Today was another busy day in California Water as Jerry Brown gets ready to leave the Governor’s Office in January and made another deal with the Trump administration to benefit corporate agribusiness interests on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley.
First, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced that they and the Bureau of Reclamation reached agreement on updating how the State Water Project (SWP) and Central Valley Water Project (CVP) are operated to meet environmental regulations.
“The state and federal projects are intertwined, and we have a joint interest and responsibility to ensure our water system meets California’s needs especially as conditions change,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth.
“DWR and the Bureau also signed an agreement to formalize the cost sharing formula for projects needed to meet joint responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The new agreement calls for costs to be shared equitably between the state and federal projects for work to meet joint responsibilities under the ESA, including monitoring and habitat restoration,” according to DWR.
The cost sharing agreement can be found here.
Second, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman issued a statement on the California Water Agreements plan discussed by Nemeth and CDFW Director Chuck Bonham at the State Water Resources Control Board meeting in Sacramento yesterday.
“I am very proud of the accomplishments we have made with the state and with our partners on the framework for voluntary agreements to address water flow issues in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Basins. I am also extremely pleased that we were able to reach agreement with the state on an addendum to the Coordinated Operation Agreement that lays the groundwork for improved water management in California for the next generation.
Unfortunately, the State Water Resources Control Board chose to move forward with Phase I of its water quality control plan update. We have consistently opposed this approach. It appears the State Board has left room for future consideration of the voluntary agreements, and we are working to fully analyze the impact the State Board action has on our federal projects.
I am optimistic about the future, and we will continue to work with our partners at the California Department of Water Resources as well as the State Board and our stakeholders to advance reasonable water management solutions for our contractors that meet the needs of California’s farms, families, industries and environmental resources.”
I will post more information as I receive responses to the cost sharing agreement and Burman’s statement.