Category Archives: Authors

Fisheries Lost a Champion, I Lost a Friend

Posted on December 2, 2019 by Bill Jennings

Jim Crenshaw, longtime President of CSPA, suddenly and unexpectedly passed away Thursday, November 28.  He had spent Thanksgiving Day with family, the evening with close friends, returned home and passed in his sleep.  Jim’s death is a grievous loss to … Continue reading →

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Calaveras River Plan Takes 14 Years to Keep All the Water

Posted on November 17, 2019 by Chris Shutes

On November 14, 2019, CSPA filed comments critical of a new Habitat Conservation Plan for the Calaveras River and also filed comments critical of a supporting environmental review document.[1]   Stockton East Water District (Stockton East) and the National Marine Fisheries … Continue reading →

Posted in Chris Shutes, Water Rights | Comments Off on Calaveras River Plan Takes 14 Years to Keep All the Water

Hydropower Reform Coalition Opposes Another Trump Administration Attack on the Clean Water Act

Posted on October 27, 2019 by Chris Shutes

The Hydropower Reform Coalition (HRC), including CSPA and allied hydropower advocates, has submitted extensive comments in opposition to the Trump Administration’s attack on Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.  Trump’s Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a … Continue reading →

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A Fresh Disaster for Fish – Bureau of Reclamation’s New Plan for Long-Term Operations of the CVP and SWP Water Export Business

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Cindy Charles

The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Water Impact Network and AquAlliance submitted joint comments September 3, 2019 on the Bureau of Reclamation’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Long-Term Operations of the Central Valley Project and the California State … Continue reading →

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CSPA, Coalition Comment on Grasslands Management Plan

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Bill Jennings

On 9 September 2019, CSPA and a coalition of fishing, environmental, tribal and environmental justice organizations submitted comments to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) regarding the Grasslands Bypass … Continue reading →

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CSPA Wins Huge Ninth Circuit Court Victory

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Bill Jennings

On 6 September 2019, CSPA joined by the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Friends of the River, San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association, Institute for Fisheries Resources and Felix Smith prevailed in a major decision by the federal Ninth … Continue reading →

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Oops, DWR Did It Again

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Chris Shutes

WaterFix version 1 is hung out to dry.  There have been welcome announcements by the Newsom administration of a clean start on California water policy.  But on June 10, 2019, the Department of Water Resources posted “Why Delta Conveyance” to … Continue reading →

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Cutting Funding for Ag Water Efficiency: A Backwards Portfolio for Managing Water

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Chris Shutes

On May 9, 2019, Governor Newsom released his proposed budget for the coming fiscal year.  The website for CalCAN, the California Climate and Agricultural Network, reports[1] that the proposed budget would eliminate funding for SWEEP, [2] “the state’s on-farm water … Continue reading →

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CSPA and Allied Groups Dissect Draft EIS for Don Pedro

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Chris Shutes

CSPA, nine other conservation and fishing groups, and four whitewater outfitters (“Conservation Groups”) jointly submitted 75 pages of comments on April 12, 2019 on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the relicensing of the Don Pedro Hydroelectric Project and … Continue reading →

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CSPA Submits Comments to EPA on New Selenium Criteria

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Bill Jennings

CSPA and a coalition of environmental, fishing and environmental justice organizations submitted comments to U.S. EPA regarding proposed federal water quality criteria for selenium applicable to California.  A protective water quality criterion for selenium is essential not only for various … Continue reading →

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Fishing and River Groups Analyze Voluntary Agreements

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Chris Shutes

CSPA, the Golden Gate Salmon Association, and other fishing and river groups have released an analysis critical of the outline of Voluntary Agreements submitted to the State Water Board as a proposed alternative to the Board’s regulatory update of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Chris Shutes, State Board Bay-Delta Standards | Comments Off on Fishing and River Groups Analyze Voluntary Agreements

WaterFix: Down One Tunnel, in Holding Pattern. What’s Next??

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Cindy Charles

In his State of the State address on February 12, 2019, newly elected Governor Gavin Newsom announced he didn’t support the “California WaterFix” as a two-tunnel project, and that he favored downsizing it to just one tunnel.  What does this … Continue reading →

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What the Water Deals Mean, Part 1: December 2018 Agreements between the Department of Water Resources and the Bureau of Reclamation

Posted on January 1, 2019 by Chris Shutes

On December 12, 2018, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the United States Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau) concluded a series of water agreements relating to DWR’s State Water Project (SWP) and the Bureau’s Central Valley Project (CVP).  On … Continue reading →

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Glass Half Full: State Water Board Adopts San Joaquin Flow Objectives for Update of Bay-Delta Plan

Posted on December 19, 2018 by Chris Shutes

The State Water Resources Control Board adopted new objectives for flows in the Lower San Joaquin River and for southern Delta salinity on Wednesday, December 12, 2018.  The new plan for flow in the San Joaquin River will require as … Continue reading →

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Major Setback for Delta Tunnels: DWR Withdraws Certification that WaterFix Is Consistent with Delta Plan

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Chris Shutes

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has withdrawn its Certification that its proposed Delta tunnels (WaterFix) project is consistent with the Delta Plan.  As anticipated in a November 16, 2018 CSPA post, there is now no chance that the Delta … Continue reading →

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Delta Tunnels Hearing at State Water Board Drawing to a Close

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Chris Shutes

After more than three years, 104 days of testimony, and over twenty-four thousand pages of hearing transcripts, the hearing before the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) on the proposal to construct two tunnels to convey water under the … Continue reading →

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Water Budgets: Numbers Matter

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Chris Shutes

A recent series of articles and blog posts by Jeff Mount and others from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) proposes a system of “water budgets” for the environment as part of a new system for managing water and … Continue reading →

Posted in Chris Shutes, State Board Bay-Delta Standards | Comments Off on Water Budgets: Numbers Matter

Delta Stewardship Council Recommends Pause in Delta Tunnels Project

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Chris Shutes

It now appears that there is almost no chance that Delta tunnels will be approved and begin construction before Governor Brown leaves office in January 2019.  The roadblock emerged on November 15, 2018 in a proceeding before a state agency … Continue reading →

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State Water Board Postpones Decision on San Joaquin River Flows

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Chris Shutes

“Let’s go.” “We can’t.” “Why not?” “We’re waiting for Godot.” ― Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot In response to a joint written request[1] from Governor Brown and incoming Governor Gavin Newsom, the State Water Resources Control Board on November 7, … Continue reading →

Posted in Chris Shutes, State Board Bay-Delta Standards | Comments Off on State Water Board Postpones Decision on San Joaquin River Flows

Federal Dam Safety Regulators Describe Need for Big Changes at Oroville Dam

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Chris Shutes

The Division of Dam Safety and Inspections in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a letter to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) on October 25, 2018 that requires DWR to reclassify the emergency spillway at Oroville Dam as … Continue reading →

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