CVP Water Contracts....

[Darian]

If you believe the Delta is important, you should read the article in the following link:

https://calmatters.org/commentary/california-westlands-water-contract/

This is a very tenuous time for water law/rights in this state. A federal law passed in 2016 and advanced by the former law firm of the current Secretary of the Interior and lobbyist for Westlands Water District (WWD) allows federal water contractors to negotiate with the feds for a specified amount of water, annually, rather than what's done now. This would overturn this states' right to govern the amount of water withdrawn from the Delta and could mean the end of coordinated use of the pumps between the SWP and CVP. It's anticipated that the WWD contract would be the first of many potential new federal contracts. All of this would overturn historic water rights in this state and potentially make way for other, bordering states to re-assess their right to demand more water from the Colorado River.

Does the impact of all of this have the affect of lessening the value of the governors voluntary agreements and/or single tunnel project???

[ycflyfisher]

Darian,

Thanks for posting that. I think it definitely diminishes those agreements and the tunnels which became the tunnel. Can't say I think that the diminishment in either case is significant though. I'm a firm believer that ecosystems would be better off if diversion issues remained as a straight up battle with science and the ESAs going toe to toe with water rights law at the court level. Despite the efforts of several on this forum to paint this as an ever losing battle where the water interests have supernatural powers to win this fight, they lose these battles more often than not, and always lose these battles when the science supporting the ESAs is definitive.

The tunnels I've always viewed for what they really are: risk mitigation projects that no doubt would reduce risk but definitely would not reduce the risk to zero. Coupled with the huge cost to mitigate said risk, and probabilities of that risk being 'act of god' levels unlikely, the effort to construct the tunnels was doomed to fail from the inception IMO. That said, the cost of the consequences of failure are enormous. If that failure event were to happen, the tunnel still wouldn't save the delta ecosystem.

I'd also state that this isn't just about the Delta, but the health and preservation of all riverine ecosystems below CVP reservoirs that flow to the Delta. When you couple this issue that you've brought to light with the fact that the current exec administration literally removed the technical staff that authored draft BOs governing proposed operation of the CVP that expressed jeopardy for listed species with new staff who were given marching orders that their BOs could say anything they wanted them to say as long as they expressed no jeopardy...… things are looking pretty bleak.

[Darian]

"I'd also state that this isn't just about the Delta, but the health and preservation of all riverine ecosystems below CVP reservoirs that flow to the Delta."

Good perspective. It's easy to forget that the Delta isn't a stand alone body. Water enters the Delta from its major tributaries, at least one of which is supplemented with water from the Trinity River. The volume of water reported as included in these contracts is substantially more than is allowed now. The state has contract deliveries, as well. The combined volumes (CVP/SWP) required might mean that increased water will be diverted from The Trinity to the Sacramento for delivery downstream.

If I understood what was reported, in order to keep the volume of water flowing through the Delta at current levels (under State Water Resources Control Board rules), the SWP would be required to reduce the volume pumped to offset the increased CVP volume pumped. Anticipated water for the increased amount required by the CVP contracts would have to be supplied from federal reservoirs. If all of this is true, how does the SWP honor it's contract deliveries??? Both, CVP/SWP require the pumps at Tracy to divert/pump water for deliveries. Seems like the timing of negotiating the governors Voluntary Agreements may be premature....

[OceanSunfish]

Wasn't it disclosed at one point in time, that the water contractors over sold the normal available water supply by some 9 times?! Oh yeah, I remember........ The State had to buy back water (at a premium) from Kern Water Bank (on paper) when the State didn't have any available water to make delivery.... insult to injury.