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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 05062008 - D.3 a FI s AL Contra giij Costa TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS �o¢ County 'rq cou�m FROM: TRANSPORTATION, WATER & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE (TWIC) Supervisor Gayle B. Uilkema, Chair SupervisorMary N. Piepho DATE: April 21 ,2008 SUBJECT: Report on Board.Workshop on Delta Water Issues SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION 1.ACCEPTIIReport on Delta Water Issues, including details of a Board Workshop, as recommended by the Transportation, Water & Infrastructure Committee. 2.DIRECT the TWIC to finalize workshop details, including the first draft of a water platform of existing and proposed County positions on delta water issues. FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact to the County from the above-mentioned action. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR x RECOMMENuATior4 OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER ; SIGNATURE(S): S i ervis Gayle B ilke a, Chair ,. S r Maa N. Pie ho ACTION OF BOARD ON 5 D APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X—OTHER SC VOTE OF SUPERVISORS HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS (ABSENT VOL/ AND'CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE ABSENT: ABSTAIN: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Contact: Roberta Goulart (925) 335-1226) . ATTESTED 6 , O r cc: Community Development Department (CDD) JOHN CULLE14, CLERK OF Public Works; Flood Control THE,BOARD OF SUPERVISORS County Administrator's Office AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR BY © , DEPUTY i Report on Delta Water Issues and Board Workshop April 21, 2008 Page 2 BACKGROUND/REASON FOR RECOMMENDATION On April 1; 2008, the Board of Supervisors referred to the TWIC consideration and development of a workshop on Delta water issues and potential for a letter to be sent to the state Department of Water Resources (DWR). The TWIC concurs with prior Board direction not to send a letter to DWR expressing concerns with their actions at this time and offers the following parameters for a workshop on Delta water issues. BOARD WORKSHOP ON DELTA WATER ISSUES . The TWIC recommends the workshop be 2 hours in duration and be held outside of. regularly-scheduled Board meetings, during the daytime hours, and prior to summer vacation, if at all possible. The workshop would be held in the Board chambers and in a hearing-style format. The major water districts (CCWD and EBMUD), the Contra Costa Council, representatives from irrigation !,and reclamation districts, east county cities, environmental groups and other involved (and potentially impacted parties)would be asked to provide a brief presentation on their respective positions on Delta water issues. They would also be asked to provide their specific viewpoints on selected topics, which could include Delta water supply and quality (increased salinity), views on a peripheral canal, ecosystem health (the collapsing fishery), to offer comments on,a draft County water platform, and the Contra Costa Council's Delta Vision Statement and Principles, which the Board supported in September 2007. The Council's document is attached. Other interested parties may wish to comment as well, and discussion by Board members would round out the workshop. A rough draft agenda is attached. The TWIC recommends that a first draft platform of existing,and proposed County positions on delta waterii"issues be prepared for discussion at the TWICMay meeting. .The intent would be for the TWIC and the Board to have vetted a draft,document prior to the workshop, which could then.be refined as necessary after the workshop. 2 Addendum to DA. May 6, 2008 (H20) On this day the Board accepted a report from the Transportation, Water, and Infrastructure Committee (TWIC) on water issues, and considered scheduling a Board Workshop on water issues. Supervisor Uilkema, Chair, Transportation Water and Infrastructure Committee, presented the report. She asked that a first draft platform of existing and proposed County positions on Delta water issues be prepared for discussion at the May TWIC meeting, then return to the Board for consideration. She noted the intent would be for the TWIC and the Board to evaluate a draft document prior to the workshop, which could then be re'fined, further after the workshop. She commented on the importance of the platform to the County's taking necessary next steps on effective advocacy at the state level, and'i also talked about "protecting the source" of our water supply, Supervisor Piepho said the California Delta and the related discussion of a Peripheral Canal is one of the top issues facing the Board and the County. She commented that with all of the activity by the Governor and the threat of a peripheral canal, a platform would be a key factor for effective advocacy by the County, both in Sacramento and in Washington DC. In conclusion, she said protection of the Delta, preservation of water quality and quantity for Northern California water users is paramount. Supervisor Piepho requested that