They have begun operating again.
Delta pumps to run again
Smelt may die, but Bay Area's needs are cited after 10 days of using wells, stored water.
By Matt Weiser - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, June 9, 2007
Urban thirst in the Bay Area will prompt state officials to resume water exports Sunday from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a move that may kill more threatened fish.
The California Department of Water Resources plans to fire up its pumps near Tracy after a 10-day hiatus. The main motivator is "essential needs" in the Bay Area, DWR officials said.
The pumps were shut down May 31 to protect the Delta smelt. The stoppage was supposed to last up to 10 days, and could have gone on longer if the smelt remained near the pumps.
But cities in the South Bay and East Bay face possible rationing after relying for 10 days on wells and water stored in reservoirs and in the California Aqueduct. Some of these areas get as much as 80 percent of their water from the aqueduct, which has been drawn down markedly without the pumps in operation.
DWR Deputy Director Jerry Johns acknowledged Friday that the resumption of pumping could mean more dead smelt. Smelt are protected by state and federal endangered species acts.
"If things look really bad for the fish, we may shut down during that period," Johns said. "But we'd like to continue trying to recoup some of these supplies and help the fish too. It's going to be day-to-day."
The smelt are considered a bellwether for the health of the entire Delta because they have only a one-year life span and are sensitive to water quality. Critics say the present water crisis is hardly surprising, given what they call decades of water mismanagement at the expense of the environment.
