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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>There are a number of unanswered questions about
the Peripheral Canal. Some have asked me if I would support one and I ask
them what is it? There seem to be a number of perspectives on
what the PC really is. See article below and Barry Nelson's blog
(NRDC) below for some clarification to confuse you more about WHAT IS THE
PERIPHERAL CANAL?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>There are also some issues of honesty regarding
some who support a PC, according to the article below.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I personally would probably support a pipeline of
very limited capacity solely for urban water use, if it were concurrent
with SIGNIFICANT reductions in Delta (and Trinity) water
exports.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>For now, it's my understanding that the PC in DWR's
plans and cost estimates consists of a big unlined dirt ditch that in some
places, goes below sea level. I don't see how that is going to increase
reliability in the future world of earthquakes and rising sea
levels.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Tom Stokely<BR>V/FAX 530-926-9727<BR><A
href="mailto:tstokely@att.net">tstokely@att.net</A><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><A
style="COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline"
href="">http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11438885</A><?XML:NAMESPACE
PREFIX = O /><O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Tough
choices on Delta await state officials<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">By Mike
Taugher<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Contra Costa
Times Staff Writer<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Posted:
01/12/2009 07:53:08 PM PST<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Pushing hard
to build a new canal around the Delta, the Schwarzenegger administration rarely
misses an opportunity to point out how rickety<SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = ST1
/><ST1:STATE w:st="on"><ST1:PLACE w:st="on">California</ST1:PLACE></ST1:STATE>'s
water system has become.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">And in their
zeal to get the expensive and controversial aqueduct built, they occasionally
exaggerate.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">For example,
when federal regulators imposed new rules last month to protect endangered fish,
the state's water agency announced, "Delta Water Exports Could Be Reduced By Up
to 50 Percent Under New Federal Biological
Opinion."<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">It was an
alarmist and inflated claim. But state water officials know the more dire the
situation appears, the more support they will get to divert billions of gallons
of water around, instead of through, the Delta.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In fact, the
water cuts are significant only when compared to the record-breaking pumping of
recent years. Even then, the 50 percent figure represents a theoretical worst
case, not a certainty or even a likelihood.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Still, no
one can deny that<SPAN class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><ST1:STATE
w:st="on"><ST1:PLACE w:st="on">California</ST1:PLACE></ST1:STATE><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN>faces tough decisions in the coming
months and years. The Delta, as a living estuary, has been pushed to the
breaking point by an increase in water pumping and other stressors. And the
demand for Delta water continues to grow — it is a growing state that has lost
water supplies in the<SPAN class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><ST1:PLACE
w:st="on">Colorado River</ST1:PLACE><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN>to drought and interstate
agreements.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">2009 looks
to be the year policymakers have to grapple with the Delta's central dilemma:
How much water can be taken from it for the state's cities and farms and should
the flow come through the Delta or go around it? And a related but rarely
uttered question: How much environmental damage in the West Coast's largest
estuary is acceptable?<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">For the
governor and many water agencies, the answer is to build a canal around the
Delta even though no one knows how it would be built or
operated.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In general,
a canal would provide cleaner water and it would eliminate the state's reliance
on fragile levees to channel water to pumps near<SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1:PLACE
w:st="on">Tracy</ST1:PLACE></ST1:CITY><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN>that kill millions of fish every
year.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">With the
status quo clearly not working, the idea has at least qualified support from
many of the state's water agencies, The Nature Conservancy, the Department of
Fish and Game, and a panel of outside experts that have been working under the
auspices of the Public Policy Institute of
California.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The flip
side is that the canal would reduce water flowing through the Delta, affecting
threatened wildlife there, increasing the concentration of pollutants and
possibly causing stagnation. Delta landowners fear that building the canal would
evaporate state funding for maintaining Delta levees and
islands.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Delta
residents,<SPAN class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><ST1:PLACE
w:st="on"><ST1:PLACENAME w:st="on">Contra</ST1:PLACENAME><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><ST1:PLACENAME
w:st="on">Costa</ST1:PLACENAME><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><ST1:PLACETYPE
w:st="on">County</ST1:PLACETYPE></ST1:PLACE><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN>supervisors and others are lining up
against it.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The issue is
moving forward mostly in two plans.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">One, known
as Delta Vision, has been forwarded to Schwarzenegger. It includes a peripheral
canal in a sweeping package of water supply and environmental initiatives that
was put together by, among others, leading opponents of the original<SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><ST1:PLACE w:st="on"><ST1:PLACENAME
