Thursday July 16, 2026
KRCR —
A judge has denied a request from several environmental groups to halt the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s planned water release schedule for Shasta Dam this fall, amid an ongoing lawsuit over concerns the releases could threaten Chinook salmon.
The lawsuit challenges the bureau’s planned release amounts. Environmental groups argue the schedule does not account for protections needed to manage water temperatures for vulnerable fish, including salmon.
Harrison Beck with the Center for Biological Diversity said the lawsuit stems from what he described as requirements under the 2024 Endangered Species Act that the bureau take extra precautions to protect water temperature for vulnerable fish like salmon.
“The bureau’s plan for operating the Shasta Dam reservoir this year we believe is likely to kill winter run chinook salmon,” Beck claimed. “Like I said a species already on the brink of extinction, in significant and avoidable ways.”