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Once again, I ended up writing about Delta and the Santa Clara Valley
Water District in my Green Talk Column. For some reasons, it is not
yet online at the MH Times, so I copied it over. <br>
<br>
__<br>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The National Academy of Science has
convened a special investigation into the validity of previous
scientific rulings regarding the management of the California Delta.
Those previous findings, and the work of this panel, determines the
fate of a seemingly inconsequential fish at the bottom of the Delta
fresh water food chain, the Delta smelt. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">There are
several good sources of information for those who are looking for a
recounting of the events that have been taking place this week at UC
Davis. I would recommend reading the work of Matt Weiser in the
Sacrament Bee. Wednesday, Jan 26. His headline was “Steady flow
of conflicting views marks Delta debate in Davis..” </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">After
reading Weiser, plus the comments of NAS panel member Michael
E.Campana at the WaterWired blog, I am increasingly convinced that
the fate of the Delta lies in the hands of those with the most money
and the best public relations firms. It is only a hope that some
degree of scientific integrity will not be swayed by the opinions
expressed in the testimony of so called experts. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Campana, to his credit, admits to his
own ignorance of the local ecology. “<font size="3">And I now know
how complicated the Bay-Delta system is, far more than I had
imagined.” If, however, he relies only on the testimony of these
experts to enlighten him, then the results were predetermined by
whatever agency selected this group of lobbyist in lab coats to
appear. I know that he has had some introduction to the politics of
California Water since he brought Fresno journalist turned lawyer,
Lloyd G. Carter to talk at Oregon State University last fall. Carter
was the journalist who broke the story of selenium contamination in the
Kesterson Reservoir. </font>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><font size="3">I was a bit surprised by
how open some of the connections were. We know that there are no
tuna in the Delta, but when Richard Derisio, chief scientist at the
Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission testified the original
studies were “flawed”, it was not revealed that his analysis was
done for the lobby firm representing the Metropolitan Water District
in Southern CA. These waters were not transparent. </font>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><font size="3">Some of the testimony
came
not from wildlife experts or biologists, or even bureaucrats, but
from an economist who opined that the Delta smelt would he harmed by
having more fall fresh water flows. Once again, this testimony was
on behalf of a group called the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta...
most of who officers work for the Diane Feinstein contributor who
asked for the study in the first place... Stewart Resnick and his
Paramount Farms operation. </font>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><font size="3">Transparent? These waters
are murky. It is so bad that one real expert, Dr. Jeffrey Mount of
UC Davis, testified that the entire panel was a waste of taxpayer
money since the original studies have gone through two previous
reviews and had been substantiated both times. Still, Dr. Mount went
on to give his entire sermon which I am sure that many did not want
to hear. He is of the opinion that some large portions of the Delta
can not be saved and need to be abandoned over time as they will
inevitably turn into salt marsh. </font>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><font size="3">This eventually all
relates back to an issue here. The Santa Clara Valley Water District
spent </font>$459,271</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><font size="3">of ratepayer money
lobbying around last fall's package of water legislation, a package
the included a lot of good words about goals or objectives and very
little to back them up. According to reports filed with the State of
CA, this lobby effort was in regard to AB39, SB 12, Bay Delta
Governance, Delta Conservancy and Bay Delta Finance... all part of
that late night passed, unread package of bills. </font>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><font size="3">I guess that, if
everything is a complicated as Mr. Campana says, one might need a lot
of lobbyist time just to learn what might happen. Still, as a rate
payer who also voted to elect one of the Water District Board, I
expect to be able to find out what the Water District was trying to
accomplish and why they had to spend nearly half of a million dollars
doing it. Both of those pools of questions remain murky as well. </font>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>References:</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Matt Weiser in Sacramento. Bee. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a
href="http://www.sacbee.com/1268/story/2492329.html">http://www.sacbee.com/1268/story/2492329.html</a></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Michael Campagna WaterWired commentary </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a
href="http://aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired/2010/01/civility-in-norcal.html">http://aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired/2010/01/civility-in-norcal.html</a></p>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="80">--
"Anytime you have an opportunity to make things better
and you don't,
then you are wasting your time on this Earth" Roberto Clemente
Wes Rolley
17211 Quail Court, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.refpub.com/">http://www.refpub.com/</a> -- Tel: 408.778.3024</pre>
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