HomeMy WebLinkAbout081-88 RESOLUTION NO. 8!-88
A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF DANVILLE
URGING THE STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD TO ADOPT
QUALITY STANDARDS REGARDING SAN FRANCISCO BAY-DELTA ESTUARY
WHEREAS, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) has
convened the Bay-Delta Hearings, a three-year, three-phase
proceeding designed to set new water quality standards and water
rights for the San Francisco Bay-Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta
Estuary; and
WHEREAS, over the next three years the SWRCB will review
evidence and set water quality standards for the Bay-Delta
Estuary to protect such beneficial uses as drinking water,
agriculture, industry, recreation and fish and wildlife; and
WHEREAS, these historic Bay-Delta hearings will have
far-reaching implications for the entire Bay-Delta region and
the State of California; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress recognized the San Francisco Bay as
an estuary of national significance and added it to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Estuary
Program; and
WHEREAS, Governor Deukmejian has designated the State of
California to be a partner with the EPA in the San Francisco
Estuary Project, a five-year effort to address the Bay's and
Delta's most critical problems through a Comprehensive
Conservation and Management Plan to restore the chemical,
physical and biological integrity of the Estuary; and
WHEREAS, the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary is the largest
inland estuarine system on the West Coast of North and South
America, home to more than 100 species of fish an 800,000
waterfowl and shore birds and is a major stop-over on the
migratory Pacific Flyway; and
WHEREAS, the Delta provides drinking water to two-thirds of
California's population, representing 40 percent of all drinking
water consumed statewide; and
WHEREAS, the 12-county Bay-Delta region is home to more than
seven million Californians and its economy is dependent upon the
quality of the environment and health of this important
estuarine resources; and
WHEREAS, the Bay-Delta Estuary is under increasing stress due to
increased diversions and exports of freshwater out of the Delta
to many parts of the state, resulting in exports or diversions
estimated at 60 percent of the Bay's historic annual inflow and
up to 85 percent of its springtime freshwater inflow; and
WHEREAS, diking and filling of nearly all the Bay-Delta
Estuary's historic tidal marshes; increased discharge of
pollutants from point and non-point sources; and increased
waterway modification, including dredging, also have affected
the Bay-Delta Estuary; and
WHEREAS, these practices, including diversions and exports, have
caused adverse impacts to the Bay-Delta Estuary such as:
increased salinity of Delta drinking water supplies; an 80
percent decline in the striped bass population since the 1950s;
decrease in salmon available for sport and commercial fishing;
reduction in the Bay's circulation capacity causing longer
residence time for pollutants in the Bay; and loss of critical
fish and wildlife habitat; and
WHEREAS, the SWRCB has an historic opportunity to address these
adverse impacts and protect the Estuary's vital public trust
resources through the Board's decision on water quality
standards for the Bay-Delta Estuary; and
WHEREAS, each city, county and concerned citizen in the
Bay-Delta region has a unique opportunity to express support for
improved protections for the magnificent resource that is the
San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town of Danville
supports complete and adequate water quality standards that
protect all beneficial uses of the San Francisco Bay-Delta
Estuary; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Town of Danville urges the State
Water Resources Control Board to adopt water quality standards
that assure the protection of the Estuary before increased
diversions or exports are considered; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be
transmitted to the State Water Resources Control Board and to
appropriate state and federal legislators.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 16th day of May, 1988
by the following vote:
AYES: Greenberg, Jagger, Lane, Ritchey, Schlendorf
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None