Protect salmon, judge tells state
A federal judge says California water managers need to redo their plans to ensure that the state’s pumping systems don’t push native, wild salmon closer to extinction.
Environmentalists say the order issued in Fresno on Wednesday could force regulators to temporarily change the way they move water to ensure that endangered winter-run Chinook salmon can spawn and migrate safely. The ruling affects two salmon species as well as the threatened Central Valley steelhead.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the state Department of Water Resources will have to rethink how they’ll operate water projects in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
The temporary plans would remain in effect until early March, when federal biologists will announce their long-term fix for the water projects.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
