<html><head></head><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px"><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_131761" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/editorials/article_742f9e56-a59b-11e8-96d2-63837889d582.html" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132166" class="">http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/editorials/article_742f9e56-a59b-11e8-96d2-63837889d582.html</a><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132194"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132211"><span style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 42px;">Interior secretary eyes more NorCal water</span><br></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Lato; margin: 20px 0px 40px; position: relative; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 14px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_131975"><header style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_131976"><h2 itemprop="alternativeHeadline" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.1; color: inherit; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 100px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 24px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_131979"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_131980">Likely bad news for Trinity</span></h2><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 20px; margin-right: 100px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_131981"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_131982"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin-left: 0;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_131983"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_131984"><time datetime="2018-08-22T06:15:00-07:00" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(119, 119, 119);" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_131985">Aug 22, 2018</time></li> </ul></span></div></header></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Lato; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 14px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132012"><div style="position: relative; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; float: left; width: 565.8250122070313px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132013"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132014"><div data-asset-uuid="742f9e56-a59b-11e8-96d2-63837889d582" style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132017"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132018"><div data-subscription-required-class="col-xs-12" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; float: left; width: 565.8250122070313px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132019"><div data-subscription-required-class="asset-body" style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132020"><div data-subscription-required-remove="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132021"><form method="post" data-uuid="742f9e56-a59b-11e8-96d2-63837889d582" action="http://www.trinityjournal.com/users/admin/list/" style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132053"></form></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132054"></div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132055"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132056"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 24px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-size: 16px; line-height: 27px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132057">Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Friday demanded a “plan of action” to secure more water for Central Valley farmers and urban users south of the Delta, giving his staff 15 days to develop a proposal.</div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132058"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 24px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-size: 16px; line-height: 27px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132059">Zinke’s memo asks for a plan “maximizing water supply deliveries,” “better incorporating best science” into Interior decisions, “streamlining” consultations related to the Endangered Species Act, constructing new water storage, and making infrastructure changes to “independently operate” the federally funded Central Valley Project.</div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132060"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 24px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-size: 16px; line-height: 27px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132061">We’ve heard those buzzwords before. Taken alone and on face value, it’s hard to argue with the goals of greater efficiency. However, taken together, we know what they mean — significantly increased deliveries of Northern California water. In cruder terms, the plan will likely suck Trinity Lake dry. We’ve seen it before.</div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132062"></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132063"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 24px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-size: 16px; line-height: 27px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132064">Maximizing water supply deliveries means pumping more fresh water through the fragile Delta. It’s hard to imagine that not impacting Trinity and Shasta lakes.</div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132065"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 24px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-size: 16px; line-height: 27px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132066">Better incorporating best science means picking and choosing which science supports your viewpoint.</div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132067"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 24px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-size: 16px; line-height: 27px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132068">Streamlining consultations means gutting the Endangered Species Act, or at least ignoring the parts that limit water deliveries.</div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132069"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 24px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-size: 16px; line-height: 27px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132070">New water storage almost certainly means raising the height of Shasta Dam. Or maybe even resurrecting long-shelved dam plans along the Trinity River.</div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132071"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 24px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-size: 16px; line-height: 27px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132072">Independently operating the Central Valley Project would be a disaster, given how closely intertwined the CVP and State Water Project are. Not to mention it conflicts with federal law.</div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132073"></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132074"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 24px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-size: 16px; line-height: 27px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132075">Given that the plan of action is to be submitted to Interior Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt, a former lobbyist and attorney for water users, including the Westlands Water District, it’s not hard to see what side of the fence this plan will fall.</div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132076"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 24px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-size: 16px; line-height: 27px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132077">Zinke giving his staff 15 days to solve the California water delivery puzzle is laughable. Unless, of course, the pieces of the puzzle are already laid out.</div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132078"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 24px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-size: 16px; line-height: 27px;" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_132079">We wait to see how Trinity fits into that. Something tells us it won’t be good.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="signature" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_131767"><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1535591247521_131770"><br></div></div></div></body></html>