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Water Education Foundation’s Bay-Delta tour gives participants a lively and informative look at Delta issues

Posted by: Maven on September 21, 2009 at 7:53 am

Rebecca Scott tells us about the Water Education Foundation’s Bay-Delta tour:

A great way to get a handle on the multitude of viewpoints about the current state of the Delta is to go on the Foundation’s Bay-Delta Tour. This summer’s tour was a chance to see beyond the action-packed show in the media, speak with the stakeholders involved, stand on the rolling peat levees that have settled and shifted and see the affects of subsidence as you peer down at a Delta island far below.

We always explain on our tours that you will hear various viewpoints, and this was certainly true on this tour. As with all things Delta, passionate and controversial is an understatement, and if you weren’t there to experience it firsthand, you missed out. …

If you haven’t heard about the critical state of the Delta, you haven’t opened your newspaper lately. According to the majority of experts, climate change, sea level rise, subsidence, species collapse and water shortage are a reality. Conflicting headlines have flashed across the front pages to describe the state of the Delta. When I read headlines like “fish versus farmers,” a picture of a fish and farmer with their dukes up comes to mind, and with hundreds of agencies and interest groups involved, oftentimes an unrealistic simplicity is used to create a story merely to grab peoples’ attention.

On the tour, we gained a better understanding of the issues and people involved, and we learned how important the health of the Delta is to all Californians, including the fish.

The Bay-Delta Tour began at the Sacramento Airport on a sunny Wednesday morning in June at 7:30 a.m. After everyone’s run to Starbucks for a the caffeine fix before the bus ride, we were off and away on the three-day tour that would cover many sites in the Delta and Bay under discussion lately. This is our only two bus tour and it was packed with 110 people, and we even had a waiting list.

Russ Rote, the Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) Delta Project Manager and Michael Mierzwa, Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) Chief River Forecaster, began the tour with pointing left and right and describing the sites as we drove through the floodplain toward Sacramento. We passed the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers, and we discussed the legal boundary of the Delta at the I Street bridge and flood management as we drove to the West Sacramento Civic Center for the introductory presentations.

A flurry of reports, plans and projects have entered the scene. To name a few: Delta Vision Strategic Plan, Bay Delta Conservation Plan, Delta Risk Management Strategy, PPIC report and others. Sifting through the plans can be a bit overwhelming. The big question is what happens next, and our first stop of the day was to find out a little more about the BDCP and Delta Vision.

Karla Nemeth of the Resources Agency began the tour with a presentation about the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). Karla described the BDCP as an attempt to work toward the goal or restoring the Delta ecosystem and come up with a detailed “habitat conservation plan” to improve the environmental and water reliability problem and to protect the Delta’s declining fisheries. A long list of federal and state agencies, environmental organizations, fishery agencies, water agencies, and other organizations are involved in the plan.

The BDCP identifies conservation strategies to improve ecological health, identify ecologically friendly ways to move fresh water through and/or around the Delta and address toxic pollutants, invasive species, and impairments to water quality.

The BDCP supports the idea of diverting water around the Delta to eliminate the reverse flow of the river that causes fish to be pulled toward the pumps. Some on our tour said the BDCP is the solution to “fix” the Delta and others called it a habitat plan to get permits to divert water out of the Delta.

The next speaker, John Kirlin, the Executive Director at the Delta Vision Foundation, provided for each of the participants a copy of the Delta Vision Strategic Plan, and with his presentation, explained the plan’s main points.

The Delta Vision Foundation is a spin-off of the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force that was appointed by Gov. Schwarzenegger in 2006 to find a vision for a sustainable Delta. The task force issued an implementation report in 2007, and at the end of 2008, released its Delta Vision Strategic Plan. Delta Vision builds on the work done by the CALFED Bay-Delta Program, but it has a broader focus to address issues such as natural resources, infrastructure, land use and governance.

The popular coequal goals of restoring the Delta and ecosystem and creating a more reliable water supply began with Delta Vision. You can’t talk about the Delta without the term “coequal goals” entering the conversation.

