CSPA has provided extensive comments on the draft Interagency Ecological Program’s (IEP) MAST (Management, Analysis and Synthesis Team) report. The MAST report is an updated conceptual model for Delta smelt and is intended to synthesize the latest scientific data and information on Delta smelt responses to recent changes in habitat conditions due to hydrology and management actions. As such, it is a critical component of effective adaptive management.
CSPA’s consultant, Thomas Cannon, identified numerous errors and inadequacies in the model and pointed out that it could not predict responses to D-1641 standards, Old and Middle River constraints in the OCAP biological opinion or violations of salinity standards, as occurred in the summer of 2013.
The IEP is an interagency program established to provide ecological information and scientific leadership for use in management of the Bay-Delta estuary. It is comprised of technical staff from the Department of Water Resources, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, State Water Resources Control Board, Department of Fish and Wildlife, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. EPA, U.S.G.S., Army Corps of Engineers and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Board.