Tuesday September 3, 2024
San Luis Obispo Tribune —
Four environmental groups have accused San Luis Obispo County of operating Lopez Dam in a way that harms multiple endangered species, especially steelhead trout.
On Aug. 14, San Luis Obispo Coastkeeper, California Coastkeeper Alliance, Los Padres ForestWatch and the Ecological Rights Foundation filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that the county violated the U.S. Endangered Species Act by damaging steelhead trout habitat.
The groups said the county released too little water from Lopez Lake into Arroyo Grande Creek to support steelhead migration to the ocean, while blocking the fish from accessing historic habitat above the dam. The activists blamed the county’s actions for a decline in steelhead trout population in the creek.
The county, however, dismissed the activists’ claims as “suspicion and conjecture” in a response filed on Wednesday. The activists didn’t provide enough evidence to prove that the county’s operation of the dam was the true cause of the trout’s decline, the county said.