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U.S. Fish & Wildlife & National Marine Fishery Service consult on CVP & SWP

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 5, 2008 at 6:44 am

From the California Farmer:

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fishery Service has been asked to begin formal consultation on Central Valley Project and State Water Project. A Federal judge invalidated a water plan that would have allowed more pumping from the San Francisco Bay Delta at the expense of five species of protected salmon and steelhead trout (June CF page 4). The same Fresno judge Oliver W. Wanger made a similar ruling in August 2007 to protect the delta smelt.

And as if that it not enough, the FWS has determined that a petition has presented enough information to initiate a status review to consider listing of the Longfin smelt under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Since last December, Fish & Wildlife Service officials have been meeting regularly with the Bureau of Reclamation & Department of Water Resources, working on salmon and smelt issues.

Salmon:

By regulation, FWS and NMFS have 135 days to complete the Biological Opinion, a clock that starts once all additional information is submitted and the Biological Assessment is complete. The Biological Assessment will describe the factors that may affect winter-run and spring-run Chinook salmon and critical habitat. A significant factor affecting all listed salmon in the Central Valley is the loss of spawing and rearing habitat upstream of the major dams. Factors include, but are not limited to, high water temperatures, low flows and flow fluctuations and fish passage.

Delta Smelt:

The Service has determined that the following recommendation will be protective of delta smelt. The projects will implement a 7-day average target of -2,000 Cubic Feet per Second (cfs), and to maintain the flap gates on the agricultural barriers in the open position.

The smelt recommendations are meant to help with maintaining proper water temperature for spawning. Also, entrainment of smelt has been increasing, and they still have been found in the vicinity of the export pumps.

Find out more in this article from California Farmer by clicking here.

June 5, 2008 · Filed Under Central Valley Project, DWR & State Water Project, Delta smelt, Endangered Species & Wildlife, Salmon

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