Wednesday December 4, 2024
Sacramento Bee —
The Environmental Protection Agency urged California water regulators to protect tribal cultural practices in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta, the troubled heart of the state’s water supply.
Comments to the State Water Resources Control Board by EPA regional administrator Martha Guzman at a hearing Tuesday marked rare federal intervention into state water politics as regulators weigh options to regulate how much water stays in the estuary.
“The EPA strongly supports the proposal in the draft plan to designate tribal cultural uses throughout the Bay Delta watershed,” Guzman said, referring to subsistence fishing. “This proposal recognizes the centrality of vital fish populations to many California tribes.”
Guzman also challenged a proposal spearheaded by Gov. Gavin Newsom to let water users voluntarily cut back on their use with limited oversight.