In March 2009, the task force members formed the Delta Vision Foundation to continue to support the recommendations and strategies proposed in the Delta Vision Strategic Plan.

My question going into the tour was “How do BDCP and Delta Vision differ in goals?” Delta Vision and BDCP agree on a vast majority of the goals for the Delta. The Delta Vision Strategic Plan also looks into the future of development and farming practices in the region. While some see the BDCP as the solution to accomplish water supply reliability, others see it as a way to build the proposed Peripheral Canal. A joint Environmental Impact Report (EIR)/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for BDCP is being prepared, but its unfinished state has caused some controversy. The EIR is planned to be completed by early 2010 and the final plan completed by the end of 2010.

As we passed the Port of Sacramento on our way to Clarksburg, Brooke Schlenker, a Corps’ Water Resources Planner, filled us in on the current projects at the Port, including the Sacramento River Deep Water Ship Channel Project. The project is being implemented by the Corps and the Port of West Sacramento and involves deepening the ship channel to allow more ships to pass through the channel connecting West Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay, and therefore, increase business. The project includes a study to get money to dredge the channel to keep it in working condition with environmental improvements. There is a similar project involving the Port of Stockton which we visited later that day.

We stopped by the old Baker’s Square in West Sac near the Port and picked up two Delta farmers, Bob Kirtlan and Greg Merwin, to speak on the two buses as we drove to Clarksburg. They have been speakers on the tour for years; Mr. Merwin for over a decade. They recounted many stories of the Delta: the development of the Clarksburg area, salmon flourishing at one time even with increased sediment due to hydraulic mining, the CVP’s purpose of flood control, power and agriculture, and the disappearance of sugar beets which have been replaced by alfalfa and wine grapes.

The road sign for Willow Point Road into Clarksburg was tucked behind a line of trees, and mesmerized by the beautiful scenery and rows of orchards passing by the bus windows, we almost missed the turn. The farmers discussed the benefits of agriculture there and also shared their opposition to the plans to change the Delta. Change is not the word that some farmers like to hear when their livelihood has depended on relatively stable agriculture in the Delta for many generations.

We drove past the Old Sugar Mill and zigzagged through the small town not used to two large buses touring the streets. We arrived at Clarksburg Community Church, the hub of the town. The church was constructed in 1937 by original settler families, and the stained glass windows and wooden beams give you a glimpse of the history and culture of this small town.

We all found a seat on a wooden pew, and our first presenter was DWRs’ Paul Marshall, who talked about the conveyance of water through the Delta. He explained that there are portions of the waterways where the flows are reversed, and the proposed Peripheral Canal would allow the river to flow more naturally.

Paul touched on the two conveyance options of an eastern or western alignment for the canal as well as the strategy of using fish screens. With the eastern alignment, fish screens would be implanted between Freeport and Hood. While the eastern alignment could cost $6 million and affect urban areas, the western alignment could affect mostly agriculture areas and cost about $10 billion, and water would be taken further north at the Sacramento Weir.

After Paul’s presentation, I couldn’t resist announcing that it was time to sing a hymn, but there was no time for that; we moved right on to our next speaker. Bruce Herbold, a fisheries biologist with the EPA, followed with a fascinating presentation on pelagic organism decline in the Delta. A few examples of pelagic fish in the Delta are striped bass, threadfin smelt, longfin smelt and Delta smelt.

In relation to their fall fish samplings, they believe the collapse of fish populations since 2000 has been caused by a combination of things: water temperature, predation, altered water flows, contaminants, nonnative species and entrainment. One of the points that Bruce insisted we needed to know by the end of the trip is the term “X2,” the distance from where the Delta becomes 2 parts per thousand salt from the Golden Gate Bridge. It is considered low salinity habitat and the approximate upstream boundary of the salt/fresh water mixing zone, which makes it an important place for the fishes.

