Dear Friend,

Among the many complications facing Cargill's massively controversial bayfill development is a simple fact: contrary to what the Redwood City Council was told when they began the approval process for Cargill's plan, there is no water to supply any of the taps in the proposed 12,000 new homes on this restorable open space salt pond.

In 2009, Cargill's developer DMB said they would pump and treat brackish groundwater from underneath these bayfront mudflats. But their own consultants identified 50 toxic sites within a quarter mile, including Menlo Park's former dump, and warned that pumping can cause subsidence at the below sea-level site.

Cargill then changed its story and proposed a complex, unprecedented and legally questionable transfer of southern California agricultural water. However, water experts have said that it is neither responsible nor realistic to premise a huge Bay Area development on an elaborate scheme to import Kern County water.

Most recently, Cargill's water transfer scheme came under hostile scrutiny at a meeting of the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board. As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle on July 28 , the Water District enacted "a major policy change" making it even more difficult for Cargill’s developer to secure water for the homes it plans to build.

The powerful SCVWD board of directors has now made clear that the district should not have been used to promote the viability of Cargill's project. Senior district staff stated flatly during the meeting: "There is no mechanism to get water to their project."

Save The Bay raised strong concerns at the time that the Council was moving ahead based on the developer's seriously incomplete information. And now Cargill and DMB are talking about possibly going back to groundwater? The bottom line is that DMB just doesn't have a credible water supply for this destructive bay fill development. And they have proven they will say anything to keep their dubious project moving forward. As they abandon promise after promise and assurance after assurance, it is clear there is no reason to believe what they say. Empty promises won't make water flow from your tap.

Take action today and write a letter to your editor letting them know that there is no water to supply any of the taps in the proposed 12,000 new homes on the Redwood City Salt Ponds!

Sincerely,

Stephen Knight
Save The Bay Political Director