Salmon Issues - Continued
#4 Finish and implement a New Bay Delta Plan
The Bay Delta Plan specifies water flows and other conditions that the Water Board must adopt to protect the Bay and Delta environment. It is required by law and must be reviewed every 3 years. The current plan is badly out of date. The new plan was due long ago and new protections are badly needed. A recent study showed that dozens of Delta fish and marine species are now at risk of extinction. The Water Board completed a plan for the San Joaquin River but it has never been implemented. We are asking the Newsom Administration to demand its timely completion and implementation.#5 Reduce the Water Temperatures in the Feather River
The Feather River is a major contributor to the Central Valley salmon populations. It produces the ESA listed spring-run and the important fall-run. However, only 8 miles of the upper river supports spawning. The lower 20 miles is too hot for spawning due to the heated water from the Thermalito dilutes the lower river section. The salmon industry has been pushing a project with DWR, the operator of the dam, that was required in the last FERC re-license of the dam. It would block the Thermalito and run a cold water pipe from the dam to the 20 mile intersection. This would open 20 more miles to spawning habitat and make a huge contribution to the salmon populations. But, now there is a new threat. The governor wants to convert the Oroville Dam to a to a pump storage facility. Water would be run through turbines and generate electricity during the daytime. At night when there is surplus electricity, the hot water would be pumped back up to the reservoir to make more electricity the next day. The conversion would cause the entire Feather River to be too hot for salmon spawning. All salmon production would be lost. We can’t let that happen. The governor needs to reconsider and support the cold water proposal.
