Do you want to the San Joaquin River to be restored? Then you’ll be interested in the latest news, via a blogger with the Natural Resources Defense Council. He posted this:
“This summer, the State Water Resources Control Board will establish new flow standards to protect salmon and fisheries in the Lower San Joaquin River and the three tributaries. The Board’s draft report concludes that about 35% of the natural flow should remain in the rivers, allowing more than 65% to be diverted. Yet the scientific information shows that salmon are unlikely to recover at those flow levels, which are only slightly better than current flow levels.
“We can – and must — do better than 35% for San Joaquin salmon to recover and achieve the state and federal salmon doubling goal.”
He didn’t present the evidence to buttress his claim that salmon won’t rebound in 35 percent of a river. But if he’s right we should speak out. Historic legal decisions such as the San Joaquin restoration victory are only half the battle. The other half is in the details, the implementation, the funding, the oversight.
You can bet that Big Ag will fight tooth and nail to keeps as much of the river for itself as it can, court ruling or not. Reclaiming our birthright to a healthy river means blocking Big Ag’s attempt to take more than its fair share.
