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Rules could curtail water: Year-round flows for Stanislaus River fish would cut into storage for San Joaquin districts

Posted by: Maven on June 14, 2009 at 10:35 am

From Stockton’s Record:

At mile 59 on the Stanislaus River, the few steelhead struggling upstream to spawn encounter a solid wall: Goodwin Dam. It is here that two San Joaquin County water districts divert flows in an urgent effort to satisfy a growing population and refill a sagging underground aquifer.

And it is a bit farther upstream, at towering New Melones Dam, where new rules to protect the fish might quash Stockton’s 26-year effort to secure that critically-needed water.

The rules require year-round flows for fish downstream of Goodwin, meaning less water can be stored for San Joaquin County at New Melones Lake. An attorney for Stockton East Water District, which sends water to Stockton, said last week that the district can now expect no water at all for many years.

The rules, announced earlier this month by the National Marine Fisheries Service, stunned water officials. “They just want the water, and they’re going to take it,” said Stockton East General Manager Kevin Kauffman, who predicted the federal government will get sued by just about “everybody” as a result of their sweeping regulations. “It’s just the beginning,” Kauffman said.

Read more from The Record by clicking here.

Photo credit:  Picture of New Melones Lake by flickr photographer amitp.

June 14, 2009 · Filed Under San Joaquin Valley

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