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Wanger Court to consider further steps to curtail water deliveries, help salmon

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 6, 2008 at 7:51 am

From Inside the Bay Area:

A federal judge today will begin considering whether to further restrict the flow of water to California farms and cities in a state already parched by drought. U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger has already ruled that permits meant to prevent water managers from driving fish extinct are failing and illegal.

Last year, he ordered Delta pumping reductions of as much as 30 percent because Delta smelt are vanishing. The hearing in Fresno, which may extend into next week, could lead to further restrictions to protect salmon and steelhead, which are also in decline. “This isn’t going to solve the salmon crisis but it can help quite a bit,” said Zeke Grader, who represents commercial salmon fishers who joined with environmentalists to bring the lawsuit.

Most observers do not expect a court order as dramatic as the one Wanger issued last year. In part, that is because salmon and steelhead do not appear to be as threatened as Delta smelt, which are facing the possibility of imminent extinction. “There was common agreement with the Delta smelt that it was disappearing from the system,” said Chris Scheuring, a water lawyer for the California Farm Bureau. “The salmon and steelhead are in a little more hopeful situation than the Delta smelt.”

Instead, environmentalists and anglers are asking water managers to maintain colder temperatures in spawning beds, save more water behind dams and take other measures that would have a more subtle effect on water supplies.

Today’s testimony will focus on the status of salmon and steelhead runs and whether court intervention is needed. If so, it will likely take several days of testimony before the judge reaches decisions on what protective measures to order.

Read more from Inside the Bay Area by clicking here.

June 6, 2008 · Filed Under Judge Wanger salmon ruling, Salmon

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