| Trinity County supervisors on
Wednesday weighed in on the state and federal government's proposal to
pump more water from the Sacramento River Delta, a plan, they wrote,
that could hurt fish in the Trinity and Klamath rivers.
The comments on the South Delta Improvements Program register complaints that CalFed -- the state and federal plan to restore the delta and boost water supplies -- ignores Northern California's salmon plight. Billions of gallons of Trinity River water are sent to the Sacramento River each year, and pumps in the delta send water on to farms and cities. The program would draw down Trinity Lake too far in dry years, the letter reads, reducing the amount of cold water available for salmon in the Trinity and Klamath rivers. ”In particular, the analysis of impacts to Trinity Lake, Trinity River fisheries and Trinity County recreation are not only inadequate, but grossly misleading,” the board of supervisors wrote. The environmental document for the program does not consider reducing exports from the delta, the letter reads. That could be done by retiring land in the San Joaquin Valley, the board wrote, saving water to increase storage in Trinity Lake to use for the Trinity River's restoration. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has also in recent years used Trinity River water to cool and raise the lower Klamath River. That's where up to 68,000 chinook salmon died in 2002, the result of low flows, high water temperatures and stress-related diseases. Trinity County planner Tom Stokely said with both the delta's fish in trouble and the Klamath and Trinity woes, it's irresponsible not to consider reducing demand on the delta pumps. ”This is a plan to basically drain Northern California of its water based on the false assumption that there's extra water up north,” Stokely said. “This is the beginning of the north-south water wars again.” Kathy Kelly, chief of the state Department of Water Resources Bay-Delta Office, said computer simulations show there would be no big affect to Trinity Lake. They also show that water temperature increases won't harm coho salmon or steelhead, she said. But Trinity River chinook salmon -- the main commercial and recreational species -- weren't specifically considered. Those salmon migrate into the river in the early fall when water temperatures are highest, like when the 2002 fish kill occurred. ”From what I can see we don't have the chinook on the Trinity evaluated here,” Kelly said. Kelly also said that the program initially looked at reducing exports from the delta, but “it was screened out” before the environmental analysis got underway. ”The South Delta Improvements Program is not going to solve all the issues we have out there,” Kelly said. Humboldt County supervisors are considering drafting a similar letter to the state and federal governments.
John Driscoll covers natural resources/industry. He can be reached at 441-0504 or jdriscoll@times-standard.com. |