Being a resource speaker on the tour for many years, Bruce knows the tight time schedule of the Foundation tours, and he is a pro when it comes to delivering a lot of important info quickly. I should have counted his words per minute average. One of the comments on the tour evaluations is that the sites and speakers are packed in like sardines…or maybe smelt.

Kathy Merwin, a Delta farmer, had arranged a spread of delicious, ripe cherries from the Clarksburg fruit growers and other snacks for the participants to enjoy before heading back to the bus.

The landscape of the Delta is dotted with colorful unique houses, small coffee shops and restaurants, and there is an old-time feel that adds to the journey while hopping from one side of the river to the other across the small one-lane bridges.

As we continued our drive through the Delta, DWR’s Joel Dudas, the resource speaker on my bus, shared several interesting tidbits about Delta history. I began to wonder sometimes how people retain all of this information, including trivia facts like why Benicia is named Benicia. I can’t remember this fact so you will have to come on the tour to find out from Joel! Joel is involved with the North Delta Flood Control and Ecosystem Restoration Project. This project combines the efforts of achieving flood control and ecosystem restoration goals with the use of setback levees and flood bypass areas on McCormack-Williamson Tract and Staten Island, which are both owned by The Nature Conservancy.

We crossed the green bridge into Walnut Grove and made our next stop at the Delta Cross Channel, which was constructed many years ago to allow for a better flow of water from the Sacramento River to the pumps in Tracy continuing on to Central and Southern California. There has been quite a bit of discussion about when the gates should be open and shut for fish spawning. Fish can easily get sidetracked on their journey. When the gates are closed, the boating locals must take the long trek around Georgiana Slough and the travel time increases by a few hours. When driving the route for the tour, I got lost out on Georgiana Slough and navigating your way along the levee roads can be confusing. If you ever want to take a drive in the Delta, bring a good map…I recommend Hal Schell’s maps. They’re hard to find but the best.

We headed south on Highway 160 to Windy Cove picnic area, which is across from Brannon Island State Park. Luckily, we did not have the signature windy day that gave this spot its name.

Linda Fiack, the Executive Director at the Delta Protection Commission, was another resource speaker on the entire tour. At Windy Cove, she talked about the Commission and the primary and secondary zones in the Delta, which define development, as well as encroaching urbanization. The commission is composed of 23 districts and was created in 1992 to oversee land use issues. Development is under close surveillance according to the Delta Protection Act because of the importance of agriculture, open space and habitat in this area. The difference between the primary zone and secondary zone in simplistic terms: primary zones have more restrictions than secondary zones.

She also discussed the Old Sugar Mill development struggle to add 164 houses to the primary zone, which would have essentially tripled the size of Clarksburg and helped support the cost of restoring the sugar mill. The Commission denied development and the appeal was also denied. Since the tour, the original owner has filed for bankruptcy and the mill (now housing wineries) is changing ownership.

The drive through the Delta continued with a stop at Sherman Island in the Western Delta. When I was driving the route before the tour, my drive along the curvy, bumpy levee road took me through a landscape of wind surfing aficionados and bikers struggling against the wind. The wind was not in full force on the tour day, but the curves of the levee road were even more apparent on a bus, especially in the back.

Levees on the western islands are built on peat soil which subsidizes and oxidizes and is not a solid foundation. The levees have a large responsibility of protecting the Delta islands from flooding, and during the last century, there have been 162 Delta levee failures. The flooding of an island is extremely dangerous and costly to local residents, farmers and the state.

Michael Mierzwa, DWR’s Chief River Forecaster, held up a big cloth map and talked about the Western islands and flood management. Michael Floyd, DWR Senior Engineer, gave an overview of the Delta Risk Management Strategy (DRMS) study pointing out the grim outlook for the future of the Delta levees. The DRMS study is all about the levees and the high risk for failure from earthquakes. The last major earthquake was 1906, and the longer we go without a major earthquake, the bigger the bang will be. Michael Floyd said with an earthquake, 20 islands could flood and the price tag would be $15 billion or more. Information from the DRMS study may be incorporated into the Delta Islands and Levees Feasibility Study, a 2 million dollar study to develop a long-term Army Corps strategy for levees in the Delta.

