EDCA Lawsuit Filed Over California Drought Management Plan

In a fresh challenge to California’s management of the drought, a group of environmentalists has sued state and federal officials, charging that they’re harming fish and wildlife in their efforts to deliver more water to farms and cities.

A group led by the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance announced Thursday it has sued the State Water Resources Control Board, state Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, saying they’ve redirected water to human needs at the expense of Chinook salmon, Delta smelt and other endangered species.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Sacramento, comes less than a week after the water board issued an order temporarily curbing the flow of water from Lake Shasta to farms and cities. The board decided it needs to keep more water in Shasta to cool the reservoir’s temperature and thereby protect the winter-run Chinook salmon, whose population needs cool water to survive.

 

Sac Bee, 6/4/15