The Summer 2019 California Sportfishing Protection Alliance Newsletter is out now. The articles found in the newsletter are summarized below by Bill Jennings, CSPA’s Executive Director.
From the Desk of Bill Jennings
The Twin Tunnels scheme to move water around the Delta came and went, but tunnel supporters are creating a new one-tunnel project that will do most of the same damage. The Delta Reform Act’s requirement to reduce reliance on the Delta for the state’s water supply just doesn’t seem to have sunk in. CSPA is preparing for the next round. In the meantime, see the roundup in “Twin Tunnels Gone.”
The issue of whether the State Water Board must go through a formal public process to balance public trust resources and whether it can unilaterally weaken water quality standards is finally going to trial in November. Read about this extremely important lawsuit in “Public Trust Fisheries Meet the State Water Board in Court.”
It’s not surprising that the Trump administration is attacking the Clean Water Act. It’s unfortunate that power generators across California have joined that attack. For part of the story, and the role CSPA is playing to stop it, see “CSPA Defends Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.”
Water purveyors statewide are touting “voluntary agreements” to keep the State Water Board from setting real flow requirements into and through the Delta. In contrast, CSPA has sued the State Water Board because new standards for the San Joaquin River that water users want to weaken are already too weak. See “CSPA Sues State Water Board over Bay-Delta Plan – Not Enough Flow & Worse Water Quality.”
And finally, CSPA is continuing a twenty-five year effort to make the lower Tuolumne River into the salmon and steelhead resource it can and should be. CSPA reluctantly signed a deal in 1995 that did not deliver. “Tuolumne River – What’s Up?” describes CSPA’s actions to correct that history and make the salmon run in the Tuolumne live up to its potential.
As always, CSPA is in the trenches fighting for fisheries and water quality on multiple fronts. And as always, it costs money to fight for fish. CSPA’s activists don’t squander limited resources on fluff – it all goes for technical analysis, regulatory processes and legal actions. Please help us continue the fight with a membership renewal or a generous donation.
We also invite you to frequently visit our Fisheries Blog on the current state of California fisheries. Tom Cannon generates story after story about the state’s diverse and widespread fish: what’s good, what’s not good, and how it could be better. It’s a great step-by-step tool to get a better grasp from a fish-eye perspective. Cheers!