Water Quality

Media Alert: Lawsuit is the First to Challenge Drought Mismanagement

In case you missed it… JD Supra Business Advisor Lawsuit Filed Over State Water Board’s Temporary Modification of Water Quality Objectives 6/10/2015 by Stephanie Clark  | Nossaman LLP Consistent with Governor Brown’s Drought Proclamation and Executive Orders, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) sought and obtained a temporary modification of certain water quality objectives from the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) in order to allow for increased exports of water from the Central Valley Project and State Water Project in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta).  On June 3, 2015, environmental groups, including the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Water Impact Network, AquAlliance, and Restore the Delta, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Interior [...]

Delta Flows: June 9, 2015

“When we lack the ability to talk back to entities that are culturally and politically powerful, the very foundations of free speech and democratic society are called into question.” – Naomi Klein Articles • He Did It For Love • Drought and the False River Blues —- The TUCP Orders and System Mismanagement —- Barriers to Salt He Did It For Love By Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla It is with great sadness that Restore the Delta shares with our followers the recent passing of our friend and fellow advocate Jerry Cadagan. In addition to providing a number of us with daily media clips that included brilliant commentary and great wit, Jerry was our friend. He always had an encouraging word when we [...]

Restore the Delta & Partners Sue Over Drought Mismanagement

Press Release 4 June 2015 For Immediate Release Document: Our complaint for declaratory & injunctive relief. Contact:   Bill Jennings, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance: 209-464-5067; cell 209-                  938-9053; email, [email protected]                  Andrew Packard, Law Offices of Andrew Packard; 707-763-7227                  Mike Lozeau, Lozeau/Drury LLP: 510-836-4200                  Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Restore the Delta; 209-479-2053   Groups Sue Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, State Water Board and DWR to Prevent Fishery Extinctions Captive Regulatory Agencies Unable to Enforce and Comply with Laws Protecting Fisheries and Water Quality   On 3 June 2015, The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA), California Water Impact Network (C-WIN), AquAlliance and Restore the Delta (RTD), collectively “Petitioners,” filed a complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief, under the Administrative [...]

Water Export Pumps Have Run Every Single Day During Drought

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 3, 2015  Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft;  Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta Tunnels Opponents: Water Export Pumps Have Run Every Single Day During Drought Salmon & Other Fisheries Near Extinction, Federal Hearing Shuts Out Delta Farmers Sacramento, CA- Restore the Delta (RTD), the leading opponents of Gov. Brown’s rush to build massive underground water tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom sustainable farms, salmon and other Pacific fisheries, today responded to testimony given by San Joaquin Valley farm advocates at the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the status of drought conditions throughout the western United States, and also at the Drought Update given to the California State [...]

Our responses to Gov. Brown on drought barriers and renaming of “tunnels” to “pipes”

For Immediate Release: Friday, May 29, 2015  Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft;  Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta • Media Release #1: Tunnels Opponents Respond to Gov. Brown • Media Release #2: Tunnels Opponents Criticize Drought Barriers Tunnels Opponents Respond to Gov. Brown Sacramento, CA- Restore the Delta (RTD) and other opponents of Gov. Brown’s rush to build massive underground water tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom sustainable farms, salmon and other Pacific fisheries, today responded to Gov. Brown’s continued advocacy of his tunnels. “In addressing Sacramento business leaders yesterday, Governor Brown said that he is now going to call the Delta tunnels, pipes, because pipes are more popular. His reference here to pipes, and his [...]

WATCH: Will it be San Joaquin Valley almonds or the Bay-Delta estuary?

We released a short video on You Tube to make our drought concerns accessible to the public, calling for favoritism to end in the Brown Administration’s handling of drought measures and efforts to move forward with the Delta tunnels. Watch the video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k8LFfpfQhs

Gov. Brown Trampling Laws, Water Quality & Habitat Under Cover of Drought Emergency

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta Tunnels Opponents: Gov. Brown Trampling Laws, Water Quality & Habitat Under Cover of Drought Emergency No Permit to Build Barrier; No Water Quality Protection; Ineffective Effort to Protect Endangered Garter Snake Stockton, CA- Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Gov. Brown’s rush to build massive underground water tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom sustainable farms, salmon and other Pacific fisheries, along with its partners today made the following statement to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) regarding drought impacts, the installation of a drought barrier in the Delta, and violations of Delta water quality standards since the [...]

Action Alert: We need your public comment at the Water Board’s 5/20 Workshop!

Dear Restore the Delta friends, We need your attendance and public comment at a public workshop held by the State Water Resources Control Board on Wednesday.  The Board wants to use the workshop to receive public input regarding its drought related activities in the Bay Delta watershed.   To date, the Board has been letting its executive director, Tom Howard, issue “temporary urgency change petition” (“TUCP”) decisions allowing state and federal water projects to get out from under established water quality protections for the Delta in order to smooth over the projects’ mismanagement of their water supplies.   While some of the TUCP order’s provisions are intended to protect endangered runs of Chinook salmon upstream, they have reduced and will [...]

Drought Barrier Construction Threatens Giant Garter Snake: Points to Habitat Destruction During Future Construction of Tunnels Project

For Immediate Release: Friday, May 15, 2015 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta; Karen-Cunningham 925/354-2599 Stockton, CA – Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Gov. Brown’s rush to build water export Tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom sustainable farms, salmon and other Pacific fisheries, today responded to California Fish and Wildlife’s celebration of the 10th National Endangered Species Day by pointing out the department’s failure to protect the giant garter snake in the Delta. “The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) states that the purpose of the Endangered Species Act is to conserve imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend to prevent extinction,’” said executive director Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla. [...]

Media Release: Fishermen, Delta Leaders Protest Move to “Destroy Salmon”

Fishermen, Delta Leaders Protest Move to “Destroy Salmon” Push by Westlands, Feinstein to Overpump Delta will Destroy Fisheries; If Endangered Species are Extinct, No Need for Protections; Governor is Violating Clean Water Act Listen to audio: Sacramento, CA – Delta fishermen and community leaders held a news conference this afternoon outside a State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) meeting and announced they have filed protests against the State Water Resources Control Board for its January 27, 2015 Notice of Temporary Change Petitions (TUCP) because it will weaken Delta outflow and water quality standards to the point of extinction for Delta smelt and winter-run Chinook salmon this year. Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director of Restore the Delta, said, “The State Water Resources [...]