US: As fish deaths increase at pumps, critics urge California agencies to improve protections

Published 2024년 4월 9일

Tridge summary

In California, the operation of powerful water pumps has led to the deaths of thousands of threatened and endangered fish, including steelhead trout and winter-run Chinook salmon, raising concerns among environmental and fishing groups. Despite efforts to mitigate the impact, the state and federal agencies' water exports have exceeded the annual limits for fish losses set under the Endangered Species Act. Amidst debates over water management and conservation, Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed climate adaptation plans, including the Sites Reservoir and the Delta Conveyance Project. However, these proposals have faced criticism for potentially exacerbating the ecological issues by diverting too much water and harming the delta's ecosystem and its endangered species.

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Original content

Powerful pumps that supply much of California's population with water have killed several thousand threatened and endangered fish this year, prompting a coalition of environmental groups to demand that state and federal agencies take immediate steps to limit "alarming levels" of deaths.In a letter to state and federal water managers, leaders of five fishing and environmental groups said the estimated losses of threatened steelhead trout and endangered winter-run Chinook salmon have exceeded maximum annual limits for water intakes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta."Given that these and other species in the Bay-Delta are at grave risk of extinction, we want to emphasize the need for urgent action," the environmental advocates wrote.The massive pumps that draw water into the aqueducts of the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project are strong enough to reverse the flow in parts of the south delta. They can also suck fish into their machinery or make them easy prey ...

Source: Phys