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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Thank you for keeping me informed, they
are incessant jimmy<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>
<hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
fotr-bounces+jrsmith=co.humboldt.ca.us@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
[mailto:fotr-bounces+jrsmith=co.humboldt.ca.us@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Moira Burke<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Thursday, December 16, 2010
11:40 AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> Byron Leydecker<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Cc:</span></b> FOTR List; Trinity List<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: [FOTR] [env-trinity]
CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS 12/16/10</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>This is disastrous. Does Obama understand what this means?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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0px'>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><u><font size=3 color=black
face=Futura><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Futura;color:black'>M o i
r a B u r k e</span></font></u></span><font size=4 color=black
face=Futura><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Futura;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face=Futura><span style='font-size:
13.5pt;font-family:Futura;color:black'>tel 707 678 3591 <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</span>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</span>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>On Dec 16, 2010, at 11:11 AM, Byron Leydecker wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<span style='orphans: 2;widows: 2;-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px;
-webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px;-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;
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<div link=blue vlink=purple>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Arial><span style='font-size:13.5pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>December 16, 2010</span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri'><u1:p> </u1:p></span></font><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Underground tunnels proposed for Calif.
water woes<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font size=4><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>L.A. Daily News</span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri'><u1:p> </u1:p></span></font><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>California urges tunnel system for delta<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>L.A. Times</span></font></b><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri'><u1:p> </u1:p></span></font><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Delta plan gets a nod from federal
government<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font size=4><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Contra Costa Times<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><u1:p> </u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>California $13 Billion Water Tunnel Gets
Federal, State Support<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>S.F. Chronicle<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><u1:p> </u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Californians Who Rely on Delta at
"Severe Risk"<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>KQED<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><u1:p> </u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>State faces pivotal point in water future<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Sacramento Bee<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri'><u1:p> </u1:p></span></font><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri'><u1:p> </u1:p></span></font><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri'><u1:p> </u1:p></span></font><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri'><u1:p> </u1:p></span></font><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Underground tunnels proposed for Calif.
water woes<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font size=4><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>L.A. Daily News (Associated Press)-12/15/10<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Federal and state officials threw their support Wednesday behind the
construction of two underground tunnels as the best option for restoring
California's freshwater delta and meeting the needs of farmers and Southern
California cities.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The diversion of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to
croplands and urban areas has furthered the decline of the largest estuary in
the West. Officials are trying to find a solution that would reduce the
ecological stress on the delta without harming the state's agricultural economy.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Under the plan, two tunnels that are 33-feet in diameter and 150 feet
below the surface would deliver water from north of the delta to the south.
Water users would pay the tab, an estimated $13 billion. The tunnels would take
about 10 years to construct.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The plan drew immediate protests from environmental groups, who said it
doesn't include specific goals that would measure success in protecting salmon
and other endangered species. They also said it failed to contain measures that
would lead people to conserve water.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The delta, where the state's major rivers drain from the northern and
central Sierra Nevada, is the hub of California's water supply. Both the state
and federal government run massive pumps that siphon drinking and irrigation
water to more than 25 million Californians and the Central Valley farms that
grow much of the nation's fruits and vegetables.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The Bay Delta Conservation Plan is a federal and state initiative that
would determine a framework for dealing with the declining health of the delta,
as well as the increasing demand for its water. One of the leading players in
the negotiations, the Westlands Water District, pulled out of negotiations a
few weeks ago.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The announcement seemed designed to give stakeholders and the public a
sense of progress.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"The status quo is not acceptable. The status quo will only result
in a continuing and endless cycle of conflict, litigation and paralysis,"
Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar said during a conference call summarizing the
plan to reporters.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Salazar and other officials also said they still considered Westlands a
part of the planning process.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"This is the only game in town, and we're hopeful they'll be full
and robust participants as we move forward," Salazar said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Officials said the key elements to the plan were restoring tens of
thousands of acres of marshland and floodplains, and developing a new system of
moving water around the delta.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>In recent years, court decisions aimed at protecting endangered fish
have restricted water deliveries from the delta and have spelled major losses
