Thursday January 18, 2024
Save Our Salmon via Maven’s Notebook —
As the largest dam removal project in history unfolds on the Klamath River, conservation and social justice organizations filed a legal petition seeking a permanent instream flow requirement for the Shasta River, an important Klamath River tributary.
“The Shasta River was historically the most productive chinook salmon river in the Klamath River Basin, and now it is used mainly to flood irrigate fields,” explained Regina Chichizola from Save California Salmon, a Tribally led environmental justice organization. “The impact of dewatering Klamath River tributaries to Tribal subsistence fishing and the commercial fishing industry can not be overstated.”
The petition filed with the California State Water Resources Control Board (California Water Board) requests a permanent instream flow requirement (a requirement to leave water in the river) that is sufficient to achieve recovery of endangered species and satisfy beneficial uses of the Shasta River, including subsistence fishing and recreation.