Rivers of a Lost Coast

News from the Association of California Water Agencies:

EXTENSION GRANTED FOR NEW STEELHEAD, SALMON LAWS
A federal judge on Monday granted a three-month extension for agencies to finalize new rules to protect two runs of Chinook salmon and Central Valley steelhead.

U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger granted the extension, requested by federal agencies, to allow more time to refine the plan for protecting the three species. A draft biological opinion issued in December 2008 found the continued operation of the federal Central Valley Project and State Water Project would likely jeopardize the species.

Wanger ruled last year that protections under the current biological opinion were inadequate and violated the federal Endangered Species Act.

DFG SETS MEETING ON 2009 SALMON OUTLOOK
The Department of Fish and Game will host a meeting March 3 on California salmon populations and the outlook for 2009 ocean and river fisheries. The meeting is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sonoma County Water Agency in Santa Rosa.

The afternoon session will allow the public to provide input to a California salmon management panel that includes key individuals who will be involved in upcoming decisions by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. The council, which will meet in Seattle in March and in Millbrae in April, voted last year to ban all commercial salmon fishing in California and Oregon in 2008. The first-ever ban followed estimates that Central Valley fall run salmon would drop to record lows in 2008.

The council is expected to issue initial forecasts for 2009 later this week.

FEDERAL, STATE 2009 SUPPLY ALLOCATIONS AT HISTORIC LOWS
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released initial 2009 water allocations on Feb. 20 that call for some agricultural contractors to receive no water deliveries from the Central Valley Project this year, while municipal contractors can count on receiving a 50% supply. The allocations were based on the state Department of Water Resources� Feb. 1 runoff forecast.

DWR also announced Feb. 20 that its initial allocation for urban and agricultural customers of the State Water Project remains at just 15% of requested supplies, among the lowest forecasts ever.

�It becomes more urgent every day that we move immediately to implement a long-term solution that works for the environment and the economy,� said ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn in a statement. �If we had already made the investments in infrastructure recommended by Delta Vision, we would be having a very different conversation today. We could have significantly more water in storage south of the Delta, a more resilient system to deal with current drought conditions, and a much better outlook for the environment and our ability to reduce or avoid the dire economic consequences that California will experience in 2009.�

DWR is scheduled to conduct its third snow survey of the season March 3.