Environmentalists Seek More Water for Delta Smelt

Environmentalists who won federal protection for the delta smelt returned to court Tuesday, seeking more Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta fresh water for the tiny fish.

Nine environmental and fishing organizations sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, claiming the smelt is being threatened with extinction because of inadequate water allocations in the government’s 1994 protection plan.

Any increased flows would probably come at the expense of farmers whose irrigation water is pumped from the delta by way of the federal Central Valley Project and the State Water Project.

The suit asked a federal judge to order a new plan with more protection for the smelt.

The Fish and Wildlife Service disputed the allegations. The current plan is adequate to prevent further danger to the smelt population, said Cay Goude, chief of the agency’s Endangered Species Division in Northern California.