Friday July 10, 2026
Courthouse News Service —
A federal judge declined on Thursday to halt Northern California water infrastructure projects that a group of environmental nonprofits say will harm several vulnerable fish species.
Denying a temporary restraining order, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston said neither the plaintiffs — the Center for Biological Diversity, the San Francisco Baykeeper and Friends of the River — nor the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation provided her an argument on how to interpret the terms of a Endangered Species Act biological opinion for the Central Valley Project.
“The bottom line is that the court cannot readily determine on this record whether plaintiffs’ interpretation of the [biological opinion’s] requirements is superior to or even competitive with Reclamation’s,” she wrote. “Thus, the court cannot find either likely success on the merits or a ‘serious question’ at this time.”
The denial is without prejudice, however, the Joe Biden appointee wrote, noting briefing for a preliminary injunction is ongoing, and more clarity may be provided.
The Central Valley Project and the California’s State Water Project include dams, reservoirs, water diversion facilities, conveyance channels, pumping facilities, and other water infrastructure that uses the flow of fresh water from upstream rivers, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the San Francisco Bay.
In their March lawsuit, the three environmental organizations say the projects threaten fish like the Chinook salmon, steelhead trout and Northern American green sturgeon.