with the Central Delta Water Agency and Doug Brown, executive director of the Delta Counties Coalition. Coalition members represent inter- ests inside and outside the Delta proper, including water contractors, recla- mation districts and environmental organizations. Gartrell said “it was more a sense that there are a lot of projects out there and activities that everybody could support regardless of what they are arguing about or fi ghting over in other forums.”


The Coalition operates with the understanding it is clearly separate of the BDCP and that there are a host of in-Delta projects that are non- controversial and closer to completion. Members say its focus on non-contro- versial projects stands apart from the normal adversity that surrounds the debate about water supply and eco- system protection. “I think it’s a very positive devel- opment that people with such diverse backgrounds are at least trying to focus on common interests, recognizing there may be larger battles that are going to play out over time,” said Stan Dean, district engineer with Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District. State offi cials laud the Coalition to the extent it can help promote the many fl ood management and habitat restoration projects distributed among reclamation districts, water agencies and the Department of Water Resources (DWR). “These projects have been in the works for years and they are mov- ing forward. To the extent the coalition can provide any kind of added benefi t to these projects in terms of solidifying support or cooperation and collabora- tion that, of course, is wonderful,” said Gail Newton, chief of DWR’s Flood- SAFE Environmental Stewardship and Statewide Resources Offi ce.


Though MWD was involved with


the Coalition’s formation, “our main ob- jective is to get the public draft BDCP completed and out to the public for review and comment,” Arakawa said. “That’s really what we are focused on.” This issue of Western Water looks at the BDCP and the Coalition to


May/June 2013


Support Delta Projects, issues that are aimed at improving the health and safety of the Delta while solidifying California’s long-term water supply reliability.


Finding the Fix


The 2009 legislative water package defi ned the co-equal goals for the Delta as “providing a more reliable water supply for California and protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Delta ecosystem. The co-equal goals shall be achieved in a manner that protects and enhances the unique cultural, recre- ational, natural resource, and agricul- tural values of the Delta as an evolving place.”


The law, which included creation of the Delta Plan and the Delta Stewardship Council, was preceded by preparations for the BDCP, which began in 2006. Plummeting numbers of endangered and threatened Delta fi sh species led to court-ordered water restrictions, leading water contractors and resource agencies to explore an alternative means of getting their water through a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), the federal process that allows the “taking” of threatened or endan- gered species as long as it is minimized and mitigated.


The 2009 water package included an $11 billion water bond that is cur-


7


Rep. John Garamendi was one of the speakers at a July 2012 Delta tunnels protest at the state capitol.


Watch Restore the Delta’s video in opposition to proposed tunnels


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