Draft biological opinion for the CVP released; Biologists fear for survival of endangered Delta fish
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 8:06 amFrom the San Jose Mercury News:
Federal biologists have determined that water deliveries through the Delta could drive several runs of salmon, steelhead and green sturgeon to extinction.
The biologists are continuing to investigate whether the loss of salmon is jeopardizing a population of killer whales off the West Coast.
Those findings were contained in a 450-page analysis of water operations from dams on the Sacramento, Feather and Trinity Rivers through the massive pumps near Tracy.
The remainder of this brief article from the San Jose Mercury News is here. You can download the 452-page document by clicking here.
I suppose Mike Taugher will have more to write once he’s had a chance to read the report, so stay tuned …
Coverage wrap-up: U.S. Senate approves massive public lands bill; California reaps the benefits
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 8:00 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
The Senate on Thursday approved a grab-bag public lands bill that’s supposed to save the San Joaquin River, store Madera County groundwater and secure Sierra Nevada wilderness.
At 1,296 pages, the public lands bill was stuffed with more than enough goodies to ensure its passage over conservative opposition. The House is expected to take up the bill within the next few weeks. Once approved by the House, it’s bound to become one of the first bills signed by President-elect Barack Obama after he takes office.
“Restoring the once-mighty San Joaquin River - and putting an end to the years of legal battles over the river’s resources - has long been one of my top priorities,” Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein declared. “The good news is that the Senate today took us one step closer to this vital goal.”
QuantcastLawmakers call the bill the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009. Skeptics call it pork, but they could not block its 150-plus provisions through a filibuster. The bill passed easily, 73-21. “I believe we’re doing this because we’re thinking in the very short term,” said Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, citing the “blatant, corrupting process of earmarks.”
Great coverage of the provisions for central California, including the San Joaquin River restoration, expansion of wilderness in the Sierra Nevada, and a Madera County groundwater project. Read more from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
The Central Valley Business Times article focuses on the San Joaquin River Restoration:
Supporters of the measure say that once enacted, it is expected to bring to a close 19 years of lawsuits between the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Friant Water Users Authority and the U.S. Department of the Interior. It would restore and maintain the San Joaquin River’s critical fish populations, while minimizing adverse water supply impacts to long-term Friant water users and other third party contractors, bill supporters say.
It does so within a framework that the affected interests have all agreed to, Ms. Feinstein’s office says.
Not everyone is happy about it. U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, could probably be counted on the negative side when it comes up for a vote in the House. “Today’s action by the Senate is fiscally irresponsible,” says Mr. Nunes. “It represents an attack on our local economy during a period of national economic crisis and will deprive our region of precious surface water at a time of critical shortage.”
More details on the San Joaquin River restoration portion from the Central Valley Business Times by clicking here.
Good news for our rivers, too, says Friends of the River in this article posted on IndyBay.org:
“This is the largest addition of federally protected rivers in California since 1987,” said Steve Evans, Conservation Director of the statewide conservation organization Friends of the River.
The bill protects as Wild, Scenic, and Recreational Rivers segments of the upper Owens River in Mono County, Cottonwood Creek and the Amargosa River in Inyo County, Piru Creek in Los Angeles County, and the North Fork San Jacinto River, Fuller Mill Creek, Palm Canyon Creek, and Bautista Creek in Riverside County. The bill also protects more than 700,000 acres of wilderness.
The rivers and streams protected in the bill provide outstanding opportunities for outdoor recreation, including hiking, fishing, and wildlife observation. In addition, the waterways provide important habitat for a host of threatened and endangered species and are rich in cultural and historical values.
“This bill protects our fast-dwindling heritage of free flowing rivers in a state where 1,400 dams have harnessed our rivers,” Evans said. “It also significantly increases the ecological diversity of the rivers in the National Wild & Scenic Rivers System.”
