The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will close the Delta Cross Channel Gates near Walnut Grove on Tuesday, November 27, at approximately 10:00 a.m., to meet fish protection requirements mandated under the National Marine Fisheries Service Biological Opinion.
The gates will remain closed until further notice to protect juvenile fall, late fall and early winter run chinook salmon now migrating down the Sacramento River, according to a Bureau news release. The winter run is listed as "endangered under the state and federal Endangered Species Acts.
The Delta Cross Channel Gates (DCCG) controls the diversion channel on the Sacramento River about 30 miles south of Sacramento that diverts water from the river into a branch of the Mokelumne River.
"When the gates are open, fresh water is drawn from the Sacramento River into the interior of the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta through Snodgrass Slough and the Mokelumne River; they also allow for boat traffic to pass," according to Louis Moore, Reclamation spokesman. "When closed, the gates prevent salmon from being diverted from their migratory route up the Sacramento River."
The Bureau advised boaters to continue to check the status of the gates to avoid problems in moving through the DCCG. The gates’ opening and closing times are approximate, since an operator must travel to the site to perform the change. The opening and closing of the gates generally takes 30 minutes to one hour.
Information on gate operations can be accessed on Reclamation’s Central Valley Operations website at http://www.usbr.gov/... or by calling 916-979-2194 or 916-979-0268. For additional information, please call the Public Affairs Office at 916-978-5100 (TYY 916-978-5608).