for growers in the state's farm belt who rely on the delta's water to irrigate
their crops.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The Kern County Water Agency called the plan an important development
in coming up with a strategy for restoring the delta.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Agency officials, however, said they were concerned that the proposal
leaves open the amount of water supply that the tunnels could provide.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>State officials only said that modeling suggests that annual water
exports would be more reliable and greater than current exports.#<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><a
href="http://www.dailynews.com/ci_16866638?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com">http://www.dailynews.com/ci_16866638?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri'><u1:p> </u1:p></span></font><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>California urges tunnel system for delta<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>L.A. Times-12/16/10<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>By Bettina Boxall<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><u1:p> </u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>State officials Wednesday recommended construction of a $13-billion
tunnel system that would carry water under the troubled Sacramento-San Joaquin
River Delta to southbound aqueducts, a project that would replumb a perpetual
bottleneck in California's vast water delivery network.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The proposal is far from final. It faces a new administration, lengthy
environmental reviews and controversy over how much water should be exported
from the Northern California estuary system that serves as a conduit for water
shipments to Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley. The earliest
completion date would be 2022.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The tunnel plan is a variation of an idea that has been around for
decades. Voters in 1982 killed a proposal to route water around the delta in a
canal. But talk of a bypass has resurfaced as endangered species protections in
recent years have forced cutbacks in pumping from the south delta.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Some water would still be pumped from the south under the new proposal,
but the bulk would be drawn from the Sacramento River as it enters the north
delta. The water would then be carried by two huge tunnels, 150 feet deep, to
the federal and state aqueducts.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Some delta advocates remain staunchly opposed to the concept. But there
is growing agreement that changing diversion points could lessen the
environmental impacts of pumping and that a tunnel would not be as vulnerable
to earthquake damage as a canal bypass or the existing pumping operations.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The project, which would be accompanied by $3.3-billion worth of habitat
restoration over 50 years, is part of an ambitious multi-agency program
intended to resolve the conflict that has enveloped the delta for decades.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Reaction to the state recommendations, which the Obama administration
generally endorsed, underscored how difficult it may be to achieve a delta
truce. Environmental groups assailed the planning report as "flawed,
incomplete and disappointing." And the largest irrigation district in
California already pulled its support of the plan, suspecting that it would not
restore its water supplies.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Of particular contention to environmentalists are the size of the
tunnel system and the operating rules that would determine the volume of
diversions.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>California Natural Resources Secretary Lester Snow said Wednesday that
annual delta exports under the project could average 5.4 to 5.9 million
acre-feet, more than allowed under current environmental restrictions — and
considerably more than environmentalists and some fish biologists say the delta
ecosystem can withstand if it is to make any sort of recovery.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Critics said there were too many unsettled issues to make such a
projection, and they accused federal and state officials of pandering to the
agricultural and urban water agencies that would pay for the tunnel system.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Officials "know the assertions that they're making aren't
true," said Gary Bobker of the Bay Institute, one of the environmental
groups participating in the delta program. "They know that the amount of
water that we're going to be able to export from the delta in the future is probably
not going to be the kind of numbers the [plan] is talking about."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Last month, the giant Westlands Water District said it was pulling out
of the delta program because it didn't think the project would live up to its
promise of restoring delta exports, which had reached record levels before the
recent drought and endangered species cutbacks of the last two years.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"We cannot justify the expenditure of billions of dollars for a
program that is unlikely to restore our water supply," Westlands General
Manager Tom Birmingham said Wednesday.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>He added that the state plans and statements by the U.S. Interior
Department that the project could increase deliveries were a good sign.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"What Interior said today is encouraging. But whether Westlands
reverses its position or decision is going to be determined by what Interior
does, as opposed to what it says."#<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><a
href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water-tunnel-20101216,0,4140245.story">http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water-tunnel-20101216,0,4140245.story</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Delta plan gets a nod from federal
government<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font size=4><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Contra Costa Times-12/15/10<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>By Mike Taugher<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The Obama administration said Wednesday that it supports plans to build
a new aqueduct to deliver Sacramento River water to the south, marking the
first time the federal government has endorsed a proposal that has simmered in
California for decades.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>However, federal officials stopped short of endorsing a massive set of
intakes and tunnels that state officials want to build.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>With support fraying for an ambitious Delta water supply and ecosystem
restoration plan, state and federal officials issued a pair of reports
Wednesday intended to shore up support for the beleaguered Bay-Delta
Conservation Plan.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"This is the last best hope to deal with these issues in the San
Francisco Bay-Delta," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. "This is
the only game in town."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The state report, issued by the Resources Agency, calls for five
intakes and two huge tunnels to carry Sacramento River water from the north
Delta to south Delta pumps, a project that is estimated to cost $13 billion.
