CALIFORNIA: Judge rules state must stop running water pumps

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 3/23/7

[SmithL]

Officials must first get permission to kill protected wildlife -

The state must stop running the giant pumps that send water to Southern California unless wildlife officials approve the continued killing of protected salmon and Delta smelt, a judge ruled today.

The decision by Judge Frank Roesch of Alameda County Superior Court gives the state Department of Water Resources 60 days to get the necessary permission from wildlife officials. Granting permission could, in turn, require massive efforts to increase salmon and smelt populations elsewhere.

Many environmentalists blame the exporting of Northern California water for causing sharp declines in the number of some fish species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The pumps operated by the state are located near Tracy and send water to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.

[theDentist]

so astounding I can't help but laugh... thanks be that I don't live in that wacko state.

[BigTex5]

Welcome California to water restrictions like us in Texas.

[Red Badger]

Nothing like being slapped with a dead fish!...........

[Domicile of Doom]

These idiots do realize they are hastening their own demise, don't they?

[patton]

Ummmm....if they turn off the pumps, how many humans will die?

[Red Badger]

Something smelt fishy about this.,...........

[Red Badger]

The judge didi it for the halibut. now, Californians are left floundering for a sole-ution........

[theDentist]

I don't know, but think of all the other water-related necessities.... toilets, showers, bath-houses (hmmm, that may be a good thing), car washes, lawns, flowers, pools, bubblers, etc. All this because a judge cannot put things in perspective.

[The Blitherer]

Um...so what am I supposed to drink? Ocean water?

[Dinsdale]

Ummmm....if they turn off the pumps, how many humans will die?

None. But southern Californians might have to replace their lawns with rocks and cactus.

It's actually a bigger threat to central valley farming.

I'm willing to bet this doesn't apply to turning off the pumps when the rivers are near flood. Just turning them down during the dry season.

Lame reporters.

[GOP_1900AD]

Has anyone every actually proved that the pumps suck in a significant number of fish? Most salmon head north up the Sacramento to spawn, not down into the Delta where the pumps are. Plus, if the intakes for those pumps did not screen out fish and other things in the water, they'd get fouled and the transported water would be putrid.

[Dinsdale]

< Sam Kinnison > Move out of the desert! < /Sam Kinnison >

[Izzy Dunne]

how many humans will die?

They're not an endangered species, dontcha know.

[Cold Heat]

OOOOOOhhhhh....Delta smelt! Yummy!

LOL!

[Dinsdale]

It's the salt water intrusion into the delta that causes the most problems.

The southern Californians want to dig a canal around the delta so they can suck unlimited water from further up steam.

Northern Californians having watched what happened to the Owens valley say 'Not a chance in hell, pave over your lawns!'

At the end of the day you can caste this as enviro kook vs. S. Cal but it's not.

It's fisherman vs. farmer, with all of Northern Cal basically saying, 'No more summer water available hear, move along.'

[Jaysun]

Um...so what am I supposed to drink? Ocean water?

Haven't you seen the GE commercials? They've been making ocean water drinkable for years now. Try as they might the environmentalist can never hold us down.

[theDentist]

For such baaad puns I throw at you this old worn sneaker (a family tradition).

[Dinsdale]

It's basically possible to trade a barrel of oil (or any other energy source) for a barrel of fresh water.

That's rarely a good trade.

[Red Badger]

Filet of Sole?..............