The legislation for the first time protects rivers and streams in eastern and southern California, in such spectacularly scenic and ecologically sensitive regions as the eastern Sierra, White Mountains, Mojave Desert, San Gabriel Mountains, and San Jacinto Mountains.
Read more from IndyBay.org by clicking here.
Even Oxnard got a boost, says the Ventura County Star:
It’s the first time the Senate has given its approval to the Oxnard water expansion. The House has twice passed legislation authorizing the project — in 2006 and 2007 — but both times the bill died in the Senate. The bill still must go back to the House for final approval. But the Senate’s approval means the measure is almost certain to become law.
“This is meaningful,” Ken Ortega, the city’s public works director, said of the Senate vote. “All of the other votes have been important, but this is where we got stuck. To have cleared this hurdle, there’s just a step and a half here (to go). I think we can rest assured we’re finally past this milestone.”
Rep. Lois Capps, who first introduced the legislation in the House back in 2004, said she doesn’t expect any problem winning final approval in that chamber. “Now that the Senate has approved it, I fully expect the House to follow suit quickly so we can get this legislation to the president for his signature,” said Capps, D-Santa Barbara.
The Oxnard water expansion was one of 13 water recycling projects in California that were approved as part of the overall public lands bill.
Read more from the Ventura County Star by clicking here.
Environmental projects taking a hit in state budget crisis
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 7:26 amFrom the San Jose Mercury News:
Across the state, environmental projects are in limbo, scientists have been laid off and land deals are falling apart since the state froze bond funding to preserve its dwindling cash during the budget standoff.
In all, state finance officials have blocked the release of $637 million since December in voter-approved bond funding for environmental and water projects, affecting more than 4,000 projects.
“It’s having a tremendous impact. The vast majority of conservation and environmental work going on in the state has been affected,” said Darla Guenzler, executive director of the California Council of Land Trusts.
Perhaps the highest-profile victim is the biggest wetlands restoration in the Western United States. Nearly all work to restore 15,000 acres of former Cargill Salt ponds that ring the southern edges of San Francisco Bay from Hayward to San Jose to Redwood City was halted in late December. Thirty workers, including contract scientists studying mercury pollution and planners working on projects to breach old levees or to construct public trails, have been laid off.
“It’s frustrating, for sure,” said Steve Ritchie, executive project manager of the salt pond restoration.
Read more from the San Jose Mercury News by clicking here.
Action Alert: Contact the Governor & your legislator and tell them to pass a budget already!!!
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 7:24 amOK, here’s some rare Aqua Blog Maven commentary …
On last night’s newscast, our local political commentator was discussing Arnold’s speech and the budget problems, saying she doesn’t see any budget resolution in sight. When asked why she thought this was taking so long, she said that she didn’t think the legislators were feeling the pressure from the public to resolve the budget crisis.
How could that possibly be, I thought! State worker furloughs and projects halted - jobs being lost or put on hold at a time when those who are lucky enough to have a job need to hold on to it. With the unemployment rate in this state so high (8.4% and climbing) - higher than the national unemployment rate, the best stimulus package we could pass right now in California would be a budget - and put these people and projects back to work!
Remember, these are projects we have already voted for, projects that have already been funded. This is not new stuff, folks - these are works in progress, people who were contracted to do the work and have now been cut off. These are regular state workers that have real lives and real families having to take unpaid days off from work. These moves are affecting everyday working class people. They are being asked to take the hit for the legislators who aren’t doing or won’t do their jobs.
This is a statewide issue, affecting people north and south, in the big urban cities as well as the small rural communities. Some of these people are your neighbors. If you aren’t affected by it yet, you soon will be as state offices start closing. Some say the state will be out of money by February 1st. Your state income tax return could come in the form of an I.O.U.
Besides, I’m sick of practically the only news coming out of Sacramento being budget, budget, budget. By the time they pass this one, it will be time to start working on the next one. Which won’t be passed on time, either. If we all did our jobs like this, we’d be fired. Which is, of course, another discussion for another day.
