California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) campaigns for better preparation and management strategies to mitigate the impacts of drought in California. Through this work CSPA advocates for the protection of aquatic ecosystems by encouraging the sustainable use of water resources, particularly during periods of prolonged drought.
California’s water management policies must change to prioritize the restoration and protection of California’s fisheries and the habitats that sustain them. CSPA advocates for reforms in water rights allocations, stricter regulations on water diversions, and better enforcement of existing environmental laws, such as those protecting endangered fish species like salmon and steelhead, which are particularly vulnerable during drought conditions.
To ensure water security in California and to address climate change, demand for water resources must be brought into alignment with the actual water that is available. Enough water must be left in waterways to ensure the survival of fish, wildlife, and ecosystems. These basic principles should be at the center of the California’s water management strategies.
CSPA advocates for a water management plan that ensures rivers, streams, and wetlands receive sufficient flow to maintain their ecological functions, especially during dry seasons.
Through legal action, collaboration with other environmental groups, and public campaigns, CSPA seeks to ensure that California’s fisheries and aquatic environments are resilient to the increasing threat of drought exacerbated by climate change.
The impact of drought combined with the overallocation of water is especially evident in the cascading ecological collapse of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
CSPA believes there is a path forward to prepare for drought without putting the state’s rivers, Delta, and fisheries under even greater strain.
- Water allocation must be brought into balance with actual supplies.
- Water exported from the Delta must be reduced by retiring drainage-impaired lands on the Westside of the San Joaquin Valley.
- Route freshwater through the Delta and increase outflow to restore and protect the estuary’s water quality and fisheries.
- Raise and strengthen existing Delta levees to withstand potential earthquakes, floods and rising sea levels for a fraction of the cost of peripheral conveyance.
- Increase reliance on local water supplies by investing equivalent dollars in reclamation, reuse and conservation.
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Plan for Drought Campaign