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Department of Water Resources Resumes Pumping as Delta Smelt Nears Extinction.
This is the latest press release from the Department of Water Resources about the agency resuming pumping of export water at its South Delta pumps, followed by a brief commentary by Bill Jennings.
Meanwhile, the federal government continues to export 850 cfs at its pumps. "There is an overall negative flow - reverse flows - in the South Delta," said Bill Jennings, chairman of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. "The Delta smelt are still in harm's way."
He emphasized, "The real conflict here isn't Delta smelt versus the people of California. It's the smelt and other fish versus the Westlands water District and subsidized agribusness. The conflict is between preserving one of the world's finest estuaries versus growing cotton in the desert."
Meanwhile, the federal government continues to export 850 cfs at its pumps. "There is an overall negative flow - reverse flows - in the South Delta," said Bill Jennings, chairman of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. "The Delta smelt are still in harm's way."
He emphasized, "The real conflict here isn't Delta smelt versus the people of California. It's the smelt and other fish versus the Westlands water District and subsidized agribusness. The conflict is between preserving one of the world's finest estuaries versus growing cotton in the desert."
Sacramento - The Department of Water Resources will resume limited pumping at its Harvey O. Banks Delta pump Sunday, June 10 to meet critical water supply needs. The department will gradually resume operations at the State Water Project (SWP) pump to meet vital needs for health and safety purposes as well as for homes, businesses and farms, while still protecting the Delta smelt.
DWR shut down the Banks pump on May 31 to help protect threatened Delta smelt, fish that have long been thought to be indicators of the Delta ecosystem’s overall health
“We will be pumping at bare minimum levels and tweaking our delivery system to meet the essential needs of communities in the South Bay and elsewhere,” said DWR Director Lester Snow. “We took the unprecedented action of shutting down the pump to protect Delta smelt on May 31, and we will continue to do everything we possibly can to protect the fish. At the same time, we urge aggressive action by all responsible parties and agencies to address the non-State Water Project issues of toxics, invasive species, and other Delta diversions that stress the Delta smelt.”
As the Delta smelt continue their seasonal migration downstream, the department on Sunday will begin slowly drawing water to its pumps from water already in Clifton Court Forebay. During this two-day operation, no water will be diverted from the Delta into the forebay, although some Delta smelt already in the forebay may be salvaged at the Skinner Fish Protective Facility.
Throughout the pumping restart, DWR and the Department of Fish and Game will closely monitor Delta smelt in the area. The agencies will continue day-to-day evaluation of impact on this species to determine if pumping should continue.
During the first two days of resumed pumping, water will be moved from Clifton Court Forebay to Bethany Reservoir, a small reservoir that supplies the South Bay Pumping Plant. After approximately two days of moving existing water from Clifton Court Forebay, additional Delta water will be allowed to flow in to refill the forebay.
It is expected that initial pumping will average about 100 cubic feet per second (cfs), about 90 percent less than is normally pumped this time of year.
“This is a very important wakeup call for California. We must implement Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal to fix the Delta through the Strategic Growth Plan and Delta Vision process,” Snow said.
Communities most affected by the pumping shutdown are those along the SWP’s South Bay Aqueduct in Alameda and Santa Clara counties. Water distribution agencies receiving SWP water in the area are the Alameda County Water District, Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (Zone 7), and the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
Comments from Bill Jennings, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance:
FYI! Tom Philip's blog in the SacBee reports Uncle Lester’s blackberry as saying, "We are looking at pumping (300-400 cfs) out of clifton court starting sunday and open it to the delta on tuesday. At that level we will be at 10% of where we would normally be. Later next week we will evaluate ramping up."
I’m puzzled; surely our good neighbors at DWR wouldn’t prevaricate?
In a declaration from Jerry Johns submitted by the State Water Contractors to the appellate court in our CESA lawsuit against DWR, Brother Johns states (page 5, No. 16) “On June 1st, DWR stopped its pumping at the SWP Banks Pumping Plant and will continue to cease pumping for the next 7-10 days. During this time it will serve the health and safety water needs of its contractors in the San Francisco Bay Area from water stored in that part of the aqueduct. Its customers south of the Delta will be supplied with water from San Luis Reservoir. After the 7 – 10 day period, DWR will monitor the situation and resume pumping only to serve health and safety needs. About 160 cfs of pumping would take place to service these health and safety needs, compared to 6,680 cfs of allowable pumping in June. This would result in a 98% reduction in the normal June pumping.” Emphasis added. It is this 98% reduction that District Court applauded.
