[env-trinity] Trinity Journal Editorial: Future flow augmentations require long-term plan

[Tom Stokely]

http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/editorials/article_f5aba408-3889-11e4-868c-001a4bcf6878.html 

Future flow augmentations require long-term plan
Posted: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 6:15 am
So recent augmented flows down the Trinity River into the Klamath appear to have succeeded in their goal — provide additional flows and cooler water temperatures to avoid a fish die-off similar to 2002 and to signal the fish to get moving upriver.
That thanks to a federal court ruling denying a request for a temporary restraining order to stop the higher flows by the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority and Westlands Water District.
While Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill was correct in allowing the added flows to go forward this year, he was also correct in saying the situation cannot continue to be treated as a regular emergency. Flow augmentations have been implemented in 2003, 2004, 2012, 2013 and 2014 — following the deaths of tens of thousands of fall chinook salmon prior to spawning in 2002 due to crowded conditions and disease.
In fact, he put the Bureau of Reclamation on notice that the court will view future flow augmentations and requests to stop them in light of all circumstances, “including the fact that federal defendants repeatedly have treated as an ‘emergency’ circumstances that appear to merit a consistent, reasoned policy rationale.”
The judge is correct. Augmented flows in five of the past 12 years can hardly be described as an emergency. Whether climate change, cyclical drought or whatever, the need for augmented flows has become a regular occurrence.
The Bureau of Reclamation reports the agency began work last year on a long-term plan to incorporate such flows as needed. Any such plan needs to account, first and foremost, for a vibrant and healthy Trinity River watershed and fishery.
Easier said than done.
As we’ve pointed out numerous times before, Trinity Lake serves a number of purposes, all in conflict with one another. A full lake serves area recreation needs and brings much-need tourism to Trinity County. Water flowing through the Central Project tunnel generates inexpensive electricity for the Trinity Public Utilities District and other entities, and provides CVP water to farms and the Delta (not to mention keeping Whiskeytown Lake full). Water flowing down the Trinity River provides a healthy watershed and a healthy fishery, which provides for additional recreation and again draws much-needed tourism dollars.
Reclamation will need to take all of those functions into account, as well as the needs of Trinity and Klamath river tribes, when developing its long-term plan.
While everyone will undoubtedly have to give a little, a vibrant watershed and fishery should remain atop the list.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140910/78cfc4f1/attachment.html>