Winnemem Wintu and CSPA Respond to Governor's Delta Vision Spin

December 19, 2007


By Dan Bacher, The Fish Sniffer
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger used the release of the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force's final report on Monday, December 17 as yet another opportunity to campaign for his water bond proposal for new dams and a peripheral canal. Schwarzenegger's proposal would result in increased water exports from the California Delta to subsidized agribusiness and southern California, further imperiling an estuary already in steep decline. Delta smelt, longfin smelt, threadfin shad, juvenile striped bass and other fish species have declined to record lows in recent years, due to massive increases in state and federal water exports.

Gary Mulcahy, governmental liason for the Winnemem Wintu (McCloud River) Indian Tribe, and John Beuttler, conservation director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA), criticized the governor's statement for focusing on surface storage and water conveyance rather than the other huge issues and recommendations contained in the report. Mulcahy and Beuttler are both members of the Delta Vision Stakeholders Group.

"Throwing money at new storage and a conveyance system WILL NOT fix the problem," said Mulcahy. "It is time for Californians as a whole, not a select few, to take back control of California Water."

Beuttler noted, "Schwarzenegger's media statement places exaggerated political spin on the alleged need for new surface storage and conveyance of water south of the Delta and his insistence that bond measure fund these multibillion dollar water project plumbing fixtures."

Below is the complete statement by the Governor, followed by responses by Mulcahy and Beuttler:

Gov. Schwarzenegger Issues Statement on Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force Report

Governor Schwarzenegger today (December 17) issued the following statement after the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force delivered its final report:

"I would like to thank Phil Isenberg and the members of the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force for their hard work over the past ten months. This report reaffirms the need to take immediate and long-term actions to improve both the ailing Delta habitat and the state's major water infrastructure. With shrinking snowpacks and court-ordered reductions in water deliveries to twenty five million Californians and hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland, our state is facing severe water shortages. It is clear that the time for action is now and any delay will only make problems worse over the coming decades.

"In addition to an increased emphasis on conservation and regional self sufficiency, this report shows the critical link new surface storage and conveyance play in a long term fix for the Delta. That is why I am committed to continue working with legislative leaders to approve a comprehensive water infrastructure bond for 2008. This will ensure that these key recommendations can be funded without delay."

The Governor has directed a cabinet-level committee led by Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman to evaluate the recommendations and entire report.

In July, the Governor directed the Department of Water Resources to take immediate action steps to improve conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, to help restore its natural habitat and protect the Delta smelt and other species.

In October, the Governor signed a package of legislation that calls for development of a comprehensive Central Valley Flood Protection Plan and reforms the Reclamation Board to improve efficiency, require cities and counties to increase consideration of flood risks when making land use decisions and create a new standard in flood protection for urban development in the region.

Last year, the Governor directed the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force to develop a Delta management plan. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan is also underway, being developed with broad participation from water agencies, environmental organizations and local representatives.

In January, consistent with the Delta management plan, the Governor introduced a comprehensive plan to invest in additional surface and groundwater storage. The Governor's comprehensive plan also includes significant funding toward restoration of the ailing Delta and would lead to the development of a new conveyance system. Twenty five million Californians rely on the Delta for clean, safe water. It also irrigates hundreds of thousands of acres of Central Valley farmland and it is the backbone of California's $32 billion agricultural industry.

Throughout this year, the Governor visited several sites around the state highlighting the need to upgrade California's water infrastructure, calling on the legislature to pass his comprehensive plan. Over the last several months, the Governor has been negotiating with legislative leaders to gain consensus on a proposal.


