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Coverage wrap up: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service issues rules to protect Delta smelt; Some in California could see water supply cut in half

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 16, 2008 at 8:55 am

From the Sacramento Bee:

Some Californians could see their water supply cut as much as 50 percent under new federal rules to protect threatened fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The rules, released Monday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, govern water pumping operations by the California Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The agencies operate massive water diversion systems near Tracy that export Delta water for farm and urban purposes, from Silicon Valley to San Diego.

Two-thirds of Californians get at least some of their water from the Delta. It also irrigates nearly 3 million acres of farmland. But these water diversions have pushed the Delta smelt, a fingerling fish native to the estuary, to the edge of extinction.

The new rules, called a biological opinion, were prepared under a federal court order that found existing regulations inadequate.

DWR estimated Monday that, in average weather years, the cuts could range from 20 to 30 percent. But in roughly one out of five years – typically a wet fall followed by a severe dry year – the cutbacks could reach 50 percent.

“This will have significant impacts in the agricultural community and it probably will start having an impact on economic development in urban areas because the water supply is becoming less certain,” said DWR Director Lester Snow.

From Stockton’s Record:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found in a 410-page review that the pumps are jeopardizing Delta smelt, something environmentalists and Delta advocates say is old news.

“We believe it’s been clear since at least 1978 that the (pumps) have been severely damaging fish and wildlife, and yet they continued to increase exports,” said Stockton water attorney Dante Nomellini, who represents central Delta farmers.

A federal judge last year threw out rules that said the pumps weren’t a threat and put in place temporary restrictions to protect smelt. He ordered that new rules be written by Monday.

Those rules will continue some of the same restrictions ordered by Judge Oliver Wanger, such as improving flows on the Old and Middle rivers, which run backward and carry fish to their demise when the pumps are churning.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

The rules are among the most comprehensive ever put together under endangered species laws to protect a single species of fish, according to experts.

“We’re very pleased,” said Tina Swanson, a fish biologist and senior scientist at the Bay Institute, a nonprofit research organization dedicated to protecting San Francisco Bay and delta ecosystem health. “The biological opinion includes curtailments in water exports from the delta during times of the year when delta smelt are spawning and the young larvae and juveniles are present. The requirements are there to reduce the number of delta smelt sucked into the pumps and killed.”

Swanson has long pushed for provisions mandating increased freshwater flows down the river in the fall because, she said, studies have shown that delta smelt populations increase when there is more water.

The health of the delta smelt, a fish that is only one to two inches long, is, according to biologists, a sign of the overall health of the ecosystem, including other fish species such as striped bass, longfin smelt, threadfin shad and Chinook salmon. At stake is not only a rare species of fish uniquely adapted to the delta’s shifting currents and brackish water but also the drinking water for 25 million Californians and irrigation for 750,000 acres of cropland.

From Mike Taugher at the Contra Costa Times/San Jose Mercury News:

The biologists’ prescription strictly limits the number of fish that can be killed at the pumps and also limits water managers’ ability to run the pumps so hard they reverse the flow of two channels. Those limits are similar to interim measures Wanger ordered last year. State water officials said that ruling cut water supplies by about 730,000 acre-feet, or enough for about 1.5 million families.

The permit also will require water managers to release water to flush the Delta of saltwater in the fall of wet years. That could significantly deplete water supplies in about one in five years.

Environmentalists were pleased. “It’s certainly a forceful step in the right direction,” said Bill Jennnings, director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.

Water agency representatives across the state were displeased. They said the new conditions were unnecessarily draconian and were unlikely to revive the fish.

“The thing that’s really disturbing about it is in a drought you’re hoping it will end. With these regulations, we’re never going to get back to normal,” said Laura King Moon, assistant general manager of the State Water Contractors. Moon said it was “definitely a possibility” that her organization would sue to overturn the permit.

From the Los Angeles Times:

“This is a major new reduction in water deliveries that will impact families, businesses and farmers throughout California,” said Laura King Moon, assistant general manager of the State Water Contractors.

The state project, which will be the most affected, provides about a third of the Southland’s urban water. The rest comes from the eastern Sierra, the Colorado River, local groundwater reserves and reclaimed supplies.

An ongoing drought in the Colorado basin has cut deliveries of surplus water that Southern California has long depended on. And a statewide drought has depleted reservoirs the length and breadth of California. If this is another dry winter, managers for the Southland’s biggest water agency say they will have to cut deliveries to local districts, leading to rationing.

Agriculture interests have called for the construction of reservoirs, water districts are urging homeowners to conserve water and environmentalists say it’s time to recognize the limits of California’s water supply.

“We need to make a fundamental change in how we see and use water,” said Doug Obegi, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the groups that filed the smelt lawsuit. “There are a ton more opportunities in water conservation, improved groundwater management, water recycling and design that captures storm water.”

Press Releases:

For links to the biological opinion, >click here.

December 16, 2008 · Filed Under Judge Wanger delta smelt ruling

Comments

2 Responses to “Coverage wrap up: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service issues rules to protect Delta smelt; Some in California could see water supply cut in half”

  1. David Coffin on December 16th, 2008 1:30 pm

    >> DWR estimated Monday that, in average weather years, the cuts could range from 20 to 30 percent. But in roughly one out of five years – typically a wet fall followed by a severe dry year – the cutbacks could reach 50 percent.

    Is this 20% to 30% on top of the already reduced SWP allocations which are initially set at 15% (85% below normal) now?

  2. The Underground’s Short Casts for 2008-12-17 | The Trout Underground Fly Fishing Blog on December 18th, 2008 12:01 am

    [...] Smelt biological opinion could reduce Delta water exports by as much as 50%: http://aquafornia.com/archives/5963 [...]

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