Here is the transcription of my 3 minute comment on the Delta Tunnel Draft Environmental Impact Statement that I made in the virtual hearing held by the California Department of Water Resources. By Dan Bacher I’m an independent journalist that’s covered the fish, environmental justice and water issues for 40 years. Different versions of this […]
Yesterday, Representative Josh Harder (D CA-10) introduced a bill in Congress to prohibit the Army Corps of Engineers from issuing a federal permit necessary for the State of California to build the Delta Conveyance Project, AKA the Delta Tunnel. His bill, the Stop the Delta Tunnels Act, is co-sponsored by Representative John Garamendi (D CA-3). By Dan Bacher Rep. […]
Powerful storms across the South, following flash floods in Dallas, Death Valley, St. Louis, Yellowstone and Appalachia, have left cities across the U.S. questioning their own security in a warming climate. Dallas was hit with nearly 15 inches of rain that turned roads into rivers and poured into homes starting Aug. 21, 2022. Neighborhoods in […]
On Aug. 24, 2022, the State Water Resources Control Board issued the following statement regarding an enforcement action regarding illegal diversions by the Shasta Water Users Association. By Dan Bacher As California heads into a fourth year of drought, the State Water Resources Control Board has continued to protect water supplies and the environment by […]
Days after a fire induced mudslide killed all fish in a 60-mile reach of the Klamath River, ranchers defied state law by diverting flows from the Shasta River, one of the most important Klamath tributaries for imperiled salmon, according to a joint press release from the Karuk and Yurok Tribes. By Dan Bacher “The Shasta […]
“Climate change threatens terrestrial water storage over the Tibetan Plateau” Our new article in @NatureClimate Change, led by Chinese colleagues Xueying Li & @DiLong5. We’ve updated some of the wording in the press release to more accuracy convey the specific findings of the study. By Dr Michael Mann Irreversible declines in freshwater storage projected in parts […]
As Klamath River communities continue to recover from a massive fish kill caused by a mud slide spurred by heavy rains and the McKinney Fire in northern California, UC Davis on August 11 issued a statement that they were “devastated to report” that a catastrophic failure has resulted in the loss of about 21,000 fish at the UC […]
On July 21, Representative Josh Harder announced that he has introduced an amendment alongside Reps. Garamendi & McNerney to “stop the Delta Tunnel Project and protect Central Valley water.” Specifically, the amendment will prohibit the Army Corps of Engineers from issuing a Clean Water Act (Section 404) permit for the state of California’s Delta Conveyance Project (tunnel) […]
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has announced that it will be releasing their Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) early this week for the Delta Conveyance Project, AKA the embattled Delta Tunnel. Documents for federal review of the project will be released later this fall. “Modernizing how California moves water supplies across the Sacramento-San Joaquin […]
In May, California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom asked the state’s top water agency to accelerate the approvals process for the proposed Sites Reservoir, a $4 billion project built on the west side of the Sacramento Valley that would pull water from the Sacramento and Trinity rivers. Newsom touted the project as a drought solution and a way to manage […]
Green water – the rainwater available to plants in the soil – is indispensable for life on and below the land. But in a new study, we found that widespread pressure on this resource has crossed a critical limit. By Arne Tobian, Stockholm University; Dieter Gerten, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and Lan Wang […]
“Are you going to run out of water?” is the first question people ask when they find out I’m from Arizona. The answer is that some people already have, others soon may and it’s going to get much worse without dramatic changes. Robert Glennon, University of Arizona The Conversation Unsustainable water practices, drought and climate […]
Press release from the coalition of Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Save California Salmon, Little Manila Rising, and Restore the Delta By Dan Bacher Last week, a coalition of California Tribes and Delta-based environmental justice organizations announced the filing of a “Petition for Rulemaking Review.” The coalition, represented by the Environmental […]
Last week, the board of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD), the largest water wholesaler in Southern California, voted to participate in what environmental justice and fish advocates describe as the “environmentally destructive” Voluntary Agreements (VA’s) currently being promoted by agribusiness and the Newsom Administration. By Dan Bacher “These agreements are a work around to regulations […]
Domestic water use in California rose by 19 percent in March, exposing what Food & Water Watch describes as the “clear failure” of Governor Gavin Newsom’s repeated pleas for voluntary reductions in household water consumption, as well as California’s failure to rein in Big Ag and other corporate water abusers. By Dan Bacher This morning […]