Growers and cities support the Newsom administration proposal, saying it strikes a balance for uses of Delta water. But environmentalists say the “healthy rivers” rules would actually harm California’s iconic salmon.
Adult fall-run Chinook salmon congregate near the Nimbus Hatchery Fish Ladder on the American River in Sacramento County on Oct. 15, 2012.If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less., that would reshape how farms and cities draw water from the Centra l Valley ’s Delta and its rivers.
Once vital to indigenous cultures and the coastal ecosystem, Chinook salmon and other native fish have declined for decades due to dam operations, water diversions, increased water temperatures and marine food web issues. Numbers of spawning adult Chinook have dropped so low that all commercial and recreational salmon fishing has been banned for two years in a row, and
“It is important that we try to balance what the state board defines as beneficial uses … both for the environment and for farms, in a way that looks at the integrity of the water system and also for the state of California’s natural resources and its economy,” Hawk said. The water board’s other option would require strict minimum flows in rivers. Water users say those rules would have unacceptable impacts on farms, hydropower and communities — including planned housing projects — while environmentalists and tribes laud it as more protective of fish. It would ensure that rivers contain an average of 55% of the total water available in the watershed at a given time — a measure called unimpaired flow.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in comments emailed to the Water Board in January, noted the light water allowances in critically dry years. “Salmon runs could potentially be extinct by then with the flow assets they’re putting forward,” said Ashley Overhouse, Defenders of Wildlife’s water policy advisor.
Farmers, she said, would experience substantial permanent economic losses, forcing widespread fallowing of their crops. San Joaquin Valley growers would lose more than a quarter of their water in dry years, and 13% on average for all years, according to the “It is not an accident that they haven’t solved this problem,” Nelson, with the Salmon Association, said. “The VAs and the Delta tunnel and Sites are a package.”Rene Henery, California science director with Trout Unlimited, thinks more habitat and water — especially in dry years — will be needed to protect salmon.
Centra Chinook Healthy Program Rivers Rules Salmon Valley Water
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
1963 Ferrari California Body Swapped With A 2010 California Is Nightmare FuelThis special project needs someone with the vision and dedication to turn it into a true dream come true
Read more »
High ROIC Growers Screener - Investing.comPinpoint companies with high and increasing returns on invested capital.
Read more »
Cannabis growers show case their flowers at inaugural ‘Hall of Flowers’ eventLocal medical cannabis dispensary companies and cultivators came together Sunday afternoon to network and discuss cultivation techniques.
Read more »
Trump's Proposed Tariffs Policies Stir Concern Among Mexican Avocado Growers and Tequila ProducersPresident-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose significant tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, raising concerns among Mexican avocado growers and tequila producers about potential price hikes affecting U.S. consumers.
Read more »
Wine vineyards are ripping out their fields because there isn't enough demandSome growers are forced to downsize as declining wine sales lead to an oversupply of grapes.
Read more »
Local organization addresses food insecurity through community gardens, educationMelanated Growers plants community gardens in areas considered food deserts.
Read more »