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<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Note:
The State Water Project's Delta Pumps are sometimes used to pump CVP (including
some Trinity) water, and there are (or were?) plans to use the SWP pumps more in
the future to increase CVP deliveries south of the Delta.</SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Tahoma color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"><BR>Tom
Stokely<BR>Principal Planner<BR>Trinity Co. Planning/Natural Resources<BR>PO Box
2819<BR>60 Glen Rd.<BR>Weaverville, CA 96093-2819<BR>530-623-1351, Press
2-2-1<BR>FAX 623-1353<BR><A
href="mailto:tstokely@trinityalps.net">tstokely@trinityalps.net</A> or <A
href="mailto:tstokely@trinitycounty.org">tstokely@trinitycounty.org</A></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"></SPAN></FONT></B> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Pump
doubts raised years ago<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Contra
Costa Times – 5/6/07<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">By
Mike Taugher, staff writer</SPAN></FONT></B><B><FONT color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">State water officials four years ago
inquired about getting approval to kill imperiled fish at the massive water
pumps near <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Tracy</st1:City></st1:place>, according to internal government e-mails
obtained by the Times. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">But the Department of Water Resources
never got that approval, and as a result the pumps are now operating under a
legal cloud and the threat of a court-ordered shutdown.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">The department, which insists it has the
legal authority it needs, nevertheless was making inquiries about getting a
state endorsement as early as 2003, indicating that officials knew there was a
possibility they could run afoul of the California Endangered Species Act.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">"We knew people had expressed concerns,"
said department deputy director Jerry <st1:PersonName
w:st="on">John</st1:PersonName>s. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">But, <st1:PersonName
w:st="on">John</st1:PersonName>s said, to his knowledge the water agency never
made a formal request for approval from the Department of Fish and Game.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">"For reasons I don't know, we didn't move
forward," he said. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">The e-mails show the water department was
asking state biologists to endorse federal permits that allow the agency to run
the huge pumps even though protected fish, including Delta smelt and salmon, are
killed in the process. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">That endorsement is the simplest way to
comply with the state endangered species law. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">The Fish and Game Department never issued
an endorsement and never issued a permit of its own.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">"It's almost as if the agencies came to loggerheads and
DWR decided to tuck its head down and hope no one noticed they didn't have CESA
(state Endangered Species Act) compliance," said Andrea Treece, a lawyer
representing environmental groups that sued to overturn the federal permits.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">"It really seems like politics has been
driving this whole process," she added. "It seems like scientists have been
raising flags, saying, 'We have problems with this project.' And they've just
been rolled." <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">The legal underpinning of the state's
major water delivery projects is being challenged as scientists are trying to
figure out why several open-water fish species, including Delta smelt, are in a
steep and alarming decline. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">Most experts say Delta pumps are at least
partly to blame, but invasive species, especially a voracious clam, and
pollution also are suspected. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">Last month, an <st1:City
w:st="on">Alameda</st1:City> judge ruled that the State Water Project, which
delivers water to 25 million Californians from the <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">East</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType> to
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">San Diego</st1:City></st1:place>, is
operating in violation of state law because it has neither a state permit nor
permission to rely exclusively on the federal permit. The judge gave state water
officials 60 days to comply or shut off the pumps. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">State water officials have vowed to appeal
the court order, saying a prolonged shutdown would be economically catastrophic
given how much cities and farms rely on the Delta water.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">John</SPAN></FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT
color=black size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">s said that
although he did not know why his agency never formally requested approval from
state regulators, it may have been because the water agency says that a
patchwork of existing agreements and documents is enough to satisfy the law.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">But Alameda County Superior Court Judge
Frank Roesch rejected that position. And the e-mails indicate that state
officials were considering ways to shore up their position as long as four years
ago. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">"They were clearly aware they didn't have
the necessary permits. They were seeking them, but they were seeking them in a
way Fish and Game could not (approve)," said Bill Jennings, executive director
of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, which brought the lawsuit.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">To avoid a shutdown, state water officials
have now asked state biologists to endorse the federal permits that allow the
killing of protected Delta smelt and the spring and winter salmon runs. A
decision is due Wednesday. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">The disclosure that the state's water
management agency in 2003 and 2004 inquired about, but did not get, regulatory
approval under the California Endangered Species Act raises several questions.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">Namely, why did the agency seek regulatory
approval if it believed it already had the appropriate authority? Why was no
approval granted? What changed that might allow state regulators to issue
approvals now when they did not before? And, finally, if state regulators
concluded that water operations did not comply with the state endangered species
law, did they have an obligation to do something about it?
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">Department of Fish and Game spokesman
<st1:PersonName w:st="on">Steve Martarano</st1:PersonName> declined to answer
those questions, saying only that one of the e-mails obtained by the Times dealt
with the narrower issue of whether species such as the yellow-billed cuckoo and
bank swallow -- protected only under state, as opposed to federal, law -- could
also be covered along with smelt, salmon and other species covered by the
federal permit. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">"We're looking to what is happening in the
future," Martarano said. "Those e-mails are not the same as what's taking place
today." <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">The state endangered species law is
stricter in some ways than its federal counterpart. That means obtaining state
approval could lead to tougher limitations on water operations and, as a result,
less water for <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place>'s cities and farms.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">The internal e-mails show that water
agency officials began contacting wildlife regulators at least as early as 2003
about obtaining regulatory endorsements, called "consistency determinations," of
the federal permits. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">At that time, state and federal water
officials were developing a comprehensive reworking of how the state's plumbing
is operated through a document called the Operations Criteria and Plan, or OCAP.
That document spells out how state and federal water agencies coordinate
operations of major reservoirs in <st1:place w:st="on">Northern
California</st1:place> and massive Delta pumps. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">In a 2003 e-mail, an official at the state
wildlife agency told colleagues that a water agency official asked for a meeting
"to go over how we expect to deal with the consistency determination
requirement." He complained that biologists were getting only a "symbolic
opportunity" to review an early draft of the water planning document.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">"This OCAP business has always been one of
our biggest challenges, and our record is weak," the Fish and Game official, Jim
White, wrote. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">In the e-mail, White emphasized to
colleagues that they needed to figure out what requirements would have to be met
to protect fish under state law, then work with federal regulators to ensure
that the federal permits were strict enough to meet those requirements.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">But the following year, another e-mail
showed that state salmon biologists had concerns about the OCAP's proposed
relaxation of cold-water standards in the <st1:place w:st="on">Sacramento
River</st1:place>. The change, which has since been approved, "will have a far
reaching effect on the movement and distribution of salmonids in the upper
<st1:place w:st="on">Sacramento River</st1:place>," the e-mail said.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">In another e-mail under the subject
heading "revisions to (California Endangered Species Act) OCAP letter," a water
department lawyer told a colleague that "we want DFG (the Department of Fish and
Game) to find that the entire federal opinion is sufficient to meet state
requirements." <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">The lawyer, Cathy Crothers, wrote that she
had revised a departmental letter "so that DWR can meet CESA obligations for all
listed species by requesting DFG consistency based on the federal opinions."
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">A leading critic of the water agency said
that by not disclosing the apparent difficulties that water officials were
having in complying with the state endangered species law, the state agencies
hampered efforts to fix the ailing Delta, which has since gotten worse.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">"That would have brought the parties
together to say, What can we do to make it better?" said state Sen. Michael
Machado, D-Linden. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">Instead, Machado said, the agencies kept
those difficulties under wraps and discussed them behind closed doors.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">"Now we've pulled back the curtain and see
what it is," Machado said. "This is a total abdication of responsibility."
#<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><A
href="">http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_5832356</A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">#####<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>