The Valley has had some of it's biggest visitors ever over the past few weeks. Garnering national publicity, huge crowds, and constant local news coverage, the visitors have caused a sensation in the delta region between West Sacramento and Rio Vista.

Delta, a mother humpback whale, and Dawn, her calf, strayed last week into the San Francisco Bay and into the Delta, ending up in the turning basin of the Port of Sacramento, 90 miles from the Golden Gate. Since that event, biologists from all over the west coast have tried to lend their expertise in turning the whales around. Although efforts were made to aggitate the whales enough to send them back down the deep water channel, the whales would not leave West Sacramento. That is, until Sunday, when they began to swim south on their own.

Followed by a group of boats, including a Coast Guard cutter, the whales went south into the night, stopping only when they got to the Rio Vista bridge. Since that progress, Delta and Dawn have again stopped, staying in the area of Rio Vista. The whales continue to circle the area, which is in the delta region. The water the whales are currently in does not have the salt content, the cold water temperature, or food available to sustain the whales, and time is a factor in getting the whales back to where they belong.

The whales face several obstacles, including marks that indicate they may have been injured by boat propellers. Whale helpers also have been hindered, ironically, in some ways by the laws protecting the endangered animals. Each new tactic, including playing sounds, banging pipes on to the water to annoy them, and even tagging Delta for tracking, all have had to be approved. The tags were not able to be applied due to high winds in the region, as of Monday. This has resulted in a search each morning by Coast Guard, scientific observers, and media to find the whales in order to decide what to do to encourage the whales towards swimming out to sea.

Tens of thousands of whale well-wishers lined the levees when the whales visited West Sacramento, many with a desire to see the mammals go home. It is nice to see that Delta and Dawn do seem to be moving closer to where they need to go. The whales on Tuesday were seen looping through Cache Slough north of Rio Vista. Such an amazing, unique site to see for Valley dwellers is exhilarating and captivating, but the time has come for our whales to go back to where they will be free and healthy. Thanks for visiting, now, go home.

Labels: Delta and Dawn, Rio Vista, Sacramento, whales

In last Sunday's Sacramento Bee, a report was published detailing the possibility of a huge underground water supply near Chico. California, being the vertically aligned state that it is, will need to better manage this supply to deal with future water needs.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently put forward an idea to build two new dams to help with the storage needs of water in California, a state that has areas with plentiful water that supply coastal and southern areas in need. These new dams are not a new idea, of course, but one that comes up occasionally when Californians begin thinking about the need to keep their gardens green and their pools full. California had a poor wet season this year, and many are predicting a dry summer season. In fact, some scientists suggest California may be entering another multi-year drought.

Not only is water needed in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, it must be managed closely to maintain Central Valley agriculture, salmon spawning rivers, and a delicate Delta ecosystem. Water has become one of the most fiercely divisive issue in the state, and has at times pushed Northerners towards the idea of forming an independent state. Water storage, especially landscape-altering dams, has been a source of arguments between environmentalists and pro-development lobbies. The Auburn Dam, often proposed in the US Congress, has come and gone as a possibility over the years. San Francisco has recently had to endure arguing against their normal allies in the environmental lobby to continue to draw water from Hetch Hetchy.

Regardless of whether or not we are now entering a drought, the state will again go through a period of water need at some point in the future. The Governor knows this, and is suggesting the state add to its reserves above ground.

This discovery of the underground water supply, if indeed it is a large reservoir, opens possibilities for water supplies in California. That is, if current policies are changed, which of course is a tall order. Currently, underground water supplies are privately owned by whoever owns the land above, builds a well, and sticks in a straw. These resources could turn important to the state in augmenting above ground supplies when needed, allowing the healthy movement of water through the underground stores.

Is it that much water? The report in the Bee said the underground reservoir is three times larger than the Shasta Reservoir.

One thing is for sure, Californians will continue to argue over water policy. The key will be managing all the assets of the state when the needs are rising and the supplies are dwindling.