A coalition of environmental and tribal groups, including Friends of the River, California Native Plant Society, AquAlliance and Save California Salmon, today submitted comments to the Sites Project Authority regarding the controversial Sites Reservoir project, currently proposed for construction in Colusa County on the west side of the Sacramento Valley. By Dan Bacher The comments came in […]
RedGREENandBlue’s top 10 stories of 2021: Steven Donziger beat Chevron in court, so they crucified him. He just won his appeal Michael Mann on “Don’t Look Up”: DO see this film! Earth’s magnetic field broke down 42,000 years ago and caused massive sudden climate change Sharkfest: 10 solutions to overfishing that could save our oceans […]
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Sites Project Authority has announced an extension of the public comment period on the proposed Sites Reservoir project from Jan. 11 to Jan. 28, 2022. By Dan Bacher Sites Reservoir is opposed by California Tribal representatives, environmental justice groups, conservation organizations and fishing groups because the big threat that it poses […]
Sixteen tribal, environmental justice, fishing, and conservation groups on Tuesday announced their strong opposition to the “More Water Now” ballot measure initiative, otherwise known as the “Water Infrastructure Funding Act of 2022.” By Dan Bacher The initiative, being by pushed by Central Valley agribusiness and water districts to fund an array of new water projects in California, is being circulated for signatures and could potentially be placed on the […]
As the three latest fish surveys on the Delta reveal that the Delta smelt is virtually extinct in the wild, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) today announced an initial State Water Project (SWP) allocation of 0 percent for state water contractors in 2022, with the exception of certain health and safety needs. By Dan Bacher DWR also announced several […]
Tribal activists, drinking water advocates and commercial and subsistence fishers are asking the public to stand with them in the fight for both the Trinity and Sacramento River salmon by supporting a California state process to restore flows in California’s largest rivers, and by fighting a proposal for a twenty square mile reservoir, the Sites […]
Time is running out for the Delta smelt, once the most abundant fish in the entire Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. For the fourth October in a row, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has caught zero Delta smelt in its Fall Midwater Trawl Survey of the Delta. By Dan Bacher The smelt is now near […]
If built, the Newsom Administration’s Delta Tunnel (Delta Conveyance) would be potentially the most environmentally destructive public works project in California history. The multi-billion dollar project would hasten the extinction of endangered Delta and longfin smelt, Central Valley steelhead, Sacramento winter run and spring run Chinook salmon, green sturgeon and other fish species, as well as imperil salmon […]
Yesterday, Save California Salmon, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA), and 12 California environmental organizations joined Klamath River Tribes in asking the California State Water Resources Control Board to establish permanent instream flow requirements for the Scott and Shasta Rivers, two of the Klamath River’s largest tributaries, according to a press release from […]
In a recent website post entitled “The Myths and Facts — Sacramento Valley Salmon,” (norcalwater.org/…) the Northern California Water Association (NCWA) attempts to minimize the impact of a big fish kill this summer on Butte Creek. By Dan Bacher The same assertions are found here on a later post. NCWA states: “The return of spring-run Chinook to the holding […]
On October 27, Fresno Superior Court Judge D. Tyler Tharpe tossed out the Westlands Water District’s proposed permanent federal water contract from the Central Valley Project (CVP) that would have allocated roughly double the amount of water that Los Angeles residents use in a year. By Dan Bacher Tharpe found Westlands, the largest federal irrigation district in the […]
The Yurok Tribe, the largest Indian Tribe in California, is urging Yurok Citizens and Allies to voice their support for a plan to manage the Trinity River, the largest tributary of the Klamath River, in a “more holistic manner.” By Dan Bacher In a statement issued yesterday, the Tribe said it “fully supports the Trinity River Winter Flow Variability […]
I urge everybody to call Governor Newsom at (916) 445-2841 and ask him to sign SB 821 to restore funding for the Delta Independent Science Board, or send him a message using this form: https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/. By Dan Bacher Deirdre Des Jardins explains on her California Water Research blog (cah2oresearch.com) the background behind the Delta Independent Science […]
Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director of Restore the Delta, resigned in protest Friday from the Stakeholder Engagement Committee (SCE), for the Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority (DCDCA). By Dan Bacher “When our good faith efforts produce no results and are met with resistance, Restore the Delta will shift and move into a new direction to […]
As we stated in our Sunday newsletter, the Newsom Administration is trying to move forward with disingenuous Delta watershed restoration bills that replace water with habitat (instead of doing both). This is part of their full court press to create “voluntary agreements” to fill the Delta tunnel. By Dan Bacher (Updated Action Alert from Restore the […]