Secretary for Natural Resources Lester Snow announces release of two Bay Delta Conservation Plan reports
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 17, 2010 at 8:22 am From the California Natural Resources Agency, this press release:“Sacramento – Natural Resources Secretary Lester Snow today announced that two major reports on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) will be released in the next few weeks.
The BDCP is a comprehensive conservation plan to protect species/habitat protection and improve the reliability of water supplies in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
“While the Delta has become the most politically contentious water management issue in California,” Snow said, “our progress in developing the Bay Delta Conservation Plan speaks to a growing consensus that we must achieve a Delta ecosystem that is more resilient and improve the state’s water supply reliability.”
Testifying before the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, Snow said that the BDCP Steering Committee plans to finalize its working draft Plan at its meeting on Thursday, November 18. The draft is a product of a collaborative process that has included the California Department of Water Resources, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, federal and state fisheries agencies, water contractors, environmental organizations and other stakeholders. It will reflect substantial progress towards a completed Bay Delta Conservation Plan, and identify remaining elements where scientific work and other analysis is needed. The 1,500 page draft report will be available to the public on Monday, November 21.
A separate status report and issues summary on the BDCP will be released the week of December 6, 2010. This document will include the State of California’s assessment of the issues, but will reflect the work of both state and federal agencies, water users, and the environmental community. It will also identify issues that require further resolution, including additional scientific analysis to improve upon water operations for Delta fisheries, ecological metrics to measure progress, and ongoing development of an adaptive management plan
Documents will be available at www.resources.ca.gov and www.baydeltaconservationplan.com.”
