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Proposed plan for Delta shows great promise

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 31, 2007 at 8:09 am

From the Contra Costa County Times, news that the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Taskforce has been presented a new plan for the Delta that is impressive in its potential:

The breakthrough proposal, developed by representatives of more than 40 divergent interest groups, calls for an immediate experiment to build temporary dams in Delta rivers and study whether a highly controversial aqueduct should be built. It appears to address immediate problems facing the Delta’s declining environmental health and the state’s water supply while setting out a course for reaching long-term solutions. “This is absolutely a stunning accomplishment,” said Ray Seed, a member of the panel and a levee expert at UC Berkeley.

Here’s what the plan calls for:

It first would implement a series of noncontroversial steps, such as developing an emergency response plan in the Delta in case of levee failures. It then calls for installing rock barriers in the Delta to separate water supply channels from environmentally sensitive habitat. Finally, it would sanction an aggressive study to determine the cost, feasibility and operations of a highly controversial aqueduct that would carry water around the Delta toward the massive pumps near Tracy that send water to 25 million Californians and millions of acres of farmland.

Some supporters of the group’s plan say that if the experimental channel modifications and aqueduct studies both pan out, then water could be delivered in both ways. Others are set against the aqueduct because of the threat to Delta landowners, water quality and fisheries.

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

August 31, 2007 · Filed Under Delta Issues, Delta Vision Task Force