Dan Bacher: Delta showdown – State seeks reversal of federal decision protecting Delta smelt

From Dan Bacher at the Sacramento News & Review:

A recent petition by the Schwarzenegger administration to relax federal rules protecting Delta smelt is shaping up to be a key test of whether the Obama administration will stand firm in the implementation of a court-ordered biological opinion aiming to restore the fish.

The smelt is a small, slender-bodied fish, with a typical adult size of 2-3 inches, found only in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Scientists regard the fish as an “indicator species” that demonstrates the health of the ecosystem. The smelt has plummeted to record low population levels in the past several years. Last December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ordered restrictions on Delta water export pumping during wet years to protect the tiny fish during the fall spawning season.

The state of California wants to undo all that.

On May 7, Lester Snow, director of the California Department of Water Resources, formally requested the Fish and Wildlife Service to “reinitiate consultation” with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation regarding state and federal water project pumping operations on the California Delta. The massive pumps have exported record amounts of water out of the estuary in recent years.

Read more from Dan Bacher at the Sacramento News & Review by clicking here.

Comments

Admin

• Log in

Credits

Powered by Vertigo & WordPress
WordPress Themes by Brian Gardner