Today, the California Water Alliance, a statewide water-policy non-profit organization, released its statement concerning this week’s U.S. House of Representatives floor debate and vote on H.R.-23, The Gaining Responsibility on Water (GROW) Act of 2017: The California Water Alliance (CalWA) urges members of the House of Representatives to support and vote for passage on The…
Executive Director Aubrey Bettencourt of the California Water Alliance, a statewide, non-profit, water-policy organization, issued the following statement following a 7-1 vote by Westlands Water District’s Board of Directors not to fund the California Water Fix tunnels project: “California Water Fix has been troubling from the start,” said Aubrey Bettencourt of CalWA. “The obvious being…
The California Water Alliance, a statewide, non-profit, water-policy organization, submitted public comments in response to the State Water Resources Control Board’s rule making process for Clean Water Act Section 401 – Certification and Wetlands Program, “STATE WETLAND DEFINITION AND PROCEDURES FOR DISCHARGES OF DREDGED OR FILL MATERIAL TO WATERS OF THE STATE” redefining “wetlands” under…
By Jim Patterson Originally Published in Fox & Hounds Daily In California, nothing succeeds like success except — perhaps — failure. Take as one case in point California’s State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) in the matter of wetlands management. According to the SWRCB — California’s governor-appointed czars endowed by our legislature with broad authority…
Originally Published in the Sacramento Bee A single word, in the right context, has power. The State Water Resources Control Board is engaged in a wholesale reclassification of millions of acres of public and private lands by choosing a new definition for the word “wetland.” Whether out of fear of their admitted failure to preserve…
For Immediate Release November 21, 2017 Media Contact: Hector M. Barajas 800.213.4032 ext. 1 [email protected] California Water Alliance Announces Appointment of Interim Executive Director HANFORD, Calif., (Nov. 21, 2017) – Erik Hansen, chairperson of The California Water Alliance (CalWA), announced the departure of the water policy non-profit’s long-time Executive Director Aubrey Bettencourt and appointment of Raul Riesgo as…
This week, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) set an initial water allocation for our State Water Project at 15 percent for cities and farms. During the 2016-2017 water year the state allowed nearly 50 million acre-feet (16 trillion gallons) of water to run unimpeded into the Pacific Ocean. The inability of California’s water…
Visalia, CA – The first snow survey by the California Department of Water Resources revealed that the water content at Phillips Station in Sierra Nevada snowpack is at three percent of the normal average for this time of year. While today’s reading is the first measurement of the water year, these numbers determine the depth…
By The Editorial Board March 6, 2018 7:10 p.m. ET Storms like the one that have doused arid California in recent days are cause for celebration, but also for better conservation. The Sierra Nevada mountains received nearly six feet of snow, which was especially welcome in a dry winter. Snowpack in the Sierras had measured…