[env-trinity] Trinity River plan angers tribe, farmers

[Richard Pruitt]

Trinity River plan angers tribe, farmers 
Each says they'll lose lifeline if water gets reapportioned yearly 
Alex Breitler
Record Searchlight





File photo by Jonathan Kirshner 
WATER WARS: A fisherman casts his line during a guided float trip on the Trinity River in October. It's a serene image, but behind the scenes the government, American Indians, irrigators and power users are fighting over the best use for the water. Wednesday the U.S. Department of Interior announced a new plan for regulating flows. 


March 04, 2004 — 6:22 a.m.
The federal government wants to change the way it regulates flows on the Trinity River, hoping to leave enough water for fish while diverting a fair share to farms in the state's interior. 
But a proposal — announced Wednesday by assistant Secretary of the Interior Bennett Raley — angers American Indians who depend on the Trinity River for sustenance and culture. 
And it doesn't exactly thrill irrigators, who could see even less water than they did before they sued to increase diversions. 
The plan relies on so-called "adaptive management," in which scientists would determine which flows are appropriate from a range based on the amount of precipitation in a given year. To this point, officials have relied on a model to make their decisions. 
The river has been the subject of a legal battle since 2000, when the Clinton administration agreed to send more water downstream. Irrigators and power users — who have received up to 90 percent of the river's water — sued. 
"We're mired in a cycle of litigation that could go on for a long, long time," Raley said during a conference call Wednesday. "The river is suffering. . . . We need to break this deadlock." 
The plan would also set aside an emergency fall reserve of up to 50,000 acre-feet of water, which could be sent downstream if fish are struggling. An additional 20,000 acre-feet water bank would be available as a "savings account" of sorts. An acre-foot is enough water to support a family of four for one year. 
The river would be evaluated annually, with scientists deciding what's best for flows. 
"We would have some expert biologists running the river, basically," said Steve Thompson, manager of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in California and Nevada. Thompson helped develop the plan. 
But the Hoopa tribe, which rejected a settlement from the Westlands Water District last year, didn't receive the plan favorably. The tribe said it favored farmers and was based on the rejected Westlands proposal. 
Hoopa officials stand steadfastly behind the 2000 Record of Decision, which was the culmination of 20 years of scientific study. 
"We're a little taken aback that they put this on the table," said Mike Orcutt, the tribe's fisheries director. 
The variability of river flows could pose a problem for irrigators, said Tupper Hull, spokesman for Westlands. The district serves 600 farms in the San Joaquin Valley. 
The proposal could, at times, send more water downstream than even the Record of Decision would have allowed. 
"There are concerns, obviously," Hull said, although he praised the government for taking steps toward a solution. 
Although initial reactions were negative, Bennett said he would ask the Justice Department to contact all the parties for another round of settlement discussions with Westlands and other litigants, including the city of Redding, which wants water for hydroelectric production. 
"Playing God" on the Trinity River has proven much harder than it looks, Bennett said. 
"But we're not giving up," he said. "We want out of this cycle of litigation." 
Reporter Alex Breitler can be reached at 225-8344 or at abreitler at redding.com. 
Thursday, March 4, 2004 


Richard Pruitt
rickpruitt at earthlink.net
Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.
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