For Immediate Release: February 19, 2025
Contacts: Scott Artis, Golden State Salmon Association, 925-550-9208, scott@goldenstatesalmon.org
If you are writing about Governor Newsom’s letter to California’s State Water Board issued on February 18th regarding changing water rights permits to support the Delta Conveyance Project, please consider the below statement from Golden State Salmon Association.
“The Governor says the Delta Tunnel would be operated to meet all regulatory fishery requirements and it has been thoughtfully refined to protect fisheries and ecosystems, but this is just one more instance of Newsom’s smoke and mirrors. Under Newsom’s water policies we have seen two closed salmon seasons, historically low salmon returns, and tens of thousands of fishing families across California and Oregon who are out of work, struggling to pay their mortgages, put food on the table, and watching their livelihoods, communities, and cultures disappear – disappear just like our state’s once great salmon runs. The Governor’s been singing this same tune since 2019 and frankly, enough is enough. The Governor has refused to meet with GSSA and it’s partners during his terms in office but continues to push his flawed water agenda behind closed doors. Governor Newsom is quite the magician— with a wave of his pen, he can make our healthy rivers, salmon, and jobs vanish right before our eyes. We ask the governor to “end this bs” and to take a stand for salmon and the communities that rely on them.”
Scott Artis, executive director of Golden State Salmon Association
Background
Today, Governor Gavin Newsom sent a letter to the State Water Resources Control Board urging changes to water rights permits to support the Delta Conveyance Project. This follows a recent Valentine’s Day announcement that the project, known as the Delta Tunnel, received a required Incidental Take Permit to proceed. The Governor’s plan would divert large amounts of fresh water from the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary to industrial agriculture and major cities south of the Delta, including areas outside the Bay-Delta watershed. However, the Bay-Delta’s health—along with its salmon and the commercial and recreational fishing industries—depends on fresh water flowing from Central Valley tributaries into the Bay.“It is more important than ever that we maximize every opportunity to recharge our groundwater supplies. As we anticipate rain and snow in Northern California, we are also preparing to use every last drop to boost our water supply for communities and farms throughout the state. By storing these stormwaters, we are creating a literal rainy day fund to help us recover from a multi-year drought and prepare for our hotter, drier future.”
Photo Credit: San Luis Reservoir Aerial by Dicklyon