Bad news for the Delta:....maybe: Lots of changes are proposed to happen around us, which will have an impact on fresh water flow, which could increase salinity around the south end of Ryer Island in late fall and winter months.  If the state and federal governments get their way, most of the Sacramento River water will be taken out at the Freeport pump, at the Delta Cross Channel Gates and perhaps eventually other areas along the Sacramento River between Isleton and the American & Sacramento  rivers' confluence in Sacramento.  At the same time, the Sacramento Ship Channel will be dredged (notice was put in the Federal Register just a few days ago).  The Sacramento Ship Channel is proposed to be dredged to 5 feet deeper, which will bring in more salt water intrusion to the Delta also.  Also in the plans - and about to be implemented - is the Yolo Bypass annual inundation experiment where each year the Yolo Bypass will be intentionally inundated several times to get salmon and smelt to use the Yolo Bypass area instead of the Sacramento River...to avoid the water pumps on the Sacramento River.  (See planning maps at http://deltarevision.com) or use Yahoo to find the planning documents for the ship channel dredging.

Ryer Island good news:  DWR seems to have recognized their mistake regarding Ryer Island flood history, as the latest "white paper" presented to the Delta Stewardship Council listed Ryer Island as having only 2 incidents of flood, 1904 and 1907...before the current levees were built!  Hopefully this fact will keep Ryer Island off the "don't repair" list the government now has in case any levees happen to fail.

More info at:

http://www.delta.ca.gov/res/docs/Delta%20Trail%20Draft%20GIS%20Memo.pdf

 http://www.delta.ca.gov/res/docs/map/Conveyance-ThroughDelta_priseczoneoverlay.pdf

Coalition Contacts (The coordinators of the latest attack on the Delta, according to the 2004 MWD slideshow referenced above)
Steve Hall Association of California Water Agencies (916) 441-4545 steveh@acwanet.com

Rex Hime California Business Properties Assn. (916) 443-4676 rexhime@cbpa.com

Fiona Hutton Red Gate Communications (818) 508-1986
fhutton@redgatecommunications.com

1-15-2010:  Snug Harbor office received a call from the US Coast Guard that it appears there could be substantial rain runoff flowing through the Delta in the next few weeks.  We also received notice that the Delta Cross Channel will be closed so that salmon and other fish traveling on the Sacramento River will not enter through the DCC to reach the Mokelumne River and central Delta area.  That way, the fish have a higher likelihood of survival if kept away from the suction pumps needed to send the water to Central Valley farmers on the West side, and to other areas of California's naturally arid lands.  When the DCC gates are closed there is higher water flow on the Sacramento River and Steamboat Slough.

view of the launch ramp showing high tide

Link to another great video- history of CA water woes
http://aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired/2009/10/video-presentation-lloyd-g-carter-on-californias-water-mess.html

History of CA water woes and who's behind the battle now! 

Copy and Paste this line in your address bar:

http://aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired/2009/10/video-presentation-lloyd-g-carter-on-californias-water-mess.html

This past week the state legislature called a "special session" to address California water infrastructure issues.  The bills and proposals keep being changed, but it appears there will be a vote on Monday 11-2-09 which could drastically alter the Delta as we know it, for the sole purpose of transporting more water to areas south of the Delta.  Here's the link to the water bill:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/0910/bill/sen/sb_00010050/sbx7_7_bill_20091029_amended_sen_v98.pdf

Detail maps by area:
http://deltarevision.com/maps/2009NorthDeltaRestorationMap.pdf

http://deltarevision.com/maps/2009YoloRestorationMap.pdf

Snug Harbor staff and owners are very concerned that at least some of the actions as proposed will eventually curtail boating in targeted areas of the delta, including possibly the north end of Steamboat Slough, and could subject all Delta landowners to restrictions of riparian water rights, traditional use of existing properties, and excess regulations.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/30/jon-stewart-schools-sean_n_304011.html

Click on the thumbnail to the right to see the most recent BDCP "Draft" map found online, in August.  How the new Water Plan affects us here is still unclear but concerning.  I also found a map that looks a bit different, this one in the BDCP brochure posted the last few days, apparently.

http://resources.ca.gov/bdcp/

Go to the bottom of the following for more details of Steamboat Slough proposals:
http://resources.ca.gov/bdcp/full_drerip_worksheets.html

Link to Delta proposed legislation 2009

 

Lots of hearings and a big gathering of Delta folks up on the steps of the State Capitol to protest the Governor's plans for the Delta.  One really funny sign changed the BDCP, which means Bay-Delta Conservation Plan to the "Big Dumb Canal Plan".  Water is a biiiiig issue!

What is the big issue about the water?  Very basically, the large corporate farmers in the Central Valley, along Hwy 5 and 99, and SoCal cities want Sacramento River water which is less salty than San Joaquin River water.  But if they take more water out of the Sacramento River, it will make sea water come into the fresh water Delta, and destroy Delta farmlands and recreation in this area.   The folks who study the effects of proposed new water plans say the salt in the water at areas like Rio Vista and Ryer Island will as much as double some times of the year.  Farmers would not be able to irrigate their crops and the higher salt in river water might affect wells around here.  Its a trade off...destroy the Delta properties to preserve or expand the large corporate Central Valley farmlands, which take the water before it can get to SoCal cities.  But it also means taking away private property rights of the Delta land owners, which didn't used to be allowed in the United States without fair compensation to the land owners.  Delta land owners have riparian water rights and if the state creates a new canal. as proposed, to take fresh water from the Sacramento River, very serious constitutional property rights will be violated.