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Judge rules water projects imperil Central Valley salmon and steelhead

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 21, 2008 at 6:18 am

From Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org:

Federal Judge Oliver Wanger ruled Friday that operation of the state and federal water projects in California’s Central Valley must be modified to protect threatened and endangered Chinook salmon and steelhead populations from the threat of extinction, according to this news release from Earthjustice. The court ruling took place at a time when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senator Dianne Feinstein are pushing a $9.3 billion water bond that would build a peripheral canal and more dams at the taxpayer’s expense. If Schwarzenegger and Feinstein are not stopped from ramming their proposal through, collapsing California Delta fish and Central Valley chinook salmon will be pushed over the edge of extinction, in violation of numerous federal court rulings including the latest one by Judge Wanger.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: George Torgun, Earthjustice; Craig Noble, NRDC; Zeke Grader, PCFFA; Dr. Tina Swanson, The Bay Institute; John Merz, Sacramento River Preservation Trust

Judge Rules Water Projects Imperil Central Valley Salmon and Steelhead
Fishermen, tribes, and conservationists pleased that court recognizes need for changes to state and federal water project operations to better protect fish, jobs, and local communities

FRESNO (July 18, 2008) – A federal judge ruled today that operation of the state and federal water projects in California’s Central Valley must be modified to protect threatened and endangered Chinook salmon and steelhead populations from the threat of extinction. Judge Oliver W. Wanger ruled
today that “Project operations through March 2009 will appreciably increase jeopardy to the three species,” thereby violating the law. During the court proceedings, the agencies had agreed to some operational changes, such as earlier opening of Red Bluff Diversion Dam and increased water flows on
Clear Creek, to better protect salmon and steelhead. The court did not order any additional restrictions on the operations of the water projects in this ruling.

Read the rest of this story from IndyBay.org by clicking here.

July 21, 2008 · Filed Under Judge Wanger salmon ruling

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