“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 [...]
california water
Listen to Audio for 3/4 Teleconference Following Release of Map Showing Selenium-Damaged Land, Oil Deposits for Fracking, & More
March 5, 2014
On Tuesday, March 4, we released a new map depicting the overlap between the largest agricultural users of Bay-Delta water exports, land impaired by selenium concentrations that make farming unsustainable, and oil and gas basins that could be fracked. “This map will show a remarkable overlay of where our water is going, how the public subsidizes unsustainable crops on drainage-impaired lands, selenium concentrations that pose a threat to the public, and underlying oil deposits that could be fracked with water from the governor’s tunnels,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of RTD. “Unsustainable farming has damaged these lands. And the taxpayers have been subsidizing it. Fracking is another water intensive industry in the San Joaquin Valley that will further contaminate groundwater [...]
Media Advisory for Tuesday, March 4, 2014
February 28, 2014
Media Advisory for Tuesday, March 4, 2014 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053; [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta Governor’s Water Tunnels Opponents to Release New Map: Largest Agricultural Water Users, Selenium-Damaged Land, Oil Deposits for Fracking Sacramento, CA- Restore the Delta (RTD) and Food and Water Watch, opponents of Governor Brown’s rush to build Peripheral Tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom salmon and other Pacific fisheries, announced today they will hold a teleconference on Tuesday, March 4, to release a new map depicting the overlap between the largest agricultural users of Bay-Delta water exports, land impaired by selenium concentrations that make farming unsustainable, and oil and gas basins that could be fracked. “This map will show [...]
Media Release: SF Chronicle “Drought should make state rethink water policy” + Mercury News editorial “California needs a more balanced approach to water”
February 12, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, February 12, 2014 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; @MrSandHillCrane; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta In case you missed it… San Francisco Chronicle Drought should make state rethink water policy February 7, 2014 “…Drought is a product of nature, but some think the drought emergency is the result of mismanaged water resources. With Shasta, Oroville and Folsom reservoirs full last spring in what was already shaping up as a second dry year, the state increased pumping to water districts in the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California rather than decreasing pumping as planned. “Droughts are known; emergencies happen when people ignore facts and overpromise water supplies,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta. [...]
Gov. Brown Sings from Mega-Growers’ Hymnal, Tries to Bully Federal Scientists into Approving Tunnels, State Mismanagement of Water Helped Cause Shortage
February 1, 2014
For Immediate Release: January 31, 2014 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; @MrSandHillCrane; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053; [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDeltaGov. Brown Sings from Mega-Growers’ Hymnal, Tries to Bully Federal Scientists into Approving Tunnels, State Mismanagement of Water Helped Cause ShortageSacramento, CA- Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Gov. Brown’s rush to build Peripheral Tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom salmon and other Pacific fisheries, today responded to Gov. Brown’s statement Thursday that he urged President Obama to get federal scientists to suspend their expert judgment and approve his tunnels.“It is outrageous that Governor Brown is using the drought to push the president to override federal biologists who think the water tunnels are too risky,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla. “The [...]
The Bakersfield Californian: While D.C. plays politics, real water issues await
January 30, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, January 30, 2014Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; @MrSandHillCrane; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDeltaIn case you missed it…The Bakersfield CalifornianTuesday, Jan 28 2014 10:00 PMLOIS HENRY: While D.C. plays politics, real water issues awaitBy Lois HenryThere are real issues to be discussed involving California’s water troubles. Tough issues.Such as, whether we’ve overplanted with crops that simply cannot be accommodated long term given regulatory changes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta.Oh yeah, I went there. Let the howling begin.Can our water system sustain the explosion in almonds, pistachios, grapes and other permanent crops we’ve seen in Kern and other valley counties?I don’t know.But I do know that’s a question being mulled, even among those in the [...]
The Bakersfield Californian: Don’t use ‘drought emergency’ to divide us
January 28, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, January 28, 2014 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; @MrSandHillCrane; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta In case you missed it… By The Bakersfield Californian Don’t use ‘drought emergency’ to divide us Saturday, Jan 25 2014 11:06 PM The terrifying consequences of California’s “drought emergency” cannot be denied: acres of mature, nut-bearing trees dug up; fertile land unplanted; agriculture jobs gone. Some communities are even struggling to provide drinking water for their residents. But last week’s “press availability” that starred three South Valley Republican congressmen — Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, Devin Nunes of Visalia and David Valadao of Hanford — as well as House Speaker John Boehner, the Ohio Republican, seemed more about politics than [...]
In case you missed it: Our op-ed in the Sac Bee, “Better solutions for managing California’s water”
January 27, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, January 27, 2014 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; @MrSandHillCrane; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta In case you missed it… The Sacramento Bee Viewpoints: Better solutions for managing California’s water By Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla Special to The Bee Published: Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014 – 12:00 am During the current drought, the public will hear a lot about water management in California. Unfortunately, Californians are being presented with a false dichotomy – that California’s water problems are about fish vs. people. It’s what large corporate agribusinesses from the Westlands Water District and Kern County Water Agency have been pushing on the public since 2009. While we agree with these opposing groups that we have a water [...]
Media Alert: Radio and Articles of Interest
January 23, 2014
Restore the Delta media coverage from January 22, 2014. Click to listenKFBK-AM FOX, SacramentoGov. Brown touts California’s progress but says challenges lie aheadSan Gabriel Valley TribuneLegislators, environmental organizations and Delta advocates react to Nunes, McCarthy and Valadao’s proposed drought legislationMaven’s Notebook
Our response to State of the State address by Governor Brown
January 22, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; @MrSandHillCrane; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta Restore the Delta Response to the State of the State In his State of the State address, Governor Brown said, “We need to move forward with progress on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.” Governor Brown’s plan to build two forty-foot tunnels under the Delta, at a total cost of $60 billion with interest and operation expenses, will not add one drop of additional water to the system. There is a better way to manage our water. First, we need to export a safe yield of water from the Delta without repeatedly depleting the watershed. Second, we need to reinforce [...]
