Delta Smelt Protection Forces Lower Water Deliveries

Delta Smelt Protection Forces Lower Water Deliveries



2007 September -   California is parched by 
a heat wave, and reservoir water levels are dangerously low, but a federal 
court judge has issued an order to reduce pumping of water out of the 
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to preserve a threatened fish. 
U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger on August 31 ordered the State 
Water Project and federal Central Valley Project to reduce pumping in the 
Delta to protect the small silvery Delta smelt that has been declining 
year by year and now is teetering on the brink of extinction. 
But the head of the statewide association of public agencies, whose 450 
members are responsible for about 90 percent of the water delivered in 
California, says the consequences of the court's decision will be severe. 
Association of California Water Agencies, ACWA, Executive Director Timothy 
Quinn Wednesday said the reduced pumping translates into an average loss 
of as much as one-third of previously available water supplies or a cut of 
up to two million acre-feet. During wet years, losses would be greater, he 
said. 
Quinn said, "California has a fundamental infrastructure problem that 
threatens the environment and our economy. This situation will not be 
resolved until we address the Delta’s physical problems in a way that 
meets the needs of the environment and the economy. At present, this is 
not possible." 
"ACWA is supportive of efforts to protect the environment," said Quinn. 
"But with existing infrastructure in the Delta, it is not possible to both 
restore the environment and protect the economy. It simply extracts too 
high of a cost until we fix the infrastructure system." 
"This ruling takes away more than just acre-feet of water. It takes away 
the water management toolbox we’ve created over the past 20 years through 
public investment in everything from local water storage to water 
transfers," Quinn said. "All of these are at risk." 
"We are now forced to rely on stored water supplies that are our insurance 
against the next drought. To put this into perspective, the San Luis 
Reservoir is at 20 percent capacity right now. If we must cut deliveries 
through the Delta, then we will need more surface storage facilities to 
meet demand," he said. 
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has repeatedly called on the 
Legislature to pass his $5.9 billion water plan. It would construct two 
water storage dams, create conservation and efficiency measures, repair 
the fragile Delta and lead to the development of a modern conveyance 
system to reliably supply water to California’s growing population and $32 
billion agriculture industry. 
But the California Senate on April 24 voted against the governor's 
proposal. The Democrat majority in the state Senate Natural Resources and 
Water Committee killed the bill on a 4-3 party-line vote. 
State Senator Darrell Steinberg, a Sacramento Democrat led the opposition, 
arguing that the plan is too costly and too little is known about how it 
would help California out of the water crisis. 
"California has a decision to make," said Quinn. We either brace ourselves 
for long-term cuts that threaten our economy and our very way of way of 
life, or we invest in a solution to fix the Delta and expand our water 
toolbox so we can meet future challenges head-on.” 
Kate Poole, senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, 
said, "The San Francisco Bay Delta can't perform its vital job of 
supplying clean water for people, if it's so sick that it can't even 
support the tiny delta smelt. Millions of Californians depend on the delta 
to supply clean drinking water, irrigate crops and support salmon and 
other fishing jobs." 
She said Judge Wanger's ruling appears to improve the smelt's chances of 
survival. "The question is whether it's enough to save the smelt from 
extinction. That's what's needed to protect the delta and clean drinking 
water, and it's what's required under the federal Endangered Species Act." 

"We can manage the San Francisco Bay Delta to protect fisheries and supply 
clean, reliable water to downstream users," Poole said. "The key is to use 
water wisely. Through conservation, wastewater recycling and better use of 
groundwater, we can keep enough fresh water in the delta to ensure clean 
water and healthy fisheries. Water managers have been planning for this 
for years." 

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