Editorial: Biden election offers hope for preserving the Delta

New administration should follow Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ lead on California water issues

December 12, 2020

The forthcoming Biden administration is California’s best — and perhaps only — hope for solving vexing water issues that have largely been put on hold for more than a decade.

It should be clear that state leadership is incapable of crafting a comprehensive water strategy. The California Department of Water Resources continues to push for pumping additional water from the fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta at the expense of its immediate and long-term health.

Preserving the health of the Delta should be one of the state’s highest priorities. The Delta supplies fresh water for 25 million Californians, including about one-third of Bay Area residents. Scientists have repeatedly said that pumping less — not more — water from the Delta is the best way to ensure its health. And sea-level rise fueled by climate change poses the additional threat of making the Delta’s precious supply undrinkable.

Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to move forward with plans for a Delta tunnel, which still doesn’t pencil out as a cost-effective project. Every dollar spent on the Delta tunnel is a dollar that isn’t being spent on more environmentally sound efforts, including recycling, recharging ground water and water treatment projects.

The first step for the Biden administration should be a thorough house-cleaning of Trump administration officials who put politics before science. It surprised no one that Trump’s Secretary of the Interior, David Bernhardt, fought to roll back Endangered Species Act protections that would enable additional Delta pumping. Bernhardt served from 2011-2016 as a lobbyist for Westlands Water District, taking in $1 million in fees while developing lawsuits specifically designed to do away with California’s environmental water protections.

The Biden administration should instead follow Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ lead on California water issues. As a senator, Harris took the position that any funding for water projects should also provide environmental benefits.

Biden has indicated that he would like to make infrastructure a priority. His administration could start by backing legislation introduced in the Senate by Harris and in the House by Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael. Harris called for a $3 billion investment in water infrastructure and sustainability, including storage, transport, desalination and stormwater capture projects. That innovative approach offers a better solution than environmentally questionable dam projects or the Delta tunnel.

The Bay Area should take note. The region’s residents like to believe that they are environmental leaders. But when it comes to water issues, the Bay Area has fallen behind Los Angeles, San Diego and other Southern California communities in water conservation and recycling efforts. Southern California has been reducing its urban water usage despite its population increases.

The Bay Area’s political leaders should support the Biden administration’s infrastructure efforts and put a premium on projects that increase water supply and also improve the environment. Securing the health of the Delta will preserve fresh drinking water for future generations of Bay Area residents and protect the salmon, native fish and the millions of birds who make it their home every year.


Source: Mercury News