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Groups sue to block giant Westlands backroom water deal

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 9, 2010 at 8:39 am

Posted by Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org:

“Three months after the State Senator Steinberg’s so-called “historic” delta protection legislation was approved the state’s agribusiness industry is quietly securing secret state and federal sign offs to authorize water exporters to damage the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta for decades to come. North Coast Rivers Alliance and three other groups filed suit today to guarantee the public gets full public disclosure and environmental review of those water contract decisions.

A couple days before Christmas when Westlands Water District thought no one would notice the giant district issued a three paragraph notice that quietly declared the renewal of six water export contracts valid and harmless to the Delta and environment. The Steinberg state legislation was supposed to protect the Delta, but it didn’t; actually it “woke up” fishermen’s and conservation groups to the fact that these giant water export contracts were being quietly renewed without any public review or disclosure.

Incredibly, Westlands had announced that the renewal of over a million acre feet of Northern California water export wouldn’t require any environmental disclosure of the impacts of those contracts on Delta fish and wildlife. This occurred at the very time numerous federal and state agencies have become increasingly concerned about the harm these export contracts were having on the largest wetland habitat in the western United States.

“With little or no review Westlands Water District wants the federal government to sign off on these destructive water exports,” stated Steve Evans Conservation Director for Friends of the River. “They are slipping this by trying to avoid responsibility for reducing damage to the Delta.” … “

Continue reading at IndyBay.org by clicking here.

February 9, 2010 · Filed Under Westlands Water District

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