[env-trinity] Redwood Times- Humboldt County: Trinity River salmon could face ‘irreversible harm’

[Tom Stokely]

https://www.redwoodtimes.com/2019/12/10/humboldt-county-trinity-river-salmon-could-face-irreversible-harm/

Humboldt County: Trinity River salmon could face ‘irreversible harm’ 

Concerns raised about Sites Reservoir project diversions to Sacramento Basin
Ali Forsythe of Sites Reservoir project told the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the project’s stakeholders intend to preserve the river’s water rights. (Shomik Mukherjee — The Times-Standard)By SHOMIK MUKHERJEE | smukherjee at times-standard.com | PUBLISHED: December 10, 2019 at 5:51 pm | UPDATED: December 10, 2019 at 5:57 pm

| 
| 
| 
|  |  |

 |

 |
| 
|  | 
Humboldt County: Trinity River salmon could face ‘irreversible harm’

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved two letters on Tuesday threatening to yank back su...
 |

 |

 |




The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved two letters on Tuesday threatening to yank back support for a reservoir project that would divert more water from the Trinity River and pose further harm to its fishery.

The board’s vote was met with widespread public support as tribal members and water rights advocates called on the county to stand against the latest environmental impact report for the Sites Reservoir project, an off-stream storage of water that partly diverts Trinity River water to the Sacramento Basin.

In its letters, the county states that the project’s current design would take too much water out of the Trinity River, which science indicates would leave the water temperature too high for salmon populations to be healthy.

“Humboldt County has a vested interest in this project because significant impacts to the Trinity River, which is partially diverted into the Sacramento River, would cause irreversible harm to Humboldt County’s commercial, sport, and tribal fisheries,” one county letter states.

The county had offered support for the project in 2018, under conditions that no further water be diverted from the basins and that stakeholders explore options to reduce out-of-basin transfers of Trinity River water.

As a result of past diversions, the Trinity River’s water supply has been spent and its quality diminished, leaving salmon in the lower Klamath River in peril.

Tom Stokely of environmental group Save California Salmon emphasized on Tuesday the county has a “huge stake” in the Trinity River. He called on the county to insist upon a stronger agreement with Sites Reservoir that protects water and salmon interests.

“I’ve never seen anyone get anything in the water world by being nice,” said Stokely, who has worked for decades in natural resource planning. “Unless you play hardball, I don’t think you’re going to have your interests looked out for.”
A crowd of environmental advocates and some tribal members came to support the supervisors’ decision to re-engage Sites Reservoir on its potential impacts to the Trinity River. (Shomik Mukherjee — The Times-Standard)
Ali Forsythe of Sites Reservoir spoke in defense of the project, assuring the board that it will be a “good steward” of the rivers. She apologized for a “delay” in protecting the Trinity River’s water rights and said Sites remains committed to the county’s 2018 conditions.

“We understand as an organization that the better the fish are, the better the ecosystems are and the better the people of the state of California are,” Forsythe said.

Tuesday’s meeting also featured public comments from a handful of Native American tribal members who rely on the Trinity River’s fishery and historically have sacred ties to the river water.

With all of the water diversions, there’s no water left to funnel elsewhere, said one Hoopa tribal member.

“You guys have got to really study this before making a decision,” the tribal member said. “I go to happy hour — my bar is the river bar. You guys go to the local pub; we go to the river. You guys should think about saving it.”
Shomik Mukherjee can be reached at 707-441-0504. 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20191211/dc7713d4/attachment.html>