The next stop was Twitchell Island where we almost didn’t make it past the first gate onto the island. Because both Sherman and Twitchell islands are primarily owned by DWR, our resourceful resource speakers from DWR worked their magic and luckily got the gate open and the bus through.

Terri Gaines from DWR’s Delta-Suisun Marsh office showed us a setback levee that DWR had constructed. The $3 million, 3,000 foot setback levee was constructed in 1996-1999 to stabilize a threatened levee on the San Joaquin River and create habitat to satisfy the enhancement element of the DWR’s AB360 Levees Program.

In addition to flood protection the levee serves as a habitat booster and an area for little fish to hide. Eight years since the planting of emergent marsh and riparian species on the 3,000 feet of levee setback, the levee is virtually camouflaged and indistinguishable to the normal passerby. The costly setback levee proved its strength when it withstood the January 2006 storms.

We reached another gate that our DWR speakers helped us open to make it to our last stop of the day at the Port of Stockton. Jeff Wingfield, the Environmental Manager at the Port of Stockton, had his team of people there to discuss an oxidation device that has been constructed there for the benefit of the fish. The Port of Stockton sits on the edge of the southern Delta, and the activities of the Port affect the islands nearby. The depth of the channel causes a decrease in movement of the water during low flow times, which results in low dissolved oxygen in the water. The Port has installed an aerator to improve the oxidation issue. The project has two pumps that inject gaseous oxygen into the water and at a cost of $2,400 a day about 58 days a year.

Finally, we arrived at the Lexington Waterfront Hotel in Stockton with a brief time to relax and then we were off for to have dinner at the San Joaquin Agricultural Center provided by the Stockton Area Water Suppliers (SAWS). Bob Granberg, Deputy Director for the Municipal Utilities Department of the City of Stockton, welcomed the group and introduced Scott Hudson, the San Joaquin County Agricultural Commissioner. Scott talked about the many facets of his role as the commissioner and the construction and purpose of the San Joaquin County Agricultural Center. West Coast Grape Farming provided a wine tasting for the participants and shared the story of its Bad Dog wine, which is very good.

Wrapping up the night, I heard a song that one of our Foundation Water Leaders had been inspired to write on the tour about the Delta. Yes, our tours are so inspiring that you are driven to unusual acts of creativity. Anyway it went to the tune of Ring of Fire, which was the ringtone of the bus driver’s, Johnny Gates, cell phone: “Down, down, down, the levees got higher. Down, down, down, the islands are subsiding.” Very clever.

The next morning began with a lively discussion between two speakers on opposite sides of the Peripheral Canal debate. People were raising hands, agreeing and disagreeing with the speakers as if we were in a courtroom, which perhaps is common when you are talking about Delta issues. John Herrick, attorney for the South Delta Water Agency, spoke on the Delta stakeholders’ concerns about conveyance and salinity. Herrick challenged people to consider that the majority of the information they are hearing is false, and he explained his points of opposition for the proposed Peripheral Canal. He really did have a PowerPoint slide titled “Cheaters and Liars” referring to some of the water users outside the Delta. A tour participant stated, “I am one of the people you refer to as a cheater and liar on your slide, and I disagree with everything you say.” He considers the crash of the fisheries to be in part due to the lack of compliance with the Endangered Species Act. He said that the current delivery system works with fluctuating and intermittent supplies and is now expected to deliver more and more reliable supplies south of the Delta. John expressed his dismay for people’s expectations of increased water supply while fisheries are declining when what he called “illegal exports” were the reason for the fisheries decline in the first place.

