Media Teleconference 1/25/16: Expedite WQCP
My name is Darcie Luce with Friends of the San Francisco Estuary. We are a non-profit that dates back to
the formation of the National Estuary Program for the San Francisco Estuary under the Clean Water Act
over 20 years ago. One of the priorities identified back then was to increase the availability of fresh
water for fish and wildlife in the estuary. Yet, last year’s State of the Estuary Report found that the
status of freshwater inflow is poor and declining for both the Bay and Delta. Not only have we failed to
improve the delivery of fresh water to the estuary, we’ve actually been doing a worse job in the past
decade or so—and of course, that is evident in the widespread decline of fish species (as Bill will
discuss). In effect, we have created a chronic and artificial drought for our fish and wildlife that depend
on the Bay-Delta Estuary. Dr. Peter Moyle, one of the foremost authorities on this subject, has stated
that from a fish perspective, California has been in an increasingly severe drought since the 1960s; and
that during this current extreme drought, the environment is the ‘water user’ that has suffered the
most.
Right now, the State Board is trying to apply a 20th century plan to 21st century conditions. For example,
twenty years ago when the current Water Quality Control Plan was completed, we were largely unaware
that suspended sediment concentrations in the Bay were decreasing and that the Bay was starting to
lose its resistance to harmful algae blooms. These are very important indicators of the overall health of
the Bay and its water quality, and these indicators are related to the amount and timing of freshwater
flows from the Delta and its watersheds. Fresh water from the Delta provides a substantial amount of
the sediment we need in the Bay to reduce water clarity to prevent harmful algae growth, as well as a
significant source of the sediment we need for our wetland restoration projects around the Bay. Yet
these scientific findings have not been incorporated into an updated Water Quality Control Plan. As the
Bay Area starts to scale up wetland restoration efforts to adapt to sea level rise and flooding, we need
the improved freshwater flow standards that will support these efforts. We need an updated and
stronger Water Quality Control Plan that will protect us and this place we call home.
Thank you.