Press release from the San Joaquin Valley
The Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley calls on state and federal leaders to avoid water supply cuts that provide uncertain short-term benefits in favor of a long-term solution for the endangered delta smelt.
State Water Project 2025 allocations are currently at just 15%. Despite above average reservoir levels, an exceptionally dry January and no promise of wetter conditions in the coming months is a reminder that drought is always on the horizon.
State and federal water regulators are now requiring that export pumping be reduced, and an estimated 12,000-20,000 acre-feet of water will be lost over the next 3-4 days to protect the endangered delta smelt, predominantly as a result of high winds in the Delta. The regulations will affect most water users in California by reducing available water supplies in the short term but are likely to provide no long-term benefit to the species at the same time that water could be used for other purposes, such as providing additional resiliency for critical water supplies used to fight wildfires in Southern California or balancing water supply in regions that supply our nation’s food.
While short term benefits can be attributed to water supply curtailments, such as helping some delta smelt survive into June, the effects of climate change have raised the temperature of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to a point where most credible science indicates that no delta smelt survive the hotter temperatures now experienced annually in the region.
The requirement by state and federal agencies to curtail delta pumping due to turbidity concerns tied to the delta smelt creates devastating consequences for California’s communities without addressing the questions over temperature and the ability of delta smelt to survive through the summer. These decisions impact millions of Californians, jeopardizing agriculture, food security, and jobs while contributing little to the long-term survivability of the species.
It’s time to stop advancing bad water management and improve system operations in a way that meaningfully balances benefits to listed species like the delta smelt and California’s people, emergency response, food supply, and communities.
About the Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley: The Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley is a coalition of community leaders, businesses, water agencies, local governments, and agricultural representatives working together to address water management challenges in the region. Its mission is to unify the San Joaquin Valley’s voice and advance accessible, reliable solutions for a balanced water future for all.