The fish win the water, humans lose it, but with better planning through the years to increase the water supply, that would not have been the only option, and it is not too late.
Raising Shasta Dam by the extra 200 feet it is engineered for, would triple the water that could be stored behind it, which would certianly help the Delta Smelt and the humans.
Smelt ruling could spell scarcer and pricier water
Delta pumping limits will cut supplies to Bay Area, Los Angeles.
By Matt Weiser and John Ellis - mweiser@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, December 15, 2007
FRESNO – A federal court order finalized Friday could mean millions of Californians will have to get accustomed to spending more money on less water – and soon.
The order by U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger, based in Fresno, wraps up his August decision in favor of the Natural Resources Defense Council. The environmental group sued state and federal agencies that pump water out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Wanger ruled that those agencies failed to adequately protect the Delta smelt, a fragile fingerling listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. His final order in the case Friday could result in a 30 percent reduction in water pumped out of the Delta starting as soon as Christmas Day.
"I truly believe this water crisis is going to make the power crisis pale in comparison," said Tom Birmingham, general manager of Westlands Water District.
The Delta, a 700,000-acre maze of islands and canals, is the hub of the state's water system. A funnel for runoff from north-state mountains, its waters irrigate more than 2 million acres of farmland and provide some of the drinking water enjoyed by 23 million Californians. The two pumping systems near Tracy deliver much of this water to Southern California via canal networks.
