Pumping Continues.......

[OceanSunfish]

http://www.kcra.com/news/22478535/detail.html

For Two Weeks........ So they say.

San Luis is on the rise!

[Darian]

Hmmmm,.... The judge is the same one that made the ruling to allow pumping during limited periods to protect spawning fish (smelt, etc.). I'm fairly confident that he'll stick to a 2 week window....

[Mike McKenzie]

From SalmonAid...

Thanks to the heroic efforts of attorneys at NRDC and EarthJustice and with the federal government (clients include, but are not limited to, PCFFA and TBI), the water abusers request for temporary restraining order (TRO) of OMR flow restrictions necessary to protect Delta smelt was denied today by Judge Wanger. [OMR flows are a measure of whether the San Joaquin is flowing towards the sea or towards the pumps). Thus, those restrictions go into effect (OMR (reverse) flows limited to -4,00cfs).


Giving new definition to "ironic": the Delta smelt flow restrictions were triggered by recent high entrainment of Delta smelt that followed Wangers suspension of OMR flow restrictions. When the salmon Biological Opinion was temporarily suspended, water export pumping rates went up, more smelt were entrained and thus, MORE restrictive export restrictions went into effect. So, the net-net of the water users suits is that they have produced greater flow restrictions than they would have had had they "restrained" themselves.


Don't get too cocky... this case (and others playing out in the same court) are far from over... but for now, we can enjoy the laugh and the relative protections for suffering Delta smelt, longfin smelt, winter run Chinook salmon, spring run Chinook salmon, sturgeon and ...and ...and ...

JR

Jonathan Rosenfield, Ph.D.
Conservation Biologist
The Bay Institute of San Francisco
510 684 4757

President, SalmonAID Festival www.salmonaid.org

[OceanSunfish]

Kidding, of course.

I guess it's true..... "be careful what you wish for"......

Thanks for the news Mike.