-
The View from under the Bus: Newsom Administration and Fish Agencies Sell Out Yuba River Flow for Fish Passage
With nary a mention that the center of the prospective deal is no flow increases on the Yuba River, two fish agencies, a water agency, and the Newsom Administration used glowing words to announce on May 16, 2023 “a restoration plan” for the Yuba River. The rollout at a press conference[1] featured the Director of…
-
CSPA Legal Victory: Supreme Court Denies Appeal of State Regulation of Tuolumne River
The United States Supreme Court will not hear an appeal regarding California’s authority to add mandatory conditions in the new licenses for two hydroelectric projects on the Tuolumne River. The appeal was filed by Turlock Irrigation District and Modesto Irrigation District (Districts), owners of the Don Pedro and La Grange projects. The Districts sought to…
-
Water for Fish Gulped by Delta Pumps; CSPA Objects to Circular Excuses
The State Water Resources Control Board has approved a petition that diverts water required to flow into San Francisco Bay to the fish-killing Delta pumps of the State Water Project (SWP) and Central Valley Project (CVP). The higher “Delta outflow” required by the existing Bay-Delta Plan in high-runoff winter and spring periods is designed to…
-
Water Quality, Fish and Wildlife Protection: It’s All Voluntary
The future is now. Governor Newsom’s February 13, 2023 Executive Order ordering the State Water Board to consider modifying flow and storage requirements for the State Water Project (SWP) and the Central Valley Project (CVP) is his blueprint for the Bay-Delta estuary and every river that feeds it. When requirements to protect water quality, fish,…
-
CSPA Disputes “Scientific Basis” of Voluntary Agreements
CSPA filed comments with the State Water Resources Control Board on February 8, 2023 criticizing a document that claims to provide scientific reasons why small flow increases in Central Valley rivers and the Delta would be good enough to restore crashing native fish species. The document is the “Draft Scientific Basis Report Supplement in Support…
