Environmental Water Account Independent Review Panel
A critical element to the CALFED Science Program is its scientific review of all CALFED Program components. Water supply reliability and use efficiency, water quality, ecosystem restoration, and flood management and levee stability all benefit from periodic reviews by CALFED Science Program established independent review panels that help insure that the investments being made and results being achieved are supported by the best available scientific knowledge.
The Environmental Water Account was launched in 2000. The EWA was outlined in the CALFED Record of Decision and was a key component of CALFED's water management strategy for a number of years. The program was created to protect migratory fish from entrainment and to increase water supply reliability for the State Water Project and Central Valley Project. The EWA used purchased assets, either quantities of water or electricity, to repay water contractors for reductions in supply that they incurred when water diversions were reduced or streamflows were increased to protect salmon and delta smelt.
2006 Review of EWA
In collaboration with implementing agency scientists, the Science Program has organized a comprehensive technical review the Environmental Water Account (EWA). The review was held in Sacramento, CA November 28-30, 2006 and focused on examining the efficacy of EWA and other environmental water programs on protecting key at-risk species in the San Francisco estuary and watershed, providing feedback on plans for science needs and water allocation priorities for EWA Year 7, and identifying science components and water allocation strategies for a possible future environmental water program. The Review Panel was asked to provide written responses in two parts. The first report was to provide review and feedback of the Resources Agency Action Matrix which identified potential delta smelt protective actions for water year 2007 (see below). The full Review Panel report will be available at the end of January and will focus on review charge questions (see below).
2006 EWA Review Panel Final Report
Panel's review of Resources Agency Action Matrix
Presentation - EWA 2006 Review Preliminary Panel Findings
2006 EWA Review Panel Members
| NAME | AFFILIATION |
| Jim Lichatowich (Panel Chair) | Private consultant/Oregon |
| Kenny Rose | Louisiana State University |
| Jim Cowan | Louisiana State University |
| Buzz Thompson | Stanford University |
| Steve Monismith | Stanford University |
| Paul Smith | University of California at San Diego Scripts/Retired |
| Ron Kneib | University of Georgia Marine Institute |
| Andy Solow | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution |
| James Anderson | University of Washington |