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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12091986 - MR.4 THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA DATE: December 9, 1986 MATTER OF RECORD SUBJECT; Senate Agriculture and Water Resources' Committee Meeting Testimony Supervisor Sunne McPeak !'presented to the Board the attached statements she and Supervisor Tom Torlakson would be making before the Senate Agriculture and Water Resources Committee in Antioch on December 10 , 1986. THIS IS A MATTER FOR RECORD PURPOSES ONLY NO BOARD ACTION TAKEN STATEMENT OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY SUPERVISOR TOM TORLAKSON BEFORE THE SENATE AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURSES COMMITTEE December 10, 1986, Antioch, California AUTHORIZED BY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON DECEMBER 9, 1986 I am Tom Torlakson, a member of the Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County. On behalf of the Board of Supervisors I welcome and thank you for having this hearing in the heart of the San Francisco Bay/Delta Estuary. My district includes the Delta and Eastern Contra Costa County. Water issues are important to the people in my district because water plays such an important part in the lives of the residents of Eastern Contra Costa County. Issues of importance include drinking water quality, Delta levees, agriculture, recreation, fish and wildlife, and the proposed Los Vaqueros/Kellogg reservoir. Contra Costa County has been active in statewide water issues since the 1950 ' s. We have always been advocates of Bay/Delta water quality and have called for the preservation and enhancement of agricultural, recreational, and fish and wildlife resources of the Delta. Supervisor Sunne McPeak will later be discussing some specific County water policies and some current major water issues. One issue I want to bring to your attention concerns Delta levees. It is a known fact that many Delta levees are in need of a major rehabilitaiton to reduce levee failures that have been occuring more and' more frequently in recent years. These levee failures are a drain in local, state, and federal funds for damage and repair. Over the last five years over $100 million of state and federal funds have been paid for disaster relief. Much of these costs could have been avoided if preventive reconstruction and maintenance had been adequately funded.'. The Delta is a statewide resource. The Delta islands are an important agricultural resource. Recreational and fish and wildlife resources of the Delta are available to everyone in the state. The Delta is also important for transportation with highways, pipelines, transmission lines and shipping channels running through the Delta. The most important benefit of the Delta (in terms of statewide water policy) , is the importance of Delta levees for maintaining water quality. Without Delta levees, or with a Delta levee failure at a critical time, the water quality of both the State Water Project, the Central Valley Project, and local Delta water users would be ,adversely affected by salt water intrusion. r Contra Costa County initiated the establishment of the Coalition to Save Our Delta. The Coalition' s sole purpose is to seek a long term comprehensive Delta levee rehabilitation and maintenance program. Senator Boatwright has agreed to introduce legislation for increased state funding pending a larger future federal Corps of Engineers program. The proposed legislation will amend the existing "Way Bill" levee subvention program by increasing state funding from $2 million to $10 million annually. The state/local cost sharing formula would change from the current 50%-50% split after the first $1,000 per mile of levee to 80% state - 20% local after the first $2, 000 per mile of levee. There will also be a low interest loan program for qualifying local agencies who may not be able to fund the local share. The concepts of this bill are consistant with the findings of the Legislature' s Emergency Delta Task Force, which I had the pleasure to serve on. We hope that there will be support for this bill from all parts of the state in recognition of the statewide importance of Delta levees. Money spent on rehabilitation and maintenance will greatly reduce the need for future flood disaster relief in the Delta. This increase in state funding is a wise investment in the Delta and will show the federal government that the state is serious about mitigating flood problems in the Delta and will match future federal funds for a larger scale Delta levee program. STATEMENT OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY SUPERVISOR SUNNE WRIGHT MCPEAK BEFORE THE SENATE AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES COMMITTEE December 10, 1986 , Antioch, California AUTHORIZED BY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON DECEMBER 9, 1986 I am Sunne McPeak, a member of the Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County, the Chair of the Board' s Water Committee and the Chair of the Committee for Water Policy Consensus (CWPC) . The CWPC is an organization of public and private leaders in the twelve-county San Francisco Bay and Delta area. Supervisor Tom Torlakson gave your Committee some background on water interests in our County and described our current activities concerning Delta levees. I will focus on some specific ±'policies and issues. Attached are the adopted policies of ,the CWPC endorsed by the Contra Costa County Water Agency and the Board of Supervisors. They explain our "policy before plumbing" position