Spreck Rosekrans is an Economic Analyst at EDF.

CBS’ 60 Minutes began last night’s show with a piece titled “California: Running Dry”. It was perhaps too much to expect comprehensive coverage of our complex water issues within a 13 minute segment. The show began quoting the adage, sometimes ascribed to Mark Twain, that “whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting” and offered only the opportunity to spend up to $40 Billion as a way to solve our problems.

As a result, 60 Minutes missed the opportunity to tell its viewers how we can be smarter, and must be smarter, about using water in places like California if we are to support our farms, cities and fisheries in the 21st century. Read more »

Ann Hayden is a Senior Water Resource Analyst at EDF.

We know that the Feds have been paying close attention to the crisis in the Bay Delta over the past few months—from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's tours of the Central Valley, to Central Valley Congressman Devin Nunes' failed attempts to weaken the Endangered Species Act. But we're happy to hear several key announcements this week solidifying the Delta as a focus of the federal agenda. Read more »

Jennifer Witherspoon is the California Communications Director at EDF.

Recently I had the enlightening opportunity to accompany Spreck to Fresno on December 7th for a special KMPH news program on the “Central Valley Water Crisis.”

Not only was Spreck invited to speak on a panel about California water supply issues, but he was joined by numerous leaders from the environmental community, mayors from the towns of Firebaugh and Mendota, farmers, fishermen and Central Valley Congressmen, and even by Judge Oliver Wanger, who is presiding over the hearings and lawsuits related to the biological opinions that temporarily reduced water supplies to farmers to protect endangered species like the Delta smelt and Chinook salmon.

I was impressed that a Fox affiliate would be so proactive to organize such in-depth coverage, especially in light of the biased reporting and theatrics on California water coming out of Fox’s Sean Hannity program over the past year. I for one was skeptical having seen Fox news edit programs in biased ways, even after assurances of fair play. Read more »

Ann Hayden is a Senior Water Resource Analyst at EDF.

This recent independent review of the USFWS Biological Opinion (BO) for Delta smelt is worth a read. The study seems largely to have been released under the radar, and we only just became aware of it.

In general, the panel concluded that the science underpinning the BO is sound and credible. Read more »

Spreck Rosekrans is an Economic Analyst at EDF.

 This morning, the Department of Water Resources released its December 1st water supply forecast predicting that State Water Project customers will receive only 5% of their contract entitlement in 2010.

It is worth noting, however, that these initial forecasts have historically been significantly increased later in the year. For example, the previous low initial forecast was 10%, made in 1993. After a wet winter, customers received 100% of their contract allocations. Read more »