Very important State Water Board hearings will take place in the coming days!
The Board’s proposal to set slightly higher flows targets for San Joaquin River tributaries has taken on a much greater significance in light of Trump's appointees to the EPA and Interior Department, and the House and Senate's passage last week of federal legislation that jeopardizes existing protections for the Delta and promises money for dams.
The State Water Board is the final bulwark of defense for Califonia’s aquatic ecosystem health and we need to give it our wholehearted support at this time!
The Sierra Club Water Committee urges you to attend a hearing, bring a friend, and — using our many suggestions below — make a short statement from your personal perspective urging the Board to increase river flows into the Delta.
Meetings:
Friday, December 16th, 9 am
Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium
Main Hall
525 N Center Street
Stockton, CA 95202
Monday, December 19th, 9 am
Multicultural Arts Center
645 W. Main Street
Merced, CA 95340
Tuesday, December 20th, 9 am
Modesto Centre Plaza
Tuolumne River Room
1000 L Street
Modesto, CA 95354
January 3, 9 am
Joe Serna Jr. – CalEPA Headquarters Building
Coastal Hearing Room
1001 I Street, Second Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
If you don’t want to go by yourself please email sodier@mindspring.com, or click here to find other attendees and arrange ride-sharing.
There are talking points below and on our blog.
If you can’t attend a hearing, please send a message to the Water Board urging higher flows by the January 17th deadline.
Here are some resources for more context:
- Paul Johnson of Monterey Fish calling for 60% freshwater flows in the SF Chronicle
- Felicia Marcus, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, calling on SF to help with increased water flows in the SF Chronicle
- 10-minute presentation from the Tuolumne River Trust on the Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan
- "The SFPUC’s Socioeconomics Study Is Flawed" by Will Derwin in the Tuolumne River Trust blog
Thank you for doing whatever you can to help!
Photo: "California's blue veins" by Daniel Parks on Flickr.