Azusa to Fight Draining of Morris Reservoir : Environment: Council says the effort to boost local water supplies would kill too many fish and birds.

A massive experimental project is draining billions of gallons of water from the Morris Reservoir in an effort that county public works officials say will help the drought-parched valley below.

But the Azusa City Council, citing fears about environmental damage, including the death of fish and birds, has voted to challenge the project in court.

State officials who back the county Department of Public Works project acknowledge that up to 50% of the reservoir’s fish may die before they can be rescued or relocated.

Still, state, county and water department officials say the benefits outweigh the loss of wildlife. The drained water from the reservoir--part of the San Gabriel River north of Azusa and Glendora--will flow downstream into spreading grounds used as a distribution point for the region’s water supply. After the draining, a thick layer of silt and boulders will be removed from the reservoir bottom.

The drained water will be used to supplement supplies available during the drought. The silt removal will expand the capacity of the reservoir, whose flood-control potential has been diminished by all the debris it has accumulated during the facility’s 67-year history.

Some wildlife protection efforts have begun, state and county officials said.

Nineteen Southwestern turtles, identified by state officials as members of a declining species, were rescued below Morris Dam and relocated upstream in recent weeks.

A fish rescue program will start in several days, said Donald Nichols, county Department of Public Works assistant deputy director of the hydraulic/water conservation division. Nichols is in charge of the draining effort and is working with state officials on the wildlife issues.

Despite the rescue plans, “there is no question some fish are going to die,” Nichols said Tuesday.

Added Bruce Eliason, an environmental services supervisor with the state Department of Fish and Game: “The rescue is a very major trauma to the fish. It’s a pure guess, but something under 50% will be rescued.”

Some fish-eating birds, such as grebes and mergansers, will also be affected because they “won’t be able to work that reservoir for a while,” Eliason said.

That doesn’t sound quite right to Azusa Mayor Pro Tem Harry Stemrich, who said: “Something smells about this. The fish will be dead by the time they rescue them.” Fish might become trapped in the reservoir’s muddy bottom after it is drained, he said.

Stemrich and other members of the Azusa City Council voted 4 to 0 Monday to take court action against the project. They say they fear the wildlife rescue and relocation efforts will not be sufficient.

The Azusa officials want more studies about the environmental impact of the draining and more opportunities for public comment about it.

Officials could not estimate how many fish live in the Morris Reservoir, which officials said has been closed for fishing for years, in part because of a torpedo testing range operated there by the U.S. Navy.

Draining of the reservoir began July 24 and--barring a court order--will probably continue into September, Nichols said.

Water officials hope the project is allowed to continue. Linn Magoffin, chairman of the Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster, which oversees pumping in much of the region, said he is delighted that the water will be made available.

“As far as I know,” he said, “all the water people are very supportive of it.”

Free-lance writer Elena Farrington contributed to this story.