It was hard to move on from that presentation because the audience was brimming with questions. However, John Cain, Director of Restoration Programs at the Natural Heritage Institute, followed and continued the lively discussion on the proposed Peripheral Canal and South Delta Water quality concerns. Representing an environmental group, he shared that he does not think the proposed Peripheral Canal will be able to solve the problem on its own but has conditional support from his organization. He talked about some of the BDCP plans that Karla had discussed on the first day. Contrary to Herrick’s statements, Cain stated that the real reason for poor water quality in the south Delta is that almost all of the San Joaquin River water is diverted before reaching the Delta, which eliminates the possibility for the dilution of the salts. The “fixes” that he listed include reducing agricultural drainage, recirculation, restoring tidal marsh and isolating the San Joaquin’s “old” river from the “middle” rivers. One person asked Cain if he was one of the people that wants to turn the majority of the Delta into wetlands. His response was “yes” but followed with the explanation that inevitably, whether we interfere or not, Delta islands will flood, and the question is whether the flooding should be controlled or a natural disaster in which lives, land and habitats are lost causing irreparable damage. The debate was a memorable beginning to the second day and everyone was definitely awake and ready to go.

On our way to Clifton Court Forebay, Bob Ferguson and Jerry Robinson, who are both San Joaquin County farmers and directors of the South Delta Water Agency, discussed South Delta agricultural concerns and salinity issues on each of the buses. Different from the North Delta, the South Delta has mineral soils rather than peat. According to them, the South Delta doesn’t have a subsidence problem and the levees are in good condition. When questioned about using more efficient irrigation methods, they explained that they have to use furrow irrigation because the more efficient drip and sprinkler system are not able to provide enough water to wash out salts. With the other irrigation methods, the salt build up in five years would make it no longer possible to farm the land. One of their concerns with the future plans for the Delta is what they said is the lack of discussion about the amount of water needed to keep the Delta healthy. In their opinion, the coequal goals fall short because they feel it is impossible to meet agricultural, urban and environmental demands.

One of our resource speakers, the Bureau’s Paul Fujitani, also filled the group in on some facts about the hundreds of water rights holders in the State Water Project (SWP) and the relationship between the SWP and Central Valley Project (CVP). Before entering the SWP, the water collects at the state’s Clifton Court Forebay. Water also moves through the Delta south toward the Jones Pumping Plant at the Delta’s southern edge near Tracy.

The C.W. “Bill Jones Pumping Plant, formerly the federal Tracy Pumping Plant, was completed in 1951 and is the main transfer point for CVP water into the Delta-Mendota Canal where it then travels to the Central Valley. Pat Bell and Steve Larsen from the San-Luis Delta Mendota Authority provided a tour of the facility. We gathered in the pumping plant and peaked around the six pumps able to pump 4600 cfs and walked on a metal grate through the shelves of electrical wire, peering down at the ground a hundred or so feet below. The Forebay allows pumping to be timed and allows settling of sediment, but there is a problem with predation which is estimated as high as 80%.

The next stop was DWR’s Skinner Fish Facility where we were able to see a fish count. This fish protection facility is part of the SWP’s facilities in the Delta where millions of fish make an interesting trip through the screens every year. Chris Reed from DWR explained how the screens work and the entire process. The screens are louvers that look similar to window blinds separated by 1-inch sections. The screens collect fish from the inlet of the California Aqueduct so they don’t end up at the state’s Banks Pumping Plant. Rescued fish are trucked to sites many miles away from the pumps and then released. One person on the trip exclaimed, “You can transport fish in trucks?” They do a fish count every 2 hours, and salmon are trucked out every 12 hours, but Delta smelt cannot be kept longer than 8 hours. This method is successful, but predation is definitely a concern at the site where the trucked fish are released.

Los Vaqueros Dam was next on the agenda where we picked up Lucinda Shih, Senior Water Resource Specialist, and Brett Kawakami, Associate Water Resources Specialist, for the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD). The CCWD is the only major urban water district that takes water out of the Delta, and their main concern is water quality more than supply. They gave us a little background on the project, which is off-stream storage, and water quality issues for urban communities in the East Bay region. The Los Vaqueros Project pumps water from the Delta when salinity is low and stores it for drinking when salinity in the Delta is high. The reservoir, which holds 100,000 AF, is also able to supply water during an emergency. Lucinda and Brett kept the questions rolling by giving 4-minute shower water timers as rewards for anyone participating in the discussion. Conservation is key, but the 4-minute shower is a challenge for all of us!