So, I urge all of you to pick up the phone - TODAY - or write an email - and let’s tell these legislators to pass the budget and get back to work on the other issues facing the state.
Here’s how you can contact your legislator:
Governor:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Email via web: http://gov.ca.gov/interactLegislators:
Find yours here: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html
What is the cost of healthy environment, asks commentary
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 7:12 amFrom Field & Furrow, this commentary:
Have you noticed how high prices are for fresh vegetables at the grocery stores? Grain based products are coming down in price. Fuel has declined significantly in price. It seems there is something fishy going on here.
High vegetable prices are a result of drought and a fish species in California. That fish is the delta smelt. If you saw one of these smelt, you would call it a bait minnow.
How does this affect you? If you hate broccoli, it probably gives you good reason not to buy. If you are trying to follow the recommended daily consumption of 5 to 7 servings of fruit and vegetables then your pocketbook is strained. High vegetable prices also strain the largest portion of the USDA budget dedicated to providing nutritious food to individuals classified as being in poverty.
Read more of this commentary from Field & Furrow by clicking here.
What happens when we run out of drinking water?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 7:07 amFrom AlterNet and the National Radio Project:
From Australia to Arizona, it’s become clear that humans are using water at an unsustainable rate. Many communities only respond with water restrictions during droughts, and in most cases development continues, making things worse.
On this edition, we’ll take a look at three growing communities facing water shortages along with the pressure to grow. We’ll hear their different approaches to finding solutions — including denial.
Listen to this radio program by clicking here.
In pelican mystery, weather is a suspect
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 6:52 amFrom the New York Times:
What’s wrong with California’s pelicans? More than 400 endangered California brown pelicans have been found dead or dying since late December, with disoriented and starving birds turning up on highways, in backyards and even in the Arizona desert.
Now, after an investigation with all manner of sinister theories — from bird flu to poisoning by lingering fire retardant used to fight the region’s wildfires — California fish and game officials say they are closing in on a more usual suspect: Mother Nature.
According to a preliminary report to be released Friday, many of the birds flooding West Coast animal hospitals and rescue centers were caught in a snowstorm and brutal cold snap on the Oregon-Washington border in mid-December, setting off an arduous and often life-threatening commute to warmer climes.
“Pelicans were observed in the middle of that storm and then seen moving south,” said David A. Jessup, senior wildlife veterinarian for the California Department of Fish and Game. About a week later, he said, ill birds started showing up on the California coast and inland.
The tip-off for scientists, said Mr. Jessup, was frostbite. “It was severe in a lot of cases,” he said. “There were legs, toes and pouches frozen off.”
Read more from the New York Times by clicking here.
Expert panel examines the uncertain future of California salmon and steelhead Jan. 17
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 6:50 amFrom Dan Bacher of the Fish Sniffer:
A panel of fishing, biological and environmental experts on Saturday, January 17, will convene at the International Sportsmens Exposition at Cal Expo in Sacramento to discuss the uncertain outlook for salmon and steelhead in California.
A press conference is set for 12:00 noon at the Cal Expo Administration Offices, followed by a public presentation in the California Sportsmen Theater at 1 p.m.
The future of these prized fish stands at a crossroad. For the first time in 150 years, the commercial and recreational ocean salmon fishing season in California and most of Oregon was closed in 2008. All recreational salmon fishing on Central Valley rivers was also closed, with the exception of a two-month season on a short stretch of the Sacramento River. The result was a huge economic disaster resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs by commercial fishermen, fish processors, equipment manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers.
The 2008 closure was spurred by the return of less than 90,000 fall run Chinook salmon to spawn in the Sacramento River system in 2007. Federal and state fishery biologists estimate that less than 60,000 fish returned this fall. As recently as 2002, 780,000 fall run fish returned to the system. Key causes of the unprecedented collapse include massive export pumping from the Sacramento San-Joaquin River Delta, water pollution and the decline in upriver habitat conditions, combined with poor ocean conditions.