the Delta Protection Commission be added as collaborative partners to the list of key stakeholders present at the workshop. Supervisor Gioia requested that other key stakeholders be included in the workshop, including environmental groups, and pointed out nothing gets done in the state on water issues without the environmentalist support. He pointed out general-purpose counties usually do not have staff for water issues, unlike the water districts that do have staff to effectively monitor and advocate for their interests. He suggested bearing in mind Rebecca Goulart is the County's one staff person on this issue for which there are many associated and time-consuming tasks. He noted that while the other involved entities have staffs and plenty of resources, the County should have its own position and have had a good discussion. By unanimous vote with all Supervisors present, the Board took the following action: ACCEPTED report on.Delta water issues, including details of a Board Workshop, as recommended by TWIC; and DIRECTED the TWIC to finalize workshop details, including first draft of a water platform of existing and proposed County positions on Delta water issues. Draft Meeting Notice Contra Costa..County. Board of Supervisors' Workshop on Delta Water Issues Dater TBD Time: TBD Room 107 (Board Chambers) 651 Pine Street Martinez, CA Draft Agenda 1 . Introduction (Chair Glover) 2. Purpose (TWIC Supervisors Uilkema, Piepho) 3. Brief History of County positions on water; peripheral canal (Water Agency staff Goulart) 4. Presentations by key stakeholders (CCWD, EBMUD, Contra Costa Council, east county cities/irrigation, reclamation districts) 5. Discussion of County water platform 6. Public comment • Items on the agenda • Items not on the agenda 7. Board discussion; next steps A SUMMARY VISION FOR THE DELTA prepared by the CONTRA COSTA COUNCIL The Northern California triangular region, known as the. Sacramento-San Joaquin.Delta, between Sacramento, Stockton and the Carquinez Strait is Chairman of the-Board Aesher Public Affairs Manager "- a natural water resource that is important to the quality of life of millions Public Shelf oil Products U.S. : of people as well as California's economy. Our vision for the region's Board Chair.Elect . Edward Shaffer - future includes providing opportunities for a vital regional, state and Shareholder - Archer Norris - national economy and supporting a sustainable aquatic and terrestrial "Vice President—Finance. Mike Billeci Regional President-Greater Bay Area Region - environment that provides a healthy habitat for fish and other wildlife. A Wells Fargo .. ... ".Vice President-�Events, - strategic action plan for Delta levees is needed to protect essential public James Brandt .First Vice President-Investments services, including water supply, transportation, navigation, housing and UBS Financial Services,Inc. - .. Vice.President-Task Forces: public utilities. Planning for,the Delta must consider varied interests, Cheryll LeMay : -. - . Contra costa community College District including water supply and quality, recreation, agriculture, public 'VicePresident—Task Forces George Smith.- entities, industry, and the natural environment and other interests. It is President - GBR Smith Group,LLC incumbent on all generations to recognize and protect natural, economic Vice President—Communications .. David Bowlby and recreational assets of the Delta for future generations. A regulatory President The BowlbyGroup,Inc. : framework must be establishedthat protects ecosystem health, water Vice President—Member Services " Vicky DeYoung quality and reliability and produces prompt decisions and action. Vice President - ... Cornish g Carey Attempting to solve one problem without consideration of other assets Chief Legal Counsel:. - Peter McGaw must be avoided. Decisions regarding the Delta must recognize the need Shareholder .Archer Norris... .,. to protect this vital natural and state resource for all concerned with the .Immediate Past Chair - .. .'Peter McGaw_ .. - necessary system of public investment, such that current and future Shareholder Archer Noms generations will benefit from the Delta as.a sustainable resource for the "President and CEO - `i°daBest people of California. 1355 Willow Way,Ste.253,Concord,CA 94520'.925.246-1880 925:674-1654.fax info@contracostacouncil.com www.contracostacouncil.com i CONTRA COSTA COUNCIL DELTA VISION STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is in crisis. The Delta's levee system is fragile and vulnerable-to failure from earthquake, floods and other causes. Continued sinking of Delta islands, as well as sea level rise and increased severity of flooding as a result of global warming,pose longer term.threats. The decline of fisheries and endangered species indicate the declining health of the estuary. All of these factors threaten the access of millions of Californians to a reliable supply of high quality water. The Contra Costa Council believes that any solution developed through the state's Delta Vision process must take a comprehensive view of the Delta and consider its numerous assets, as outlined below. Accordingly, the following principles, taken