Many Delta Islands May be Lost

This hairbrained scheme was proposed by the Public Policy Institute of California in 2008. PPIC (lol!) is a think tank that represents California big money interests. PPIC also supports the various peripheral canal interests.

PPIscr2a.jpg


$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

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yzer,

When was this plan initially floated?

Also, can you pls email me at:

chiselchst at sbcglobal dt net?

Thanks

(PS I have blantatly PLEAGURIZED your Samuel Clemens quote, as my sig on other forums, LOL)
 
Mitch, email is sent.

PPIC proposes to ignore repairs on most Central Delta levees, allowing the levees to break and become permanently flooded. Because alternative canal proposals will change water quality in the Central Delta by increasing salinity, PPIC island flooding will result in complete destruction of the Central Delta environment. This predominantly fresh water estuary zone would become a brackish bay forever.

Total destruction of the Central Delta is proposed by PPIC in this report issued last summer (2008):

http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_708EHR.pdf

There is a much better alternative to total destruction of the Central Delta. First, you maintain X2 values in the Delta to keep the historic fresh water conditions intact. Second, you properly return non-productive and subsided farm islands to their historical condition. That is, you restore those islands as tule marshes. It's not difficult or particularly expensive to achieve this goal. Here is how it's done:

http://ca.water.usgs.gov/news/release070809.html

Here is a detailed report regarding Delta Island restoration:

http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1116&context=jmie/sfews

Restoration of Delta Islands will take time and the levees will require usual maintenance for much of the restoration period. Perhaps one human generation or a little more will be required to restore the most badly subsided islands to their natural state, but the environmental benefits to the California Delta would be immense.

The Netherlands required most of the twentieth century to engineer a lasting solution to flooding problems in the Zuidersee. That was a triumph of governmental planning over partisan politics. California needs to think far beyond four-year election cycles and quick buck solutions to achieve sustainable water and a lasting improvement in the California Delta.
 
Posting as an "non-CA alien": You might wish to review the history of the Mississippi River delta over, say, the last 70 years. In this case, the channelization of the River, oil company operations, the actions of the USACE have all contributed to major reduction of the Mississippi delta, including turning a huge, productive fishing grounds into brackish/salt shoals.

YMMV. But there is no doubt ( in my mind, at least ) that what has already happened here, could be your future.
 
quote:
Originally posted by yzer

Mitch, email is sent.

PPIC proposes to ignore repairs on most Central Delta levees, allowing the levees to break and become permanently flooded. Because alternative canal proposals will change water quality in the Central Delta by increasing salinity, PPIC island flooding will result in complete destruction of the Central Delta environment. This predominantly fresh water estuary zone would become a brackish bay forever.

Total destruction of the Central Delta is proposed by PPIC in this report issued last summer (2008):

http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_708EHR.pdf

There is a much better alternative to total destruction of the Central Delta. First, you maintain X2 values in the Delta to keep the historic fresh water conditions intact. Second, you properly return non-productive and subsided farm islands to their historical condition. That is, you restore those islands as tule marshes. It's not difficult or particularly expensive to achieve this goal. Here is how it's done:

http://ca.water.usgs.gov/news/release070809.html

Here is a detailed report regarding Delta Island restoration:

http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1116&context=jmie/sfews

Restoration of Delta Islands will take time and the levees will require usual maintenance for much of the restoration period. Perhaps one human generation or a little more will be required to restore the most badly subsided islands to their natural state, but the environmental benefits to the California Delta would be immense.

The Netherlands required most of the twentieth century to engineer a lasting solution to flooding problems in the Zuidersee. That was a triumph of governmental planning over partisan politics. California needs to think far beyond four-year election cycles and quick buck solutions to achieve sustainable water and a lasting improvement in the California Delta.

Click to expand...
Unfortunately short-term politics will probably always prevail and the Central Delta will be lost to future flooding. My wife and I are now retired and looking for greener "boating pastures".
 
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