Will the runs be recovered or will the current government policies assure their extinction? The panel will discuss these issues and reveal the steps that must be taken if extinction is to be avoided.
The panelists are Dr. Joshua A. Israel, UC Davis State of the Salmon Team Led by Dr. Peter Moyle; Barry Nelson, Water Policy Director, Natural Resources Defense Council; Assemblyman Jared Huffman, Chair, Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee; Zeke Grader, Executive Director, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermens Associations; Michael Jackson, Attorney, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance; and Dick Pool, Administrator, Water4Fish Program. Dan Bacher will moderate the press conference, while Sep Hendrickson, California Sportsmen Radio, will moderate the public presentation.
Cloud seeding ignites debate; Critics fear projects may heighten drought in other areas
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 6:40 amFrom the Capital Press:
As drought conditions persist, some California utilities and water districts are stepping up their efforts to wring more water out of passing clouds. But not everyone thinks that’s such a good idea.
Local residents and environmentalists are complaining about Pacific Gas & Electric Co.’s plan to enhance storms over the Pit and McCloud river watersheds in Siskiyou and Shasta counties.
The utility perches cloud-seeding generators on mountaintops, where they use prevailing winds to carry a silver iodide solution up into the clouds, said Paul Moreno, a PG&E spokesman in Chico. “For our projects, we get as much as 10 percent more snowfall precipitation,” Moreno said. He added that the resulting water flows through hydroelectric plants and benefits downstream users, including agriculture.
Critics say the practice may make drought in non-seeded areas more severe and contaminate soil and water with the salts used in the process. The environmental impacts from cloud seeding are poorly understood and understudied, asserts Angelina Cook, an environmental consultant from Mount Shasta.
“PG&E kind of sprung this one on us,” Cook said. “They just published a notice of intent about two weeks before the proposed start date. Luckily we saw the notice and raised concerns in time for them to back off.”
Read more from the Capital Press by clicking here.
State septic system regulations seem to please no one
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 6:37 amFrom the Ukiah Daily Journal:
Supervisors and speakers from the audience alike unleashed their shared venom for a series of new AB 885 regulations Tuesday relating to on-site wastewater treatment systems. AB 885 was signed into law in 2000 by then-Gov. Gray Davis, but the details of the implementation are only now in the final stages.
“The intent of AB 885 is to establish statewide minimum standards for onsite sewage treatment systems,” stated a portion of the agenda summary. “After eight years draft regulations are in place and the Draft Environmental Impact Report is being circulated for review and comment beginning November 7, 2008. The public comment period ends on Feb. 9. The State Water Resources Control Board proposes to adopt regulations in June 2009, with an implementation date of January 2010. The Mendocino County Division of Environmental Health, California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health, Regional Council of Rural Counties and private industry stakeholders have concern over the draft regulations as written.”
County CEO Tom Mitchell said the original bill that passed nearly a decade ago was written in a completely different financial climate for the state. “This has been going on for 10 years now and we’re at the end of the race and we find out the economy is dramatically different,” he said.
Read more from the Ukiah Daily Journal by clicking here.
EBMUD to fix sewage overflow
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 6:29 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
The East Bay Municipal Utility District has reached an agreement with regulators about fixing a sewage overflow system that occasionally spills partially treated sewage into San Francisco Bay.
Old and leaky pipes from Richmond to Oakland tend to flood in wet weather, causing overflows that spill at two locations on the Oakland Estuary and one near Point Isabel.
The settlement does not promise a quick fix, but requires EBMUD to spend at least $2 million a year to speed repairs of privately owned pipes and install flow meters to identify problem areas, among other steps.
Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Ventura County farmers on cusp of crisis; Lack of rain could force changes on planting crops
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 6:27 amFrom the Ventura County Star:
The bad news is that there hasn’t been any rain all month, which typically is one of our three wettest all year.
The really bad news is that it’s quite possible there won’t be any rain for all of January — and if you are farmer whose livelihood depends on precipitation, this is a particularly grim forecast. A prolonged drought could force farmers to alter crops, leave land fallow and start to think about new sources of water.
“It’s a significant concern,” strawberry farmer Edgar Terry said of the long-term forecast. “It will definitely change how we farm and how we can become more efficient.”
Eric Boldt, a warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service, delivered his forecast at a Thursday meeting of the Associated Water Agencies of Ventura County.
The meeting was held in the same room where officials of United Conservation Water District will tell farmers next week that there probably will be less water available to them this fall if the dry period continues. “Unless we get that perfect storm, we won’t meet that demand” for the farmers that United pumps water to, said General Manager Michael Solomon. Besides the 5,000 acres of crops that United directly supplies water, the agency also is the main supplier of groundwater in the Oxnard Plain, where a significant part of the county’s $1.5 billion agriculture industry is located.
“We have a huge problem that we have to start addressing,” Solomon said after Boldt’s report.
Read more from the Ventura County Star by clicking here.
Steelhead advocates suing Ventura County’s United Water Conservation District & Bureau of Reclamation
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 6:25 amFrom the Ventura County Star:
The environmental group California Trout filed suit this week against the United Water Conservation District and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, claiming the two violated the Endangered Species Act by harming steelhead trout populations.
CalTrout argues the operation of the Vern Freeman Diversion on the Santa Clara River doesn’t allow steelhead to swim up and down the river and is therefore a “take” of an endangered species under the act.
In 2005, threats of a similar suit by CalTrout against the Casitas Municipal Water District essentially forced Casitas to build a $9 million fish ladder around a diversion on the Ventura River. CalTrout is hoping this suit will force United Water to change the way it operates, which could cost the district millions of dollars in the name of steelhead.
“Since 1997, when steelhead were first listed as endangered, Reclamation and United have been in violation of the ESA,” reads the suit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. “The time has come for defendants to comply with the law.”
Last year, as part of the Endangered Species Act, the National Marine Fisheries Service issued a biological opinion saying the Freeman Diversion is a hindrance to steelhead and changes were needed. United Water disagreed with many of the findings in the opinion, including how many steelhead might have historically called the river home.
Read more from the Ventura County Star by clicking here.
The cost of water may rise in L.A.; The hike of as much as 21 percent could be passed on by supplier
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 6:21 amFrom the Long Beach Press Telegram:
Los Angeles could be facing a 21 percent increase in the cost of water as the continuing drought potentially leads to a tougher water rationing plan limiting residents to outdoor watering only three days a week.
The Metropolitan Water District, which provides the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power with 60 percent of its supplies, unveiled the higher costs at a recent meeting, drawing anger and opposition from the directors.
“We objected to it strenuously,” DWP General Manager David Nahai said. “We believe insufficient studies have been conducted to see if costs can be reduced before deciding upon this level of water increase. We succeeded in getting management to agree to the study.” Nahai said no determination has been made as to the impact on DWP customers, in a cost that is automatically passed on. The last major increase of 14 percent from the MWD resulted in a 4 percent hike in the average DWP water bill.
But the MWD is in a precarious position. It expects to receive only 15 percent of what it needs from the State Water Project due to environmental considerations, and it will be unable to make up the difference from its other major source, the Colorado River. MWD spokesman Bob Muir said a final decision on the costs will be made in the next two months. “We are in a wait-and-see position at this point,” Muir said.
Read more from the Long Beach Press Telegram by clicking here.
South O.C. mayors take on the drought; Attendees discuss water rationing and promoting conservation
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 6:10 amFrom the O.C. Register:
California has a drinking problem: It’s running low on water.