collectively; will guide the Council's advocacy efforts on any proposed actions regarding the Delta. The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is of vital importance to northern California and the state as a whole in many ways: • It influences the physical, social, economic and cultural fabric of the Delta region, including Contra Costa, Alameda, Solano; Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Yolo counties. • It defines our shoreline and serves numerous municipal and industrial intakes. • It is an essential resource for the State of California. It is home to more than '500,000 people,provides habitat to 700 native species, and contains multiple strategic highways,pipelines, utility distribution systems, railroads and deep- water ports serving state and national interests. • 'It delivers water to the homes of more than 25 million Californians, agriculture and businesses and supports a significant recreation industry and fisheries. • Its water supply and other Delta services support$400 billion in economic activity. I Solutions/Actions must meet the following criteria: Protect public health and safety (death,illness or injury),including the public's supply of,quality drinking water,,against levee failures through: ➢ A coordinated emergency response program ➢ Flood management ➢ Flood routing ➢ Protective land-use policies ➢ A program to retrofit and strengthen strategic elements of the existing levee system Provide a reliable supply of high`quality water for California: ➢ Ensure that the water supply is safe, clean and of high quality to meet the needs of California's residents, farms, commerce and recreation ➢ Provide improvements.to fisheries ➢ Ensure the quality of the drinking water derived from the Delta and used as part of the drinking water supply ➢ Ensure that water supplies derived from the Delta, including water supplies used or conveyed through the Delta, are reliable by making investments in the Delta that reduce the conflict between fish and water project operations such as fish ,screens at export.facilities and modification to Delta channels that reduce fish densities near water diversion facilities ➢ Ensure that water supplies derived from the Delta are minimally affected by catastrophic levee failures through a coordinated emergency response program: ■ . Invest in critical western and central Delta levees necessary to protect beneficial uses and resources of the Delta ■ Ensure Propositions 84 and IE bond funding goes to improving Delta levees, focusing on critical levees that protect.water quality and other Delta levees that protect public health and safety ■ Strategic stockpiling of emergency repair materials ■ Develop infrastructure, such as surface and groundwater storage that increases the ability to manage the Delta with greater flexibility ➢ Encourage water use efficiency by all users of Delta water through conservation and recycling and other cost-effective means to reduce reliance on the Delta Protect infrastructure in the Delta ➢ Protect critical infrastructure in the Delta, including highways,pipelines,utility distribution systems, railroads and deep water ports that serve the interests of the state by taking actions to avoid catastrophic levee failure ➢ Coordinate strategic infrastructure improvements with other actions, such as levee repair, to provide cost-effective use of public funds for Delta protection Protect economic assets of the Delta: ➢ Protect the local;,regional and state.economic vitality by taking steps outlined above to avoid catastrophic failure of Delta levees ➢ Recognize the importance of direct and indirect economic impacts of catastrophic, Delta levee failures, including increased costs of materials and services associated with levee repairs and emergency response . ➢ Protect and enhance recreation and tourism opportunities, including boating, hunting and fishing that enhance our quality of life . Protect the environmental health of the estuary: ➢ Improve and enhance aquatic and terrestrial habitats and improve ecological functions in the Bay Delta watersheds to support sustainable native populations of plant, aquatic and terrestrial species ➢ Actions and remedies must be based on sound science Develop a regulatory framework that will protect ecosystem health,water quality and reliability ➢ Identify an independent governmental body with the legal authority and accountability to regulate and assure applicable water quality and environmental standards are met in the Delta. Other stakeholders, including appropriate state and federal agencies, must be participants and held accountable for implementing needed actions. ➢ Develop a regulatory framework and needed infrastructure, such as storage, to provide for seasonal fresh'water flows through the Delta into San Francisco Bay that will protect ecosystem health and water quality and improve the ability to manage the Delta with greater flexibility. ➢ Base actions on sound scientific principles ➢ Develop an equitable cost-sharing formula to fund needed projects and actions ➢ Implement critical initial projects immediately with available funding, while longer-term actions are being considered.