Updated Action Alert from Save California Salmon: Tell California to Stop Rubber Stamping Extinction! Support Racial Equality for Salmon Tribes Now!
Call in to the State Water Board meeting on Tuesday, November 16 at 9 am PST
Sign up to Comment: https://tinyurl.com/H2OBoardNov17
Last year during the height of California’s Drought, the California State Water Quality Control Board approved a plan that allowed the federal government to enact the Trump Water Plan without meeting California clean water laws, according to Regina Chichizola of Save California Salmon. This plan allowed over 80% of baby salmon to be killed in the Sacramento River under Shasta Dam from lethal water temperatures, and it allowed the reservoir to be drained for diversions to industrial farmers that grow crops such as rice and almonds.
Many Californians testified for California to not allow Trump Water Plan diversions, which put agricultural deliveries above cities’ drinking water, the San Francisco/Bay Delta, rivers and the salmon. The Board ignored these comments and allowed the federal government through the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) to disregard state and federal laws along with the public trust and tribal rights.
Then the BOR violated their own plan to “only” kill 80% of the endangered winter-run salmon in the Sacramento River every day but one through the diversion season.
This led to a massive fish kill of 98%-99% of Sacramento River winter Chinook salmon and the draining of California's largest reservoir, Shasta Reservoir, down to 24% capacity. This could lead to the draining of the Sacramento River and threats to the state water supply for years to come.
This is not the first time the state has rubber stamped plans that can lead to the extinction of California's iconic salmon. During the last drought, California let up to 98% of winter-run salmon to be killed for several years in a row.
The state is also allowing the BOR to violate outflow laws in the Bay-Delta, which can kill returning adult salmon and out migrating salmon. These violations have also led to their being ZERO endangered Delta Smelt found in the Delta for four years in a row: www.dailykos.com/...
Meanwhile rice farmers used four times as much water as the city of Los Angeles during the 2021 drought.
Enough is Enough: Stand Up for Water Justice!
Tell the Water Board to Follow its Own Laws and Protect California Salmon and People.
Join us on Wednesday, November 17th at 9am PST to testify for the Salmon and California people during public comment. Do NOT let a proposed Resolution that condemns Racism, Xenophobia, Bigotry, and Racial Injustice Pass!
Let’s Strengthen Our Commitment to Racial Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Access, and Anti-Racism!
Tell the Water Board to:
* Stop allowing the draining of Shasta reservoir, and the massive temperature violations that kill up to 99% of the winter-run salmon, along with much of the fall and spring-run salmon in California’s largest river.
* Enforce water rights law 90-5, or to curtail the Bureau of Reclamation's Water Deliveries because they are violating their own water rights conditions.
* Protect carry over storage of the state’s reservoirs.
* Re-start the process to update the Bay Delta Plan and implement Sacramento River flow recommendations.
* Reform the Board’s extremely unequal and racist water rights policy. California’s water rights policy was created during California's gold rush when California was supporting genocide of native people. Most allocations were made when women, native people and other people of color could not vote or own land.
* Guarantee all climate and water rights planning protects drinking water supplies, carry over storage and salmon.