State and federal officials have decided to reduce additional water flows aimed at supporting endangered fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta this fall — a controversial move that is being praised by major California water districts but criticized by environmental This has been condemned by groups as significantly weakening its security. For endangered fish.
The debate centers on a measure that calls for prioritizing additional flows for the endangered delta smelt, a species that has suffered major declines and is believed to be endangered. close to extinction In the wild. The move to release a pulse of water through the delta typically begins when the state experiences relatively wet conditions, as it has during the past two years in September and October.
A coalition of environmental and fishing groups said these flows – called the “Fall Creates an additional threat.
“This time next year, we could be looking at the extinction of a fish species that was once incredibly abundant,” said Gary Bobker, senior policy director for the group Friends of the River. “And it will be completely preventable.”
Managers at larger water agencies disagreed, calling the requirement outdated and saying it would not help Delta smelt populations recover. The state water contractor, a consortium of 27 public agencies, said the change this year will preserve needed supplies at the reservoirs.
The organization praised California’s “adaptive management”, saying Press release Recent research has shown that these water releases “are not providing the benefits to Delta Smelt that were originally envisioned in 2008.”
“We are extremely pleased with the decision to rely on the full body of scientific evidence to assess the value of the fall X2 release,” said Jennifer Pierre, general manager of State Water Contractors.
He said the decision ensures the same protections for fish and water quality as the existing 2019 biological opinion issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and existing permits for the state’s pumping facilities in the Delta.
“We commend state leaders for their continued commitment to science-based decision making,” Pierre said.
State water contractors and large agricultural water suppliers — including Westlands Water District, San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authorities and Friant Water Authority — urged state and federal agencies not to release water this year in an Aug. 21 letter . ,
They argued that additional flows should not occur for several reasons, including “peer-reviewed scientific findings indicating that this measure is ineffective for its stated purpose.”
Pierre and other managers wrote Letter Recent monitoring surveys for Delta smelt have yielded “very disappointing results” and “only one smelt has been observed in recent weeks.” He said it is possible that despite ongoing efforts to protect the fish, “the remaining, measurable populations of the Delta may not benefit from the Fall X2 action.”
Pierre also said the measure has had a significant impact on the state’s water supply in past years, such as by 2023, when state water project operators “sent 600,000 acre feet into the ocean” to implement the requirement – a total annual Los Angeles’ water use exceeds . This year, state officials said, shutting off excess environmental flows in October could help give California 150,000 acre-feet of additional water.
Water from the Delta is pumped through aqueducts of the State Water Project and the federally managed Central Valley Project, which supply farms in the San Joaquin Valley and cities in Southern California.
The federal Bureau of Reclamation and state Departments of Water Resources operate water systems in the Delta under a 2019 biological opinion, which requires the agencies to provide “either additional flows during the fall of wet years, which will be reduced by Fall 2020.” known as, or require taking other.” “Same or greater protective measures to improve the habitat of the Delta smelt,” said Bureau of Reclamation spokeswoman Mary Lee Knecht.
“During September, Reclamation and DWR implemented both the required Fall The requirement will be eliminated.” He said the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have concluded that it “will provide equal or better protection for smelt” and will allow scientists to test how effective water releases are.
The state Department of Water Resources said officials have also used gates in the Suisun Marsh to “maximize suitable habitat” for endangered fish in the delta. Modeling by federal wildlife officials indicates that additional outflow into the Delta in October “is not a significant driver of Delta smelt survival,” the department said in an email.
State wildlife officials have approved this approach.
recent environmental advocates Wrote to federal and state officials They were urged not to suspend additional flows into the delta. He said that additional water in the delta over a few years has played a significant role in preventing the extinction of the delta smelt, and that not providing water would be “irresponsible and inexcusable.”
“The situation of the Delta smelt is critical, and its record low population levels demand strong intervention by responsible state and federal agencies to prevent its extinction,” leaders of several groups said in one. Letter,
recently ArticleBobkar and John Rosenfield, science director for San Francisco Baykeeper, said a wealth of scientific research shows that large flows into the Delta during the fall remain critical to preventing the extinction of Delta smelt.
“California habitually fails to enforce environmental laws designed to protect our aquatic ecosystems,” they wrote. “Following the state lead, federal agencies skimp on environmental safeguards and waive what little protections they provide at any time to protect the public’s fish, wildlife, waterways, and water quality. That gets in the way of diverting more water to meet California’s seemingly inescapable demand. ,
The debate parallels ongoing struggles over how California should adapt its water policies. protect fish populations In the rivers of the state in case of drought and climate change.
Other fish species have also declined in recent years. regulators have Commercial and recreational fishing banned off the California coast for the past two years in an effort to help the Chinook salmon species recover.
Environmental and fishing groups Said that water export will increase This decline from Delta raises serious concerns.
Barbara Barrigan-Parilla, executive director of the group Restore the Delta, said government agencies including large water suppliers and the agricultural industry in the San Joaquin Valley are “changing rules to weaken Delta protections for powerful special economic interests”.
“Regulations that protect fish only work if they are enforced,” said Chris Shoots, executive director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. He said the current approach amounts to mismanagement and “making the rules optional every time water contractors scream for more water.”
