Sacramento, CA – “The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority (Authority) is pleased with the signing of the Record of Decision on the Long-Term Operations of the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP). This action implements a long overdue update to the operating rules for the Federal and State Water Projects that provide water to California’s farmland and farming communities, its municipal and industrial regions, and important wildlife refuges south of the Delta.
“The Record of Decision is based on new Biological Opinions that provide more flexibility to the operations of California’s water projects while protecting listed species and enhancing the conditions in which they live in the Delta and its tributaries.
“The Biological Opinions are based upon the best available science developed over the past ten years and rely on a variety of new programs and management procedures intended to enhance protection of endangered species.
“They rely on systemwide enhancements that are based on real-time risks rather than the prior, calendar-based pumping schedule that failed to achieve its goals over the past decade. The new efforts include real-time monitoring of fish populations, a commitment to reduce pumping when sensitive species are present, along with actions that increase monitoring effectiveness.
“This is an important step forward to manage the operations of California’s water projects in a way that is responsive to real-time conditions.” said Federico Barajas. “Ensuring the efficient operation of critical infrastructure, like the Jones Pumping Plant, into the future, is vital for California’s economy, its managed wetlands and for the United States, which depends on California farms for more than 50 percent of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables produced nationwide.”