California water districts sue U.S. over releases to help Klamath River salmon

Two agricultural water providers in the Central Valley of California are asking a federal judge to stop releases of extra water intended to help salmon in the Klamath Basin survive the drought.

LINK (via:Oregon Live)

This is what happened in 2002 when Klamath water was diverted to agricultural interests for political gain.

The Klamath Basin was once the third most productive river system for salmon on the west coast. It supported combined run sizes estimated between 660,000 to 1.1 million adult fish per year. These included spring-run chinook, fall-run chinook, coho, pink, and chum salmon, and winter and summer steelhead. Only the Columbia and the California Central Valley river systems produced more salmon.

No Preventative Trinity River Water Releases This Year

The federal Bureau of Reclamation has informed stakeholders along the Klamath and Trinity rivers that this year it will abandon its practice of releasing extra Trinity River water in August to prevent a repeat of the 2002 Klamath Fish Kill.

LINK (via: The Lost Coast Outpost)

Court: Water Releases to Protect Salmon in California Move Forward

A federal court ruled on Thursday that water releases planned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to protect the migration of Chinook salmon into the Klamath/Trinity rivers in Northern California should move forward.

LINK (via: Earthjustice)

"A fish kill could have “severe impacts on both commercial and tribal fishing interests.”

Despite that quote from Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill, he still granted a temporary restraining order sought by farmers in the San Joaquin Valley to halt water releases  needed to prevent a fish kill on the lower Klamath River.

LINK (via: Times-Standard News)

A plea to the Interior Department

A letter from Congressmen Jared Huffman, Mike Thompson and George Miller to Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell urging action to prevent a fish kill this fall in the Trinity and Klamath Rivers.

LINK (via: The Times-Standard)

Feds recommend removing dams from Klamath River

The federal government on Thursday recommended that all four aging hydroelectric dams be removed from the Klamath River in southern Oregon and Northern California to help struggling wild salmon runs, and nearly $1 billion should be spent on environmental restoration.

LINK (via: SF Gate)

A shame that Tom McClintock and his House Republican pals won't let the dam removal measures come to a vote.