w:st="on">Peripheral</ST1:PLACENAME><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><ST1:PLACETYPE
w:st="on">Canal</ST1:PLACETYPE></ST1:PLACE>, which voters rejected in
1982.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Schwarzenegger's advisers have
endorsed most of the package, but it is unclear how it would be
implemented.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The other
plan, known as the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan, is a narrower strategy still
being negotiated among water users and regulators with strong guidance from the
administration. It is meant to get regulatory approval for a
canal.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Details —
especially how big it would be and how it would be used — have yet to be
defined, which hasn't stopped many from declaring they are for it or against
it.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In effect,
the battle lines are being drawn but no one knows what the fight is
about.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Would anyone
oppose the canal if it were made into a pipeline that was too small to
substantially diminish Delta water flows?<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">What if a
large, credibly regulated canal took small amounts of water in most years, but
in high-water years took more to refill<SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><ST1:PLACE w:st="on">Southern
California</ST1:PLACE><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN>reservoirs?<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Would water
users support a small canal? Would they support a big one that was not used
much?<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Would such a
tightly controlled big canal make economic sense? Could it be credibly regulated
in a state where water interests have long had the power to get their own way?
One of the biggest questions has hardly been addressed: How much water can the
Delta lose without damaging it?<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"The
peripheral canal is the narcotic to keep you from thinking about the tough
decisions that need to be made," said Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, a leading
voice in Congress on western water issues<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The water
supply available to a canal might not be as much as users
hope.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Federal
biologists are now requiring more water to flow through the Delta in wet years
to protect Delta smelt habitat. That's water that could otherwise be moved south
and stored.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Biologists
could require that more water flow through the Delta, not the canal, to help the
struggling salmon population.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Nevertheless, the Schwarzenegger
administration appears convinced that the canal is the way to go and state
officials have taken every opportunity to remind reporters and the general
public about the need for a "comprehensive" fix.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Which goes
back to that "50 percent" reduction.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">That applies
only to state, as opposed to federal, water contractors in dry years. And it
assumes regulators crack down hard any time there's a judgment call to be
made.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">To be fair,
the Department of Water Resources also gave reporters a more realistic number: a
17 percent reduction due to the federal biologists' ruling. That's what the
agency says would be the most likely loss of water for state and federal water
agencies in average years.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Even that
figure is inflated. The state calculated it by assuming that without the new
permit water agencies would pump more water than they ever have — 6.4 million
acre-feet. Charts distributed by the agency showed contractors most likely would
get about 5.3 million acre-feet in an average
year.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">That is
still significantly less than the 6 million acre-feet taken from the Delta in
recent years, but it is not a whole lot less than deliveries before 2000, the
year that a new Delta water strategy was adopted and pumping increased
sharply.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In effect,
it turns out, the courts and court-ordered environmental protections so far have
only modestly turned back the clock on Delta pumping. But more restrictions are
possible.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Can a
growing state accept those limits? Can it get around them with a canal and
reservoirs? What further regulatory cutbacks might be
ordered?<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">So many
questions. Might they be answered this year?<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Mike Taugher
covers natural resources. Reach him at 925-943-8257 or <A
href="mailto:mtaugher@bayareanewsgroup.com">mtaugher@bayareanewsgroup.com</A>.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
<H2>A Tale of Two Peripheral Canals. Or is it Three?</H2><IMG class=mug
alt="A Tale of Two Peripheral Canals. Or is it Three?"
src="http://switchboard.nrdc.org/media/photo-bnelson-contributor.jpg">
<DL class=entry-info>
<DT>Barry Nelson</DT>
<DD>Western Water Project Director, San Francisco </DD>
<DD><A href="http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/bnelson/">Blog</A>
<SPAN>|</SPAN> <A
href="http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/bnelson/about/">About</A></DD>
<DD>Posted January 8, 2009 </DD></DL>
<DIV class=entrybody>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><A
href="">http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/bnelson/a_tale_of_two_peripheral_canal.html</A></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<P>On Tuesday, the Sacramento Bee reported that <A
href="http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/1521634.html?mi_rss=Our%20Region">The
Nature Conservancy has conditionally endorsed a Peripheral Canal</A>. News about
the canal always travels fast. It's one of the most controversial projects in
the contentious history of California water. </P>
<P>The canal is designed to divert water from the Sacramento River, just south
of the state capital, and divert it around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to
the enormous state and federal water pumps on the Delta's southern edge. A
previous proposal for the canal was rejected by California voters in 1982.
