“The controversy surrounds Jerry Meral, deputy director of the state Natural Resources Agency, who allegedly told officials that Brown’s water plan was never about saving the delta and that in fact the delta could not be saved.” Los Angeles Times April 25, 2013, SACRAMENTO — Five Congressional Democrats have demanded the resignation of a top [...]
Recent News
Agency obscures facts for twin tunnels project
The California fishing community agrees with Bee Executive Editor Joyce Terhaar’s assessment that the Department of Water Resources has made a modicum of progress in improving public access to documents (“Public agencies that do it right”; Forum, Feb. 24). On the whole, however, DWR remains disingenuous. It is hiding relevant material in plain sight, substituting [...]
Delta pipes pitch less than perfect
SF Chronicle “On California Water” opined, The governor needs to forget the flannel shirt and embrace a plan that keeps more water in the delta. The pipe idea – single or double – won’t address the need to take less water from the delta (delta exports rose to a record in 2011), and it disturbs [...]
Deaths of endangered fish curtail water exports-So Cal Activists Launch Campaign Against Tunnel Tax & Higher Water Rates
LA Times reported State and federal water managers have reduced exports to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California after too many delta smelt die at the delta’s export pumps. At the same time state officials were discussing the water cutbacks, Southern California environmentalists who oppose the $14-billion tunnel project announced an advertising campaign in which [...]
MWD staff lives high on public’s dime
This was MWD management seeking to reward itself and the agency’s rank-and-file employees while sending the bill to 19 million Southern Californians.The giant Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies water to member agencies serving 19 million people from Ventura to Riverside to San Diego, raised the basic rate it charges its customers by [...]
MWD water agency debt for lifetime medical climbs to $545 million–Ratepayers Bilked
Southern California’s largest water agency has accumulated an estimated $545 million in debt because of an uncommon retirement benefit it has promised employees: lifetime medical care. The cost will eventually be passed on to millions of Southern California water consumers. If employees work at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for at least 10 [...]
A Better Idea, and Billions Cheaper
A Better Idea, and Billions Cheaper But the concept of importing less and developing more local supplies is compelling..And more local supplies mean more local control – and lower risks of cutbacks imposed by outside agencies in times of drought or other emergency By U-T San Diego Editorial Board 6 P.M.JAN. 20, 2013 It doesn’t [...]
Groundwater Basins – Our Earthquake Emergency Reservoirs Not Risky Tunnels
We live with earthquakes. Relying on imported water does not make us more secure. Common sense and science tells us our local supplies and local ground water basins are our savings account. Impact to Water Supply As part of the scenario work, the USGS and Caltech convened a panel of water supply experts on July [...]
Spending $14 billion to squeeze more water from a shrinking system is a gamble.
Spending $14 billion to squeeze more water from a shrinking system is a gamble. Most importantly, this strategy is enormously expensive…Terry O’Day is Mayor Pro Tempore for the City of Santa Monica, California….. to me, the cornerstone of a more sustainable and affordable Southern California water supply should be investments in our own communities. Those [...]
Governor’s delta plan is a big mistake: The State Needs to Reduce Water Exports from the Delta, Not Replumb it for More
A combative Gov. Jerry Brown has announced his plan to dig two huge tunnels underneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta – comparable to the “Chunnel” between England and France – at the estimated cost of more than $15 billion. The stated purpose is to provide water “reliability” for Southern California users; “reliability,” in this case, [...]