Determine the cause of Delta degradation

Sunday, August 7, 2005

WHAT IS HAPPENING to the Delta, the state's largest estuary and source of water for 22 million Californians? Over the past decade CalFed, a group of varied state and federal water interests, has spent $3 billion to improve the Delta ecosystem while providing a dependable supply of water. Yet there is an environmental crisis.

In the past few years, a sharp decline in several key species of fish, including smelt, young striped bass and threadfin shad, has raised concerns. These fish have all but disappeared from the Delta. There also has been a decimation of copepods, tiny organisms that are the major food supply for open-water fish.

While fish were disappearing from the Delta, biologists assigned to protect them urged officials to cut back on water deliveries. The slowdowns were requested in January and again four months later. But the recommendations were overridden by water officials who sustained and even increased Delta water pumping.

Whether water pumping is a significant cause of the declines of fish populations is unknown. Other possible causes of the ecological crisis exist: an increase of non-native invasive species and toxic contaminates.

It is alarming and troublesome that neither water officials nor biologists have answers to why so many of the Delta's fish are in such a state of decline. The demand for water must be met, but not at the expense of the ecosystem.

Ironically, the reason biologists' requests for cutbacks in pumping were overruled was to increase the size of an environmental water account, which can be used to supply water in dry periods.

The disagreement between water officials who insist on maintaining pumping levels and biologists who are deeply concerned about the loss of fish in the Delta cannot continue. It is impossible, however, to resolve the dispute without more information.

Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, is calling for a comprehensive study of the Delta ecosystem as quickly as possible. He must not be ignored, especially by his neighboring congressman, Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy.

Pombo is chairman of the House Resources Committee, which oversees water policy decisions. He, Miller and Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo, whose district draws water from the Delta, should form the core of a bipartisan effort to procure federal funds for a study of the Delta to determine just what is happening to fish and other species.

The key to quick action is Pombo, but he has been preoccupied with other congressional matters, such as revising the Endangered Species Act and the federal energy bill.

Now that Congress is in recess, he will have the opportunity to redirect his attention to a critical regional and state issue: Delta water quality and environmental protection.

He was helpful in obtaining funds for CalFed, but that organization has failed to accomplish what it set out to do and is in danger of disintegrating.

We believe CalFed should continue to be funded. It is the only group that ever brought agricultural, urban, industrial and environmental interests to a single table.

But before CalFed can move ahead and before water pumping is increased to the Central Valley and Southern California, we need to uncover the causes of fish depopulation in the Delta and address them.

At the very least it must be determined whether increased pumping has a major impact on the decimation of fish or whether it is primarily some other cause or causes.

California relies heavily on the Delta water resource and cannot afford to proceed in ignorance.