Delta Plan Under Scrutiny by an Uncertain Public

Last week the State released the first part of its preliminary draft of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. The document is lays out a blueprint for resolving decades of conflicts over environmental protection and Delta water exports. The centerpiece of the plan is a twin tunnel conveyance under the Delta that is thirty-five miles long and forty-five feet in diameter. It would divert water from the Sacramento River into the state’s water delivery system. The plan includes a strategy for restoring the Delta’s damaged ecosystem. Water exports would at least remain at current levels but could increase. Delta advocates regard the plan as a water grab by powerful agribusiness and water marketing interests. The State Natural Resources Agency on Wednesday gave the public a chance to sound off. Pacifica’s Vic Bedoian reports from the meeting in West Sacramento.