LAKE COUNTY — Congressmen John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove) and Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) and other representatives from Northern California called on Governor Jerry Brown”s administration to withdraw and fully revise their proposed Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) Friday.
The call to action came in light of drafts provided to the California Department of Water Resources as part of a review of the Environmental Impact Reports that found the BDCP “biased” and “insufficient,” according to a statement released by the United States House of Representatives.
The comments were made by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Marine Fisheries Service and were provided to the California Department of Water Resources as part of a review of the Environmental Impact Report Statement, the release stated.
Part of the plan includes the construction of two water tunnels that would be used to move Sacramento River water south so water does not pass through the delta.
“This proposed BDCP is not a workable solution to California”s water challenges,” Congressman Mike Thompson stated. “It”s rushed, flawed, hurts wildlife and puts the interests of South-of-Delta water contractors ahead of North-of-Delta farmers, fishers and small business owners.”
Congressman John Garamendi also expressed his discontent with the BDCP.
“We need a scientific process, freed from the blinders of bias, to meet the legally mandated co-equal goals of ecological conservation and reliability of water supply ? both of which are essential to the state”s economy,” he stated.
