The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

This is an FOR action alert that went out today.

You read the headlines: Salmon fishing closed for California, Oregon ... US halts commercial salmon season ... Salmon fishing closure prompts Gov. Schwarzenegger to declare state of emergency.

The collapse of the salmon population in the Sacramento River has forced the shutdown of commercial and recreational fishing for salmon this year. Shut it down completely for the first time ever. The Sacramento River fall chinook salmon population has declined 92% since 2002. The collapse has many causes, some due to warmer oceans, and some due to dams and pumping that have destroyed 95% of our salmon and steelhead habitat.

What can you do about it?

Here's one simple step you can take: Urge Senator Dianne Feinstein to oppose any new dams on our already-depleted rivers. The California Chamber of Commerce is asking Senator Feinstein to endorse a $12 billion mega-water bond initiative for the November ballot. That's right, the Chamber wants more dams even as existing dams are contributing to our current state of emergency.

Send an email now urging Senator Feinstein to just say no!

Ask Senator Feinstein to instead support the ongoing efforts of business, labor and environmental justice groups to create sustainable solutions to California’s water problems that protect our economy and our environment.

Please send an email now!

www.friendsoftheriver.org/site/R?i=AI3y32kYWl_LtPhNC5THWw

(I hope that link works... it should)

B-

Is Hydro-electricity considered "green" and would more water storage in SoCal help the NorCal water situation ?

Many do consider Hydro Green... those folks tend not to be salmon fisherman... impoundments do create CO2, more than you might think. The adverse impacts of dams are massive, however.

It is a massive fallacy that water storage is the best solution. We have over 1,400 dams in CA. The most efficient dam sites have been built already. Moreover, most of those dams actually provide water for ag, not for drinking. Of the water that SoCal gets, only 12% comes from the Delta. Southern CA has absorbed an amazing amount of growth in the past couple decades without using more water. They use as much now as they did 20 years ago... they have conserved. We could do more of that in the North... we could also encourage central valley ag to use less, to plant less water intensive crops. Since almost 80% of CA water goes to agriculture, that is the place where the biggest potential gains come from.

The best place to store water is actually in the ground. Ground water storage is much less expensive than surface storage and much more productive.

Simple conservation measures do and would have a much more profound impact on increasing water yields.

B-

PS - here is an article about dams and CA water.
http://www...gename=FORDamLiesArticle

Thanks

Do Californians receive much Colorado River water and if so is that agreement likely to change ?

You bet.

Yes, SoCal gets a BUNCH of Colorado River water... and it certainly is likely to change... mostly because the Colorado has less water in it than it used to. If you look at those big reservoirs on the CO River, they are WAY down... there is an prolonged drought in that drainage that is lowering river and reservoir levels.