An urgent call for support for AB 1806

By Dick Pool, Pro-troll
April 13, 2008
Lois Wolk, Chair of the Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee amended a bill this week that can hold great significance for funding some of the salmon recovery projects we urgently need.  It is AB 1806.  The bill covers mitigation for the Prospect Island fish kill and more important, it requires direct and indirect mitigation for fish losses from the state and federal pumps from the time they were started in the 1960's to the present.  If this measure is passed there would be millions of dollars of mitigation money available.

Direct mitigation is for fish killed directly at the pumps or in Clifton Court Forebay.  Indirect mitigation is for losses of fish that are pulled out of their normal migration path by the pumps but perish before they get to the pumps.  The state has never mitigated for indirect losses and the federal pumps only mitigated for direct losses for a few years.  The federal pumps have never mitigated for indirect losses.  Many biologists believe that indirect losses are far greater than direct. 

The Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee will hold a hearing on the bill next Tuesday beginning at 9:00 AM in room 435 of the capital.  Following a panel presentation there will be an opportunity for public comments.  The fishery groups have been asked to do two things:

1. Attend the hearing and speak in favor of the bill.

2. Send a letter of support in advance of the hearing if possible. See Action Alert.

Please do what you can.  If you want to read the bill it can be reached at on this site under AB 1806.  The key language that would require the mitigation is under Chapter 1.5 Water Rights.  It reads:

Chapter  1.5. Water Rights

12210. The state board shall impose terms and conditions on permits issued for the State Water Resources Development System (commencing with Section 1200) of Division 2 with regard to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that provide reasonable mitigation for both direct and indirect adverse impacts on delta fishery resources arising from the operation of water export facilities of the state system and the federal project, respectively, since the construction of those facilities.