From News Line, a daily compilation of farm water news distributed to CFWC members and others upon request. To receive News Line, click here.

Californians – find out here where your water comes from

Coalition response…The “effective, affordable solutions” to the Delta that the author refers to is a recycling of ideas that have been studied for years. Along with other groups who have been critical of the current proposal from BDCP that includes an improved conveyance with two tunnels through the Delta, a portion of the new solutions features a single tunnel with a capacity of only 3,000 cfs. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan studied this proposal a year ago and the results of that study can be found here.

No one disagrees that something needs to be done to improve a water infrastructure that was built when the population of our state was millions less. But the 3,000 cfs tunnel would not provide sufficient water to meet both urban and agricultural needs south of the Delta. Adopting this smaller proposal would either leave millions of acres of productive farmland without a reliable water supply, or it would require continued reliance on moving water through the Delta. Continuing the status quo is not a solution because it doesn’t help fish and it doesn’t deliver enough water – the two reasons why a BDCP project is even considered in the first place.

Other elements of the “solutions” offered by the author include development of regional supplies, decreased reliance on the Delta, conservation efforts and more. BDCP does not prohibit these efforts from being undertaken. In fact, others have advocated these measures for years.