Dr. Jeff Michael Tears Apart Blue Sky Tunnels Report: Not Convincing, Not Very Reassuring, Misrepresented by Tunnels Backers, Fails to Count “Rate Stabilization Fund” Costs Farmers Do Not Have Capacity To Pay For Tunnels & Make a Profit; Conclusion: “Tunnels are not a doable deal”   Stockton, CA – Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Gov. Brown’s rush to build massive Tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom salmon and other Pacific fisheries, today noted Dr. Jeff Michael, of the University of the Pacific’s Business Forecasting Center, has torn apart a State-sponsored Report on Affordability and Financing for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). “The Brown Administration plans to stick families and businesses with the bill for water to [...]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, February 2, 2015 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta January 29, 2015 In case you missed it… Brown’s tunnel vision could sink taxpayers Opinion – Orange County Register By Lloyd Billingsley “In his fourth and final term, Gov. Jerry Brown intends to start drilling two massive tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Estimated cost: $25 billion. “Californians might consider the pitfalls of a smaller tunnel project in Seattle, “Each tunnel would be 40 feet high, 35 miles long, and, together, they would cost nearly $25 billion, part of the governor’s plan for the state’s water system. If subject to the same sort of cost overruns as Boston’s Big Dig, [...]

“Not every dream grows on every land, so you got to watch out!” — Israelmore Ayivor Articles • What do we want? Water! When do we want it? Now! • California still overachieving at water consumption and underachieving at water conservation • Drought of ideas What do we want? Water! When do we want it? Now! Recently we got an inside peek at a rural Kern County water district’s decision whether to participate in the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. The Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District was asked by Kern County Water Agency, the State Water Project’s second largest water service contractor, whether the District would participate in the Tunnels project or not. In addition to its role as a state water [...]

For Immediate Release: Monday, January 5, 2015  Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta Tunnel Critics Call Upon Gov. Brown: Inaugurate a New Water Solution; BDCP is Doomed Violates Clean Water Act, Makes No New Water, Dooms Salmon Sacramento, 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 called on Gov. Brown to “inaugurate a new, sustainable water solution, and abandon the doomed BDCP tunnels, which violate the Clean Water Act, degrade Delta families’ drinking water, and threaten salmon extinction,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of RTD. “For $67 billion, Californians get no new water, [...]

The SF Bay-Delta estuary is durable and sustainable. It is a jewel in the rough that needs some polishing. What the Delta needs is restored water flows and levee upgrades. With these improvements, the Delta can become a place where sustainable agriculture and a sustainable environment can thrive together. 1. Strengthen the existing Delta levees Strengthening existing Delta levees is a far more efficient and cost effective way to ensure water reliability for the state and preserve environmental and economic stability to the greater Delta, as levees protect water supply and quality. Upgrade costs for robust levees are $2-4 billion according to the Delta Protection Commission. In stark contrast, the CA Water Fix Delta tunnels could cost $60 billion when [...]

Update: 7.22.16 Here’s more evidence showing that the earthquake risk to the Delta is exaggerated and just another scare tactic used by pro-Delta Tunnel proponents. This recent study by USGS, presented at the Delta Independence Science Board, show that the earthquake threat to Delta levees is significantly less than originally thought.   The California Water Fix tunnels don’t eliminate earthquake threats to water supply. Earthquake risk mythmaking serves water exporters’ interests. Water exporters misrepresent the risk of earthquakes to generate support for the Delta Tunnels.   Fattening the levees is a more effective solution to the California Water Fix. • Californians should work together to build a more seismically resistant Delta that will protect water exports, other critical infrastructure, and [...]

In case you missed it… Modified Bay Delta Plan Still Draws Critics by Chris Clarke KCET “A $25 billion plan to reengineer the Sacramento Delta and San Francisco Bay estuary has been trimmed down, but some say the project would still harm fish and other aspects of the Delta’s beleaguered environment…. “You can dress it up, you can dress it down by making the project look less industrial,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of the Stockton-based environmental group Restore The Delta. “But if you divert the Sacramento River from the Delta, it will kill the SF Bay-Delta estuary. It is still a water grab, and slightly lessening the construction impacts means nothing.” Restore the Delta says that the amended project, [...]

For Immediate Release: Friday, December 19, 2014 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; @MrSandHillCrane; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta BDCP Delta Tunnels: Fatal Flaws Remain Still Take Water above Delta, Violate Clean Water Act, Doom Salmon Sacramento, CA – Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Gov. Brown’s rush to build Peripheral Tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom sustainable farms, salmon and other Pacific fisheries, today said a slight revision of the proposed project “removes none of the fatal flaws, including removing water before it flows through the Delta, violates the Clean Water Act and degrades Delta families’ drinking water, and continues to threaten salmon extinction,” Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of RTD. “You can dress it up, [...]

“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” ― Benjamin Franklin Articles A less than tasty appetizer for 2015 A mixed up salad: Learning Delta Water Management The Meat and Potatoes of the Tunnels Project Remembering our friends And Christmas Cookies A less than tasty appetizer for 2015 Federal drought legislation failed to pass in the Senate this year and failed to move forward on the budget despite a Rule Committee waiver to legislate on an appropriations bill. We are grateful to our colleagues in numerous other environmental organizations and our participatory members for making your opposition to this legislation loud and clear to our elected representatives. But, we are not [...]