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DAM-L Fw: Rivers drying up to supply Central Valley -- TAKE ACTION (fwd)
From: <snip>
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Dear Friends,
PLEASE write David Hayes in the Interior Department and urge him to stop
promising more water than the rivers can deliver!!! Your help is needed
to
prevent Interior from undermining all the progress CALFED has achieved.
Details below in item 1.
*********************************An Update from*************************
************************The Environmental Water Caucus******************
September 6, 2000
Contents:
Bruce Babbitt promises more water than California's rivers can deliver
TAKE ACTION to put an end to destructive delivery guarantees!
CALFED Releases its Record of Decision
Upcoming Events:
Next EWC General Meeting
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BRUCE BABBITT PROMISES MORE WATER THAN CALIFORNIA'S RIVERS CAN DELIVER
TAKE ACTION to put an end to destructive delivery guarantees!
***MORE WATER TO BE PROMISED THAN RIVERS CAN GIVE***
STOP THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT FROM DRYING UP CALIFORNIA
In a move that undermines the progress state-federal negotiators have
strived to achieve through CALFED, the Department of Interior is
proposing
to write new contracts with Central Valley farmers that would deliver
more
water than our rivers can give at below market rates that discourage
conservation. WHERE WILL THIS WATER COME FROM?
Under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act reached in 1992,
expiring
water contracts
with Central Valley farmers are required to be modified to account for
the needs of the environment and the status of many endangered fish
species.
Now that the time has come to renew these contracts, the Department
of Interior is choosing to continue business as usual, over-promising
water
at cheap prices. Interior would be promising farmers more water than the
Delta system can deliver in any given year and continuing to offer
contractors water at subsidized rates, rather than
helping create a financial incentive for conservation. This means more
water leaving the Delta, less water for endangered species, less water
for
protecting rivers and no incentive for conserving what water we have.
Central Valley Project contracts are the first test of CALFED, the new
state-federal blueprint for California water policy for the next 30
years.
CALFED aims to create a reliable water supply for Californians while
improving water quality and protecting habitat for healthy rivers and
fish.
One major way to achieve a sustainable water supply is to promote water
conservation in cities and agriculture -- not to add more dams to the
over
600
dams already in place throughout California today. Yet, if these
contracts
are renewed with an over-promise of water at a subsidized pay rate, they
will
undoubtedly be followed with pressure for more dams and more diversions
from
the Delta
river system in order to deliver what the contracts call for. And this
will
render the seven years of work on CALFED
meaningless. The Department of Interior must start promoting conservation
of
the water we have by requiring contractors to pay full market cost for
this
water. Interior can no longer continue to fulfill demands for more water
than our resources have the capacity to deliver.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Write Department of Interior Deputy Secretary, David Hayes, and tell him
NOT
to promise more water than he can deliver in renewed Central Valley
Project
contracts. Tell him these contracts need to be offered at rates that
reflect current market value, not at a subsidized rate that continues to
ignore the need for water conservation. Our rivers are currently tapped
beyond their capacity to maintain a healthy river system. Renewing these
contracts beyond the maximum level possible and at subsidized prices is a
short-term solution to a very long-term problem.
These contracts will be negotiated by November, so write Mr. Hayes today!
David Hayes can be reached by mail, fax, phone or email:
Department of Interior, 1849 C St. NW, Washington D.C. 20240
Fax: 202 208-1873; Phone: 202 208-6291; Email: David_Hayes@ios.doi.gov
BACKGROUND AND SAMPLE LETTER
Central Valley agriculture needs and uses a large
percentage of California's water, diverted through canals down to the
Central Valley from the San Francisco Bay-Delta. Some of these farmers
receive water from the Central Valley Project, a federal program
that distributes water from the Bay Delta for consumptive use across
California. The legal requirements facing the CVP changed dramatically
in
the early 1990s with
the realization that several fish species relying on the Delta were
threatened
with extinction. The Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) was
then passed to provide habitat protection for these species and other
species. The CVPIA requires Central Valley Project
contractors to financially support the government in habitat restoration
activities. New contracts are required to reflect a
commitment to water for healthy rivers and not overpromise the Delta's
supply.