The tunnels would replace earlier plans to build a peripheral canal around the
Delta, a plan that was rejected by voters in 1982 after it was authorized by
once and future Gov. Jerry Brown.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The federal report, issued by six federal water supply and
environmental regulatory agencies, was less specific and more cautious in
assessing what the plan could deliver. However, it said a new water delivery
system would help stabilize water supplies and restore the failing Delta
ecosystem.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The incoming Brown administration, which will inherit the politically
tricky Delta problems, had no comment, spokesman Evan Westrup said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The fact that two reports were issued instead of one shows that the
Obama and Schwarzenegger administrations are not in full agreement on the
plan's details.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>During a joint conference call with media members, state and federal
officials were equally emphatic that the answers to the Delta's problems lie in
the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan, which is still an incomplete draft.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"This is the time to build a long-term strategy," Salazar
said. "The status quo is unacceptable."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Four years and $140 million in the making, the Bay-Delta Conservation
Plan would include two 33-foot tunnels to deliver water and a large wetlands
restoration program in the Delta that supporters say would boost fish
populations and eliminate the uncertainty surrounding water supplies that comes
when fish are near extinction.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The plan faces a series of challenges. Last month, the Westlands Water
District, the nation's largest irrigation district, withdrew support because it
said federal regulators were making demands that would decrease the amount of
water they could receive.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Although many observers and participants contend that Westlands is
likely to rejoin, another major water district with an extensive farm sector
said Wednesday that it also would consider withdrawing support if it does not
think enough water will be available.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"We need to know that the yield of the project that is going to be
proposed is at a level that is cost-effective for us," said Jim Beck,
general manager for the Kern County Water Agency.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Environmentalists, meanwhile, say state and federal officials appear to
be bowing to pressure from water agencies and threaten to knock the plan
off-balance.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"For them to step out and take positions on issues that are far
from resolved could be detrimental to the process. They could slow it down and
cause delays," said Ann Hayden, a water policy analyst at the
Environmental Defense Fund and a member of the steering committee that is
writing the plan.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The estimates put forward so far likely are too high in part because
planners have not established goals for recovering fish populations, Hayden said.
Dwindling fish populations will likely need more water flowing into San
Francisco Bay to recover, she said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Still, the state report suggested that water districts in the Bay Area,
San Joaquin Valley and Southern California could receive 5.4 million to 5.9
million acre-feet a year on average under the plan. The federal report said it
appeared that the plan could result in more than 5.2 million acre-feet a year.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>That's an improvement over the 4.7 million acre-feet that can be
delivered on average with new restrictions in the Delta but less than the 6
million acre-feet a year delivered from 2000 to 2007.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"If it's under 5.9 "... it will require our water users to
re-evaluate whether BDCP meets their water supply objectives," Beck said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The next several months could determine the plan's fate.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"Certainly there's a risk of failure," said Tim Quinn, the
executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies and strong
supporter of the plan. "What I'm hoping is everybody on both sides is
asking themselves the hard question: What happens if we don't find a way?"#<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><a href="http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_16868146?source=rss">http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_16868146?source=rss</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><u1:p> </u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>California $13 Billion Water Tunnel Gets
Federal, State Support<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>S.F. Chronicle (Bloomberg)-12/16/10<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><u1:p> </u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>California is one step closer to getting a $13 billion "conveyance
system" that would carry water from the northern part of the state to a
region that grows half the nation's fresh produce, Interior Secretary Kenneth
Salazar said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Salazar's office today released a status report that he said was
designed to end years of "conflict, litigation and paralysis" and
bring consensus to a project debated for four decades.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The state of California today also issued a report, outlining how a
tunnel or canal would bring water from the northern end of San Francisco Bay
and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the south where it would provide irrigation
for farmers and drinking water to residents.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"After years of drought, growing stress on water supplies, and
with the Bay-Delta in full environmental collapse, it has become clear to
everyone that the status quo for California's water infrastructure is no longer
an option," Salazar said in a statement.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The Delta is a 738,000-acre (298,700-hectare) maze of islands and
