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<H1>Supervisors oppose water reallocation</H1>
<P class=byline>By <A href="http://www.redding.com/staff/kimberly-ross/"><FONT
color=#017890>Kimberly Ross</FONT></A> (<A class=contactlink
href="http://www.redding.com/staff/kimberly-ross/contact/"><FONT
color=#017890>Contact</FONT></A>)<BR>Wednesday, August 20, 2008 </P>
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<H6><FONT size=2><A
href="http://www.redding.com/news/2008/aug/20/supervisors-oppose-water-reallocation/">http://www.redding.com/news/2008/aug/20/supervisors-oppose-water-reallocation/</A></FONT></H6></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<P>Shasta County supervisors passed a lean annual budget Tuesday and agreed to
voice opposition to the controversial Delta Vision plan -- which could deny
north state water rights to quench Southern Californians' thirst.</P>
<P>The Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 to send a letter to the chairman of the
plan's Blue Ribbon Task Force, with Supervisor Mark Cibula repeatedly
questioning whether the county's four-page letter was worded strongly
enough.</P>
<P>He stressed Shasta County's responsibility to protect the north state's
enormous water supply from Lake Shasta and Whiskeytown Lake, both for local
water users and those in neighboring counties.</P>
<P>"This is one of the most important things we will do," he said.</P>
<P>Supervisor Les Baugh defended the letter's strength, pointing out the start
of one of his favorite lines:</P>
<P>"We cannot be more vehemently opposed to this preemption of local government
authority. The reason why many counties adopted ordinances to regulate
groundwater exports was due to real or perceived failures on the part of the
state to manage these problems adequately," it says.</P>
<P>Supervisor David Kehoe abstained from the vote, saying he agreed with many of
the letter's concepts, but wanted more information and public comment. Kehoe
successfully requested that the board hold a workshop to further discuss the
Delta Vision’s implications.</P>
<P>The workshop is tentatively set for Sept. 23 or later, Shasta County
Administrative Officer Larry Lees said Tuesday afternoon.</P>
<P>Cibula voted yes on the proposed letter with the understanding that more
letters could be sent after the workshop, and visits with state representatives
should be planned, he said.</P>
<P>The Delta Vision Strategic Plan aims to fix the poorly functioning
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the west coast’s largest estuary, Public Works
Director Pat Minturn told the board. The peat bog’s weak levees are vulnerable
to storms and earthquakes, yet they serve as part of a water conveyance system
for 23 million Californians, Minturn wrote in a staff report.</P>
<P>However, the plan by the Blue Ribbon Task Force, formed by Gov.
Schwarzenegger, “would trump local and regional controls,” including the
county’s Groundwater Management Ordinance, Minturn wrote.</P>
<P>The county’s letter opposes the plan to grant the California Delta Ecosystem
and Water Council the authority to affect areas outside the delta or to
supercede existing water rights. Additionally, it opposes the idea that water
would not be purchased, but provided based on “constitutional principles of
reasonable use and public trust,” as described in the plan.</P>
<P>Depleting upstream water systems is another concern, the letter states. While
understanding that water supplies must be increased, “efforts to reduce the
demand for water must equally be advanced,” the letter says.</P>
<P>The board’s letter was drafted in conjunction with Tehama, Butte, Colusa and
Glenn counties and based on the Northern California Water Association’s
concerns. Voting on it Tuesday means it will be received before the governor’s
Oct. 31 deadline for the task force’s management plan.</P>
<P>Reporter Kimberly Ross can be reached at 225-8339 or at
kross@redding.com.</P></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>