The process is continuing and available for public comment.
State Study Forecasts Water Supply Shortfall
(February 21, 2008) The reliability of water deliveries through the State Water Project is eroding rapidly and will continue to do so unless the state takes action, according to a newly released report.
Delta pumping restrictions and climate change are two of the most significant changes facing the system, according to the draft report from the state Department of Water Resources (DWR).
Last spring, State Water Project pumps in the Delta were shut down for the first time to protect the Delta smelt. In December 2007, a federal court ruling restricted operations of both the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project while a new federal biological study for the Delta smelt is written this year.
The report notes that the reduced pumping did not result in an increase in the number of Delta smelt last fall and that another open water fish, the long-fin smelt, also is being considered for listing under the state Endangered Species Act.
The two factors mean “a more comprehensive approach to address the decline” in open water fish is needed, according to the report.
Since the DWR report was released, the California Fish and Game Commission has voted to limit pumping from the Delta to protect the long-fin smelt as an endangered species. The commission’s February 8 action takes effect later this month and will be in place through August. After then, the limit most likely will be extended until the adoption of new state/federal rules for pump operation that will incorporate the limits.
A blue-ribbon task force appointed by the Governor has recommended a significant increase in conservation and water efficiency, new facilities to move and store water and likely reductions in the amount of water taken out of the Delta watershed.
The Delta is the source of drinking water for two-thirds of Californians and irrigation water for millions of acres of crops. It also offers vital flood protection for the California Central Valley plains.
DWR is accepting comments on its draft report until March 13. For more information