canals south of Sacramento created by the confluence of two large rivers,
according to the state Department of Water Resources. Runoff from the Sierra
Nevada Mountains provides water to 25 million Californians, according to the
state's report.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Maximizing the water flow for consumers while protecting wildlife
habitats has been an issue unresolved for four decades, according to California
Secretary of Natural Resources Lester Snow. The state's report summarizes 3,000
pages of research, identifies key issues and makes them easier for citizens to
understand, Snow said in a press conference today.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"This is a significant milestone," he said. "We are for
the first time within striking distance of a balanced approach."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>A tunnel would provide a direct route to Southern California consumers
while minimizing interference with the wildlife on the ground, said Pete
Lucero, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Completion of a tunnel, estimated in the state report to cost $13
billion, may take 10 to 15 years, Mark Cowin, director of the state Department
of Water Resources, said at the press conference.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger in Fresno ruled on Dec. 14 that
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would have to rewrite its plans to protect
the Delta smelt, an endangered fish, according to the Fresno Bee.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"This is one court decision," Salazar said in the press
conference in response to a question about the case. "If everyone gets
wrapped up in litigation there will never be a decision."#<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><a
href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/12/16/bloomberg1376-LDHQ811A1I4J01-6L3OHI1UD308GQSIP85GQ685J7.DTL">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/12/16/bloomberg1376-LDHQ811A1I4J01-6L3OHI1UD308GQSIP85GQ685J7.DTL</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Californians Who Rely on Delta at
"Severe Risk"<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>KQED-12/15/10
<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font size=4><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>by Gretchen Weber<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Here's a shocker: Yes, action is necessary on the San Francisco Bay
Delta<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>State and federal authorities provided an update Wednesday on the Bay
Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), which is tasked with restoring the damaged
ecosystems of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and safeguarding California's
water supply.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"The 25 million Californians who rely on the Delta for clean
drinking water are at severe risk," said Secretary of the Interior Ken
Salazar, on a call with reporters.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>It's well established that the current system of water delivery that
shuttles water from north to south through the Delta causes damage to wetlands
and threatens native species, as well as leaving the water supply vulnerable to
earthquakes and pollution.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"There is now a clear consensus that the status quo is
unsustainable," said Senator Dianne Feinstein, in a written statement.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The report released Wednesday focuses on three key elements, which
Deputy Secretary David Hayes outlined on the call:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>1. Improve water quality and restore the ecosystems<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>2. Rather than just pumping water through the Delta, water should also
be moved around the Delta through an underground tunnel<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>3. Create a monitoring and adaptive management plan for the Delta, that
would allow for flexibility<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The 92-page "highlights" report is not a final plan, nor even
a draft plan, which is not expected until next year. Instead it is a
"status report on the condition of the BDCP" and a "transition
document" from the Schwarzenegger-to-Brown administrations, said Lester
Snow, head of the California Natural Resources Agency.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Despite its preliminary nature, however, the report has sparked
criticism from environmental groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund, The
Bay Institute, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, which cite its lack
of endangered species protections and a water conservation strategy, among
other concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>"This plan is not ready for prime time," said Gary Bobker,
Program Director at the Bay Institute. "Whether it's the quality of
the analysis, or paying attention to the best available scientific information,
or facing up to some hard policy choices about the future, the plan simply does
not pass the laugh test."#<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><a
href="http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2010/12/15/californians-who-rely-on-delta-at-severe-risk/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FClimateWatchBlog+%28KQED%27s+Climate+Watch+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader">http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2010/12/15/californians-who-rely-on-delta-at-severe-risk/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FClimateWatchBlog+%28KQED%27s+Climate+Watch+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>State faces pivotal point in water future<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Sacramento Bee-12/16/10<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>By Ken Salazar and David J. Hayes<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Opinion<u1:p></u1:p></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>California's water hub – the San Francisco Bay-Delta – can no longer do
it all. Years of drought, worsening water pollution, rising water demands and
the disappearance of wildlife and habitat have left the Bay-Delta in a state of
environmental collapse. As a result, a multibillion-dollar agricultural
