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Schwarzenegger Proposes $9 Billion Water Bond Boondoggle

By Dan Bacher

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's office today issued a press release for the $9 billion water bond boondoggle he is trying to ramrod through the California Legislature. For those us of us concerned about the alarming collapse of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem, this is very bad news, since the measure will fund the peripheral canal and the building of two new dams and the expansion of an existing dam.

The measure provides for $5.1 billion in surface storage and identifies three sites for this storage - Sites, Temperance Flat Reservoir and the Los Vaqueros Expansion Project. The Sites Reservoir in the Sacramento Valley and Temperance Flat Reservoir in the San Joaquin Valley are included in the bond, in spite of the fact that the water would cost $1,000 to $2,000 per acre foot. Who is going to buy this water?

Schwarzenegger also disguises his plan to build a peripheral canal with his trademark euphemism - the development of a "new conveyance system." The Governor cannot be truthful with the press and public and just call it for what it is - a peripheral canal or delta canal.

Of course, to give the proposal an environmental window dressing, the proposal includes some token "restoration" money. "The Governor's comprehensive plan also includes significant funding toward restoration of the ailing Delta and would lead to the development of a new conveyance system," the Governor's office claims.

No mention is made of the dire need to conserve water and retire drainage impaired agricultural land in the San Joaquin Valley in order to restore the Delta ecosystem. In Schwarzenegger's mind, the Delta is not an ecosystem that provides water supply, but a water supply that happens to include an ecosystem.

"Twenty five million Californians rely on the Delta for clean, safe water. It also irrigates hundreds of thousands of acres of Central Valley farmland and it is the backbone of California's $32 billion agricultural industry," according to the Governor's Office.

As he did this summer at a series of carefully choreography press conferences and events pushing for the peripheral canal and more dams, Schwarzenegger again tries to paint a disastrous future for California water supplies if his water bond is not approved by the legislature.

"Our water crisis has gotten worse with the dry conditions and the recent federal court action that is going to have a devastating impact on the state's economy and the 25 million Californians who depend on Delta water. We need a comprehensive fix," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "That is why we are introducing two bills to solve California's water crisis in both the short and long-term. I look forward to working and negotiating with my partners in the Legislature so we can approve a comprehensive upgrade to California's water infrastructure."

The San Francisco-Bay Delta Estuary is the most significant estuary on the entire West Coast. State and federal scientists have documented a shocking collapse of four pelagic species - Delta smelt, longfin smelt, juvenile striped bass and threadfin shad - since 2002. The “Pelagic Organism Decline” (POD), as the scientists describe it, has been spurred by massive increases of federal and state water exports amounting to over 1,000,000 acre feet of water in recent years.

As these pelagic species decline, populations of other species dependent on the Delta estuary for spawning and rearing purposes are expected to plummet. These species include winter-run chinook salmon, fall-run chinook salmon, spring-run chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, Sacramento splittail, white sturgeon, green sturgeon and American shad. Valuable commercial species such as Dungeness crab, California halibut, herring and anchovies are also highly dependent upon the estuary for their survival.

The building of the peripheral canal and the proposed increase in water exports from the Delta, if it is allowed to happen, could result in the complete destruction of the Bay-Delta estuary and commercial and recreational fisheries up and down the coast. Recreational angling groups, commercial fishing organizations, Delta farmers, the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, conservation groups and Delta residents are mobilizing to defeat Schwarzenegger's dam and canal proposal. We must stop the Governor from strong-arming this water bond proposal through the Legislature so it appears on the February ballot.

Dan Bacher is an editor of The Fish Sniffer , described as "The #1 Newspaper in the World Dedicated Entirely to Fishermen"

Posted on September 18, 2007

Comments

imagine a coalition of environmentalists who hate water projects and conservatives who hate bonds getting together to block the Governor. Should be fun...

Posted by: sean at September 19, 2007 08:11 AM

Imagine if the public knew about the 45+/- yrs of felony altering of Fresno's (and where ever else) water infrastructure behind this. Fresno has been turned inside out, now setting on clamped sewer and water ines. "Infrastructure upgrade" appears to be a cover up for more felony altering. I was employed by the ringleader, WGS, (former appraiser) who talked of breaking water laws in order to get water to Friant for development. To see what he has done right under everyone's noses is beyond belief. Tragic.

Posted by: Marla at January 10, 2008 10:32 PM

Posted by: Marla at January 10, 2008 10:33 PM

Imagine if the public knew about the 45+/- yrs of felony altering of Fresno's (and where ever else) water infrastructure behind this. Fresno has been turned inside out, now setting on clamped sewer and water lines. "Infrastructure upgrade" appears to be a cover up for more felony altering. I was employed by the ringleader, WGS, (former appraiser/ringleader) who talked of breaking water laws in order to get water to Friant for development. Took me to his vacant lot and told me his decades-long project would soon be complete. To see what he has done right under everyone's noses is beyond belief. Tragic.

Posted by: Marla at January 10, 2008 10:40 PM

Imagine if the public knew about the 45+/- yrs of felony altering of Fresno's (and where ever else) water infrastructure behind this. Fresno has been turned inside out, now setting on clamped sewer and water lines. "Infrastructure upgrade" appears to be a cover up for more felony altering. I was employed by the ringleader, WGS, (former appraiser/ringleader) who talked of breaking water laws in order to get water to Friant for development. Took me to his vacant lot and told me his decades-long project would soon be complete. To see what he has done right under everyone's noses is beyond belief. Tragic.

Posted by: Marla at January 10, 2008 10:40 PM

Imagine if the public knew about the 45+/- yrs of felony altering of Fresno's (and where ever else) water infrastructure behind this. Fresno has been turned inside out, now setting on clamped sewer and water lines. "Infrastructure upgrade" appears to be a cover up for more felony altering. I was employed by the ringleader, WGS, (former appraiser/ringleader) who talked of breaking water laws in order to get water to Friant for development. Took me to his vacant lot and told me his decades-long project would soon be complete. To see what he has done right under everyone's noses is beyond belief. Tragic.

Posted by: Marla at January 10, 2008 10:41 PM

oops. it didn't seem to be working so I kept editing and clicking to post. I'm sorry.

Posted by: Marla at January 10, 2008 10:43 PM

California needs more water and this canal will not provide it. Why can't we spend the money on desalination plants and generate more water, more jobs and more revenue? In Suadia Arabia their desalination plants produce 70% of their water. Total output will soon be 800 million gallons a day. Their plants also produce 28 million Megawatts of power (http://www.saudinf.com/main/a541.htm).

Gee, more water without putting stress on the fragile delta eco system, more renewable pollution free energy, more jobs, more revenue. What is wrong with our government? Why are they so short sighted? The answers are there. We need to demand better from the government.

Posted by: Robert at August 14, 2008 04:53 PM

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