Water Education Foundation
This is just one post in the Delta Issues Category
Click here to view all posts

Statement of the Coalition for Sustainable Delta on the NRC Bay-Delta report

Posted by: Maven on March 19, 2010 at 1:14 pm

From the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta, this press release:

“The newly released findings of the National Research Council underscore the lack of sound science underlying the severe water supply curtailments imposed by the Biological Opinions and highlight the importance of “other stressors” in the decline of native fish species. The NRC found that while there is a conceptual justification for federal regulatory agencies to curtail pumping operations, there is limited scientific justification for how, when and to what extent those curtailments are imposed.

The lack of justification for levels of export reductions imposed on the state and federal water projects goes directly to the heart of the concerns and serious questions raised by farm and urban water users over the past two years. The report also concludes that the effects of non-export related “other stressors” such as contaminants and invasive species are in some cases “not only potentially very important, but also under-characterized.”

“The report raises serious questions and concerns for residents, farms and businesses in California that the impacts imposed by federal and state regulators may be far greater than they need to be,” said Michael Boccadoro, spokesperson for the Coalition. “Clearly, regulators will need to make sure they are not harming the economy and putting people out of work unnecessarily. This report underscores the need for federal and state agencies to justify their harsh actions to deny water for the residents, businesses and farms going forward.”

The Coalition looks forward to the NRC Committee’s ongoing work to fully consider alternative actions that will reduce the severe water supply curtailments imposed under the current Biops and their efforts to fully explore the myriad of other stressors which are having a significant and growing impact on the estuary and native endangered fishes. Equally important¸ the NRC’s findings underscore the urgency for California and Federal regulators to use their broad existing authority to tackle the immediate impacts of other stressors, such as toxic wastewater discharges and invasive predatory species, that we know are having a huge impact on the salmon and delta smelt.”

March 19, 2010 · Filed Under Delta Issues

Comments

Leave a Reply