Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
March 29, 2007
5. Agencies, Programs, People -
Pollard column: Fish threatening Kern or vice versa? -
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Pollard column: Fish threatening Kern or vice versa?
BY VIC POLLARD, Californian columnist
It's hard to overstate how stunned water officials were when a Bay Area judge said last week he is prepared to shut down the State Water Project in 60 days because it doesn't have a permit to kill endangered fish species in its giant pumps.
They didn't see that coming.
Jim Beck, general manager of the Kern County Water Agency, called it "a disaster for
That was the typical reaction from managers of the water project and local agencies up and down the state that depend on the project for irrigation and drinking water.
A bit of perspective: The State Water Project brings water from Northern California through the meandering channels of the delta to pumps as big as school buses at the Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant near
Those pumps suck not only water, but thousands of tiny fish, many of them delta smelt and baby salmon that are listed as endangered under species protection laws. The nonendangered striped bass that you can sometimes catch in the aqueduct as it comes through
But most of the fish are killed by the pumps.
That infuriates environmentalists who say the pumping is a major reason that some of the species appear to be on the verge of extinction. That in turn infuriates water users in
Normally, any activity that results in the death, or "taking" of endangered species requires a permit. The conditions of the take permits often limit the amount of the fatal activities or require some kind of mitigation, such as providing new habitat somewhere else.
Department of Water Resources Chief Lester Snow and other officials have said repeatedly that they believed they had the "equivalent" of a permit with a "patchwork" of regulations and procedures they use to minimize fish deaths.
And besides, they are working on a massive Habitat Conservation Plan for the entire delta that will spell out detailed species protection strategies when it is completed in a couple of years.
Those are among the arguments the state and local agencies will make when they appeal the Superior Court decision, crossing their fingers in hopes they can get a stay of the 60-day deadline.
But as usual in complicated water issues, everything is not as simple as it appears.
Environmentalists say the back story in the water agencies' reluctance to seek a take permit for the pumps is the fear that it will require a firm reduction in the amount of water pumped out of the delta. And it comes at a time when the water users -- led by
The water users say the environmentalists are less interested in the fate of a few fish species than in forcing a cutback in water supplies to curb big agriculture and control urban development and population growth.
Nevertheless, the court case will be fought out on the issue of whether a permit is needed and
"We believe the Department of Water Resources," he said, "has done all the necessary action required by Fish and Game and other regulatory agencies to bring them into compliance with the California Endangered Species Act."#
http://www.bakersfield.com/619/story/107977.html
SALTON SEA —
That may sum up a proposed controversial $6 billion draft plan to revitalize the decaying Salton Sea, 70 percent of which is within
By accepting the draft plan at a meeting in
But the provisions of that plan are heavily skewed to economically benefit
In short, that could mean this county won’t reap the projected billions of dollars that will be generated over the next 75 years by economic development around the
The draft restoration plan is the brainchild of a 35-member committee of state, local and federal officials. It is the culmination of three years of debates, discussions and scientific inquiry into what can be done to reverse environmental decay that began 40 some years ago.
It also illustrates that once again,
Area stakeholders on Wednesday vowed to apply political pressure to get California Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman to amend the plan to favor
“The draft plan benefits the wildlife, but it doesn’t do much for you folks in
The plan calls for a 34,000-acre marine sea along the north shore in
The portion of the draft plan that applies to
“I can’t approve this thing. … All we get is some wading pools for birds,” Grogan said.
The
Salton Sea Authority officials have said they will push to have a southern lake included in the final plan.
Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia,
State Sen. Denise Moreno Ducheny, D-Chula Vista, has said she believes stakeholders are coming close to reaching a consensus on a fix. Ducheny could not be reached on Wednesday for comment.
Sandy Cooney, spokesman for the state Resources Agency, said the draft plan is a work in progress. Cooney said the door is open for changes to be made in the plan between now and when Chrisman is slated to make a recommendation to state lawmakers.
“It took us three years to get here. What it really is, is the beginning of a longer process,” Cooney said.
The restoration plan is expected to take 75 years to fully implement.
Chrisman is slated to deliver a final plan to state lawmakers in late April.#
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2007/03/29/news/news01.txt
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