The Department of Water Resources is acting on pleas to preserve more water in reservoirs this fall, according to Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, who spoke this week at an ag water summit at Fresno State.
Water contractors, along with San Joaquin Valley irrigation districts, asked DWR and the Bureau of Reclamation to take a more flexible approach to implementing a regulation known as Fall X2. State and federal reservoirs release pulse flows to push endangered Delta smelt toward better habitat. But the water providers pointed to emerging science showing that pinning the flows to fish monitoring would be more effective and preserve more supplies.
Crowfoot said DWR is trying to reduce the flows in a way that is still safe for the species. He called it “a good example of why we need more adaptive management.” The secretary hopes the department will have an answer in the coming days.
DWR was more definitive in a statement to Agri-Pulse. Crowfoot and Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Chuck Bonham said the agencies are “revising our operations to ensure enough water flows through the Delta for the next couple of months while maintaining our water supplies.” They plan to “work in real time to update our operational plan and adapt.”
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With its federal partners, DWR sent a letter to the contractors acknowledging the regulatory structure must be more responsive to the many demands on the system as climate change heightens the hydrological extremes. Yet the agencies shot down claims that Fall X2 last year cost the state more than 730,000 acre-feet of water.
Keep in mind: Crowfoot said he understands why Central Valley farmers are upset with state and federal water policies. “But I also want to be candid with you,” he said. “The federal Endangered Species Act is a 60-year-old law and it's not going anywhere, regardless of who's the next president.”
By the way: DWR drew accolades from farmers and water districts at the summit for its responsiveness to their concerns. The state water board, however, was broadly disparaged as “a black hole” for water projects, particularly with permitting groundwater recharge initiatives.