SAMPLE LETTER
David Hayes, Deputy Secretary
Department of Interior
1849 C St. NW
Washington DC 20240
Dear Mr. Hayes:
I urge you to stop making promises to Central Valley Project (CVP)
contractors that undermine the CALFED agreement. When renewing CVP
contracts, please take river capacity and endangered species in mind, to
prevent making impossible guarantees. As a first test of the CALFED
process, CVP contracts should reflect a
commitment to healthy rivers and the creation of a sustainable water
supply
system that will last California long into the future.
Water is a finite resource and steps must be taken now to protect
endangered
species, improve water quality and secure a reliable water supply. These
goals cannot be achieved if Interior continues to promise the delivery of
impossible amounts of water and continues to deliver water at subsidized
rates, which do not reflect fair market value. Water conservation
measures
must be implemented to help deliver a reliable water supply, rather than
relying on more dams and more diversions of water out of the Delta.
Conservation will occur if contractors have a financial incentive to make
their water last longer.
California's water resources cannot stand the test of time unless
proactive
measures are taken now that can help sustain this precious resource into
the
future for all Californians to enjoy. Promising too much water to select
areas will only exacerbate the water problems we face.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Your name
Your address
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CALFED RELEASES ITS RECORD OF DECISION
The Clinton and Davis administrations released their Record of Decision
for
CALFED on August 28th. This document is the culmination of years of
negotiation on how state and federal government will work to "solve"
California's water problems over the next 30 years. It outlines which
projects state and federal government want to undertake to address water
supply reliability, water quality, habitat protection for endangered
species,
and the improvement of water conservation efforts across the state. Many
steps
will need legislative approval to proceed. Other programs will take
years
to
iron out specific steps and goals before the projects actually begin.
Therefore, we will all need to continue tracking the progress of CALFED
to
ensure productive programs are implemented.
You can download the CALFED Record of Decision from the CALFED website at
http://calfed.ca.gov. Or you can contact Margaret Gidding in the CALFED
Office
to request a mailed copy: (916) 654-7137; Email: gidding@water.ca.gov
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
Next EWC General Meeting
The Environmental Water Caucus will hold its next general meeting on
Tuesday, September 12th from 1:00-4:30 at the Sierra Club in San
Francisco.
Sierra Club is at 85 Second Street at the corner of Mission Street. The
meeting will be in the Yosemite Room on the third floor across from the
elevators.
Andy Moran, Senior Policy Advisor for Senator Dianne Feinstein will speak
about the Senator's water policy. Daniel Newberry, Hoopa Valley Tribal
Representative and Nick Di Croce,
CalTrout will discuss Trinity River issues.
Please join us!
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, OR TO SUBMIT AN ITEM FOR THE NEXT UPDATE
Contact michele.moss@sierraclub.org
Address: Environmental Water Caucus
827 Broadway, Suite 310
Oakland, CA 94607
Phone: (510) 622-0290 x220
Fax: (510) 622-0278
The Environmental Water Caucus is a coalition of organizations working
toward a sustainable water future for California. The EWC Steering
Committee includes Audubon Chapters; California League of Conservation
Voters; California Sportfishing Protection Alliance; California Trout;
Clean
Water Action; Environmental Defense; Fishery Foundation of California;
Friends of the River; Mono Lake Committee; Natural Heritage Institute;
Natural Resources Defense Council; Pacific Coast Federation of
Fishermen's
Assciations; Sierra Club; Save San Francisco Bay Association; The Bay
Institute; The Nature Conservancy
The Environmental Water Caucus focuses on improving the CALFED Bay/Delta
Program, a joint state/federal planning process to address problems
associated with the San Francisco Bay/Delta.
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----- End of forwarded message from Michael A Rozengurt -----