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Peripheral visions: All sides of the peripheral canal issue

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 8, 2007 at 7:20 am

Here is a great article from the Contra Costa Times about the Peripheral Canal. I think it does a great job of summing up both sides of the issue:

The crisis in the Delta is blowing a strong wind into the sails of those who want to build a aqueduct, setting the stage for a replay of one of the most bitter and divisive battles in California history. The Peripheral Canal, a major threat at one time to Contra Costa’s water supply, is back.

To supporters, the canal could fix the ongoing decline of the Delta ecosystem and avoid water supply disruptions like the ones that occurred last month when massive state pumps were turned off for nine days. To opponents, it could kill the estuary and foul water supplies in Contra Costa County and elsewhere.

Though the details are far from settled, the basic idea is simple: A canal could be built to draw water out of the Sacramento River before it gets to the Delta, then carry it around the Delta’s channels to the pumps near Tracy. From there, the water could be delivered to Bay Area communities, San Joaquin Valley farms and Southern California residents.

The article does a nice job of covering the pros and cons of the peripheral canal:

… supporters say a canal could:

# Prevent a repeat of the recent water shutdowns by eliminating the risk of imperiled fish getting sucked into south Delta pumps;

# Protect the state’s water-delivery system from the threat of Delta levee failures while delivering fresher water to millions of people;

# Reduce the pressure from large water agencies, allowing the Delta to be managed in a more environmentally friendly way.

But opponents fear that the canal could also be the final blow to a dying Delta. Critics say it could easily turn the West Coast’s largest estuary into an inland sea, ruining Delta fisheries and farms while fouling the water supply for a half-million Contra Costa residents.

“A peripheral canal can solve the water supply problem,” said Gary Bobker, a program director at the Bay Institute, an environmental group. “But you still have to decide what you’re going to do about the Delta ecosystem and the communities in the Delta.”

To read the full text of this article from the Contra Costa County Times, click here.

July 8, 2007 · Filed Under Delta Issues, Peripheral Canal

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