California Water Limits Enforced to Save Delta Smelt

[topcliff 1]

 

Tiny fish, including delta smelt, caught in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, are seen through a microscope ...

Calif. Water Limits Imposed to Save Fish

By JULIANA BARBASSA, Associated Press Writer

Fri Aug 31, 11:10 PM

FRESNO, Calif. - A federal judge on Friday imposed limits on water flows caused by huge pumps sending water from the San Joaquin-Sacramento River delta to users around the state, saying the pumps were drawing in and destroying a threatened fish.

U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger said pressure from the pumps helped reverse the natural direction of water within the estuary, damaging habitat and killing delta smelt, a fish experts say might be on the brink of extinction.

"The evidence is uncontradicted that these project operations move the fish," Wanger said after hearing objections from defendants, who had argued that other factors led to the fish's decline. "It happens, and the law says something has to be done about it."

Under the ruling, limits would be put in place from the end of December, when the fish are about to spawn, until June, when young fish can move into areas with better habitat and more food.

Wanger also prescribed other measures, such as increased monitoring of the fish's presence in its adult and juvenile stages at several points in the delta.

State water managers said after Friday's ruling that they were still reviewing it to determine what it would mean for California's water supply.

Pumps operated by the Central Valley Project _ operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation _ send water to farmers in the agricultural valley south of the delta. The State Water Project _ operated by the California Department of Water Resources _ delivers the water to urban and rural water users as far south as Los Angeles.

The water serves more than 25 million Californians and thousands of acres of crops.

In a year with an average amount of precipitation, about 6 million acre feet of water is pumped from the delta, and up to one-third of that could be lost under Wanger's order, said Jerry Johns, DWR's deputy director. An acre foot is enough to put one acre under one foot of water.

Tim Quinn, who heads the Association of California Water Agencies, said the ruling would have a serious impact in a state already coming off a dry winter and spring. Some districts have already ordered conservation measures and tapped into their water reserves, he said.

"A sober assessment of this says it's a very large deal," Quinn said. "We are not only losing supply here; you are greatly compromising the tools we have developed to deal with water shortages."

The Natural Resources Defense Council and four other environmental groups had asked Wanger to demand the state Department of Water Resources and the Bureau of Reclamation to immediately change the pumping rate to reduce harm to the smelt until a new set of pumping guidelines is expected next year.

Both sides agree the smelt population has declined precipitously. The fish are protected under the California Endangered Species Act, and their well-being is considered a measure of the environmental health of the fragile delta ecosystem.

The decision was complex, and both sides said they needed time to fully understand its impacts. But environmentalists largely welcomed it as an improvement over current conditions.

"It's better than what there was before," said Trent Orr, an attorney with the environmental group Earthjustice, which was party to the suit.

But they wanted more, said Orr, including measures that would have protected habitat from encroaching salt from the San Francisco Bay in the fall.

Well, this certainly affects me: I'm the freakin' Sacramento Delta! But, it is quite true that we had a very dry year here: only about eighteen inches I believe. And, by already cutting back on a resource that has been naturally cut back could endanger state agriculture and business in the cities. Sure, there's the Edmund G. Brown Acqueduct that stretches fro the LA Basin to NorCal, but that could never come close as to the natural supply from the wet winter season. So, is it worth it to save some Delta Smelt? Personally, I've seen some and they're pretty worthless. So, what does the community think? I mean, I know the Californians on this site will have a big voice in this.

[coolotter88 2]

wikipedia didn't say the job this guy performs in the ecosystem....it only eats zooplankton as far as I'm concerned...it's not like other animals don't eat zooplankton right?

[Easy Bakes 253]

conserving water will become a major problem very soon.

One again the blame is to many people.

I truly have never understood why there are water restrictions on

how often you can water your lawns and wash your cars only during summer.

if its good to conserve water in the summer isn't it good to conserve it in the winter time too?

or is that just me?

[Frankie_Grove 32]

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

I truly have never understood why there are water restrictions on

how often you can water your lawns and wash your cars only during summer.

if its good to conserve water in the summer isn't it good to conserve it in the winter time too?

or is that just me?quote>

During the winter, grass goes in to a dormant state and does not grow. Therefore they do not need watering. And so, much less water is used during the winter as opposed to summer.

And why haven't there already been water restrictions in place? Where I live we have water restrictions strictly enforced automatically no matter what. They usually assign days that you can water your grass, and limit your gallons per day consumed. If a drought comes along, they will reduce it even further, and maybe forbid watering the lawn all together.

[topcliff 1]

I think the reason they don't have them in winter is because that's when it rains and snows, so that's basically water, so nature does it for you. Oh, and this just became my homework assignment for History. Good day gentlemen.

[Insane Child of Bodom 1]

Anyway...I'm LA Californian...and this is just another dumb idea...

...I swear the North and South needs to spilt...

protect your pond scum fish and we will get our drinking water from the Hoover dam...fair deal...

anyway it was 102 today...so yeh..I drank as much water as i could....

[coolotter88 2]

but then that would totally throw off our flag.

[JDRCRASH 53]

This is another reason why desalinazation plants are needed throught the Southland.

[DOXXP29 5]

This is the same state where a lawsuit was brought against the U.S. Navy trying to prohibit the use of sonar in maneuvers because it might disorient the whales and dolphins. Two judges said "Wait a freaking minute...we have a war going on here!" but one judge on the three judge panel said "Whales come first and we shouldn't disrupt their habitat just because we need to have ships and submarines able to defend the country against an enemy." This ruling was handed down last week and while it's ok for the next 11 (or 17) maneuvers, after that it has to be reviewed again by the federal courts and many feel it will actually be banned.

[Micah 16]

This is another reason why desalinazation plants are needed...quote>

Exactly. California needs desalinazation plants in order to turn the abundant amount of sea water into drinkable water. It would solve their problem and even the rest of the country's water shortage *in certain areas*.

[Barbarossa 51]

.

  Edited September 7, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[coolotter88 2]

[Deleted]

I mean, what will the world be like without polar bears?quote>

what will the world be like without delta smelt? er, not very different, because, it's not very notable in it's role in the environment, it only eats zooplankton and it's not like nothing else eats that stuff

[topcliff 1]

Well, actually, Delta Smelt are a large part of the food chain around here. They get eaten by big fish who in turn get eaten by larger fish who then reamain healthy and then get caught for us to eat. Not me, I hate fish.

[coolotter88 2]

...

okay, well, considering it's a food web, i'm sure the bigger fish can find another food to eat.

[Barbarossa 51]

.

  Edited September 7, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[Micah 16]

Originally posted by: Barbarossa

Originally posted by: coolotter88 ...

okay, well, considering it's a food web, i'm sure the bigger fish can find another food to eat.quote>

And when they don't?  What then?quote>

 

Evolution?

[Barbarossa 51]

.

  Edited September 7, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[coolotter88 2]

still, it should be able to balance out in the long run. look at the bigger picture

[Micah 16]

I'm thinking about closing this thread since I'm getting complaints about certain disturbing things being said in here.

Evolution should be independent of us killing things off (when we don't eat them), don't you think?quote>

Right. Just pointing out that the species that do become extinct doesn't mean that it will harm the rest of the food web because adaption always takes its course.

[GreekMan 246]

I hate this!!!!

I live in SD and we have to suffer for a little fish!!! Hey is;t the North's prblem not the south's

[Insane Child of Bodom 1]

Originally posted by: GreekMan I hate this!!!!

I live in SD and we have to suffer for a little fish!!! Hey is;t the North's prblem not the south'squote>

 

Agreed...if only we were South California..

I mean there is a South Dakota....