Judicial Decision to Protect Fish Causes Area Drought

August 18, 2010

A spate of recent judicial decision to protect fish species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has reduced the water sent from Northern California reservoirs to customers in the south.

While last year’s cutbacks were caused by nature, this year’s drought is mandated by regulations. Cutbacks will take place despite a substantial increase in water levels as a result of larger snowpacks in the Sierra Mountains and a higher-than-usual level of rainstorms.

According to the Department of Water Resources, the state will reduce the amount of water available to residents by about 800,00 acre feet.

This means Thousand Oaks water provider, Calleguas Municipal Water District, will receive half of the amount requested.

“It’s the first year of a true regulatory drought. It’s the first time in history. It’s good for people to know that,” said Eric Bergh, Calleguas’ acting general manager to The Acorn. “Last year was due to hydrological drought. This year it’s exclusive simply because of the regulatory nature of the pump restrictions.”

The cutbacks are designed to protect the Delta smelt, a small fish whose population numbers indicate whether larger fish are at healthy population levels. In an effort to maintain judicially-designated proper population levels, limitations have been put on the amount of water northern pumps are allowed to send south during the October-June breeding season.

The regulations leave the hot summer months—when water demand is at its peak and pipelines are already being used near capacity—as the only time when the pumps can operate at higher flows. That means the extra water resulting from the spring storm season cannot make its way south.

“It would be nice to be able to use that water in the years that we’ve got it,” said Mark Watkins, director of public works for the city of Thousand Oaks said to The Acorn.

“There’s certainly a level of frustration among all purveyors. You look at it and say there’s plenty of water flowing right now. Why can’t we put it to its best use?”