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(Washington D.C.)- Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano (D-Norwalk) will Chair an oversight hearing in Vallejo, California on July 2nd to examine the ongoing crisis in California's Bay-Delta estuary, the largest estuary on the West Coast and a source of drinking water for 25 million people. Napolitano serves as Chairwoman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power.
"Our hearing will facilitate much needed dialogue on an ongoing economic and environmental crisis for California’s Bay-Delta,” explained Napolitano. “For decades the water resources in the Delta have been taken for granted, with mismanagement leading to the collapse of the regional ecosystem. This hearing will examine how state and federal agencies intend to resolve this crisis, meet legal obligations to protect endangered species and provide water in a sustainable manner. We can not have the courts managing our state water systems.”
California's two main fresh water systems, one operated by state Department of Water Resources and the other the federal Bureau of Reclamation, supply water to homes, farms, and commercial and industrial entities throughout California. Pumping from both projects was severely restricted after recent court rulings that declared a prior biological opinion insufficient. The agencies are now working to update their studies of environmental conditions in the Delta.
The recent court actions, coupled with new scientific reports, have drawn increased attention to the decline of the native fish populations of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, especially the threatened delta smelt, which scientists say is in increasing peril. Pumping of water has resumed at lower levels than usual and with no certainty as to how long they will remain on.
“I am most concerned for my communities in Southern California where certainty in our future water supply is critical. We must facilitate sustainable planning and management of our water sources or risk being unprepared for the drought and changing weather patterns caused by climate change,” said Napolitano.
WHAT:
House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power Hearing on "Extinction is not a Sustainable Water Policy: The Bay-Delta crisis and the implications for California water management"
WHEN:
Monday, July 2, 2007
9:00 a.m., PST
WHERE:
Vallejo City Council Chambers
555 Santa Clara Street
Vallejo, California 94590
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