protect state’s water future – George Miller, SF Chronicle “Today, responding to a global pandemic is every governor’s top priority. When we emerge from this crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom will face a challenge to ensure California’s future economic and environmental health. In this context, his water policies will represent critical decisions…. “The governor’s suit to block that plan is a good first step. The governor should now direct the state water board to set strong flow standards for the bay-delta ecosystem, [...]

The Voluntary Settlement Agreements are a strategy by local, state, and federal water agencies and water right holders to delay full implementation of flows that mimic natural conditions to and through the Delta. For background, RTD policy analyst Tim Stroshane will cover basic Central Valley hydrology and water quality, an introduction to the structure and history of Delta water quality planning, and a brief history of how protection of Delta water quality has been delayed. Process, organizing, and public responses will be discussed by Barbara Barrigan-ParrillaTo sign up for this webinar, please click here.

Dear friends, As we reflect on all that has happened regarding government planning and initiatives for the Delta in 2019, we think it is time to reflect on what has brought about positive social, economic, and environmental change in the history of the United States. Successful movements include tactics centered on protest, litigation, legislation, and negotiation. During Restore the Delta’s history fourteen-year history, good governance of the Delta and sustainable water policies to lessen dependence on the Delta have been our goals from which we have never strayed. We switch tactics as necessary so that we can advance our goal of a healthy, restored San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary for all of California. But our commitment to saving the Delta so that today’s [...]

Santa Barbara Water Agencies Say No to State Water Tunnel Project – Noozhawk Santa Barbara 10/25/19“Local water agencies aren’t buying into the new version of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta “twin tunnels” project, and Santa Barbara County members of the State Water Project voted Thursday to opt out entirely…“The Department of Water Resources hasn’t released a complete project description or estimated costs, but wants State Water Project members to opt in or out now, according to Central Coast Water Authority Executive Director Ray Stokes.”Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta comments,“Restore the Delta was the first group to call for a full cost-benefit analysis of the twin tunnels, including an analysis of the value of freshwater to the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary.  Our call for [...]

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Restore the Delta Comment: With or without a tunnel, the Delta will not survive excessive water exports. “The agencies’ final rules, expected this week, will have far-reaching impacts on millions of Californians and the future of the Delta ecosystem. In some years, roughly half of all the water that flows into the Delta — a vast system of sloughs and marshes that extends from south of Sacramento to San Francisco Bay — already is pumped out, reducing water quality and imperiling wildlife.” “Critics worry that if more water is taken, species will go extinct and San Francisco Bay’s water quality will decline. In the past, biological opinions have ended up at the center of lawsuits, which, experts say, may well be [...]

This week, a coalition of conservation, fishing, and water groups sent a letter to state officials requesting that any planning for a single tunnel Delta water project be accompanied by a robust website that shares all relevant information with the public as the Governor has vowed. AquAlliance, California Water Impact Network, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, Environmental Water Caucus, Friends of the River, Planning and Conservation League, Restore the Delta, and Sierra Club California all joined in this request.ExcerptWe make the following “process request” to aid your efforts. Requiring the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to create a single Delta tunnel project web site and post all comments and correspondence (whether paper [...]