Byron, CA (August 20, 2018) – Hundreds packed the steps of the State Capitol on Monday, rallying to stop a State water grab that would devastate the Central Valley. Members of the Byron-Bethany Irrigation District (BBID) attended the event, which featured a bi-partisan group of lawmakers, farmers, and community leaders.
On Tuesday, Byron-Bethany Irrigation District issued the following letter of support for Assembly Bill 747, legislation that would provide due process and fairness currently lacking for California’s water rights holders.
BBID AB 747 Support LetterIn a move met with widespread praise and hope in the Central Valley, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior called on federal agencies to act to fix the broken Central Valley Project (CVP). Secretary Ryan Zinke’s memo on Friday directs the development of an action plan to maximize water deliveries and shore up operations of the federally-managed CVP, which Zinke described as being in “…a desperate state of disrepair.”
“For our growers and others in the Central Valley who have borne the brunt of failed policy and mismanagement, this is welcome news,” said BBID GM Rick Gilmore. “The District wholeheartedly agrees with Secretary Zinke: the time to take action is now.”
Growers in Byron-Bethany Irrigation District (BBID)’s CVP service area faced three consecutive years of zero-percent allocations. Even now, with many reservoirs at or above 100% of normal, the South-of-Delta CVP allocation began in 2018 at a mere 20%, and has since climbed to only 45%.
Secretary Zinke’s plan calls for maximizing water deliveries by incorporating the latest and greatest science into the decision-making process. It also includes the construction of new storage for the CVP, a “major source of farms, families, industry and fish and wildlife in California.”
Under the current CVP operation, he wrote, “communities have been harmed, productive land has stood fallow, and the populations of fish these particular water delivery limitations were intended to protect have seen no meaningful improvements.”
“The Secretary’s bold action renews hope for a more equitable approach,” Gilmore added. “We must restore reliability to strengthen the CVP. It is time to consider the reoperation of the Federal and State water projects to provide that much-needed balance.”
The Secretary allotted 15 days to develop an action plan, and ordered the Office of the Deputy Secretary make final recommendations within 10 days of receiving the report.
The full memo is below.
8.17.18 MemoMembers of the United States Congress are vowing to take action if the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) adopts a plan that calls for increased flows through the San Joaquin River. In a letter sent to the SWRCB, legislators say the proposal “clearly subordinates the beneficial human use of the water in favor of fish and wildlife measures of dubious validity…”
The full letter is below.
Letter to SWRCB Regarding Unimpaired FlowOn Friday, State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Chair Felicia Marcus issued a formal response to a letter sent last month by Byron-Bethany Irrigation District (BBID).
As part of the District’s efforts to fairly and efficiently resolve landmark water rights litigation, BBID issued the letter, which references ongoing legal action that BBID and other petitioners are engaged in against the SWRCB in Santa Clara County.
Read more about the case here and here.
The SWRCB’s response is below.
8.10.18 FM Response Ltr BBIDThe San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority‘s member agencies, including the Byron-Bethany Irrigation District, submitted the below letter to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), expressing “significant disappointment” in response to the SWRCB’s plan for unimpaired flows through the Southern Delta and South San Joaquin River.
It says, in part: “…The approach taken to protect water quality for the beneficial use of water by San Joaquin River watershed fish populations (often referred to as the “San Joaquin River flow objectives”) is crude… not supported by credible science.”
The letter continues: “In addition, the proposed Program of Implementation inexplicably imposes new requirements – minimum storage requirements for the reservoirs on tributaries to the San Joaquin River and a requirement that flows are protected “through Delta.” It also directly and “as applied” prematurely assigns responsibility to water right holders. The addition of new requirements and assignment of responsibility, which will affect vested property interests, are not supported by the facts or the law.”
Read the full statement below.
2018-07-27 Ltr to SWRCB re Bay-Delta Plan CommentsThe U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau) sent the following letter to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), urging the SWRCB to reconsider key components of its Bay-Delta Plan Update for the Lower San Joaquin River and Southern Delta. The SWRCB’s plan calls for 40% of unimpaired flows, which will result in significant reductions in available water.
The Bureau’s letter says, in part: “…The Board amendments essentially elevate the [New Melones] Project’s fish and wildlife purposes over the Project’s irrigation and domestic purposes contrary to the prioritization scheme carefully established by Congress.”
The full letter, as well as the Bureau’s technical comments, are below:
BOR_Letter_Bay_Delta_PlanOn July 24, the California Water Commission announced that $459 million of Proposition 1 funding will be slated for expanding Los Vaqueros Reservoir in eastern Contra Costa County near Brentwood. With 15 agencies, including Byron-Bethany Irrigation District (BBID) interested in potentially being part of the expansion, Los Vaqueros would expand in size and operations with broader reaching benefits.
Read the full news release below.
News Release - Prop 1 ResultsIn a concerted effort to fairly and efficiently resolve a landmark water rights case, the Byron-Bethany Irrigation District (BBID) on Tuesday issued the below letter to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB).
The letter references ongoing litigation that BBID and other petitioners are engaged in against the SWRCB in Santa Clara County.
Read more about the case here. More coverage is here. The full letter is below.
SWRCB_Marcus_072418The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority (SLDMWA) launched a formal search for its next Executive Director. Byron-Bethany Irrigation District (BBID) is one of the SLDMWA’s member agencies.
The attached brochure provides additional information about the job description and how to apply.
SLDMWA Exec Dir Brochure