Wednesday September 28, 2022
NBC Bay Area —
Bay Area environmental watchdog San Francisco Baykeeper filed suit on Tuesday against the Santa Clara Valley Water District for allegedly violating the California Constitution and the Fish and Game Code through its water management practices.
“Valley Water has failed for years to manage its waters in a manner that protects fish and wildlife,” said Baykeeper in a statement.
According to Baykeeper, Valley Water is responsible for area creeks and rivers that support salmon, steelhead, longfin, smelt, riffle sculpin, rainbow trout and “many other public trust resources.”
Baykeeper alleges that Valley Water “routinely” causes temperatures in the creeks and rivers it manages to be too warm and at flow rates that are too low, something Baykeeper says is “fatal to fish.”