Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
June 4, 2009
1. Top Items–
NOAA Releases New Biological Opinion on Salmon
NOAA News Release
DWR Responds to New Biological Opinion to Protect Salmon
DWR News Release
Agencies sued over Delta species
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NOAA Releases New Biological Opinion on Salmon
NOAA News Release-6/04/09
NOAA released its final biological opinion today that finds the water pumping operations in
The bureau has provisionally accepted NOAA’s recommended changes to its water pumping operations, and said it will begin to implement its near-term elements as it carefully evaluates the overall opinion.
Federal biologists and hydrologists concluded that current water pumping operations in the Federal Central Valley Project and the California State Water Project should be changed to ensure survival of winter and spring-run Chinook salmon,
Two independent peer review panels were conducted to ensure the opinion is solidly grounded in the best available science. The package was peer reviewed by the CalFed Independent Science Board and the Center for Independent Experts.
“What is at stake here is not just the survival of species but the health of entire ecosystems and the economies that depend on them,” said Rod Mcinnis, southwest regional director for NOAA’s Fisheries Service.
“We are ready to work with our federal and state partners, farmers and residents to find solutions that benefit the economy, environment and
As part of the final opinion, NOAA’s Fisheries Service has provided a number of ways the bureau can operate the water system to benefit the species, including increasing the cold water storage and flow rates.
Such methods will enhance egg incubation and juvenile fish rearing, as well as improve the spawning habitat and the downstream migration of juvenile fish.
Changing water operations will impact an estimated five to seven percent of the available annual water on average moved by the federal and state pumps, or about 330,000 acre feet per year. Agricultural water use in
In addition, the opinion calls for the bureau to develop a genetics management plan and an acoustic tagging program to evaluate the effectiveness of the actions and pilot passage programs at Folsom and Shasta reservoirs to reintroduce fish to historic habitat.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will mitigate some costs resulting from the opinion’s recommended actions. The Department of the Interior identified $109 million to construct a Red Bluff Pumping Plant that will allow the old Red Bluff Diversion Dam to be operated in a "gates out" position to allow salmon and green sturgeon unimpeded passage. In addition, the Act contains $26 million to restore
The water projects included in the opinion are Shasta Dam at the upper headwaters of the Sacramento River, Folsom and Nimbus dams on the
The bureau initiated the formal phase of consultation in May 2008 and then cooperated with NOAA’s Fisheries Service throughout the development of the biological opinion and alternative actions in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Departments of Water Resources and Fish and Game.
A copy of the final biological opinion and alternative actions may be found at http://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/ocap.htm.
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.#
DWR Responds to New Biological Opinion to Protect Salmon
DWR News Release-6/04/09
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today responded to the new biological opinion by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) intended to protect salmon and several other species.
“Today’s Biological Opinion on salmon reaffirms the need for a comprehensive solution to the water and environmental conflicts in the Delta,” said DWR Director Lester A. Snow. “The new Opinion, which could reduce Delta export on average by about 300,000 to 500,000 acre feet, further chips away at our ability to provide a reliable water supply for
NMFS (NOAA Fisheries) calculates that its biological opinion that addresses salmon, steelhead and green sturgeon will reduce by 5 to 7 percent combined the amount of water state and federal projects will be able to deliver from the Delta to the San Francisco Bay Area,
DWR will continue to work with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NMFS, California Fish and Game and others on the BDCP steering committee to develop a collaborative habitat conservation plan under the Endangered Species Act and the California Natural Community Conservation Planning Act, with the goal of creating a long-term strategy for Delta sustainability that complies with state and federal environmental laws.#
Agencies sued over Delta species
Several federal agencies have been sued by a group of south
The Coalition for a Sustainable Delta has filed several such suits, claiming that cities, the state and the federal government have allowed environmental conditions to worsen, thus reducing the amount of water that can be exported from the Delta.
Among the charges is that dredging in the Stockton Deep Water Channel has harmed fish.
"It makes absolutely no sense for federal agencies to continue proposing water pumping restrictions that harm the residents and businesses of California while they simultaneously take separate actions that further worsen the health of the Delta," coalition spokesman Michael Boccadoro said in a statement.
In addition to dredging, the allegedly harmful actions include increased use of pesticides, failure to clean up the mothball fleet in
Defendants in the federal lawsuit are the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Maritime Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.#
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090604/A_NEWS/906040327/-1/rss14
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DWR’s California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. For reader’s services, including new subscriptions, temporary cancellations and address changes, please use the online page: http://listhost2.water.ca.gov/mailman/listinfo/water_news . DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any programs, projects, or viewpoints by the Department or the State of
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