SVEWC PLENARY: Friday, June 9. 10am-4pm. Chico City Council Chamber
Cost: Free. Bring your own lunch or get one from a local sandwich shop.
Supporting Documents
While the State Water Plan presents a strategy that uses conservation and watershed rehabilitation to create a ³less resource intensive² water demand scenario, water purveyors are relentlessly insisting that the Sacramento Valley Watershed compromise the region¹s ecological integrity to sell its water resources to powerful political entities south of the Delta.
The Sacramento Valley Environmental Watershed Caucus (SVEWC) is presenting an examination of the impacts and viable alternatives to the more resource intensive plan that threatens the economy, recreation and environment of all areas in the Valley. We believe that if the public knows about the dangers such water sales encumber on interests throughout the Sacramento watershed and the better alternatives water purchasers have, that we will convince our elected representatives to stop these unfair and dangerous transfers from occurring.
The SVEWC invites everyone interested to attend our June 9 plenary and hear from the following experts and stewards of our water resources.
* Jim Brobeck, Butte Environmental Council¹s water policy analyst, will discuss the rapidly unfolding efforts to gain lucrative entitlements to the Tuscan Aquifer that supports creeks, native forests, towns and orchards located along the Eastern edge of the Valley. The desire to make large profits selling water from the Valley to developers and agricultural corporations south of the Delta is causing more and more farmers and water districts to sell their surface water and make up for it by tapping into the common Tuscan Aquifer
* Steve Evans, Friends of the River Conservation Director, will present his analysis of the proposed Sites reservoir and an update of Delta ecosystem impacts associated with water transfers.
* The Winnemem Wintu saw many of their sacred sites drowned and salmon fishing destroyed with the construction of Shasta Dam and Reservoir. Winnemem Wintu Chief and Spiritual Leader Caleen Sisk-Franco will discuss the Nation¹s fight to protect the salmon from the Bureau of Reclamation's new water policy and to stop the raising of Shasta Dam and the loss of key remaining spiritual places.
* Leaders from the Planning and Conservation League will present their Investment Strategy which identifies a cost-effective, environmentally beneficial water management scenario. If the state follows this scenario, Valley water can be used for environmental benefits and saved for future needs while Southern California cities can fully meet their water needs more cheaply and more securely than buying water from Valley interests.
* Dr. Lev Kavvas from UC Davis is a world reknown expert in state-of-the-art watershed modeling. He will discuss his work in nearby Plumas County and the importance of watershed modeling in regional water management.
This Plenary meeting will help conservationists gain the information they need to present a unified challenge to the false premise that California must sacrifice the northern California environment to supply ever increasing amounts of water to the south.
For more information contact:
John Merz, Sacramento River Preservation Trust at 530-345-1865
Barbara Vlamis, Butte Environmental Council at 891-6424
