State moves toward higher flows on Tuolumne and nearby rivers. Irrigators vow a fight
The state is moving ahead with its proposal to boost flows on the Tuolumne and nearby rivers, to the dismay of irrigation districts and San Francisco.
The reservoir releases are needed to help fish and other wildlife on tributaries to the San Joaquin River, two cabinet secretaries said in a letter Thursday, Oct. 20.
The water users contend that the releases would take too much from farms and cities supplied by the Tuolumne, Stanislaus and Merced rivers.
They have instead sought “voluntary agreements” that would increase reservoir releases to some extent while enhancing fish habitat in other ways, such as restoring spawning gravel for salmon.
“Walking away from the VA’s, as the state is doing without an agreement, is saying, ‘Let the litigation begin,’ ” Steve Knell, general manager of the Oakdale Irrigation District, wrote in an email on Tuesday.
At issue is a 2018 vote by the State Water Resources Control Board. Its key provision is to have at least 40% of natural flows from February to May, when young salmon are heading out to sea.
The new flow regime could start late next year if the five-member board gives final approval. But the districts warned that the issue could be tied up in court for years, as the state seeks to modify their long-held water rights.
The voluntary agreement approach had public support from Gov. Jerry Brown as his tenure was ending and then from Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The latest letter said the agreements might work at some point but so far do not provide adequate measures for the rivers. It was signed by Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot and Jared Blumenfeld, secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency.
“ .... at this point it is clear that despite considerable efforts, proposed voluntary actions by water agencies on the San Joaquin River tributaries have fallen short of needed flow and habitat improvements, and viable proposals are not being offered at this time,” the secretaries wrote.
The letter was addressed to the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts and San Francisco, which tap the Tuolumne; the Oakdale and South San Joaquin irrigation districts on the Stanislaus; and the Merced Irrigation District.
The districts have a total of about 325,000 acres of irrigated farmland. MID also supplies some of the city of Modesto’s water, and Turlock and Ceres will get TID water from a plant now under construction.
San Francisco’s system provides at least part of the water for about 2.8 million Bay Area residents.
“We’re disappointed,” said Will Reisman, press secretary for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, in an email Thursday. “We continue to believe we have a good proposal and are interested in pursuing early habitat restoration projects in cooperation with the state.”
The city also challenged the plan in a lawsuit filed May 13. It claimed that it would require too much water rationing during droughts.
The state plan has support from environmental and fishing groups. The Tuolumne River Trust, for example, points out that only about 20% of this waterway is not diverted in average years, and even less during droughts.
“Water flows are kind of necessary for fish,” said Ronald Stork, senior policy advocate for Friends of the River in Sacramento, in a phone interview. “It’s kind of obvious.”
He suggested increased water conservation and recycling to help meet the needs for farms and cities.
MID and TID offered a plan for the Tuolumne that would mesh with a separate federal process for operating Don Pedro Reservoir.
The plan includes restoration of the gravel where salmon spawn after a few years in the Pacific Ocean, and floodplains where baby fish can develop. The districts also urge measures against predation by nonnative bass.
And they note that the the new treatment plant will draw water well downstream of the farm water diversion. This will improve habitat and boating on about 25 river miles between La Grange and Hughson.
“We are committed to long-term, science-based voluntary solutions and remain willing to re-engage in discussions with the state to reach an agreement that will benefit all,” the districts said in a joint emailed statement.
This story was originally published October 27, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