Margins in Northern California, driven by fears of thirsty Central Valley and
Southern California water users, reached historic levels. For example, 97
percent of Marin County voters pulled the lever against the canal. For the
next 25 years, the canal was ignored. It became a third rail of California
water policy. </P>
<P>So what's changed to revive this debate? Two things. First, our
understanding of the risks facing the Delta has changed. Second, the canal
is now more mirage than reality - more a concept than a concrete proposal.
Let's take these changes one at a time. </P>
<P>Since 1982, remarkably little analysis or critical thinking has been applied
to the Peripheral Canal concept. As we learned more about changes in the
Delta, the estuary's environment, climate change, water quality, alternative
water supplies and more, no one analyzed how a canal would perform.
Little thought was given regarding why one would want to build a canal in the
first place. </P>
<P>This changed in 2007, when the Public Policy Institute of California released
an influential report called "<A
href="http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=671">Envisioning Futures for
the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta</A>". That report built on work done by U.C.
Davis professor Jeff Mount, which concluded that there is a 2/3 probability of a
catastrophic failure of Delta levees by 2050. These risks are increasing
over time, driven by ongoing land subsidence, inadequate levee maintenance,
increasing earthquake risk and ongoing sea level rise. The failure of
levees on a dozen Delta islands would be a sobering event for hundreds of
thousands of Delta residents, for water users South of the Delta, and for the
environment. PPIC suggested that a canal could be needed, not to increase
water diversions, but rather to decrease the risk of a long-term shut down in
Delta pumping as a result of levee failures. This effort helped shape the
Delta Vision Task Force's work on a comprehensive Delta plan. </P>
<P>Second, today, there is no single canal proposal. In fact, there is a
remarkable diversity of ideas about a canal. On the one hand, PPIC
suggested that a canal could help reduce the risks posed by earthquakes and sea
level rise. In its final <A
href="http://deltavision.ca.gov/StrategicPlanningDocumentsandComments.shtml#FinalDraft">Strategic
Plan</A> the Delta Vision Task Force agreed in concept, and called for
strong new protections for the estuary and a new governance entity to ensure
that a canal would be operated in a responsible manner. Neither PPIC nor
Delta Vision anticipated that a canal would produce much, if any, new water
supply. In fact, both suggested that a reduction in diversions might be
needed. They envisioned a canal designed to increase reliability, not
supply, with major new environmental protections. This is the kind of
canal the Nature Conservancy has in mind.</P>
<P>On the other hand, last April, the Department of Water Resources released its
own preliminary <A
href="http://deltavision.ca.gov/BlueRibbonTaskForce/April2008/Handouts/Item_5d_Report.pdf">analysis</A>
of a canal. The project analyzed by DWR was very different from that
envisioned by PPIC and Delta Vision. It did not include new standards to
protect the Delta. In fact, it relied on weakening and violating existing
environmental standards. It would, according to DWR, lead to a dramatic increase
in pumping. This version of the project would cause major impacts to the
Delta environment, water quality and Delta agriculture. It would drain
upstream reservoirs, leaving little or no cold water to meet the needs of
spawning salmon. This Peripheral Canal could lead to extinctions and
the permanent closure of California's salmon fishery. </P>
<P>These very different versions of the Peripheral Canal are just the tip of the
iceberg. Some have proposed that the "canal" should actually be a
pipeline. Others have advocated a thousand-foot wide unlined canal built below
sea level on subsided Delta islands. Still others have suggested an
alignment on the West side of the Delta, with a massive tunnel under the Western
Delta to deliver water to the pumps. Some have argued for "dual
conveyance" - pumping through both a new canal and the existing intakes in the
southern Delta. Others insist on "full isolation." Yet another
proposal calls for armoring levees and separating Delta channels. Delta
Vision has called for a new agency to regulate a canal. That proposal,
however, is opposed by water users south of the Delta. </P>
<P>Finally, after years of study and negotiations, EBMUD is currently building a
(much smaller) canal around the Delta - called the Freeport Project. In
this case, the hard work paid off. As unlikely as it seems, no one sued to
stop EBMUD's project. </P>
<P>In short, today, the Peripheral Canal is in the eye of the beholder.
