Monday March 3, 2025
Sierra Sun Times —
Last week, the Merced Irrigation District released the following Statement:
Merced Irrigation District General Manager John Sweigard is calling on all eastern Merced County residents to take immediate action in support of a Voluntary Settlement Agreement (VSA) for the Merced River and to oppose the State Water Resources Control Board’s Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan (Bay Delta Plan) and the pending 401 Water Quality Certification.
Ideally, comments should be submitted by Friday but can also be sent the following week if necessary. The State Board is poised to issue its 401 certification on April 15 but could issue it sooner for MID’s federal relicensing of its Lake McClure hydroelectric facilities.
“The Bay Delta Plan will have a devastating impact on our community, costing hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of lost jobs, not to mention critical impacts to our local drinking water quality,” said Sweigard. “Our community must act now and be heard.”