• Court Denies Injunction Sought to Stop Water Transfers to Protect Fish: Delta smelt on the scaffold

    On 11 July 2014, Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill, of the U.S. District Court in Fresno California, denied a motion for preliminary injunction to stop the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) from transferring water through the south Delta export pumps to the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority (SLDMWA).  The motion for preliminary injunction was filed…

  • CSPA, AquAlliance File for Preliminary Injunction Against Water Transfer

    On 13 June 2014, CSPA and AquAlliance filed a motion in federal District Court for a preliminary injunction to restrain and enjoin the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) from carrying out or approving the transfer of up to 175,226 acre-feet of water from the Sacramento Valley through the Delta to the San Luis Delta Mendota…

  • State Board Again Weakens Bay-Delta Standards; Refuses to Enforce the Law; Fish Suffer

    On 6 May 2014, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) held an informal workshop on the latest changes to water quality and flow standards established to protect public trust resources in the Bay-Delta estuary. The Board, on 2 May 2014, again weakened existing standards that already provided for critically dry years situations. Specifically,…

  • CSPA Protests Latest State Board Drought Temporary Urgency Change Order

    On 28 April 2014, CSPA, CWIN and AquAlliance formally protested the State Water Resource Control Board’s latest Temporary Urgency Order further relaxing water quality criteria and flow standards in the Delta to expedite increased water exports.  The 18 April Order is the seventh modification of Delta protection standards since 7 February. The protest asserts that…

  • CSPA Testifies at State Water Board Drought Urgency Hearing

    On 18 and 19 February 2014, CSPA testified at the State Water Resource Control Board’s workshop regarding the drought urgency petition filed by the Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Water Board’s temporary order, issued on 31 January and revised on 6 February, that weakened water quality and fish protection…