At a meeting today of south Orange County mayors, Rancho Santa Margarita Mayor Gary Thompson told attendees that despite the budget problems in Sacramento, the drought has to be a priority for local officials and residents. “I think a lot of people are really losing sight of the real elephant in the room, and that’s water,” Thompson said at the meeting in the Dove Canyon Country Club. “If we don’t have any water, we’re not going anywhere,” he said.
After a brief presentation by Thompson, Joan Anderson Dym, executive director for the Southern California Water Committee, painted a grim picture of the state’s water situation. “Rationing, I think, is, unfortunately, going to be in the future,” Dym said. In an interview, Dym said parts of Southern California could have water rationing as early as this spring.
Read more from the O.C. Register by clicking here.
Oceanside to pursue cheaper method of desalination; Officials want federal funding
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 6:08 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
Oceanside officials will ask federal authorities next month for money for a project that they say could make water desalination cheaper and require a less-cumbersome approval process.
The city is studying whether it can desalinate water pumped inland from wells near Oceanside Harbor. It’s something all coastal cities might be able to do, Mayor Jim Wood said yesterday.
Oceanside and Chula Vista are the only cities in the county with desalination plants. Both take brackish water from below ground and treat it to a potable level. Neither plant is capable of treating seawater. Oceanside’s plan is to treat water collected from near the ocean. A consultant, Tetra Tech of Pasadena, has drilled a test well in a parking lot near the harbor. It’s studying the quality of the water and possible pipeline alignments to the city’s plant about two miles inland.
Water from the well is a mixture of ocean and fresh water, and testing has found that it ranges from having about one-eighth to half the salt content of seawater. That’s about three to more than 12 times saltier than the water the city desalinates now. But officials say the plant could handle it with modifications.
Wood said the concept could be a blessing for cities because land away from the coast is much cheaper. Cities might also avoid having “to do battle with the state Coastal Commission” over large structures along the coast.
Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
Eastern Arizona water deal struck with Apaches; Tribe, Valley ensured Salt River supply
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 6:05 amFrom the Arizona Republic:
One by one, Arizona and its Indian tribes are settling decades-old disputes over the state’s precious water supply.
The latest deal, still being formalized by the numerous governments and agencies involved, will end almost half a century of claims originating on White Mountain Apache land at the headwaters of the Salt River in eastern Arizona.
“There is no longer a cloud over the availability of that water for the citizens of the Valley,” said U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., a water-law expert who has been deeply involved in this and other settlements with tribes. “This helps the Apache tribe because they are running out of drinking water,” Kyl said.
The agreement will allow the 15,000-member community to build a reservoir on the White River to ensure a reliable supply.
John Sullivan, head of the water group for Salt River Project, echoed Kyl in saying the deal helps guarantee a supply for the thirsty Valley. SRP operates a series of dams and reservoirs on the Salt River and distributes water across 375 square miles.
“Essentially, the reservation is the headwaters for the Salt River,” Sullivan said. “So it’s pretty important to the Salt River Project in terms of the water supply. In fact, about 42 percent of the water we deliver to SRP shareholders comes from the White Mountain (Fort Apache) reservation.”
Read more from the Arizona Republic by clicking here.
Mound of earth could hold answers to Valley’s future viability; what can we learn from the Hohokam?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 16, 2009 at 6:02 amFrom the Arizona Republic:
The Earth is warming. The economy is reeling. The housing market has collapsed, and the future is unclear. We drink coffee from a paper cup, talk about the environment, the need for sustainability.
Near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, a mound of dirt and rock can tell us much about subsistence in the desert. That mound now is part of a museum, but archaeologist Todd Bostwick believes it was built as a temple of sorts by the Hohokam, who lived in the Sonoran Desert for 1,000 years. They planted corn, beans, cotton and squash, and they built a community that grew to about 40,000 people. They did this without wheels or machines, without heating or air-conditioning.
