Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3802 Jan 4-18 | Page 21

January 4-18, 2019 VOL.38 • ISS. 2 19 State Water Board Approves Increased Flows for Lower San Joaquin River A appreciate that the State Water Resources Control Board’s action creates space for work to continue on agreements that can deliver real benefits for the environment while protecting all beneficial uses of water.” In spite of the opposition to the flow standard by agribusiness groups and the Department of Interior, State Water Board State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus, said before the vote, “I think the time to act is now.” “Californians want a healthy environ- ment, healthy agriculture, and healthy communities, not one at the undue expense of the others,” said Marcus after the meeting. “Doing that requires that the water wars yield to collective efforts to help fish and wildlife through voluntary action, which the plan seeks to reward.” Many environmental and fishing groups had pushed for the adoption of a 60 percent flow standard, based on the science, but nonetheless looked at the decision as a step forward after decades of water exports from the Delta and marginal flows below upstream dams. A State Water Board report published in 2010 found that restoring native salmon and steelhead would require 60 percentof the San Joaquin River’s unimpaired flow. “It’s not every- thing that we wanted, but it’s positive that the board acted and drove this chapter of the process to a close,” said Chris Schutes of the California Sport- fishing Protection Alliance (CSPA). “Allowing an analysis of voluntary Terry 100 Rounds settlements was Raahauge’s Sporting Clays a fig leaf by the Only $35 board that may Memorial Hunt Feb. 9th 1000 Rounds or may not lead Pheasants $25 Ea Sporting Clays Only $320 to substantive Chukar $15 Ea Company or Corporate shoots change. It had available at reasonable prices! a few good BOOK EARLY! concepts but not a 45 Miles North lot of substance.” of Sacramento www.lincraahauges.com • traahauge@yahoo.com John McManus, fter a marathon hearing at the Cal EPA building in Sacramento, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) voted 4 to 1 on December 12 to set a 40% flow standard for three tributaries that flow into the lower San Joaquin River — the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers - and a revision of the salinity standard for the South Delta. The board also voted to create a space for a proposal regarding voluntary agreements outlined in the meeting by Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth and Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham. The $1.7 billion plan, proposing $800 million from the water users and $900 million from the State, was not available to the public at the time of the meeting, but outlined in the presentation by Nemeth and Bonham. “A vast majority of water users and government agencies are committed to voluntary agreements because they provide a quicker, more durable solution that will improve flows and restore habitat while avoiding lengthy litigation,” said Nemeth and Bonham in a joint statement. “We Pheasant, Chukar and Sporting Clays At Its Finest • 3 PHEASANTS FOR ...$92 • 8 CHUKARS FOR.......$154 3 Pheasants & • 12 PHEASANTS FOR $336 100 Sporting Clays • 3 PHEASANTS + $125 4 CHUKARS FOR ....$164 17 Station Sporting Clay Course! (530) 724-0552 The KFBK OUTDOOR SHOW 3507 1 Rated with your Outdoor Radio Show host for 26 years! # Bob Simms Fishing • Hunting • Destinations Conservation • History Dedicated to the Northern California Outdoorsman Listen Every Saturday Morning from 5 am to 8am on President of By Dan Bacher the Golden Gate Salmon decades. “The salmon that once ran freely up Association, described the board’s vote “as the Pit River of my homeland, from the San a small step in the right direction to restore Francisco Bay have been vanished for the salmon in the Central Valley by modestly past 80 years. This has resulted in tremen- increasing flows on the San Joaquin River.” dous environmental health effects of our However, he noted that “hanging heavy” rivers and who we are as Pit River people,” over the meeting was the “invisible hand of said Gali. the Trump administration” that is working to She noted that Tribes have been fighting to pump more more water from the Sacramen- to restore the salmon through dam removal, to-San Joaquin River Delta to their allies on the flow restoration, and fish passage projects, west side of the San Joaquin Valley. yet in many cases Governor Brown and San “The best outcome for salmon, that we can Francisco’s anti-environmental lobbying is hope for now, is for the Brown administration threatening their work. to ride off into the sunset and for the Newsom “Water projects that politicians are administration to step up, restore our salmon currently proposing such as the Feinstein’s’ runs, and let the Trump administration know WIN act renewal rider, the Shasta dam raise, that it’s required to follow California law,” and the Sites reservoir impact native peoples emphasized McManus. land and water rights and can ruin our “Today the Water Board took action, after chances to harvest salmon and restore our more than two decades, to call for real change cultures and communities,” said Gali. to benefit fish and fisherman,” said Noah Regina Chichizola, also of Save California Oppenheim, Executive Director of the Pacific Salmon, said the board’s action for increased Coast Federation of Fisherman Association flows on the San Joaquin wouldn’t bring (PCFFA) . “Today’s vote represents the setting salmon populations in the system back to of the bar, and water users will either rise to harvestable levels, but that it would help stop meet it or get beaten in court. Commercial salmon fisherman have experienced decades of the fish from becoming extinct. She also said voluntary settlements “don’t mean anything disastrous decline. Today’s vote could be the without regulation.” turning of the tide.” Barrigan-Parrilla added that Bonham and Representatives of Delta and environmental Nemeth’s last-minute proposal was based groups were also pleased with the board’s on voluntary settlement agreements (VSAs) action. with Central Valley water agencies; however, “We are very happy that the State Water only agencies in the Tuolumne River Resources Control Board approved Phase I of the Bay-Delta Water Quality Plan update,” said basin have signed a voluntary settlement agreement. Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director “The proposals are preliminary and mostly of Restore the Delta. “It was a big decision, 20 theoretical at this point. Other features are years in the making. We are relieved flows in recycled restoration projects from river plans the Delta will now be closer to what is required and the long-defunct Bay Delta Conservation for a healthy estuary.” Members of California Indian Tribes spoke in Plan. The hope is this new process would support of the San Joaquin water flow standard create a comprehensive plan that would end California’s water wars,” she said. at the hearing. The meeting took place as Governor Jerry “The destruction of the rivers is genocide on the fish and the genocide on fish is the genocide Brown continues to promote his legacy project, the Delta Tunnels, before he leaves of the indigenous people of these rivers,” office in January, but it appears that the final Mahlija Florendo, Yurok/Karuk/Hupa, and organizer for Save California’s Salmon, told the decisions on the controversial water project will be continued over to the administration board before the vote. “So I am here today to of the Governor-Elect, Gavin Newsom. tell you that these flows are critical to the land, In a major setback for Delta Tunnels the rivers, the fish and the people. No dams, no proponents, the California Department of diversions, no pipelines!’ Water Resources (DWR) on December 7 “Native peoples in Northern California sent a letter to Randy Fiorini, chair of the are salmon people,” said Morning Star Gali, Delta Stewardship Council, announcing the a member of the Pit River Tribe and tribal withdrawal of the Department’s “certification organizer for Save California’s salmon. “Our of consistency” for the California WaterFix. once-abundant salmon have been devastated by dams and diversions owned and operated by cities, states, and the federal government.” In 2017, the recre- ational and commercial We carry Lead Free Pistol ammo for salmon seasons on the the hunter who wants to carry his ocean in the Klamath handgun in Lead Free Hunting Zones. 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