and .discuss how policy and plumbing can be addressed jointly.. The first issue I want to discuss is consensus. Contra Costa County has been at the center of many "water wars" since the 19501s. We have never been afraid to articulate our policies and beliefs. We have gone to court in many cases to litigate for water ,quality protections and have encouraged referendums by the voters, such as with the Peripheral Canal campaign. In many cases the courts and the voters have sided with us. Most recently, the Racanelli Decision, concerning Water Rights Decision 1485, reinforced many of our legal points concerning protection of water quality for the Delta and the Bay. Consensus has actually occured on several issues. The most spectacular example is the Coordinated Operation Agreement for the State and Federal water projects. Another example is the authorization of Los Banos Grandes Reservoir. Yet another example, but not yet completed, is the proposed agreement between the Department of Water Resources and the Department of Fish and Game concerning mitigation for the effects of the State export pumping plant. The next few years may bring major changes in statewide water issues. The previous examples of consensus will undoubtably spur consensus attempts on other water issues. I want to emphasize that we will continue to diligently pursue consensus but will remain ever vigilant and are prepared for confrontation if necessary. The approach of the Contra 'Costa County Board of Supervisors and the CWPC to meeting statewide water needs can be summarized in three major points which are based on our adopted policies. These major points are: (a) Improved protections for the Bay/Delta Estuary and Northern California; (b) Increased conservation and more efficient use of the current water supply; and (a) New construction that is environmently safe and economically sound. These policy items are explained in detail in the attached documents. Please note that we emphasize our adamant opposition to any increase in exports until essential protections have been enacted. Our next challenge is the new Water Quality Control Plan and Water Rights Decision for the Bay and Delta that will be heard before the State Water Resources Control Board for the next three years. The recent Racanelli Decision provides a framework for the State Water Resources Control Board to adopt water quality protections we have been seeking for a long time. We anticipate the State Water Resources Control Board will increase water quality protections for -the Delta and set new standards for San Francisco Bay including freshwater inflow standards for the Bay. Pollution in the Bay contributes to decline in the fisheries, but we in the Bay area are doing our part to reduce local sources of pollution. Freshwater inflows are not exclusively 'for flushing pollutants out of the Bay. Recent scientific reports show that adequate freshwater inlow is vital for the biotic life in the Bay. Freshwater inflows are also important to locate the freshwater/saltwater interface at an optimal location during certain times of the year for our declining fisheries. We are also closely watching the State Water Resources Control Board' s establishment of San Joaquin River water quality standards. Resolutuion of water quality and agricultural drainage problems must be a prerequisite before any increases in water exports occur. I now want to address the matter of plumbing. Contra Costa County will always oppose the Peripheral Canal or any other isolated transfer system. We appreciate the growing political respect for this position. However, we do want to underscore that the currenttransfer system has many problems which must be addressed and corrected. The existing export system negative impacts must be mitigated. This matter should be of major concern to water leaders and Delta water users. In no case, however, would we support that plumbing modifications necessary for mitigation be used to transfer more water annually until protections are secured and implemented. Water banking of surface and ground waters must be implemented as a mitigation measure for current negative impacts of exporting and before any increase in the level of exports occur. It is the linchpin of both the policy and plumbing considerations. With water .banking, water during high flow periods would be ':stored south of the Delta for use during drier times. Los Banos Grandes Reservoir, the Kern Water Bank, and Los Vaqueros/Kellogg Reservoir are examples of potential water banking projects. Our County requested and supported legislation authorizing Los Banos Grandes and will support other water banking projects with adequate environmental protections. We in Contra Costa County are looking foward to working with the Legislature on these water issues. We hope that the efforts toward consensus will continue and resolution of more water issues will come in future years. WOW Committee for Water P®licv Consensus BAY/DELTA PROTECTION POLICIES 1. Support of San Francisco Bay-Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta estuarine system water quality standards, with standards guaran- teed in the state constitution and in the federal-state (CVP-SWP) Coordinated Operating Agreement and in a reauthorization of the Central Valley Project. Numerical standards should be established as a floor for protec- tion of the Bay/Delta estuarine system. These numerical stand- ards should be arrived at through consultations with all inter- ested parties. 