News Updates!

Meeting California’s Water Needs: Governor Gavin Newsom announced several key appointments – –  February 13, 2019

BREAKING NEWS: GOVERNOR NEWSOM WILL NOT REAPPOINT FELICIA MARCUS TO THE WATER BOARD – – February 12, 2019

Gray Calls for Lawsuit to Halt Implementation of State Water Grab – – December 13, 2018

Newsom and Brown wade into California water wars to delay plan to help fish – – November 7, 2018

Brown, Newsom send State Water Board letter requesting to delay Wednesday’s vote – – November 6, 2018

Short Video Highlights of the Rally at the Capitol in Sacramento

Protesting the Water Board’s Plan to Steal up to 60% of Our Valley’s Water. What Severe Negative Impacts will that have? WATCH LOCAL LEADERS BOTH REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS COME TOGETHER FIGHTING FOR OUR VALLEY. Like This Page and Join Our Fight. #FightTheWaterGrab #JoinTheWaterGrabFight

Free Rides To The Rally To Stop The Regulatory Drought!

Join The Rally Stop The Regulatory Drought!

The Next Chapter of California’s Water Wars Begins! – – July 6th, 2018

Governor Veto Letter – – January, 15, 2018

Fish-friendly measures steer Central Valley salmon run near record – – November 17, 2017

Peer-reviewed study: Salmon don’t want too much water – – January 24, 2017

State water board shouldn’t be judge, jury, executioner – – August 12, 2017

Assembly Passes Fair Water Rights Hearings Legislation – – May 31, 2017

Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan Update – – March 6, 2017

These California and Oregon farmers lost water in 2001. Now they want to be paid. – – January 27, 2017

Assemblymember Adam Gray’s Letter to the Water Board

Statement by Assemblymember Adam C. Gray to the State Water Resources Control Board

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Adam Gray: Water board plan operates in a silo; we have better ideas

“Will state water grab could cost California billions of dollars?”

Money, energy should be spent studying where our groundwater comes from

November 21, 2016 – – Economics of state’s water grab don’t add up

September 20, 2016 – – Assembly-members Adam Gray and Kristin Olsen requested that the Water Board accept over 3,100 petitions and comments from locals for inclusion in the official record. Gray and Olsen requested the Water Board take specific actions to better inform itself about the economic consequences their proposal would have on local Valley communities. Read the letter to the water board here.

Three hearings have already been scheduled. Please save these dates and join me and your neighbors.

New Stories on the Water Board’s Proposed Actions

October 12, 2016 – – California reforms target workers’ compensation fraud

October 5, 2016 – – Merced County Letter to Chairwoman Marcus

September 30, 2016 – – Learn from history … fight to keep your water

September 28, 2016 – – Valley leaders take issue with state water board’s explanation

September 26, 2016 – -River flow plan will get airing at Modesto meetings

September 22, 2016 – – Heath Flora: Does state really need these unaccountable bureaucrats?

September 21, 2016 – – Gov. Brown is right, we must ‘agree’ on rivers

September 20, 2016 – – Modesto-area lawmakers protest river flow plan

September 20, 2016 – – Gray and Olsen Deliver 3,100 Petitions to State Water Board

Water Board Declares Water War on Merced and Stanislaus Counties

• Delta Plan Update Statement
• Coalition Initial Joint Statement

THE STATE WATER BOARD HAS IGNORED LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS’ REQUESTS THAT THE BOARD FULLY ENGAGE THEM IN THE PROCESS OF UPDATING THE BAY DELTA PLAN IN ORDER TO ADDRESS DRINKING WATER QUANTITY, QUALITY AND OTHER LOCAL CONCERNS.

In response to repeated requests from local stakeholders, the State Water Resources Control Board finally agreed to hold a meeting to discuss the impacts of the Board’s flows proposal on local drinking water quality and quantity. The meeting took place on October 8th, 2015. It was the first time in the process of updating the Bay Delta Plan (which began in 2013) that the State Board directly engaged with local drinking water community representatives and the groups most impacted by their proposal. The meeting was organized by Stanislaus County and questions had been submitted to the State Board in advance to help frame the discussion.

The Board’s representative said the submitted questions and any other questions would be answered in writing prior to the release of the updated draft of the report. That would have let the local communities examine and review the base assumptions, modeling and data used to formulate the alternative recommendations. After this meeting however, State Board staff decided that they would only address the questions in the upcoming draft report. An audio tape of the meeting is available below.

As of July 2016, there is no evidence that any State Board staff has had any further discussions with the local officials responsible for drinking water quality and quantity in the basins most impacted by the proposed recommendations in the Bay Delta Plan. Below are the requests that local stakeholders sent to the State Water Board requesting to be engaged in the planning process. Unfortunately, the State Board’s updated recommended actions have been determined without any comprehensive discussions with the communities most impacted.

AS ORIGINALLY DRAFTED, GRAY’S AB 1242 WOULD HAVE REQUIRED THE STATE TO MITIGATE IMPACTS ON GROUNDWATER DUE TO INCREASED FLOW REQUIREMENTS

Assemblyman Adam Gray introduced AB 1242 to require the mitigation of groundwater impacts resulting from implementation of the proposed Bay Delta Plan. Letters of support for the legislation and news articles on bill’s fate and consequences are included below.

As amended, AB 1242 would require the State to establish mandated goals for increases in water supply. By 2025, there would be a required increase of 25% in California’s water supply. That amount would grow to 50% by 2050. The bill would permit water supply increases from a variety of sources, including groundwater recharge, desalination, and water recycling.

Bay Delta Plan

Articles

• 1.22.16 Dunbar Soon, state will explain why it wants our water
• 3.19.16 County Offices, local leaders taking aim at Bay – Delta Plan
• 04.06.16- A regulatory drought is looming here in the Valley (Modesto Bee)
• 6.11.15 Sun Star State board is unfairly taking water from our valley
• 6.09.15 Sacramento Bee State board is unfairly taking water from San Joaquin Valley
• 06-24-16 Modesto Bee Don’t try to fool us with bubbles and glimmer

Letters

Correspondence Assemblymember Gray sent on this matter

• Thomas Howard of the State Water Resources Control Board
• Valley Delegation correspondence to Felicia Marcus – Chair – State Water Resources Control Board
• Correspondence to Chair Felicia Marcus regarding flows and concerns of local stakeholders
• Correspondence to Les Grober – State Water Resources Control Board

City Letters

• Mayor of Modesto
• Mayor of Los Banos
• Mayor of Ceres
• Mayor of Turlock

Impacts to Region concerns expressed by local advocacy groups

• Latino Community Roundtable
• The Alliance
• El Concilio – Society for the Spanish Speaking
• Harris Farms
• California Farm Water Coalition

Concerns about a safe drinking water supply by local public health and environmental officials

• County of Merced Board of Supervisors
• County of Merced Environmental Health
• County of Stanislaus Environmental Health

Safe drinking water concerns for our school children

• June 1, 2016 – Letter from the Superintendents of the 20 School Districts in Merced County
• March request by Dr. Steven Gomes – Merced County Office of Education
• Joint Request by Superintendents Tom Changnon and Dr. Steven Gomes
• Counsel representing both Stanislaus and Merced County school districts
• Dr. Gomes request for additional review

Limited replies to district concerns by the State Water Resources Control Board

• Board’s reply to Dr. Gomes – April 2015
• Board’s reply to Assm. Gray from Les Grober communication

Broad Coalition of Support from all Water Districts and Authorities on flows

• Joint Letter
• Save The Stan

AB 1242 support letters

October 2015 Meeting with the Water Board

Regulatory Drought