WHAT: State Water Board Hearing on Bay Delta Plan – public hearing
WHERE: 301 W. Main St., Merced
WHEN: 9 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 19
December 19, 2016 - The State Water Resources Control Board will hold its only Merced hearing on Monday Dec. 19 to receive public
input on the Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan. This plan has a direct impact on MID’s water deliveries. Among the local impacts of the state’s Bay Delta plan:
· Decreased irrigation water availability to MID growers
· Decreased groundwater replenishment to eastern Merced County
· Impacts to local drinking water quality and quantity
· The loss of $231 million in local economic activity, as well as 1,000 family-supporting jobs
During the Dec. 19 hearing, MID growers and other members of our community will be able to directly express their objection of the Bay Delta Water Plan to the State Water Board. The hearing’s venue is the Merced Theater at 301 W. Main Street in Merced. Please note this marks a venue change: the State Water Board had originally planned to hold the hearing at the Merced Multi-Cultural Arts Center.
The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. and include approximately two hours of presentations prior to the acceptance of public comment. MID strongly encourages residents to personally attend this event. Based on previous and recent Water Board hearings, MID expects the hearing to last all day.
“It is absolutely imperative that the State Water Board see a strong presence from the community and MID growers,” said MID General Manager John Sweigard. “Once this water is lost from our community, it will never return. This is a direct impact on at least 1,000 household incomes. This will harm everything from mortgage and car payments, to college education and retirement plans.”
In direct response to the State’s Bay Delta Plan, MID is proposing the Merced River S.A.F.E. Plan (Salmon, Agriculture, Flows and Environment). This proposal is aimed directly at supporting salmon through a combination of efforts on the Merced River. These include immediately providing increased, targeted water releases to support migrating salmon; addressing predatory bass; restoring approximately 5 miles of Merced River habitat that was drastically altered by dredge mining in the late 1800s and early 1900s; and modernizing the Merced River Salmon Hatchery.
The community is encouraged to provide both written and oral comments to the State Water Board during the hearing. Letter templates and other helpful information can be found at the “Get Involved” section of www.MercedRiverSAFEPlan.org
For any additional support assistance, please contact MID at 722-5761, or stop by the office at 744 West 20th Street in Merced.
Source: MID
