Looking back at Bay-Delta in 1994
After Westlands Water District pulled out of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan this week, I thought it might be interesting to look at two quotes in a story I wrote 16 years ago on this same controversial subject.
The conservation plan's goal is to assure water deliveries to farm and cities while restoring a dying ecosystem at the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. It's a cease-fire between environmentalists and water users.
The first such cease-fire I can remember was Dec. 15, 1994. It was called the Bay-Delta Accord. The two quotes from my story reminded me that this was the biggest water challenge of that time as well as this one.
The 1994 quote from Gov. Pete Wilson:
"Peace has broken out amid the water wars. We don't pretend this is the final answer for California water policy. There will be some major sledding ahead."
Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt told water users that if additional water would be needed to protect threatened or endangered fish, federal officials would buy it -- no further cutbacks to supplies to farms and cities.
"A deal is a deal," he said. "If more water is necessary, the key to finding water is money. Everything is available for a price."
Comments:
DavisWiki describes the goals of the 1994 Bay-Delta Accord :
"The framework CalFed agreement signed by all agencies has at its core three goals: develop water quality standards to protect the estuary, coordinate operations of the state and federal water projects, and develop a long-term solution for the delta."
Sixteen years later BDCP is still trying to solve the same issues with little or no success.
Posted by: Chris Gulick at November 27, 2010 4:47 PM
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