San Joaquin Valley Water Users File Suit Over Water Restrictions

Federal Actions To Protect Salmon Based On Flawed Science

BAKERSFIELD, Calif., Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coalition for a Sustainable
Delta (Coalition) and the Kern County Water Agency jointly filed suit against
the United States Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) for their continued failure to address all factors or stressors that
impact the Delta ecosystem and its fish species. The suit focuses on recent
federal actions, designed to protect salmon populations, which will bring
great harm to California's economy and ongoing water crisis, but provide
little help to the ecosystem or its fisheries.

The water pumping restrictions contained in the revised NMFS salmon biological
opinion (BiOp) will further reduce water supplies for 25 million Californians,
millions of acres of farmland and countless businesses throughout the state.

"Federal regulators are layering bad decisions on bad decisions and
exacerbating California's water crisis. Residents, farmers, farm workers and
our economy are already paying a high price for the inability of federal
regulators to address the real problems regarding a declining Delta
ecosystem," said Jim Beck, Kern County Water Agency General Manager. "The
salmon BiOp adds to the problem without providing any real solutions."

Federal regulators continue to focus their attention only on the water
projects and continue to ignore the effects of other stressors on the Delta
and its native fish species. The suit focuses on three main issues:

1. Failure to use the best available science and data;
2. Failure to properly analyze the effects of all stressors on listed
species; and

3. Failure of federal agencies to demonstrate the benefit to the listed
species from further pumping restrictions.

The overall health of the Delta ecosystem, including the health of salmon and
green sturgeon, is in decline due to a number of stressors. Among the well
known factors contributing to the decline are contaminated run-off; pesticide
discharges; predation from striped bass, black bass and other non-native
species; widespread pollution from wastewater treatment plants; development of
levees; dredging; operation and expansion of shipping channels; and land-use
activities.

"We cannot allow federal bureaucrats to continue destroying our economy based
on bad science and untested theories. By again focusing only on water pumping
and failing to address all the Delta stressors, our economy will be further
damaged, businesses and workers will unnecessarily suffer, and the Delta
ecosystem and fish populations will continue to decline," said Michael
Boccadoro, a spokesperson for the Coalition.

The Coalition for a Sustainable Delta (Coalition) is an ad hoc group of water
users who depend on conveyance through the Delta for a large portion of their
water supplies. The Coalition is dedicated to protecting the Delta and is
committed to promoting a strategy to ensure its sustainability.

The Kern County Water Agency (Agency) was created in 1961 by a special act of
the State Legislature and serves as the local contracting entity for the State
Water Project. The Agency participates in a wide scope of management
activities, including water quality, flood control and groundwater operations
to preserve and enhance Kern County's water supply--the main ingredient for a
healthy economy.

For more information, including a copy of the lawsuit, visit the Coalition's
web site at: www.sustainabledelta.com

Coalition for a Sustainable Delta
Contact:
Michael Boccadoro
(916) 441-7685
(916) 600-4383

Kern County Water Agency
Contact:
Jeanne Varga
(661) 549-4520

SOURCE Coalition for a Sustainable Delta

Michael Boccadoro of Coalition for a Sustainable Delta, +1-916-441-7685, or
+1-916-600-4383; or Jeanne Varga of Kern County Water Agency, +1-661-549-4520