As atmospheric rivers exacerbated by climate change continue to hammer California, we have two opportunities to fight against two proposals, the Delta Tunnel and the voluntary agreements, that will harm the Bay Delta Watershed, its fish and wildlife and its people.
On Wednesday January 18, 2023 at 12:00 pm, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will host a virtual hearing to receive public comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP), AKA Delta Tunnel.
The Corps’ Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) for the Delta Tunnel is available for public review and comment from December 16, 2022 through March 16, 2023. The comment period was recently extended from the original February 14, 2023 end date.
Please use the following information to connect to the meeting using the Zoom platform or connecting in by phone:
Wednesday, January 18, 2023, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Topic: Draft EIS Public Meeting
Webinar Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85066542191?pwd=YVkwb3dIR01XaU9SN0VHeWZHQjBLQT09
Passcode: 026045
Telephone:
1-833-548-0276 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 850 6654 2191
Passcode: 026045
For more information on the Draft EIS and USACE public review period, visit the USACE website.
“The DCP is a proposal to build a tunnel to move water from the Sacramento River to be delivered to large agriculture businesses south of the Delta,” said Erin Woolley, Policy Advocate for Sierra Club California in an action alert. “Freshwater flows into the Delta are inadequate during key times of the year to support sensitive fish species and protect water quality in the Delta. This project will cost upwards of $16 billion to continue ecologically harmful and unsustainable water exports instead of promoting investments in local and regional water resiliency.“
Also on Wednesday, Jan. 18, there will be a Josh Harder Town Hall on Water, from 6-7 p.m at the Health Plan of San Joaquin in French Camp, CA.
The congressman and panelists including Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Restore the Delta, will also give a brief overview and then we will head to Q&A and a Call-to-Action: RSVP online here.
Then, on Thursday January 19, 2023 at 10:00 am, the California State Water Resources Control Board will host a workshop to hear public comments on the Scientific Basis Report for the proposed Voluntary Agreements (VAs).
“The Voluntary Agreements are a water-agency backed proposal that are a workaround state regulatory requirements provided by the Bay-Delta Plan update. In March of 2022, the State released the latest in a series of VA proposals that would require less flows than the Bay Delta Plan update and may substantially harm the Bay Delta ecosystem,” stated Woolley
“Both of these proposals will have harmful impacts on fish and wildlife, and water quality for California communities,” she concluded. “Californians can improve water resiliency without propping up projects that delay improvements in management or continue harmful water diversions.”
Call in and voice your opposition!
Finally, on Thursday, Jan 26, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m, you can attend a virtual Zoom symposium “Hell or High Water: How Stockton Can Prepare for the Risk of Flood Disaster.”
This symposium will be led by panelists from local and state government entities, community leaders, flood experts and esteemed researchers who will provide insight on flood management issues, their solutions and will inform the public on what to expect from the capitol regarding investments in flood protection. This event will cover various topics that will explore Stockton’s Growing Flood Risk, Flood Risk from the Community Perspective, The View from the Capitol, and Planning and Building Solutions.
Panelists include Congressman Josh Harder, Stockton City Council Womxn Kimberly Warmsley, UCLA Climate Scientist Daniel Swain, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency, Restore the Delta, River Partners, Little Manilla Rising and Public Health Advocates.
This will be a one-day virtual event and will take place on January 26th from 5:30
PM to 7:30 PM. Register for Zoom Here
San Joaquin County Added to FEMA storm disaster relief list
The Delta Tunnels and Voluntary Agreements proposals couldn’t come at a worse time for Delta fish populations. For the sixth year in a row, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fall Midwater Trawl Survey (FMWT) has found zero Delta Smelt in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
The slender 2 to 3 inch fish that smells like cucumber was once the most abundant fish in the Delta. The smelt, found only in the Delta, is considered an indicator species that shows the relative health of the imperiled estuary.
The results of the survey were summed up and analyzed in a memorandum from James White, environmental scientist for the CDFW’s Bay Delta Region, to Erin Chappell, Regional Manager Bay Delta Region, on Dec. 29, 2022: Memorandum: 2022 FMWT Annual Fish Abundance and Distribution.
According to White, the 2022 abundance index was zero and “continues the trend of no catch in the FMWT since 2017.” No Delta Smelt were collected from any stations during the four month survey from Sept.-Dec. 2022.
“An absence of Delta Smelt catch in the FMWT is consistent among other surveys in the estuary,” White wrote. “The Enhanced Delta Smelt Monitoring (EDSM) survey of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) caught 3 Delta Smelt among 61 sampling days (between 9/6 and 12/15) comprised of 1,997 tows.”
The decline of the Delta’s pelagic species, including including the Delta smelt, Longfin Smelt, Sacramento Splittail, American shad and thread fin shad, has been catastrophic since the State Water Project went into operation in 1967.
Between 1967 and 2020, the state’s Fall Midwater Trawl abundance indices, a measure of relative abundance for striped bass, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, American shad, splittail and threadfin shad have declined by 99.7, 100, 99.96, 67.9, 100, and 95 percent, respectively, according to the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.