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Response by Gary Mulcahy, Winnemem Wintu Tribe:

Once again, the Governor (just like many other politicians) grabs on to a single piece of information to forward their own agenda, and ignores the enormous and most pressing issues contained in the report. Throwing money at new storage and a conveyance system WILL NOT fix the problem. The BRTF specifically stated,

“Yes, improved levees, more groundwater and surface water storage, changed conveyance, and mitigation projects are needed and must occur. But they are insuffi cient by themselves to satisfy the intergenerational charge to Delta Vision. Achieving a durable vision for sustainable management of the Delta requires urgent and integrated action. To be more direct:” (Rpt. p.6)

“Integrated, comprehensive action is needed; delaying or selecting some elements of this vision while ignoring others will lead to failure.”(Rpt.p7)

The Governor ignores the need to seriously address the full gambit necessary to ensure that water is available for generations to come. A gambit that necessarily includes the need to CHANGE the way water rights, water use permits, water regulations, and who oversees them has to be addressed, before ANY meaningful change can be successful. It is time to rethink and reallocate water in California. It is time to get rid of the Settlement Contractors, get rid of the existing long term water contracts, protect area of origin water rights, and use the State Constitution to enforce “Public Trust” and “Reasonable and Beneficial Use”.

Too long have the Water Barons, and Corporate Ag business directed how California Water will be allocated. Too long have they gotten away with paying little or nothing to repay the cost of infrastructure built to supply them since the 1940’s. A bill that the California Tax Payer has been footing ever since. Too long has the Federal Bureau of Reclamation under the guise of the Central Valley Project, had free run with the way the allocate and manage water deliveries in California.

The real changes need to come HERE. We will never have control over California Water as long as the status quo remains. It is time for Californians as a whole, not a select few, to take back control of California Water. Only then, can we ensure that what needs to be done will get done, in the way it needs to get done, and in the time it needs to be done. It is your future.


Response by John Beuttler, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance:

“Unfortunately, Schwarzenegger failed to properly acknowledge that Task Force made 12 integrated recommendations that they viewed as critical actions necessary to meet the state’s obligations to achieve the coequal goals the Task Force set for the sustainable management of the Delta,” said the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance’s Conservation Director John Beuttler.

Beuttler also noted that “The Governor’s statement excludes acknowledgment that these linked recommendations are a package that cannot be separated and must be planned and developed as such. His media statement places exaggerated political spin on the alleged need for new surface storage and conveyance of water south of the Delta and his insistence that bond measure fund these multibillion dollar water project plumbing fixtures.”

Beuttler concluded, “To quote from the Task Force's cover letter that prefaced their Delta Vision to the Governor: For those who rush to discuss Delta water conveyance as if no other issue is of importance, we caution that decisions about storage and conveyance flow from all twelve recommendations in our Vision, and cannot be decided by themselves. To that end, we have recommended an assessment process focused on dual conveyance as the preferred direction, allowing an ultimate decision which fits into the other elements of this Vision.”

The recommendations made by the Task Force are:

The twelve integrated and linked recommendations are at the heart of our vision:

1. The Delta ecosystem and a reliable water supply for California are the primary, coequal goals for sustainable management of the Delta.

2. The California Delta is a unique and valued area, warranting recognition and
special legal status from the State of California.

3. The Delta ecosystem must function as an integral part of a healthy estuary.

4. California’s water supply is limited and must be managed with significantly higher
efficiency to be adequate for its future population, growing economy, and vital
environment.

5. The foundation for policymaking about California water resources must be the
longstanding constitutional principles of “reasonable use” and “public trust”;
these principles are particularly important and applicable to the Delta.

6. The goals of conservation, efficiency, and sustainable use must drive California
water policies.

7. A revitalized Delta ecosystem will require reduced diversions—or changes in
patterns and timing of those diversions upstream, within the Delta, and exported
from the Delta—at critical times.

8. New facilities for conveyance and storage, and better linkage between the two,
are needed to better manage California’s water resources for both the estuary and
exports.

9. Major investments in the California Delta and the statewide water management
system must integrate and be consistent with specific policies in this vision. In
particular, these strategic investments must strengthen selected levees, improve
floodplain management, and improve water circulation and quality.

10. The current boundaries and governance system of the Delta must be changed. It
is essential to have an independent body with authority to achieve the co-equal
goals of ecosystem revitalization and adequate water supply for California—while
also recognizing the importance of the Delta as a unique and valued area. This
body must have secure funding and the ability to approve spending, planning, and
water export levels.

11. Discouraging inappropriate urbanization of the Delta is critical both to preserve
the Delta’s unique character and to ensure adequate public safety.

12. Institutions and policies for the Delta should be designed for resiliency and
adaptation.