<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><b><span style="font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Judge temporarily halts Trinity River water release<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">By Mark Grossi — The Fresno Bee<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;
">A U.S. District Court in Fresno has stopped the release of Trinity River water to protect salmon in Northern California until Friday.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">The order stopped the federal government's planned release of up to 100,000 acre-feet of water -- a move opposed by farm water leaders in the San Joaquin Valley. The release was scheduled to begin Tuesday and continue for several weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">The delay is necessary to fully analyze arguments in the case, the court
ruled.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Federal leaders say the water release is needed to protect the largest run of salmon in many years along the Klamath River, which is downstream of the Trinity. The plan had been approved by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority and Westlands Water District had filed a lawsuit last week to stop the plan, saying the water should be offered to farmers who buy water from the Central Valley
Project.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">The Hoopa Valley Tribe in the region and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman's Associations intervened in support of the water release.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">U.S. District Judge Lawrence O'Neill said there was nothing to indicate that a short delay would make the releases ineffective.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri,
sans-serif; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">The reporter can be reached at <a href="mailto:mgrossi@fresnobee.com" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">mgrossi@fresnobee.com</a>, (559) 441-6316 or @markgrossi on Twitter.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: black; "><br>Read more here: <a href="http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/08/13/3439286/judge-halts-trinity-river-water.html#storylink=cpy" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/08/13/3439286/judge-halts-trinity-river-water.html#storylink=cpy</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size:
11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></div></div></div></body></html>