Friant officials say they're not interested in a plan that threatens their water supply and their way of life. Environmental officials say they will work toward the Friant goal, but no promises have been made. Environmentalists have had the upper hand in rulings on this case over the last several years. But we have not promised that Friant water users will not be impacted. Environmentalists also are not keen on the idea of building more reservoirs or enlarging Millerton Lake.
Federal officials seem open to the proposal, but no decisions have been made.
Most of the money was used to buy the water used in the flow. The experiment showed the river would not lose as much water in the 24-mile dry stretch as people suspected, said Peter Vorster, hydrologist for the Bay Institute, which is working on the project. The theory was that the porous, dry ground would suck down a lot of water. We don't know. Vorster and others will begin to analyze findings this week, he said.