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California Sportfishing Protection Alliance
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CSPA finds Merced Irrigation District's FERC relicensing argument faulty, plan too narrow in flow considerations for Merced and San Joaquin Rivers

January 31, 2009 -- Chris Shutes, CSPA's FERC Projects Director, presented oral scoping comments for the relicensing of the Merced River Hydroelectric Project on January 28, 2009. The scoping held by staff from the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission took place in Merced. CSPA's overall theme in its comments was the need for FERC to consider the entire watershed in its environmental analysis of project effects.

As is all too frequently the case, project operator Merced Irrigation District seeks to limit the scope of consideration by FERC to the immediate area of MID's reservoirs. CSPA believes that effects of MID's major rim dam on fisheries resources both upstream and downstream must be studied and mitigated. Diversion of over half of the average flow of the Merced River by MID, and blockage of fish passage by MID facilities, have substantially contributed to catastrophic declines in returning salmon and steelhead in the Merced.

In addition, water from the Merced needs to be part of the solution to flow needs in the Lower San Joaquin River and through the Delta. The recently expired flow requirements for the lower San Joaquin River under the Vernalis Adaptive Management Plan proved to be grossly deficient, and contributed to disastrous conditions both for resident Delta fisheries and for anadromous fish migrating through the Delta.

Read the scoping comments here.