Capitol rally protests delta canal plan
E.J. Schultz
Fresno Bee
07/07/2009
SACRAMENTO In a counter-punch to recent Valley water rallies, environmentalists and fishermen gathered at the Capitol on Tuesday to protest a proposed canal to divert water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The peripheral canal is an old idea that's enjoyed new life as state water planners search for ways to stabilize supplies for San Joaquin Valley farmers and Southern California cities. The plan got a boost last year with an endorsement by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Delta Vision Task Force.
At Tuesday's event, delta advocates charged that legislators were ignoring their input as they consider the canal and other water proposals behind closed doors.
In a time where the budget is spiraling out of control ... it makes no sense to move forward with a multibillion boondoggle idea like a peripheral canal and new dams, said Steve Evans, conservation director of Friends of the River, an environmental group.
Residents near the estuary including farmers who rely on its freshwater supply fear the canal is a water grab by the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California. Canal supporters say the project could protect fish endangered by delta pumping, while keeping water flowing to south-state users. The canal would siphon Sacramento River water upstream of the delta and send it to the pumps near Tracy.
So-called working groups of lawmakers have examined multiple water proposals in private meetings. Multiple bills have been authored calling for water bonds in the range of $9.8 billion to $15 billion. Proposals also include new government agencies to promote the coequal goals of restoring the delta and creating a more reliable water supply.
But so far no consensus has emerged on any of the proposals as most of the attention in Sacramento is on the state's budget woes.
In the Valley, water events have focused on court-enforced environmental rules that farmers blame for dwindling supplies from the delta. In marches and rallies, residents often frame the debate as people vs. fish as they call on the government to increase pumping from the delta.
