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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Feds
sued over north-south water transfer plan<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Chico
Enterprise-Record-7/2/10<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>By Heather
hacking<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Three
environmental groups, including Chico-based AquaAlliance, Thursday, filed a
lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation calling for environmental review
of plans for a 2010-11 north-to-south water transfer. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The
planning documents call for up to 395,000 acre feet of water each year, moved
through both the federal Central Valley Project and California's State Water
Project. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>While
the deals would be for two years, AquAlliance and co-plaintiffs California
Sportfishing Protection Alliance and the California Water Impact Network, have
said in court documents that repeated water transfers over the past decade have
never included a full federal or state environmental analysis. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>This
would require a "baseline conditions, comprehensive monitoring and the
disclosure of impacts," the lawsuit states. The concern is that the
transfers will continue, perhaps each year, leaving the Sacramento Valley
exploited "in the same disastrous condition as the Owens and San Joaquin
valleys," AquAlliance Executive Director Barbara Vlamis said in a press
statement. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The
395,000 acre feet would be the maximum amount, and would include a combination
of groundwater substitution, cropland idling and crop substitution. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Groundwater
substitution is when surface water is transferred and groundwater used instead.
Crop substitution is growing crops that use less water. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The
Bureau of Reclamation states National Environmental Policy Act review is not
necessary because minimum flows will be maintained for downstream users who
don't transfer water. Also, existing temperature requirements for fish would be
maintained and operations rules under the Endangered Species Act will be
maintained. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The
document states that to avoid adverse groundwater levels and land subsidence,
the program will be "coordinated and implemented in conjunction with local
rules and groundwater management programs and other local regulations." <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"Reclamation
will not approve transfers without adequate mitigation and monitoring plans.
Therefore, the proposed action will not have a significant adverse impact on
groundwater resources," the report states. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The
water would be provided by willing sellers in Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Sacramento,
Solano, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Vlamis
said the lawsuit, which is in addition to a previous lawsuit against the state
Department of Water Resources, is necessary because state and federal water
agencies "continue to transfer without performing environmental review. No
one knows the impacts." <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Last
year the Department of Water Resources conducted a drought water bank transfer
with no environmental review, stating emergency conditions existed, she said.
That transfer went through, but Vlamis, then working with the Butte
Environmental Council, filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Water
Resources. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>A
state court ordered a retroactive environmental review, Vlamis said Thursday,
declaring that a review should have been done before the transfer, Vlamis said.
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>A
programmatic environmental review was also started jointly by federal and state
water agencies in 2003, but never completed, she said. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"The
law is very clear. If you have a project you have to analyze it," Vlamis
said. "But a lot of agencies and jurisdictions will try to do something on
the cheap unless they get challenged."<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker, JcT</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends
of Trinity River</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>PO Box 2327</span></i><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Mill Valley, CA
94942-2327</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810
land/fax</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810
mobile</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net"><span style='color:blue'>bwl3@comcast.net</span></a></span></i></b><b><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org"><span style='color:blue'>bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</span></a>
</span></i></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>(secondary)</span></i><b><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="http://fotr.org/"><span style='color:blue'>http://www.fotr.org</span></a>
</span></i></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>

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