[env-trinity] Water Export Threat Sharpens Protest of Water Contract Extensions

[Daniel Bacher]

P R E S S   R E L E A S E

For Immediate Release
Contact:	Craig Tucker - 916-442-3155
Michael Jackson - 530-283-0712
John Merz  - 530-345-1865


Water Export Threat Sharpens Protest of Water Contract Extensions

Citing the threat of massive exports of water from the Sacramento Valley, 
numerous organizations are protesting the US Bureau of Reclamation©ˆs (USBR) 
plan to renew Sacramento River Settlement Contracts for over two million 
acre feet of water.

USBR is holding a hearing in Willows on October 27 (3-6 pm at Monday 
Afternoon Club, 120 North Lassen Street) on the environmental review of the 
Settlement Contract  Renewals.  Organizations protesting these renewals and 
the environmental review will be attending and testifying.

"¯As proposed, these contracts will encourage water exports which in turn 
will lead to fewer working farms, lower reservoirs, less boating and fishing 
recreation, and dry wells"˜, according to Sacramento Valley Environmental 
Water Caucus co-chair Michael Jackson.

Jackson points out that the proposed renewals provide more water than the 
districts have historically used and promises deliveries for the next forty 
years, "¯To ensure that we have the flexibility we'ˆll need to contend with 
future growth or droughts here in our Valley, we should limit the life and 
amount of these contracts," he stated.

The contract renewals are governed by the 1992 Central Valley Project 
Improvement Act, which allows individual farmers to sell the water that they 
don't use to grow crops.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Bureau of 
Reclamation's own files reveal that all but two of the Settlement Contractor 
water districts would receive allocations for more water than they have 
historically used totaling several hundred thousand acre-fee of water 
annually.

"Southern California developers are eager for us to export more of our water 
to promote new growth there, and San Joaquin Valley corporate farms want 
more water because state public trust laws require that rivers they have 
traditionally relied upon such as the Trinity and San Joaquin leave enough 
water in the stream to restore healthy native salmon runs,˜ explained river 
advocate  and SVEWC co-chair John Merz. "The result of the increased exports 
from the Valley will be less water in our rivers when our fish and wildlife 
needs the flow.˜

Groundwater pumping is not covered in the contracts and there are no clauses 
prohibiting a farmer from selling their contract water and replacing it with 
well water.  In the last drought, farmers in the Valley used groundwater to 
replace the surface water that they exported.

¯It is not fair to other farmers and to anyone on a well to allow water 
exports without true groundwater  protection laws,˜ said Lynn Barris, a 
local farmer and member of Valley Water Protection Association.  ¯Water 
districts should only be allowed to use the public©ˆs water in the amounts 
that their farmers need, after they have implemented water conservation 
practices. And they shouldnˆt be allowed to sell the water they take from 
our rivers and replace it with additional groundwater pumping.˜

Fishing clubs, river protection organizations, state and national 
environmental groups, local business owners, and others will provide details 
of their concerns about the environmental review of the Sacramento 
Settlement Contract Renewals at the hearing in Willows. They will also be 
there to protest against the damage these contracts will do to the local 
economy, fishing and recreation,  groundwater supplies, tax dollars and 
other concerns.

For more information about the issues being raised by these protesting 
organizations, contact Craig Tucker, Friends of the River (916-442-3155) or 
Michael Jackson SVEWC (530-283-0712).