On the Water Front

A water policy forum for the Golden State

A wild and wooly week of water

Spreck Rosekrans Spreck Rosekrans is an Economic Analyst at EDF.

The 2009 water year ended this week amidst a plethora of activity, conflict and entertainment.

On Tuesday, as NASA rocket scientists were talking water in Pasadena, Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart responded to Fox News’ Sean Hannity on the Daily Show.

On Wednesday, PacifiCorp agreed to terms for removing four controversial dams on the Klamath River.

On Thursday, after years of litigation and negotiation spearheaded by our colleagues at NRDC, releases from Friant Dam to the San Joaquin River were made–rewetting a riverbed that is often dry as a result of over-extraction of surface and groundwater supplies.

For followers of the Bay-Delta, the stage shifted to the Department of Interior’s hearing in Washington DC. There was plenty of conflict over the Endangered Species Act, despite letters of support for the law by the California’s Department of Water Resources and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. And both the Obama Administration and Senator Feinstein, as well as we at the Environmental Defense Fund, issues statements in support of review of the ESA’s Biological Opinions by the National Academy of Sciences.

Meanwhile the Obama Administration also recommended that the California Legislature enter into a special session to move forward with reform of water policy in California.

We at EDF hope to make progress on legislation in this new water year as well, and are committed to working with all stakeholders to better manage California’s limited water supplies for our cities, farms and natural environment

And we are hoping “wild and wooly” in 2010 will apply to wet weather and not to policy reform.

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Confluence of SJR, Old, and Middle rivers

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A balanced approach to western water policy—protecting California's ecosystems and providing reliable water supplies for our farms and cities.

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Laura Harnish
California Regional Director

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Director, California Transportation and Air Initiative

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Economic Analyst

Ann Hayden
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