Friday September 19, 2014
Manteca Bulletin –
The federal government — in a move questioned by some biologists as to its effectiveness — is going to release 23,000 acre feet of water in October from New Melones during the fall run of Chinook salmon in the Stanislaus River.
That’s enough water to supply the domestic needs of the cities of Manteca, Ripon, and Escalon for more than three years or 331,000 Californians for a year,
And while it is being done in the name of helping the fish, biologist Andrea Fuller with Fishbio notes more than 10 years of intense studies show it will have a negligible impact if even that. And ultimately it could hurt fish.
That’s why South San Joaquin Irrigation District General Manager Jeff Shields and other area water managers believe the pending releases from New Melones are simply a way to get more water to be exported south.