Proposed Changes Ignore the Contributions and Needs of the Trinity River, Imperiling Salmon, Native Communities, and North State Fishing Economies
A not-so-funny thing happened when the State Water Resources Control Board decided to update its Bay-Delta Plan, the document that authorizes protective temperature ranges and flow requirements for the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers and their shared Delta. Dubbed Phase 2, the proposed plan inexplicably omits protection for a major source of water for the Bay-Delta system: the Trinity River.
The Trinity is the largest tributary to the Klamath River and is critical habitat for some of the state’s last wild salmon – fish that are essential to the food supply and culture of some of California’s largest Native tribes and a lynchpin of the commercial fishing and sport angling industries. While it is not in the Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed, the Trinity contributes on average over 600,000 acre-feet of water annually to the Sacramento River via three reservoirs and two tunnels.
“Under the State Water Resources Control Board’s authorization, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation diverts a tremendous amount of water to the Sacramento River from the Trinity,” says Tom Stokely, a water policy and fisheries expert and a Board Member of the California Water Impact Network. “Most of that water is sent to corporate farms in the Central Valley for export almonds and pistachios. And each year, those diversions drain the cold-water supply in Trinity Reservoir, which the river’s salmon need for survival.”
The Trinity was once one of the greatest salmon-producing rivers on the West Coast, and it is also essential for the health of the Klamath River’s salmon runs, Stokely says. He characterizes the river as “the cold water tap for the entire Klamath Basin,” making it a critical component of the Pacific Northwest’s salmon biomass and the industries that depend on it.
“It’s also a social equity issue,” Stokely says. “Three major California tribes – the Yurok, Hupa and Karuk – live along the Trinity and Klamath Rivers. Salmon are essential to these communities for both subsistence and ceremonial reasons, and protection of the fish is mandated by state and federal law.”
Given the significance of the Trinity River to the Bay-Delta system and the North State’s economy and environment, its exclusion from the State Water Board’s Bay-Delta Plan update is mystifying, says Stokely.
“It’s shocking that the Board decided against recommending specific protections that would safeguard the Trinity’s fisheries,” Stokely says. “It even identified impacts to the Trinity but offered no proposals for mitigation. It’s as though the Trinity doesn’t exist, so the Board doesn’t have to bother with any protective measures whatsoever. It’s a forgotten river.”
Trent Tuthill, Trinity County’s Administrative Officer, emphasizes the significance of the Trinity River to both the county and the northwest quadrant of California.
“The Trinity River has always been the life blood of Trinity County, and its importance to the entire Klamath River Basin must be elevated so decision makers understand that,” says Tuthill. “Our county’s natural resources are undervalued by the regulatory agencies, and we intend to hold them accountable.” Unfortunately, continues Stokely, a dismissive attitude from the Board and the Bureau of Reclamation is nothing new. Both have long ignored their legal and public trust obligations to the Trinity River, treating it as a mere spigot for corporate agriculture.
“But that has to change,” Stokely says. “We’re at a critical pass with the Trinity. The salmon are crashing, the river and the people who depend on it are on the ropes, and it’s time the Board acknowledges its obligations. Without the inclusion of safeguards – temperature requirements that are protective of salmon – the Phase 2 Bay-Delta Plan is a flawed and inadequate document. The Board must act in good faith, revisit Phase 2, and do what’s right for the Trinity River and the Californians who depend on it.”
Contact:
Tom Stokely
tgstoked@gmail.com
(530) 524-0315
Trent Tuthill
ttuthill@trinitycounty.org
(530) 623-1382