We drove up to the top of the dam where CCWD’s Mark Mueller talked about the Los Vaqueros operations as we battled the wind. CCWD had a barbeque lunch set up for us at the Dam’s Interpretive Center, and the area view was breathtaking. CCWD’s Marguerite Naillon continued the discussion of the district’s operations and Dam expansion studies. She said there are two expansion options to improve water supply reliability and water quality and both require a new dam structure. One would raise the dam 30 feet, increasing the volume 65,000 AF, and the other 90 feet, 175,000 AF.

Before we made the last stop of the day at the CCWD Bollman Water Treatment Plant, we visited the Delta Coves housing project built on a superlevee on Bethel Island. News articles have reported that the development is stalled due to not only the collapse of the housing market but severe fines because of unmet environmental rules. Now gated up, the vision of this development on a giant levee with the town down below surrounding it is unusual. This type of development on super levees to avoid flooding could become more common in the Delta.

As we know, Delta water needs to be treated before being delivered to the customers so we stopped at Bollman Water Treatment plant, which treats the water to meet required water quality standards, on the way to the hotel.

The finale of the day was dinner at Spinnaker Restaurant in Sausalito overlooking the Bay with windows all around. It was a perfect end to a busy day, and we didn’t have a dinner speaker but Sophie-Nicole Froelich, a lawyer from the dinner sponsor NOSSAMAN LLP, welcomed the group and talked about her work on water issues.

The last day we started the morning with a visit to the Bay Model in Sausalito. We were able to view the Bay-Delta system at a glance at the huge model, or rather, several glances while turning in a circle. The Corps built the 1.5 acre model in the 1950s to test a plan to dam the bay and change it from salt to fresh water! The model is no longer in operation, but at one time, it used 180,000 gallons of water to mimic local tides and currents.

We started with two presentations that morning. First, Ellen Hanak, Director of Research at the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) presented on the 2008 Institute’s report about the Delta’s future. Part of the presentation was about how many of the islands are not worth the high cost of repairing and a discussion of the coequal goals of “sustainable environment” and “reliable water supply.” The PPIC report looked at the following four options: through Delta, Peripheral Canal, dual conveyance and no exports. To summarize some of the important information in the presentation, she said no exports would be the most fish friendly, but the most expensive; through Delta, which is the current method, is the worst for the fish; the proposed Peripheral Canal would be somewhat fish friendly and the least expensive; and the dual conveyance, would be fish friendly but could be more expensive than the canal only. Under the all export alternatives, the PPIC predicts that the Delta of tomorrow will be different, including large bodies of open water, higher sea level and the loss of 10-15 islands, but agriculture will continue in much of the Delta and there is growth potential in the recreation economy. Regarding payment for the new conveyance system, the report suggests that export users pay for the new facilities.

At dinner the night before, one of the participants described the information they were receiving on the tour as trying to drink from a fire hose, but this presentation answered many questions and connected the dots of the various plans for the Delta.

Ellen was followed by Maury Roos, Chief Hydrologist at the Department of Water Resources, who talked about climate change, sea level rise and Delta consequences. Maury said if the big one, as DWR’s Michael Floyd previously discussed at Sherman Island, were to hit, the loss of islands would be inevitable and with the loss would come the gain of salt intrusion in the southern Delta that would be almost impossible to remove. Regarding global warming, he said there is an increase in greenhouse gases, and temperatures have risen one degree Fahrenheit since 1910 in California. A few of his points made me understand the reality of the situation: reduced snowpack leads to increased salinity in the Delta and with warmer temperatures, water use goes up for farms and urban landscapes. If you don’t believe in climate change, Maury had a slew of figures that makes you realize that it is upon us.

