California Peripheral Canal Plan Resurrected

California Resources Agency ^ | April 30, 2008 | Peter Finn

[caseinpoint]

Thanks for the information. Add me to a ping list if you have one.

[rottndog]

Peripheral Canal is probably cheaper than fixing all those levies...

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Frankly, I'm Ok with people wanting to live in reclaimed swamps, as long as I don't have to pay to bail them out. Unfortunately, this is a pipe dream.

[Abathar]

Remember the words of a Presidential hopeful:

“We will take from you for the greater good of others.”

Seems that sentiment is alive and well in your area.

[rockinqsranch]

“Option four as presented this evening also includes “restoring” virtually all of the California Delta farmland to ‘wetlands’ and ‘habitat’. The towns of Clarksburg, Courtland, Locke, Walnut Grove, and Isleton would be subjected to seasonal flooding in order to effect ‘habitat restoration’.”

This (Option four) does not appear to be an intelligent piece of legislation. One might guess California’s Legislature is somewhat lacking of common sense to even propose this.

It will be interesting to read all the options presented.

[SierraWasp]

"One might guess California’s Legislature is somewhat lacking of common sense to even propose this."

Are you series? Surely you jest! This is hugh!! They're just having a "Wetlands" dream!!! (snort!)

[SierraWasp]

Where’s the godless Gubernator Arnoiled Wilsonnegger, the world’s biggest political hermaphrodite, on this? (he asks rhetorically)

[kellynla]

Who cares what RINOld’s position is on this issue...or any issue!

I’m ready for another recall... how ‘bout you?

We could/should be building nuclear cogenerating electrical/desalination plants off the coast of CA that that would give us all the electricity & water we will ever need...all we need is some LEADERSHIP in Sacramento!

[ElkGroveDan]

There's nothing wrong with the peripheral canal in and of itself, the problem here is the enviro-whack component where they want to shut down agriculture in the Delta. We need to build the canal because our state's economy and a substantial portion of the nation's produce production depends on a reliable supply of water.

Farmers generate about $59 billion in personal income for Californians, or 6.6% of the state's total annual personal income.

Agriculture supports 1.1 million jobs in California, accounting for about 7.4% of all employment.

Fresh and processed fruits, treenuts and vegetables have the greatest impact of any commodity group, leading to $30 billion in personal income and 567,000 jobs.

Animal products account for $11 billion in personal income and 214,000 jobs.

Food and feed grains account for $10 billion in personal income and 192,000 jobs.

Agriculture is especially significant to the economy of California's Central Valley where it accounts for 21% of all income and 25% of all employment.

[PeterFinn]

The Peripheral Canal will eventually shut down a significant amount of agriculture as the diversion of fresh water during the summer months allows salt water to intrude further into the delta. As proof of this, one of the justifications for the canal is that in the summer salt water has been intruding near to Clifton Court Forebay.

We do not need this canal to protect the delta, Los Angeles wants the canal so they can replace the water they're anticipating losing from the Colorado River as water contracts are renogotiated.

[PeterFinn]

It’s not a pipe dream. Several hundred people were told last night that this is dead serious.

[ElkGroveDan]

We do not need this canal to protect the delta, Los Angeles wants the canal so they can replace the water they're anticipating losing from the Colorado River as water contracts are renogotiated.

That's a very old and very simplistic argument. Water these days, like money is fungible. The more we have and the easier it is to move around, the cheaper and more available it is for everyone. Of course Los Angeles wants and needs more water. They will get it one way or another. There is one water market in California and availability and cost affect our critical agricultural industry. California has growing water needs and the peripheral canal will solve much of that.

[PeterFinn]

So to hell with the people whose families have farmed the delta for 150 years - LA wants water, is that right?

[DoughtyOne]

Where ever he is, my guess is that he is on the wrong side of this just like other issues.

The time was that lower California needed to pull in fresh water from the north. With recent developments in desalinization, I think it’s time for Southern California to launch an effort to obtain fresh water from the ocean.

I don’t honestly know if it is reasonable for it to get all it’s water from the ocean, I would tend to doubt it, but it could sure ease the situation. SoCal needs to become more responsible for it’s own fate.

I do not favor altering the farming practices mid-state for SoCal’s benefit at this point. If SoCal has a major problem, then let the idiots who think it should be the home of millions of illegal immigratns, donate their water to quench the illegal’s thirst.

[ElkGroveDan]

So to hell with the people whose families have farmed the delta for 150 years - LA wants water, is that right?

No. The Delta plan is the enviro whackos idea. I am opposed to that.

[SierraWasp]

They just announced a “poll” on Sacramento TV this morning that Schwartzenfrauder is in like flynn with 58%!!! You gonna git to another Recall with polling like that? The idiots in this state are suffering with terminal GANG-GREEN!!!

[SierraWasp]

Yep! Where water flows, the economy grows!!! Build Auburn Dam!!!

[SierraWasp]

"With recent developments in desalinization..."

What's that? The last I heard, it took about as much electricity to do that as it took to separate water from oxygen to make hydrogen, or to make alumininum!!!

And that takes a heck of a lot of electricity that can only come from night production from enough nuclear plants when all other needs are lower!!! (then more hydro for peak production needs)(like from a hydro electric Auburn Dam)(which could also flush out the salt water in the delta created by the peripheral canal that Peter worries about)

[PeterFinn]

What's amazing here is that the proponents of the Peripheral Canal are promoting it this time by saying the very same things that were said to defeat it in 1982! It's tantamount to saying that Hurricane Katrina would be a good thing for New Orleans.

And the proponents of the PC added the proposed massive new swampland (a protected mosquito habitat, I'm sure) to please the enviro-whackos. And the total detail of this makes the whole thing California's largest engineering project of the past forty years.