Chuck Hansen echoed this claim, in his declaration (signed June 6) submitted for the State Water Contractors in our DWR lawsuit. In fact, Hansen goes further and claims that he was told that exports would be limited to needed health and safety and that regime (2% of normal export rate of the SWP) would continue until at least the end of August 2007 (Hansen declaration, page 4, No. 6).
The actual brief of the State Contractors, submitted 6 June 07 (with both the Johns and Hansen declarations, attached) goes further and claims that the “… reduced pumping rate, that will be approximately 2% of its normal pumping for the month of June, until delta smelt are no longer in the area influenced by the pumps or water temperatures increase to 25 C” (State Contractors Reply Brief, page 3).
Now perhaps I’m simply an unreasonable, ignorant, stone-throwing, windmill tilting environmental do-gooder but I believe I know the difference between 160 cfs v. 300-400 cfs and 2% v. 10% and mid-June v. the end of August. And the difference is a lot of water: perhaps the difference between positive and negative flows in Old and Middle Rivers; perhaps the difference between survival and extinction.
Someone tell me this is a simply a misunderstanding and that Uncle Lester and Brother Johns are not having second thoughts on their Damascus conversion.
Hansen also claims in his declaration (page 6, No. 9) that the “[t]he most recent survey (survey 6) was conducted between May 21 and 26, 2007. Results of that survey (Figure 2 attached hereto as Exhibit ‘D’) show that that juvenile delta smelt are moving west into the lower Sacramento River and San Joaquin rivers and Suisun Bay where they are not vulnerable to SWP or CVP salvage losses.” Well, actually the latest (as of the evening of June 7) DFG survey underway (#7) apparently indicates just the opposite. Delta smelt seem to be moving back into the Delta proper, as the temperatures remain below 25 C (lethal for smelt).
Hansen’s declaration does contain one interesting tidbit: namely, that the window when temperatures are above 25 C is quite truncated (generally between mid June to early July and mid August to mid September) depending upon the year (page 8, No. 11). This raises the question of whether DWR will be faced with pumping restrictions in August/September when the water temperatures drop sufficiently to facilitate delta smelt migration back into the Delta.
Why do I suspect a shell game is being played in a roomful of smoke and mirrors?
Bill Jennings, Chairman
Executive Director
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance
3536 Rainier Avenue
Stockton, CA 95204
p: 209-464-5067
c: 209-938-9053
f: 209-464-1028
e: deltakeep [at] aol.com
DWR shut down the Banks pump on May 31 to help protect threatened Delta smelt, fish that have long been thought to be indicators of the Delta ecosystem’s overall health
“We will be pumping at bare minimum levels and tweaking our delivery system to meet the essential needs of communities in the South Bay and elsewhere,” said DWR Director Lester Snow. “We took the unprecedented action of shutting down the pump to protect Delta smelt on May 31, and we will continue to do everything we possibly can to protect the fish. At the same time, we urge aggressive action by all responsible parties and agencies to address the non-State Water Project issues of toxics, invasive species, and other Delta diversions that stress the Delta smelt.”
As the Delta smelt continue their seasonal migration downstream, the department on Sunday will begin slowly drawing water to its pumps from water already in Clifton Court Forebay. During this two-day operation, no water will be diverted from the Delta into the forebay, although some Delta smelt already in the forebay may be salvaged at the Skinner Fish Protective Facility.
Throughout the pumping restart, DWR and the Department of Fish and Game will closely monitor Delta smelt in the area. The agencies will continue day-to-day evaluation of impact on this species to determine if pumping should continue.
During the first two days of resumed pumping, water will be moved from Clifton Court Forebay to Bethany Reservoir, a small reservoir that supplies the South Bay Pumping Plant. After approximately two days of moving existing water from Clifton Court Forebay, additional Delta water will be allowed to flow in to refill the forebay.
