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Shovels in the ground for peripheral canal, Exploratory work already started

 

by Jerry Neuburger, CSPA Webmaster

May 7, 2009 -- Residents in the area of Clarksburg are reporting that Department of Water Resources engineers and surveyors are drilling core samples and doing other on-site work in planning possible routes for the peripheral canal. While about 50% of the farmers refused access to the state for exploratory purposes, those granting access report that a number of processes are taking place which, if the canal is approved, would pave the way for its construction.

 

At a time when the state's budget is deep in the red and the governor is cutting state programs drastically it seems reckless  that the DWR is conducting these surveys without any assurances what ever that the project will take place. The expenditure of these funds is taking place at the same time that the governor is threatening to drastically cut funding for CalFire even as wildfires rage in Santa Barbara.

 

Currently there is no funding for such a canal, no bills are pending in the legislature nor are there any measures on the May special election ballot that would would pay for its construction. Not a single shred of voter or legislative approved funding is in place, even for the exploratory  work being done free gratis by Lester Snow and the Department of Water Resources to satisfy the governor's goal of building a canal as lasting part of his legacy.

 

However, if one dug deep enough into DWR's budget one would possibly also find a contract for a bronze plaque to be ready by the end of 2010. The wording on the plaque might read;

 

"The Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Peripheral Canal

Dedicated to the man who "saved" all Californians from the drought.

 

built under the supervision of

California Secretary for Natural Resources, Mike Chrisman

Lester Snow, Director of the Department of Water Resources"

 

This effort in achieving immortality by this triumvirate is no surprise when you consider that the governor, an actor, came from the land of Disneyland where faith in make-believe is required to enter the Happy Kingdom.

 

An additional article on the exploratory work and the resistance to the project can be found at:

 

Delta landowners heading to court from the Stockton Record