2. Assess responsibility for decline of fish and wildlife in the San Francisco Bay/Delta estuary by the State Water Project, the Central Valley Project and by others, and require the projects to mitigate the damages they have caused. No additions to the projects for the purpose of increasing export capability, e.g. , additional pumps, may be installed and operated unless these commitments are made and carried out. 3 . Support of fish screening improvements, including improvements at Clifton Court Forebay. 4. Support of further study of the gated barrier concept westerly of Suisun Bay. 5. Support of agricultural drainage which uses such methods as evaporation ponds or ocean disposal but no drainage discharge into the Bay/Delta estuary which has an adverse impact on the receiving waters. Research` and development of alternative methods of disposing of drainage effluent, such as solar ponds, marsh habitat and desalination, should be encouraged. 6. Strengthen area of origin protection by requiring adequate and ., enforceable reservation of water within the basin necessary to meet future in-basin needs. 7. Support implementation of an integrated program of rehabilitation and maintenance of Delta levees, involving federal, state, local and user interests, with the costs and responsibilities to be fairly allocated among the beneficiaries of such a program. 8. Any modification of the Delta transfer mechanism, or additional exports from the Delta, must be preceded by the implementation of protections, water policy reforms and guaranteed standards for the San Francisco Bay/Delta ° estuarine system as outlined in the policy statements in this document. Continue opposition to the Peripheral Canal or any other form of closed, isolated water transfer and support continued through-Delta, non-isolated transfer. However, deterioration of the San Francisco Bay/Delta estuarine system must be stopped. To accomplish this, support of environmentally sound measures where feasible, exclusive of new export pumps and new channels, to improve water circulation 1485-G Enea Court, Suite 1353, Concord, California 94520 • (415) 682-6633 within the Delta for the primary purpose of reducing the damage to fisheries and to Delta water quality which is now caused by the operations of water projects. 9. Support of water quality standards adequate to protect public health in importing areas as a priority at least equal in status to support of San Francisco Bay/Delta estuary water standards. Implementation of guarantees for San Francisco Bay/Delta stan- dards must be accompanied by the design of programs and facili- ties needed to assure safe drinking water for importing regions dependent on the Delta system. CWPC:L5:BDprotec.txt Committee for Water Policy Consensus DEVELOPMENT NEEDS POLICIES 1. Support of the concept that there is enough water available in California to meet needs if the water is properly managed. 2. Support of development of water supply to meet present and future needs. Development includes physical facilities as well as non-structural means that can' create an increased water supply. Emphasis shall be placed on developing an increased water supply through means such as: a. Water conservation and efficiency measures, such as lining canals where water is otherwise lost through seepage so that it is no longer economically and physically available for use. b. Removal of institutional barriers that impede more efficient use of water, such as inequitable limitations on the use of major aqueduct facilities. C. Cost-effective offstream storage, both surface and subsur- . face, should be provided in the Delta and south of the Delta for all water users dependent upon the Delta, for storage of water that is first determined to be surplus to the needs of the Bay/Delta estuary and areas of origin of that water. This storage will serve export needs while permitting increased flexibility for reduction of export pumping rates from the Delta when necessary to protect Delta water supplies, and during critical fishery periods. d. Underground storage, both in Southern California and in the San Joaquin Valley subject to the development of the necessary management controls. 3 . Pricing and repayment policies for all future contracts and all future projects shall ensure that beneficiaries pay their full share of costs associated with development and operation of those facilities in order to reduce unwarranted subsidies, to permit construction only if cost-effective project, and to promote effi- cient use of water resources. Accurate prices for project benefits should be agreed upon prior to initiation of project development to the maximum extent feasible. If subsidies are to be provided, they and intended beneficiaries should be explicitly identified and should be permitted only to the extent consistent with applicable state and federal laws. 4. Support new water yield development projects which meet needs that could not otherwise be met which are consistent with these policies and which mitigate environmental damages. 1485-G Enea Court, Suite 1353, Concord, California 94520 9 (415) 682-6633 5. The designated Wild and Scenic Rivers should be fully protected and not developed for additional water supply. 6. Support for communication and cooperation among water policy groups in all regions of the ' state, with an emphasis. on finding areas of statewide consensus. (cwpc.develop.pol) L5 :develop.txt Committee for Water Policy Consensus GROUND & SURFACE WATER MANAGEMENT POLICIES 1. All groundwater. basins should have locally determined management plans , where needed,; to protect the long-term viability of the groundwater basins. 