Based on the Dept. of Water Resources’ (DWR) first snow survey being under the weather, the interagency state-federal drought emergency team released its 2015 operations plan Thursday night to little notice. The plan cites very dry conditions and low storage, with multiple competing needs that cannot be met at this point. Goals are:
1. Operate the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP) during this extreme drought to provide for, at a minimum, essential human health and safety needs throughout the service areas, and preferably to minimize water supply shortages that harm the State’s economy.
2. Control saltwater intrusion in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by providing enough fresh water flow out of the Delta throughout dry months to repel saltwater that pushes inland on ocean‐driven tides from San Francisco Bay.
3. Preserve enough cold water deep in Shasta Lake and other reservoirs to maintain cool river temperatures for various runs of Chinook salmon.
4. Maintain protections for State and federally endangered and threatened species and other fish and wildlife resources that are suffering from unavoidable impacts due to a drought of this magnitude and necessary drought‐related actions.
For San Joaquin Valley ag interests, there is this:
“Throughout the continuing drought, CVP and SWP systems will be operated to lessen critical economic losses to agriculture, municipal, and industrial uses due to water shortages through project water deliveries and by facilitating voluntary water transfers and exchanges to the extent possible, while balancing the needs of upstream storage, fishery and wildlife resource protection, and operational flexibility. A key to minimizing water supply shortages for economic purposes will be to take advantage of opportunities to export natural or abandoned flow in the winter and spring while maintaining Delta water quality and minimizing adverse effects to listed fish. Release of stored water in summer and fall will be managed to concurrently benefit in- stream temperature and wildlife objectives, meet Sacramento Valley in-basin needs, convey water south-of-Delta to meet water supply needs, and preserve system reservoir carry-over storage to meet objectives in Water Year 2016.”
For fish and habitat:
“The CVP and SWP operations outlined in this plan will continue to maintain protections for endangered species and other fish and wildlife resources that are suffering from unavoidable impacts due to drought and drought-related operations. The 2015 Drought Strategy calls out some elements that could be modified in order to balance all needs, while providing protections required by law. Any changes in operations that are ultimately proposed by Reclamation and DWR either through a Temporary Urgency Change Petition or under the Endangered Species Act will be submitted by Reclamation and DWR for concurrent review under applicable laws, including the Federal ESA (FESA), California ESA (CESA), and the California Water Code.”
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