On April 1, 2016, CSPA and a coalition of environmental groups submitted their second letter in two days to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), urging the SWRCB to dismiss the upcoming California WaterFix hearings. The new letter comes after the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) announced a settlement agreement with the Department of Water Resources (DWR).
As described in the March 30th blog, the CCWD settlement proposes new project facilities and accompanying impacts, including decreases to Delta inflow and changes to water quality, which are not included in the current project description. New project components have not been subject to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act, nor have parties affected by the proposed changes had an option to protest. Additionally, any potential future settlements between DWR and other water districts will be subject to the same failings as the CCWD agreement.
The SWRCB should dismiss the change petition until such time as there is a stable, complete and fully evaluated. If the SWRCB continues to forward with the Delta Tunnels hearings, the coalition letter summarizes:
“To continue this process seems to us like attempting to audit a bank while a robbery is under way. It cannot possibly result in an accurate accounting, to say the least, let alone protect the due process rights of those for whom the project results in redirected impacts.”
Coalition Request for Dismissal, Unstable Project Description