2. Support and encourage locally developed water and energy conservation programs and water reuse programs that lead to improved basin-wide and energy 'use efficiency. 3. Ensure the safety of groundwater supplies by preventing contamination. 4. Support of adequate federal research funding to determine viable limits of public health standards for water use. Support for the California Department of Health setting uniform definitions and public ,health standards for the reuse of water. 5. Support of drilling and sealing ordinances designed for the protection of aquifers and the public health and welfare. 6. Support coordination of basin-wide groundwater and surface water use (conjunctive use) . '. 7. Protect the long-term viability of rivers and streams for in-stream uses, such as fishing, recreation and aesthetics. 8. Proposals for additional water 'supply facilities should give adequate consideration to water quality and public health aspects of .the water supply, bearing in mind the cost-effectiveness of developing water treatment facilities in importing areas. APPENDIX A -Committee for Water Policy Consensus INTERIM PROPOSAL TO MEET FUTURE WATER NEEDS IN CALIFORNIA Essential Steps to Reach Statewide Consensus INTRODUCTION The following outlines essential steps toward reaching statewide consensus on a plan that will meet California's future water needs. The proposal is being advanced by the Committee for Water Policy Consensus (CWPC) with the objective of improving the protections for Northern California and the San Francisco Bay/Sac- ramento-San Joaquin Delta estuarine system while addressing the increasing demand in Southern California. This objective can be achieved and statewide consensus can be reached if the right steps are taken in the appropriate sequence to build sufficient trust to develop broad political agreement. The proposal is a common sense approach that advocates: (a) implementing sufficient protections and safeguards before there are any increases in the current levels of exports out of the Delta; (b) making the most efficient use of the existing supply through conservation and other measures; and (c) constructing new water development projects that are environmentally safe and economically sound, with a focus on water banking. This approach brings together both the policy and the plumbing in a reasonable plan. The proposal is derived from adopted policies and positions of the CWPC and is supported by the full statement of those policies which provide additional detail to the items contained in this proposal . The Committee for Water Policy Consensus invites comment on the proposal outline. PROPOSAL -. A. Improved protections for Northern California and the Bay-Delta region before any increase in exports: 1. Constitutional protection for areas of origin, counties of origin, the Delta, San Francisco Bay, and the Wild and Scenic Rivers. 2. Establishment by the State Water Resources Control Board of new water quality. standards which are adequate and complete enough to protect all beneficial uses of the Delta and the Bay and to control salinity intrusion (such standards shall include restoration of habitat in the Bay-Delta system capable of supporting commercially and recreationally healthy levels of fish). 3. Implementation of a CoordinateoiOperation Agreement (COA) between the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project to abide by new standards and to insure long-term commitment of the federal govern- meet to meet state standards. 4. Construction of water banking facilities south of the Delta of sufficient capacity to accept any increases in exports (and to insure the exporting of only surplus water). 5. Delta levee rehabilitation and maintenance (involving federal, state, local and user interests, with the costs and responsibilities fairly allocated among the beneficiaries). 6. Prevention of damaging seepage along the Sacramento River banks. B. Conservation and more efficient use of the existing water supply: 1. Locally determined conservation (with a particular concern for more efficient outdoor landscaping irrigation in municipal/residential uses). 2. Locally developed programs for water reuse and recycling. 3. Exchange between Metropolitan Water District and Imperial Irrigation District (including the lining of canals). 4. "Reforms in water pricing and repayment policies (which will be accom- panied by appropriate feasible agricultural conservation). 5. Removal of institutional and legal barriers and implementation of water market transfers. 6. Locally determined groundwater management programs, including groundwater recharge efforts and coordinated conjunctive use with surface supplies. 7. Ensure the safety of groundwater supplies by preventing contamination. 2 C. New water development and project construction that is environmentally safe and economically sound: 1. Encourage new water development in Southern California by providing energy to local projects at the same costs for which it is supplied to the SWP in order to make the economics more competitive. 2. Construction of water banking facilities and storage south of the Delta. 3. Improved water circulation within the Delta to reduce damage to fisheries and to water quality now caused` by operation of the projects. 4. Continued opposition to the Peripheral Canal or any other form of closed, isolated water transfer. 5. Proposals for additional water supply facilities should give adequate consideration to water quality and public health aspects of the water supply, bearing in mind the 'cost-effectiveness of developing water treatment facilities in importing areas. 1/31/85 3