Bostwick, of the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park in Phoenix, has studied the Hohokam for 30 years. His office is near the temple mound, and a map on his wall shows the 1,000 miles of irrigation canals that once fingered through the Valley, some built so well that their remnants were used centuries later by early settlers and Salt River Project.
“We call the Hohokam an urban society, because they had villages that lasted for hundreds of years,” Bostwick said. “That is a remarkable model of sustainability that we need to look at.”
Read more from the Arizona Republic by clicking here.
NOAA releases draft biological opinion for Central Valley Project
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 15, 2009 at 5:49 pmThe National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration has just released it’s draft biological opinion regarding the impacts of the Central Valley Project on fish populations. From the transmittal letter:
Based on the best available scientific and commercial information, the draft Opinon concludes that the long term OCAP is likely to jeopardize the existence of Federally listed endangered Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon … , threatened Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon … , threatened Central Valley steelhead … , and threatened Southern Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of North American green sturgeon … , is likely to destroy or adversely modify the designated critical habitats of Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley spring-run salmon, and Central Valley steelhead, and is likely to destroy or adversely modify the proposed critical habitat of Southern DPS of North American green sturgeon.
Hey, but there is some good news:
The draft Opinion concludes that the long-term OCAP is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of Central California Coast steelhead … .
You can download the report - all 452 pages of it - by clicking here.
Troubled waters: A special report on oceans from the Economist
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 15, 2009 at 8:07 amFrom The Economist, thanks to the Aguanomics blog:
Human beings no longer thrive under the water from which their ancestors emerged, but their relationship with the sea remains close. Over half the world’s people live within 100 kilometres (62 miles) of the coast; a tenth are within 10km. On land at least, the sea delights the senses and excites the imagination. The sight and smell of the sea inspire courage and adventure, fear and romance. Though the waves may be rippling or mountainous, the waters angry or calm, the ocean itself is eternal. Its moods pass. Its tides keep to a rhythm. It is unchanging.
Or so it has long seemed. Appearances deceive, though. Large parts of the sea may indeed remain unchanged, but in others, especially in the surface and coastal waters where 90% of marine life is to be found, the impact of man’s activities is increasingly plain. This should hardly be a surprise. Man has changed the landscape and the atmosphere. It would be odd if the seas, which he has for centuries used for food, for transport, for dumping rubbish and, more recently, for recreation, had not also been affected.
The evidence abounds. The fish that once seemed an inexhaustible source of food are now almost everywhere in decline: 90% of large predatory fish (the big ones such as tuna, swordfish and sharks) have gone, according to some scientists. In estuaries and coastal waters, 85% of the large whales have disappeared, and nearly 60% of the small ones. Many of the smaller fish are also in decline. Indeed, most familiar sea creatures, from albatrosses to walruses, from seals to oysters, have suffered huge losses.
Read more from the Economist by clicking here.
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Recent Posts
- Draft biological opinion for the CVP released; Biologists fear for survival of endangered Delta fish
- Coverage wrap-up: U.S. Senate approves massive public lands bill; California reaps the benefits
- Environmental projects taking a hit in state budget crisis
- Action Alert: Contact the Governor & your legislator and tell them to pass a budget already!!!
- What is the cost of healthy environment, asks commentary
- What happens when we run out of drinking water?
- In pelican mystery, weather is a suspect
- Expert panel examines the uncertain future of California salmon and steelhead Jan. 17
- Cloud seeding ignites debate; Critics fear projects may heighten drought in other areas
- State septic system regulations seem to please no one
- EBMUD to fix sewage overflow
- Ventura County farmers on cusp of crisis; Lack of rain could force changes on planting crops
- Steelhead advocates suing Ventura County’s United Water Conservation District & Bureau of Reclamation
- The cost of water may rise in L.A.; The hike of as much as 21 percent could be passed on by supplier
- South O.C. mayors take on the drought; Attendees discuss water rationing and promoting conservation
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