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Bay Area can’t afford to lose Delta water fight

Coalition response…The Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) remains the best choice for creating water supply reliability for 25 million Californians and almost 4,000 farmers and at the same time restoring the Delta ecosystem. Suggesting that the “best way to improve the health of the Delta is to fix the damaged levee system and allow more water to flow through the estuary, not less” ignores the reality of how water moves through the Delta. As water moves through the Delta, environmental regulations already in place have taken water away from users, including the Bay Area, and will continue to do so.

Both farmers and city residents have already undertaken significant conservation measures to stretch their available water supply. These efforts will continue but they are not enough to offset the amount of water lost to environmental regulations.

Jerry Meral’s comments reflect the BDCP Planning Agreement’s objective, which is to “Allow for projects to proceed that restore and protect water supply, water quality, and ecosystem health within a stable regulatory framework.” Restoring the Delta to its original setting would eliminate farms, cities, transportation routes and more, which I doubt even those people who live and work in the Delta would embrace.