From Westlands Water District:
Westlands Water District is encouraged by the recent decision to employ adaptive management as part of implementing a regulation affecting our federal and state water projects. The decision was related to the implementation of the Fall X2 measure, one piece of a set of operational measures set to enforce the Endangered Species Act. This example of relying on recent scientific information and real-time monitoring is an encouraging example of how flexible management can contribute to achieving the co-equal goals of ecosystem protection and a reliable water supply for the farms that feed that nation.
Based on the broad body of scientific knowledge, which includes a recent peer-reviewed scientific assessment of the benefits of implementation of the Fall X2 action, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) modified the Fall X2 action using an adaptive management component of the action. The Fall X2 action is intended to provide beneficial habitat conditions in the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta for endangered Delta smelt and other native species after a wet or above-normal water year. Through adaptive management this year, the Fall X2 measure was implemented in September while adding an action to operate the Suisun Marsh Salinity Gates, providing much-needed additional food and habitat for the species.
The Fall X2 action for Delta Smelt has the potential to result in a large water supply reduction for cities and farms. In 2023 the water cost to implement the Fall X2 action was greater than 730,000 acre-feet between the Central Valley and State Water projects. This year’s action demonstrates the ability to use recent scientific information and monitoring to adaptively manage the enforcement of the Endangered Species Act while providing similar or better outcomes for the species. This year’s action also acknowledges the value of preserving our water resources for future purposes, including fish and wildlife benefits.
Allison Febbo, General Manager of Westlands Water District, stated, “Water is the lifeblood of our valley. We are encouraged to see the dedication from both State and Federal agencies to maximize the value of our limited water supplies while improving fishery conditions through flexibility and innovation. We applaud operators of both projects and fisheries agencies for their demonstrated commitment to science-based decision-making and their efforts to make transparent adaptive management a fundamental practice in the Delta.”
Fall X2 action modification aligns with the intended protections outlined in the 2020 Incidental Take Permit (ITP) and the 2019 Biological Opinion while smartly conserving our water supplies. Westlands looks forward to continuing our partnership with State and Federal agencies to refine these processes further, enhancing outcomes for both fisheries and water supply across California.
More coverage …
State Water Contractors applaud California’s use of adaptive management of Fall X2 in the Bay-Delta for 2024
“Today, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) adapted State Water Project operations in the Bay-Delta to protect both fish and water quality while preserving essential water storage in reservoirs as we begin a new water year. The change was made following a decade of scientific investigations and recent peer-reviewed life-cycle model results which clearly demonstrated that what’s known as “Fall X2″ water releases following wet and above normal water year types are not providing the benefits to Delta smelt that were originally hypothesized in 2008. Considering Delta monitoring data from earlier this year and the recent scientific findings, DWR and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) have adjusted the Fall X2 flow requirement in the 2020 Incidental Take Permit (ITP) for the State Water Project, as well as the 2019 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Opinion (2019 BiOp) for the Central Valley Project and State Water Project, while remaining in compliance with environmental rules. In addition to operating Fall X2 requirements in September, DWR and Reclamation operated the Suisun Marsh Salinity Control Gate in September and will continue to meet Bay-Delta water quality objectives in October. … ” Continue reading from the State Water Contractors.
State and federal agencies cancel action to protect Delta smelt
In California, today marks the start of the new “water year,” the date water managers use to mark the end of the dry season and the beginning of the wet. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) are kicking off this new water year by cancelling the fall flow protection for Delta Smelt — once one of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s most common fish — and now its rarest. According to the current state and federal Endangered Species Act permits, DWR and Reclamation are required to release a pulse of water through the Delta to the San Francisco Bay in September and October to improve habitat conditions for the listed Delta Smelt. This fall outflow requirement is only triggered in years when it is wetter than normal and is often referred to as “Fall X2.” Some of the state’s largest Delta water exporters wrote to the agencies in August, requesting the suspension of Fall X2, despite Delta Smelt populations having sunk to record low levels in recent years. … ” Continue reading this press release from multiple conservation groups.
State and federal agencies cancel fall flow protections for endangered Delta Smelt
“The Delta Smelt, once the most abundant fish species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, is functionally extinct in the wild, due to massive water exports to agribusiness and other factors over the past several decades. Zero smelt have been caught over the past six years in the California Department of Fish and Game’s Fall Midwater Trawl Survey. But representatives of fishing and environmental groups accuse the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) of starting the new water year by cancelling the fall flow protection for Delta Smelt. … ” Read more from the Daily Kos.
