<html><head></head><body><div class="yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><div><div class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal" dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Attached is a Fact Sheet on the Proposed CSPA/C-WIN/SCS Temperature Manangement Plan for the Sacramento and Trinity rivers.</div><div class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal" dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div>TS</div></div><div><span style="font-size:16.0pt"></span></div><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt"></span></b></div><b><i><span style="font-size:16.0pt"></span></i></b></div><div><b><i><span style="font-size:16.0pt"><br></span></i></b></div><div><b><i><span style="font-size:16.0pt">For Immediate Release</span></i></b></div>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"><i> </i></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"><i>1 June 2021</i></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"><i> </i></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"><i>For More Information and Interviews Contact:</i></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"><i>Bill Jennings, California Sportfishing Protection
Alliance, 209-464-5067. </i><a href="mailto:deltakeep@me.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>deltakeep@me.com</i></a></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"><i>Tom Stokely, Save California Salmon, 530-524-0315, </i><a href="mailto:tgstoked@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>tgstoked@gmail.com</i></a></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt">Emergency Water Plan to Save California Salmon from
Extinction</span></b></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><b><i>Fisheries
Advocates Send River Plan to State Water Board to Mitigate Immediate Threat</i></b></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal">The Sacramento River’s iconic salmon runs are in imminent
danger of extinction due to drought and irrational water policy. To avert a
catastrophe, fisheries advocates have submitted an emergency water management
plan to the State Water Resources Control Board. </p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal">Drafted by the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance
(CSPA), the California Water Impact Network (CWIN), and Save California Salmon
(SCS), the plan will significantly reduce salmon-killing high temperature water
releases from Shasta and Trinity reservoirs. It will also protect carryover
storage in the event of another dry year. </p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal">The crisis, building for some time, has accelerated
dramatically in recent days.<span> </span>On May 21,
the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported that endangered
winter-run Chinook salmon were dying below Keswick Dam near Redding from
releases of warm water taken from the top of Shasta Reservoir. </p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal">Salmon need cold, clean water to survive. But the water
released in May by the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation to supply a small number of
agricultural irrigators exceeded 61º F. This water temperature was far above
the 56ºF standard protective of spawning salmon and the 53.5ºF needed to protect
salmon eggs. The releases occurred despite calls from the California Department
of Fish and Wildlife (CDFG) and the National Marine Fisheries Service to keep
river temperatures at or below 56ºF.<span> </span></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal">The situation is particularly dire because the Sacramento
River’s salmon were already at the tipping point. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">According to the CDFW, Sacramento
River mainstem winter-run, spring-run and fall-run Chinook salmon (1970-1974 v.
2015-2019) have declined 91.0, 99.9 and 79.7 percent, respectively. Fall-run salmon
are the largest run on the Sacramento River and the mainstay of California’s
commercial and sport salmon fisheries.</span></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black;mso-themecolor:text1"> </span></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">CSPA Executive Director Bill Jennings said, “Despite
excessive April-May water deliveries, Shasta Reservoir still has sufficient
cold water to save the salmon. Unfortunately, the Bureau has unreasonably delivered
exorbitant amounts of water to Central Valley agribusiness. The State Water
Board has failed to meaningfully act to stop this unfolding disaster. The Board
must limit the Bureau’s agricultural water deliveries to protect the needs of
fisheries and urban areas.” </span></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black;mso-themecolor:text1"> </span></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal">In response, a coalition of conservationists and fishery
advocates have submitted an alternative water operations plan to the State
Water Resources Control Board. The plan will protect Chinook salmon spawning
and rearing in the Sacramento, Trinity and lower Klamath Rivers. The plan will
also maintain an extra half-million acre-feet of water in Shasta and Trinity
reservoirs should next year also be dry.</p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"> </p>
<div class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal">“It’s a myth that sending Trinity water to the Sacramento
River helps the Sacramento winter-run Chinook,” says Tom Stokely, the
co-director of Save California Salmon. “Trinity water heats up a lot as it
moves through Whiskeytown Reservoir. It is a liability for Sacramento River
salmon. Our plan keeps warm Trinity water out of the Sacramento River. It also conserves
50% more water in Trinity Lake. That water will help save salmon on the Trinity
and lower Klamath rivers.”</div><div class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"><br></div><p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal">To review the full CSPA/CWIN/SCS Proposed Temperature
Management Plan go to: <a href="https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/drought/sacramento_river/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/drought/sacramento_river/</a></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"><b><i>The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance</i></b><i>
is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public benefit conservation and research organization
established in 1983 for the purpose of conserving, restoring, and enhancing the
state's water quality, wildlife and fishery resources and their aquatic
ecosystems and associated riparian habitats.<span>
</span></i><a href="https://calsport.org/news/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>https://calsport.org/news/</i></a></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"><i> </i></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"><b><i>Save California Salmon i</i></b><i>s dedicated to
restoring rivers through restoring flows and salmon habitat, removing dams, and
improving water quality throughout Northern California. We are also dedicated
to fighting new threats to our rivers such as new dams, diversions and
pipelines and empowering people to fight for rivers and salmon. We are
dedicated to protecting and restoring the salmon Klamath, Trinity, Sacramento,
Eel, and Smith. Rivers.<span> </span></i><a href="https://www.californiasalmon.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>https://www.californiasalmon.org/</i></a></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black;mso-themecolor:text1"><span> </span><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"><b><i>The California Water Impact Network</i></b><i>
promotes the equitable and environmental use of California's water, including
instream uses, through research, planning, public education, and litigation.<span> </span></i><a href="https://www.c-win.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" class="">https://www.c-win.org</a></p><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>
<p class="ydp64c48a0aMsoNormal"> </p>
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