A new coalition of Chambers of Commerce, agribusiness interests and water agencies to promote Governor Jerry Brown's Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the peripheral tunnels has been launched. Here is the press release:
New Coalition Launches Statewide Advertising Campaign to Support Plan to Fix California’s Aging Water Distribution System
Growing Coalition of Business, Labor, Agriculture, Environmental, Water, Local Government and Community Groups Formed to Push Support for Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). Warns Inaction Threatens California Water Security.
SACRAMENTO – Today, a new and growing coalition of residents, business leaders, labor, family farmers, local governments, water experts, environmentalists and others – Californians for Water Security – announced plans to mount a comprehensive, multi-year campaign in support of the plan to fix California’s broken water distribution system, through implementation of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). The coalition will wage an active advertising, grassroots lobbying, social media and public advocacy campaign to support this important project to fix our aging water distribution infrastructure and improve water reliability and security throughout the state.
As part of this effort, the coalition unveiled a new statewide online advertising campaign that began today that will reach millions of Californians and opinion leaders over the coming weeks and months.
“There are few things more important for the security of our state than a reliable water supply,” said Jim Earp, Executive Director of the California Alliance for Jobs, a labor management partnership. “But California’s main water distribution system that supplies water to 2/3 of our state’s families, farms and businesses is aging and at risk of collapse. We must take steps now to fix our aging water distribution infrastructure to protect the safety and reliability of our state’s water supply. Inaction is not an option.”
Currently, two-thirds of water for Californians starts in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and flows through the state’s main water distribution system through the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta to other parts of the state, including Northern California, the Bay Area, Central Valley, and Southern California. But this system of aging levees, aqueducts and pipes – that supplies water to 25 million Californians and 3 million acres of farmland – is outdated and at risk of collapse in the event of a major earthquake or flood. Problems with this aging system have resulted in significant water supply cutbacks, as well as damage to fish, wildlife and the environment.
The BDCP was created to address the severe vulnerabilities of California’s water delivery system. The plan was drafted after nearly a decade of extensive expert review, planning and scientific and environmental analysis by the state’s leading water experts, engineers and conservationists. It is the only viable plan supported by leading scientists, water agencies, engineers and other experts.
“The levees that make up the state’s main water distribution system in the Delta are 60 years old and made up mostly of dirt. In the event of an earthquake, these levees will collapse and 2/3 of our water supply would be at risk,” said Alice Huffman, President of the California NAACP. “We must improve the safety of our water system by fixing our aging infrastructure.”
“Our state’s outdated and fragile water delivery system is not working for people or the environment,” said Dr. Jerry Meral, California water director of the Natural Heritage Institute. “And climate change means that California will have less and less snowpack in the future. We must move forward with the Bay Delta Conservation Plan to upgrade our water system to make best use of limited water supplies while also restoring and protecting vital Delta habitat and wildlife.”
“Family farmers throughout the state have left fields barren or ripped out orchards as drought and a failing water delivery system have cut off their surface water supply. The harsh reality for many farmers in the San Joaquin Valley is that even with a ‘normal’ amount of rain and snow this year, rules governing our water delivery system will still cause them to receive little or no water. It is imperative that we continue to move ahead with improvements to our water storage and delivery infrastructure if we are to preserve California’s uniquely diverse and productive farm heritage,” said Dave Puglia, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs and Communications, Western Growers.
“Severe water cutbacks to farms has forced many farmers to let crops die or to pay higher costs to secure water,” said Mike Wade, Executive Director of the California Farm Water Coalition. “This has increased the price of food for families. We must fix our water distribution system to prevent fewer fresh food choices and unnecessary increases in food costs.”
In the past 50 years the state has invested billions in our roads, bridges and schools, but has spent almost nothing on improving our aging 60 year old water distribution system. The BDCP plan will:
Improve the safety of our water system by fixing aging infrastructure using the most innovative technologies and engineering practices.
Protect water supplies by delivering them through a modern water pipeline rather than relying solely on today’s deteriorating levee system.
Build a water delivery system that is able to protect our water supplies from earthquakes, floods and natural disasters.
Improve the ability to move water in wet years to water storage facilities throughout the state so we can capture it for use in dry years.
Restoring habitat and more natural water flows above ground in rivers and streams in order to reduce impacts on endangered fish and other wildlife.
Build a water system that can reliably deliver water to people and businesses, while also protecting water supplies for the environment, fish and wildlife.
“A critical portion of Southern California’s drinking water flows from the Sierra’s through the state’s main water distribution system, but the aging system puts our local water supply at risk, said Gary Toebben, President and CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. “In the event of a levee break or system failure, much of Los Angeles’ water supply could be interrupted for up to one year. This plan will upgrade and repair the state’s water system, and protect hundreds of thousands of regional jobs that depend on the stability of this water supply.”
“The system that delivers water to millions of residents, farms and businesses is at serious risk,” said Bob Linscheid, President and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. “Without action to support this plan, Bay Area water supplies are at risk from contamination, drought and even sea water moving up the delta.”
Please click here to see samples of the online advertising launched by the coalition today.
For more information, please visit: www.watersecurityca.com
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