economy, coastal fishing fleets and the 25 million Californians who rely on the
Delta for clean drinking water are at severe risk.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>This is the deciding moment for California's water future. We can
either complete the much-needed long-term California Bay-Delta Conservation
Plan on which the Obama administration, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, water users
and other partners have made significant progress, or fall back into an endless
cycle of conflict, litigation and paralysis.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>While the conservation plan is still a work in progress, its essential
elements are simple.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>First, scientists and policymakers alike have concluded that
California's economic and environmental health can no longer tolerate exclusive
reliance on a 50-year-old system of pumping water directly through the Delta –
a system that reverses river flows, causes direct harm to fisheries, leads to
unreliable water supplies and leaves many Californians at risk of losing clean
water supplies if there were an earthquake.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Therefore, rather than simply pumping water from north to south through
the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, there is an emerging consensus that we should
reduce pressure on the system by also moving water around the Delta through a
water conveyance system, such as a canal or a tunnel.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Second, to help improve water quality and restore the ecosystem to
health, the conservation plan calls for the restoration of tens of thousands of
acres of marshes, floodplains and riparian habitats in the Delta.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Third, the conservation plan would establish a detailed monitoring and
adaptive management plan for the Delta that would allow us to use the most
up-to-date science to guide the management of water and environmental resources.
We need to be able to adjust the implementation of the plan over time to make
the most efficient and effective use of water resources and management tools.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>These three essential elements of the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan are
the foundation for a long-term water strategy that meets the dual goals of
restoring the Bay-Delta ecosystem and securing more reliable water supplies.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Early scientific analysis of the conservation plan offers cause to be
optimistic. Preliminary modeling suggests that a new north-south water
conveyance facility – as contemplated by the conservation plan – could be
operated in a manner that would generate annual water exports over the long
term that are more reliable, and greater, than the average annual exports
achievable under current conditions.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>This is good news for California's economy and environment because it
means that with science-based operating criteria and other measures to address
fish and habitat needs, a north-south water conveyance facility could be a
major step forward in meeting the dual goals of ecosystem restoration and water
supply reliability.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Of course, there is much more work to do. Our experts are working in
partnership with the state and stakeholders to develop a plan proposal that
will meet California's objectives.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Also, at our request, the scientists at the National Academy of
Sciences are providing input on what additional scientific analysis needs to
occur to ensure the success of the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>As we move forward with the next steps, it is vital that we carry
forward the momentum that Schwarzenegger, the California Legislature, Sen.
Dianne Feinstein and the California congressional delegation and many
stakeholders have built for the conservation plan over the past two years.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>We can't afford to lose sight of long-term or near-term solutions that
benefit all Californians.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>To that end, the Obama administration will continue to work closely
with all parties to advance the conservation plan, and we will also
aggressively pursue immediate actions to make water supplies more secure.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>In 2011, for example, we will continue the innovative water
augmentation strategies we initiated in 2010 as an additional assurance that
adequate supplies will be available from the Central Valley Project. These
activities, developed cooperatively with the state and other stakeholders,
include more integrated operations with the State Water Project, source
shifting with SWP contractors, and additional types of water transfers within
the CVP and SWP service areas.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Federal agencies are also working together with state authorities in an
unprecedented way to conserve water, improve water quality, address invasive
species issues and improve levee integrity.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div><u1:p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</u1:p></div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Taken together, the progress we have made in the last year and the
opportunities that lie ahead present an opportunity for California's water
future we can't afford to miss. This is the moment – decades in the making – to
transform a crisis into a lasting legacy of water security and conservation for
the state of California.#<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-style:italic'>Ken Salazar is the secretary of the
U.S. Department of the Interior. David J. Hayes is the deputy secretary of the
Department of the Interior.</span></font><u1:p></u1:p></i><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><a
href="http://www.sacbee.com/2010/12/16/3261116/state-faces-pivotal-point-in-water.html">http://www.sacbee.com/2010/12/16/3261116/state-faces-pivotal-point-in-water.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face=Futura><span style='font-size:13.5pt;
font-family:Futura'>_______________________________________________<br>
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