Different canal proposals would have dramatically different implications in
terms of cost, yield, benefits and impacts. Nearly every stakeholder group
could find in this list a version of the canal to oppose.</P>
<P>Given this tremendous uncertainty, it's not a surprise that the debate about
the "Peripheral Canal" is often unproductive. Without specific projects
and careful analysis, this debate is often founded in hunches, history and
near-religious faith. Moving this discussion in a more productive
direction will require three things - all of which are clearly outlined in the
<A
href="http://deltavision.ca.gov/StrategicPlanningDocumentsandComments.shtml#FinalDraft">Delta
Vision Strategic Plan</A>.</P>
<P>First, we need clarity regarding the purpose of a change in the Delta
conveyance system. A canal designed to increase reliability and help
restore ecosystem health would look very different from one designed to increase
diversions. These different projects would have different costs, impacts
and benefits. Specifically, water users South of the Delta should abandon
the outdated assumption that a canal would automatically result in more water
pumped from the Delta. And California must make a dramatic investment in
the "virtual river" - consisting of conservation, water recycling, urban
stormwater capture and groundwater management. These tools can help
California meet its future water needs without more diversions from damaged
ecosystems like the Delta. </P>
<P>Second, careful scientific analysis must address the unanswered questions
regarding Delta conveyance identified by the Delta Vision Task Force. The
Task Force concluded that a meaningful, final decision on conveyance is not
possible until we answer these tough questions. How much water would be
diverted? How would the project affect the Delta environment, water
quality and salmon runs? How would the canal's massive fish screens -
which would be the world's largest - perform? What new environmental
standards would be put in place? Would those standards include new
protections called for by Delta Vision? How would the facility fit into a
strategy to restore ecosystem health and protect Delta residents and
infrastructure? These answers matter, particularly for a facility
that could cost $20 billion and take 20 years to build. Water users,
regulators, environmentalists, fishermen, the Delta community and others can't
judge a canal accurately without answers to these questions. The Bay-Delta
<A href="http://www.resources.ca.gov/bdcp/">Conservation Plan</A> process,
which is currently studying a canal, has not yet indicated if or how it will
address these unanswered questions or incorporate key Delta Vision
recommendations. </P>
<P> Third, the legislature must reform the agencies that manage the Delta,
as recommended by the Task Force, with particular attention to reforming the
regulation of the state and federal water projects. Those projects have,
in recent years, been operated with little regard to the needs of the Delta
environment or the requirements of state and federal law. That's why a
federal judge stepped in, as a result of a lawsuit brought by NRDC, ordering the
projects to comply with the ESA. In another lawsuit, a state judge has
ruled that the projects are violating California's ESA. There are other
violations as well. Governance reform is essential to reestablishing trust
that any Delta facility would be operated responsibly. </P>
<P>The Delta Vision Task Force's Strategic Plan includes a detailed framework in
each of these three areas. The Task Force, however, has no implementation
authority. It is now up to the Governor, the legislature, state and
federal agencies, and stakeholders to determine if this promising plan will be
implemented or if it will simply gather dust. </P>
<P>No one defends the status quo in the Delta. The current levees are
inadequate. Urban development in the Delta is putting more and more people
at risk of flooding. The Delta ecosystem is crashing, in large part because of
excessive water diversions. That's the devil we know. On the other
hand, we know remarkably little about a Peripheral Canal. No one believes that a
canal alone could solve all of the Delta's problems. Most importantly, to
date, no one has produced a detailed, credible proposal that meets the test laid
out by the Delta Vision Task Force. </P>
<P>The quickest road to failure in the Delta would be a premature fight over an
ill-defined Peripheral Canal. Such a debate would be more faith-based than
fact-driven and would inevitably lead to gridlock. We've been here
before. </P>
<P>The past several decades are littered with efforts that failed to resolve the
issues in the Delta. Our new understanding of the Delta, however, shows
that the stakes are higher this time. Extinction is permanent. As is
sea level rise. And a massive levee failure event could unalterably change
the Delta and threaten thousands of residents. If the Delta Vision effort
fails, we may not have another chance. </P></DIV><!-- end entrybody -->
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