It is expected that initial pumping will average about 100 cubic feet per second (cfs), about 90 percent less than is normally pumped this time of year.
“This is a very important wakeup call for California. We must implement Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal to fix the Delta through the Strategic Growth Plan and Delta Vision process,” Snow said.
Communities most affected by the pumping shutdown are those along the SWP’s South Bay Aqueduct in Alameda and Santa Clara counties. Water distribution agencies receiving SWP water in the area are the Alameda County Water District, Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (Zone 7), and the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
Comments from Bill Jennings, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance:
FYI! Tom Philip's blog in the SacBee reports Uncle Lester’s blackberry as saying, "We are looking at pumping (300-400 cfs) out of clifton court starting sunday and open it to the delta on tuesday. At that level we will be at 10% of where we would normally be. Later next week we will evaluate ramping up."
I’m puzzled; surely our good neighbors at DWR wouldn’t prevaricate?
In a declaration from Jerry Johns submitted by the State Water Contractors to the appellate court in our CESA lawsuit against DWR, Brother Johns states (page 5, No. 16) “On June 1st, DWR stopped its pumping at the SWP Banks Pumping Plant and will continue to cease pumping for the next 7-10 days. During this time it will serve the health and safety water needs of its contractors in the San Francisco Bay Area from water stored in that part of the aqueduct. Its customers south of the Delta will be supplied with water from San Luis Reservoir. After the 7 – 10 day period, DWR will monitor the situation and resume pumping only to serve health and safety needs. About 160 cfs of pumping would take place to service these health and safety needs, compared to 6,680 cfs of allowable pumping in June. This would result in a 98% reduction in the normal June pumping.” Emphasis added. It is this 98% reduction that District Court applauded.
Chuck Hansen echoed this claim, in his declaration (signed June 6) submitted for the State Water Contractors in our DWR lawsuit. In fact, Hansen goes further and claims that he was told that exports would be limited to needed health and safety and that regime (2% of normal export rate of the SWP) would continue until at least the end of August 2007 (Hansen declaration, page 4, No. 6).
The actual brief of the State Contractors, submitted 6 June 07 (with both the Johns and Hansen declarations, attached) goes further and claims that the “… reduced pumping rate, that will be approximately 2% of its normal pumping for the month of June, until delta smelt are no longer in the area influenced by the pumps or water temperatures increase to 25 C” (State Contractors Reply Brief, page 3).
Now perhaps I’m simply an unreasonable, ignorant, stone-throwing, windmill tilting environmental do-gooder but I believe I know the difference between 160 cfs v. 300-400 cfs and 2% v. 10% and mid-June v. the end of August. And the difference is a lot of water: perhaps the difference between positive and negative flows in Old and Middle Rivers; perhaps the difference between survival and extinction.
Someone tell me this is a simply a misunderstanding and that Uncle Lester and Brother Johns are not having second thoughts on their Damascus conversion.
Hansen also claims in his declaration (page 6, No. 9) that the “[t]he most recent survey (survey 6) was conducted between May 21 and 26, 2007. Results of that survey (Figure 2 attached hereto as Exhibit ‘D’) show that that juvenile delta smelt are moving west into the lower Sacramento River and San Joaquin rivers and Suisun Bay where they are not vulnerable to SWP or CVP salvage losses.” Well, actually the latest (as of the evening of June 7) DFG survey underway (#7) apparently indicates just the opposite. Delta smelt seem to be moving back into the Delta proper, as the temperatures remain below 25 C (lethal for smelt).
Hansen’s declaration does contain one interesting tidbit: namely, that the window when temperatures are above 25 C is quite truncated (generally between mid June to early July and mid August to mid September) depending upon the year (page 8, No. 11). This raises the question of whether DWR will be faced with pumping restrictions in August/September when the water temperatures drop sufficiently to facilitate delta smelt migration back into the Delta.
Why do I suspect a shell game is being played in a roomful of smoke and mirrors?
Bill Jennings, Chairman
Executive Director
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance
3536 Rainier Avenue
Stockton, CA 95204
p: 209-464-5067
c: 209-938-9053
f: 209-464-1028
e: deltakeep [at] aol.com
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