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New paper reviewing Delta fish loss released by Sacto Regional County Sanitation District

Posted by: Maven on February 1, 2010 at 7:55 am

From Claudia Goss at the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District:

“As the independent panel recently appointed by the National Academy of Sciences begins its task of determining whether the pumping restrictions imposed to protect Delta smelt as a result of the federal Biological Opinions should be modified, it is important to remember that the amount of data documenting the loss of hundreds of millions of fish to the water pumps does not begin – or end – with the targeted Biological Opinions. In fact, the 30 years of research conducted on the ongoing fish losses associated with the water projects is voluminous. It is difficult to wade through all of these technical documents to find the dramatic findings and facts that paint such a stark picture of the water project operations’ impact on Delta fish, which perhaps is why they have been lost in the political debate surrounding the Delta.

Attached is a document prepared by for SRCSD by Larry Walker Associates, an environmental consulting firm we work with, which synthesizes data and facts from existing reports and studies to provide a comprehensive look at what is known about the water project operations, the enormous impact they have on Delta fish and how little has actually been done to mitigate these losses. The information is not conjecture or perception – it is based on real data and analysis done by scientists and state and federal agencies. The document simply compiles and condenses the information so that the facts about this issue and what is actually known about it can be better understood. Also attached is a one-page overview of the paper’s key points.

Perhaps another reason many of these facts have been lost in the political debate surrounding the Delta is because the water exporters have mounted an aggressive public relations campaign to shift attention from the impacts of the pumping operations to “other stressors.” Certainly, more research must be done to fully understand all of the stressors that may be affecting the health of the Delta and what action should be taken to address them. More answers are needed so that decisions can be made based on sound science and not because of political rhetoric. We have supported the efforts of CALFED and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board to pursue such research to yield those answers, including providing funding, and will continue to do so. Additionally, SRCSD has made it very clear that if comprehensive, scientific research determines its discharge is adversely impacting Delta fish we will take responsibility to correct the situation.

However, we do not need more answers to the serious fish mortality problems we already know exist at the SWP and CVP. With all the facts that are known, it causes us to ponder why hasn’t more been done to address these well-documented and serious problems?”

Download pdf files:
Key Messages One Pager
FishLossReportFinal

February 1, 2010 · Filed Under Sacramento

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