After touring the model and educational exhibits, we took the ferry from Sausalito to Fisherman’s Wharf to have lunch at Castagnola’s where we enjoyed a view of the wharf and Bay and a great Shrimp Louie salad. Greg Zlotnick, former board member and now staffer of Santa Clara Water District, joined us to give an overview of the district, South Bay issues and Bay Area regional activities. Santa Clara Valley Water District is a flood management agency and is the only federal and state water contractor. Greg covered a little bit of everything: estimate of mid-century snowpack, agreeing with the PPIC quotes on the uncertainty of the Delta, problems with invasive species, and the infamous quote “There are two kinds of levees – those that have failed and those that will fail. – Mark Twain.” According to his presentation, California will need more reliability and movability of water.

Our last stop of the day was at Suisun Marsh Rush Ranch. As we turned from Highway 12 onto Grizzly Island Road, the scenery changed from streets and shopping centers to marsh grasses blowing in the wind and reflections of the afternoon sun in the slough waters. The bus drove through the marsh toward the ranch and crossed a bridge with a “No Fishing” sign, where several men with fishing poles were sitting on a one lane bridge. I guess the “No Fishing” sign is a dead giveaway that there are fish to catch.

We turned into the white wooden gate at Rush Ranch and headed down the gravel road to meet with Steve Chappell, the Executive Director at the Suisun Resource Conservation District. With over 115,000 acres of wetland and upland habitats, the Suisun Marsh is the largest contiguous brackish wetland in the western United States and is an important stop on the Pacific Flyway. It provides food and habitat for migratory birds and supports many varieties of plants, fish and wildlife that require a balance of fresh and saline waters. Because of its location in the Bay-Delta estuary, its water quality is closely tied to the CVP and SWP operations, and it is one of the most highly regulated wildlife habitat areas in California.

A representative from DWR spoke about DWR’s new mission to develop a management plan for the Marsh, which covers recovery of the endangered species, maintaining existing habitat functions and water quality. DWR’s goal is to manage the ecosystem and not individual species. After the presentations, we took a nature walk up to the top of a small hill for a great view of Suisun Marsh. It was a nice time to reflect on the last three days full of new people and great discussions.

Many wanted to continue the walk at Rush Ranch, but it was time to return to the Sacramento airport. The tour ended, but the information shared and sites visited made an impact on each person, and many said they would return to the area.

I know I will be heading back to Suisun Marsh, not to fish but to hike on its trails. The Bay-Model is place I could spend hours, not to mention a stroll in downtown Sausalito. Because I live in Sacramento, the Delta will always be a place that I visit. We also discovered the Delta Loop featuring restaurants and shops and wine tasting.

The future plans for the Delta are undecided at this time, but the best catalyst for progress is education. Come on our tour and experience this incredible area for yourself. It’s amazing what you will see and learn when you leave the office. Our tours are a series of field trips with a purpose: to find out what is really going on. Don’t believe everything you read in the media. Find out the facts for yourself on a Water Education Foundation Tour. Visit our website to find out more about our tours and to register: www.watereducation.org/tours.

We would like to thank the following additional sponsors for making this tour possible: DWR; Bureau of Reclamation; CDM; CH2M Hill; Dan Dooley; MWH; Nickel Family, LLC; Parsons; Parsons Brinckerhoff and ICF Jones & Stokes.

September 21, 2009 · Filed Under Events

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One Response to “Water Education Foundation’s Bay-Delta tour gives participants a lively and informative look at Delta issues”

SafeBoater on September 23rd, 2009 11:52 am

There is no better way for people to learn about water conservation and the intricate water system that supports California’s population than to get out there and show them. That physical presence will make more of an impact. Education is the first step; it’s key to helping people decide to dot the right thing. That’s how water safety works: people are safer when they have the facts first. The Department of Boating and Waterway has set out to share safety information just as the Water Education has set out to inform Californians on water conservation. Visit the Department of Boating and Waterways for more information: http://bit.ly/uZ3ZA.

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