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Pacific Legal Foundation commentary: The Delta smelt’s dirty little secret

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 27, 2009 at 7:53 am

From the Pacific Legal Foundation, this commentary:

The delta smelt – a tiny fish the size of a small child’s hand – has a stranglehold on California’s water supply. Restrictions put in place on behalf of the smelt have resulted in drastic water shortages for farmers and municipalities as well as a further loss of jobs in the already economically depressed Central Valley. Coupled with the fact that no one is certain whether more water for fish (and less for humans) will actually help the delta smelt, it is little wonder why few understand the fairness of this situation.

To be sure, over-zealous environmental organizations may be blamed for the fish-before-people mantra that persists in today’s political climate. But the reality is that the current water restrictions are the result of a 2008 Endangered Species Act decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This federal decision was issued on behalf of the delta smelt, a threatened species; the decision has significantly curtailed the ability of California’s two main water projects to export much-needed water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta southward.

Many groups have protested against this absurdity, and justifiably so. Farm workers marched across the Central Valley, pointing to the vast unemployment brought on by the water restrictions. Governor Schwarzenegger has strongly urged the Fish and Wildlife Service to reconsider its draconian enforcement of the ESA. Several irrigation districts have filed lawsuits in order for the Service’s decision to be overturned. The message behind these efforts is clear: taking water from the Central Valley and giving it to the delta smelt is unreasonable and unlawful.

Read more commentary from the Pacific Legal Foundation by clicking here.

May 27, 2009 · Filed Under Delta smelt

Comments

One Response to “Pacific Legal Foundation commentary: The Delta smelt’s dirty little secret”

  1. dfb on May 28th, 2009 12:35 am

    They, like others, fail to mention the farm workers who marched were paid by their employers and that unemployment in many of the Central Valley towns was over 30% before the delta smelt ruling. That, and contrary reports claim that employment impacts are mitigated as water is shifted to higher value, more labor intensive crops. For example, the migration center at UC Davis says: “Reduced water deliveries in 2009 are leading to fewer crops and fewer jobs for farm and nonfarm workers, especially on the western side of the San Joaquin Valley. In mid-April, the Latino Water Coalition organized a march of farmers and farm workers from Mendota to the San Luis Reservoir near Los Banos. The march, a tactic pioneered by the UFW to draw attention to its causes, did not include the UFW.

    Farmers shifted their reduced water supplies from lower value crops such as cotton and alfalfa to higher value and more labor-intensive fruits, nuts, and vegetables, reducing the impacts on farm workers. Permanent crops such as almonds require about an acre-foot of water to keep trees alive and 3.5 acre-feet to produce a crop.” http://migration.ucdavis.edu/rmn/more.php?id=1418_0_2_0

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