WASHINGTON,
D.C.—
Today, the National Marine Fisheries Service finalized a biological opinion on
the Central Valley Water Project and State Water Project. The opinion stated
fish populations are in jeopardy without swift modifications to the Central
Valley and State Water Projects. Following this release, Congressmen Jim Costa
(D-Fresno) released the following statement.
“This decision is
unwise, and will have very serious implications for Valley farmers and
communities,” said Costa. “The decline of fisheries in the Delta can be
attributed to a variety of factors, including tertiary treatment from sewage
facilities in the Sacramento and Stockton area which cause ammonia to drain into
the Delta, over 1,600 private pumps in the Delta diverting water without
screens, non-point source pollution from the surrounding urban areas, striped
bass and other invasive species. Our state’s agricultural community cannot bear
the entire brunt of this multifaceted problem. They are always the first to
suffer when environmental opinions are released or implemented. I believe that
the Delta does need restoration, but not at the expense of agriculture, and
especially my constituents.”
The opinion stated that
the current pumping operations in the Central Valley Project and the California
State Water Project should be changed to increase the long-term survival of
winter and spring-run Chinook salmon, steelhead, the North American green
sturgeon and Southern Resident killer whales. The whales rely on Chinook salmon
runs for food.
Recommended changes in
water operations will impact an estimated five to seven percent of the available
annual water moved by the federal and state pumps, or an estimated 330,000 acre
feet per year. These changes come on top of water cuts to Valley farmers and
cities this year, which have had major negative impacts on the San Joaquin
Valley’s economy.
Dr. Ian Fleming stated
in a peer review of the biological opinion that some of the analyses would
“benefit from more explicit attention” which includes “the additive nature of
stressors and non-linear responses”. Costa believes this includes the major
other factors that are contributing to the decline of Delta health.
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