[env-trinity] Folsom Lake and American River threatened by twin tunnels plan

[Dan Bacher]

https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/11/05/18746015.php

Folsom Lake hosts a naturally spawning king salmon population, as  
well as abundant populations of spotted, largemouth and smallmouth  
bass, rainbow trout and channel catfish. The American River below the  
dam hosts a unique urban fishery for king salmon, steelhead, striped  
bass, American shad and other species that would be devastated if the  
peripheral tunnels are built.

Sammy Yoro, Jr. of Watsonville holds up two hatchery winter-run  
steelhead typical of those that ascend the American River every year.  
Photo by Dan Bacher.



800_img_1527.jpg
original image ( 2304x3456)

Folsom Lake and American River threatened by twin tunnels plan

by Dan Bacher

Monday, November 4 was a big day for opponents of Governor Jerry  
Brown's Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the peripheral  
tunnels.

Placer County officials held a press conference on the bed of Folsom  
Lake criticizing the unpopular plan at the same time that nine  
elected leaders, a top economist, and water experts told "The Real  
Delta Story at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, addressing  
the impacts of the proposed water export tunnels on the region.

On the same day, Nimbus Fish Hatchery officials also opened the fish  
ladder so the first batch of fall run Chinook salmon on the American  
River could enter the facility to be spawned.

The Placer County leaders criticized the current BDCP and urged state  
leaders to modify it so it "doesn’t just benefit one part of the  
state," according to Placer County on-line. http:// 
placercountyonline.com/2013/placer-leaders-highlight-dangers-bay- 
delta-conservation-plan-sacramento-region/

Officials fear the plan will result in the export of more Folsom Lake  
water to corporate agribusiness interests on the west side of the San  
Joaquin Valley, leaving the Sacramento area with a virtually empty  
Folsom Lake.

“We need a strategy for the entire state, a plan that benefits  
everyone so that all Californians can prosper,” said Assemblywoman  
Beth Gaines, R-Rocklin at the press conference.

“Unfortunately the reliable water supplies our region has come to  
know are in jeopardy," noted Gaines. “In its current form, the Bay  
Delta Conservation Plan shows no plan to address how the state will  
prevent Folsom Lake from reaching extreme low levels.”

Roseville Mayor Susan Rohan, Placer County Supervisor Kirk Uhler,  
Roseville Vice Mayor Carol Garcia, Placer County Water Agency  
Directors Gray Allen and Robert Dugan and officials from the San Juan  
Water District joined Gaines in criticizing the tunnel plan.

For the “Sake of the Lake” is a regional effort co‐founded by  
the City of Roseville and San Juan Water District, through the  
partnership dubbed “Protect Our Folsom Water,” to “bring to  
light the importance of Folsom Lake to the region.”

The news conference kicked off a week of outreach efforts by the  
group including: partnerships with local school districts,  
educational programs and afterschool centers to educate children  
about the importance of the lake; electronic and social media  
outreach to target regional water users, and; support from business  
owners who rely on water supplies for the success of their businesses.

The state's most recent draft of the BDCP shows the lake will drop  
to ”dead pool, a virtual dry lake to water providers and at least  
once every ten years due to climate change,” the group said.

A depleted Folsom Lake will also threaten king salmon and steelhead  
populations that need abundant, cold water from Folsom Lake to survive.

“What the BDCP doesn't show, however, is how the state will work to  
prevent this from happening - something they say they'll address,”  
according to the group.

"We need state leaders to address this issue with a sound operational  
plan that provides water supply reliability for the entire state,"  
noted Roseville Mayor Susan Rohan, "we cannot stay silent on this  
issue until we have solid assurances that our region's water supply  
will not be compromised. We are eager to work with the Governor and  
state officials to develop solutions to these complex water  
challenges and provide certainty that the water supply needs of all  
Californians will be met."

“Folsom Lake directly supplies water to over half‐a‐million  
people and serves another half‐million people as its water supplies  
travel down the American River. It's a recreational beacon to the  
region and the second most visited park in the state parks system.  
The lake is also a driver of the Sacramento economy. Without its  
reliable water supplies development, existing industries and  
businesses will be crippled,” according to Protect Our Folsom Water.

Folsom Lake hosts a naturally spawning king salmon fishery, as well  
as abundant populations of spotted, largemouth and smallmouth bass,  
rainbow trout and channel catfish. The American River below the dam  
hosts a unique urban fishery for king salmon, steelhead, striped  
bass, American shad and other species that would be devastated if the  
peripheral tunnels are built.

Organizations signing letters or resolutions of support for the  
effort to prevent more Folsom Lake water from being exported south  
include the County of Sacramento, Sacramento Suburban Water District,  
Sacramento Metro Chamber, Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau  
and the Regional Water Authority. A complete list of supporters is  
available on the group's website, ProtectOurFolsomWater.com.

"This isn't just about the BDCP," added Gaines. "This is about a  
smart solution to a problem that is all too familiar to our state:  
getting water to those who need it without hurting those who have it.  
All of California deserves reliable access to water supplies. But the  
state has to develop a plan to make sure one region won't suffer to  
benefit another."

To learn more, visit ProtectOurFolsomWater.com and sign up to take  
the pledge to protect Folsom Lake and American River water supplies  
from the construction of the twin tunnels.

Coalition Members Tell The Real Delta Story

On the same day, nine elected leaders, a top economist, and water  
experts told The Real Delta Story on Monday, Nov. 4, at the  
University of the Pacific in Stockton, addressing the impacts of the  
proposed water export tunnels on the region.

A little more than a month before the Brown Administration releases  
its water export plan, the experts addressed its impacts on water  
quality, agriculture, fisheries, farming and the ecosystem of the Delta.

Speakers included John Herrick, attorney and water expert; Dr. Jeff  
Michael, University of the Pacific Economist; Barbara Barrigan- 
Parilla, Restore the Delta Executive Director; Larry Ruhstaller, San  
Joaquin County Supervisor (District 2) and Chair of the Delta  
Protection Commission; Ken Vogel, San Joaquin County Supervisor  
(District 4) and Chair of the Delta Conservancy; Rogene Reynolds,  
Farmer in the South Delta.

Stockton City Councilmember Kathy Miller (District 2) moderated a  
panel of legislators who represent the heart of the Delta including:  
State Senator Lois Wolk (District 3); Senator Cathleen Galgiani  
(District 5); Assembly Member Susan Eggman (District 13); Assembly  
Member Jim L. Frazier, Jr. (District 11); Assembly Member Kristin M.  
Olsen (District 12); Assembly Member Mariko Yamada (District 4).

"We certainly have the science and the facts on our side," said state  
Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, one of the state Legislature's most  
outspoken Delta defenders, according to the Stockton Record. "We have  
the cost and financing and economics on our side. What we're really  
going to need to do is form alliances and reach out and persuade  
others. Our success will be dependent on that." (http:// 
www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131105/A_NEWS/311050320)

The Brown administration continues to push the $54.1 billion  
peripheral boondoggle even when all of the science indicates that the  
construction of the tunnels would hasten the extinction of the  
Central Valley Chinook salmon, steelhead, Delta smelt, longfin smelt,  
green sturgeon and other species while imperiling salmon and  
steelhead populations on the Trinity and Klamath rivers. The tunnel  
will deliver massive quantities of water to corporate agribusiness  
interests irrigating drainage-impaired, selenium-laced land on the  
west side of the San Joaquin Valley.

For more information and action alerts, go to http:// 
www.restorethedelta.com

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20131105/2a52975c/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_img_1527.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 293592 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20131105/2a52975c/attachment.jpg>