Data compiled by Nicole (Nicky) Suard, Esq. Snug Harbor Resorts

Data compiled by Nicole (Nicky) Suard, Esq. Snug Harbor Resorts, LLC
Purpose: to help other Delta land owners, businesses and residents understand
who has been driving the 21st century push to divert all North Delta water, and
for what reasons:
1. Metropolitian Water District (MWD): proposed as early as 2004 barriers for
Steamboat and Sutter Sloughs barriers in case of earthquake causing levees to
fail. “Flooded Islands Feasibility studies” show some of the computer modeling,
but there is no reportedmodeling for barriers on Steamboat or Sutter Sloughs.
Go to http://www.deltaREvision.com for more information
and go to the “barriers and gates” series of maps and reports
“Source: MWD”
While MWD has been pushing for elimination of the Delta waterways, fishery
agencies have been doing studies of how to “restore” the Delta. The simple
fact is that fresh water must flow through the Delta waterways for “restoration”
and MWD and the oil/natural gas companies want both the water and the
lands so they can do mineral exploration and leave behind the contaminated
aquifer when they are done.
2. MWD has been publishing maps in their reports on their website that indicate they prefer
the use of the Sacramento Ship Channel as a new water conveyance canal. MWD is closely
tied to URS, the consultant for DWR that published the DRMS Phase 1 report that falsified
Delta island history for several islands of the North and Central Delta.
The big push for sending more water into the Yolo Bypass makes more sense when you
consider Liberty Island is a “reservoir” according to the terminology used in the computer
modeling for BDCP. Note that flooded Liberty Island is not recognized in the map below.
However, some locals say that Westlands Water District owns the Liberty Island land. Who
owns what is not verified but the fact there is a very large lake or resevoir in that area
continues to be ignored by some main stream media. Ask why?
3. 1 parts chloride per thousand parts of water (1 ppt) has always been the standard used to
measure the fresh water levels in the Delta. Review all documentation prior to 1998 and you will
see references to many thousands of pages of historical studies of use of 1 ppt. Note the EPA
map below. It indicates the standard for EPA measurement of freshwater limits of intrusion into
the Delta is 2 ppt or double the historic levels. How would or does this new standard affect your
drinking water wells? How does it affect the native riparian forests along the banks of the
Sacramento River? DWR and the media makes a big deal about how, in 1934, higher salinity
reached all the way to Walnut Grove. Look at the historical facts. The salinity measurement
was 1 ppt and the REASON for the encroachment was that there was overpumping from the
rivers above Sacramento, not simply from the drought. If there had not been overpumping, the
rivers would have still kept the Delta at below 1 ppt below Rio Vista.
If interested in the flow and salinity history of the Delta, Contra Costa Water District published a
great study that helped to show the purity of the Delta waters on both the Sacramento and San
Joaquin rivers to their confluence, historically. Many of the salinity studies have been archived
at http://www.deltaREvision.com and you go to the “delta maps” link and look for the water
quality maps and studies.
Note how many gas companies
have established new wells or
have gas wells sitting idle
waiting...
You might want to find out about
the NEW technology called
horizontal fracking
invented in 1998. The new
technology uses huge amounts
of fresh water. The Delta has
huge amounts of natural gas
and geothermal energy
resources and the farmers and
other land owners have mineral
rights if the mineral rights were
not reserved by the state when
the land was first sold. Also,
State Lands Commission has
been leasing out the beds of the
waterways to energy exploration
companies. Steamboat Slough
is one of the waterways with
lease copies available online.
Map to the right is a small
section of the very large
detailed map from the state,
archived at
http://www.deltaREvision.com
or
http:www.SaveTheDelta.org
2005
go to Barriers update2