Welcome Sichuan Water Conservancy Delegation
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Monterey Bay Conservancy 501 Mission Street Santa Cruz, California, 95060 (831) 476-7662 www.pogonip.org email: ddeitch@pogonip.org November 10, 2000 Mr. Feng Xu / Senior Engineer Ms. Guohua Wang / Engineer Mr. Zehua Peng / Engineer Mr. Fuxiang Liu / Seniro Engineer Mr. Ming Li / Senior Engineer Ms. Donghua Niu /Deputy Secretary Mr. Weidong Yang/Duty Chief Water Conservancy Delegation I-Sichuan, China Ms. Lihuai Wang / Deputy Director-Senior Engineer Ms. Xiaolan He / Deputy Director Mr. Zhongming Zhang / Director Mr. Maoxun Yang / Director Mr. Chunqi Zhong / Director Mr. Qingping Wang / Director Mr. Dingshan Luo / Deputy Director Mr. Shixiang Fu / Chief Mr. Changyan Liu / Senior Engineer Mr. Jiahua Lai / Engineer Dear Friends, We are very honored to extend this warm invitation to you and your delegation to visit the Monterey Bay Area. We hope to share important information with you on water related issues in our area and to have the opportunity to answer questions you may have about our strategies locally to deal with our problems here. We are aware of the seriousness of the water challenges that the People's Republic face now as well as in the future. Any assistance or light we may possibly be able to provide to aid you would be our pleasure. Any ideas you may have for us here would be much appreciated, as well. As you may already be aware, the Monterey Bay Area is one of the most significant agricultural production areas in the United States. This area has a $2.5 billion annual agricultural production completely supplied water through local groundwater and surface resources. The Salinas and Pajaro Valleys here, also known as the "Salad Bowl" of America, are noted worldwide for their production of vegetables and fruits. 85 different crops are successfully grown in our area. However, the cost, in terms of environmental consequences, is high. Agricultural water use in the Salinas Valley is 90% of supply and in serious overdraft. The Pajaro Valley overdraft is almost 200%, with around 80% ag use. Overuse of ground water resources causing saltwater intrusion as well as nitrate contamination and other quality and quantity problems have regional effect here. Additionally, the entire Monterey Bay has been designated as the largest national marine sanctuary in the United States and is protected. Problems of possible harmful algae blooms in the Monterey Bay and elsewhere caused by agricultural chemicals/fertilizer and urban runoff is a new area of concern. A tour to accommodate your scheduling has been arranged for your delegation when you visit on December 11, 2000. We will visit the largest agricultural water reclamation project in the United States, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (described by the Reserve's director as "The center of the center of the universe"), a local desalinization facility, and some local farms. Mr. Bryan Briggs, of Monterey Bay Conservancy, and I personally will meet you and lead the tour. The entire tour will be conducted in the Moss Landing area in the Monterey Bay in California. If you can possibly stay overnight in the area we will also have time to visit the world renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium and research facility (MBARI) on December 12. This is really something not to be missed. If there is any problem getting this approved, also please be advised that December 12 is also my birthday and that I have already planned spending it with you. I would be very disappointed if I had to change my plans. I so hope you will be able to fit it in. More information on your visit will be posted on www.pogonip.org. Please email any questions or requests. We'll try to accommodate you. We look forward to your visit. We hope that this visit will benefit you and the government agencies you represent.
Sincerely, Douglas Deitch
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