Monday February 3, 2025
Valley Ag Voice —
In December, Governor Gavin Newsom and the Biden-Harris Administration signed off on the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s updated framework for the State Water Project and Central Valley Project, focusing on protecting endangered fish species.
According to a press release from the Bureau of Reclamation, the new plan for the Long-Term Operation of the Central Valley Project and Delta facilities of the State Water Project includes more predictable actions for endangered fish and a more reliable response to multi-year droughts. This record of decision marks the end of a four-year process to overturn the 2019 biological opinions released under the Trump administration.
“The completion of new operating rules for the Central Valley Project is the cornerstone of our efforts to address record drought and changing climate conditions in California,” Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said in the release. “The plan helps build the state’s resilience to drought, both for water users and the environment. It also dovetails with the significant ecosystem investments and infrastructure projects that Reclamation has funded, including new water storage, capacity improvements, groundwater banking, and the development of a drought plan for the south-of-Delta. We are grateful for our partners at the federal, state, and local levels without whom none of our shared accomplishments would have been possible.”
This decision came after the Bureau’s final Environmental Impact Statement, published in November 2024, which examined various strategies for managing the CVP and SWP. It also reviewed the 2019 Biological Opinions to align with a Biden Administration directive emphasizing science-based environmental protections and ensure CVP operations comply with California’s Endangered Species Act.