Spreck Rosekrans is an Economic Analyst at EDF.

Amidst the recent (media frenzy ) about Delta water supplies, it seems worth noting that many scientists and environmentalists have been warning for decades that it will not be possible to sustain the valuable and unique Bay-Delta ecosystem if we continue to divert increasing amounts of water from the Delta and the rivers that feed it.

It also seems worth noting that the "Wanger" diversion reductions are not so large when considered in a historical context – under the “Wanger” decision State Water Project customers would receive as much exported water as they did only ten years ago. The recent Biological Opinion reductions need to be considered in this same context.

The chart below shows the history of State Water Project deliveries compared against projections of what would be allowed under the recent federal court ruling (2007) and under the more permissive State Board’s Water Quality Control Plan (1995). Unfortunately, as evidenced by the dramatic fish population declines in recent years, we have found that the Water Quality Control Plan clearly does not provide for the needs of Delta smelt. Read more »

Thomas J. Graff is Senior Counsel at EDF.

They say cats have nine lives.  

How many does the proposed Auburn Dam have? 

The answer: one less than it did last week.  

On Tuesday, the State Water Board revoked the Bureau of Reclamation's decades-old permit to divert water from the American River at Auburn, holding that it had not pursued completion of the dam in a timely fashion. 

Many heroes can be credited with helping to bring about this result. Ron Stork, Steve Evans, and colleagues at Friends of the River, including the since-departed Charlie Casey, stand out among them. 

I recall two episodes from this long battle. Read more »

Ann Hayden is a Senior Water Resource Analyst at EDF.

Contrary to the San Diego Union Tribune’s latest editorial on the Delta (“Stop handing Delta water rules to activists”), recent actions to protect imperiled Bay-Delta fish are not simply the result of requests from "environmental activists". Instead, it is the proper enforcement of the state and federal Endangered Species Act that is responsible for these actions taken to protect imperiled Bay-Delta fish. Delta smelt and other pelagic species are at their lowest levels on record; the ESA has been enforced as a last-ditch effort to prevent their extinction. Read more »

Ashley Rood is a Research & Outreach Associate with EDF.

New York Times blogger Allison Arieff takes a look at this critical question in Blue is the New Green.

The article caught my eye when I saw this quote: "because water is cheap (at least for now) and seemingly in infinite supply, efforts to improve its use — or deter its overuse — have been inadequate."

While this has been our mantra at "On the Water Front", it is encouraging to see that even popular articles about green living and sustainability are making this often overlooked linkage.

Thanks to Allison for connecting the dots—and for providing an excellent primer on how we can use water better with green roofs, greywater systems and rainwater harvesting.

While it’s clear that pricing water right would do a lot to stem wasteful use, there is still a lot we can all do now to use water more efficiently.

Cynthia Koehler is Senior Consulting Attorney for EDF.

The Mainstream media reports that the Bush administration is rushing to finalize "minor" changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that would preclude federal agencies from considering global warming when determining whether fish, wildlife, plants and other species are threatened with extinction.

This provision is apparently part of the Administration's proposal to eliminate the ESA's requirement that federal fishery agencies, either the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, provide scientific review for all federal projects that could affect a protected species. Read more »