07-07-2003, 09:29 PM
Palo Alto Withdraws From Trinity Lawsuit
On June 2, the Palo Alto, California, city council voted to withdraw from litigation blocking Trinity River fishery restoration. The city is the first member of the Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) to withdraw from the lawsuit as a partner with Westlands Water District.
The NCPA is a coalition of cities and utility districts that buy electricity from Trinity River dams. Thirteen other cities, including Roseville, Alameda, Gridley, Santa Clara, Lompoc, Healdsburg, Ukiah, Biggs, Redding, and the Turlock Irrigation District, remain partners in the lawsuit with Westlands.
Palo Alto's action follows the withdrawal by Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) from appeals filed in the litigation in late April and from any further involvement in Trinity restoration activities. The coalition of American Indian tribes, environmental groups and fishermen's organizations that pressured SMUD to withdraw from the litigation was also responsible for influencing Palo Alto's decision.
The lawsuit blocked the historic Record of Decision (ROD) in December 2000 by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit to restore the Trinity River. The ROD allocated 47 percent of the river's water to the fish and the tribes, and 53 percent to agriculture and hydroelectric needs. Until that decision, Westlands Water District and other water users diverted up to 90 percent of the river's water, resulting in dramatic declines in the river's once-abundant steelhead, king salmon and coho salmon runs. King salmon number about 10 percent of their pre-dam population levels and cohos are listed as threatened.
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On June 2, the Palo Alto, California, city council voted to withdraw from litigation blocking Trinity River fishery restoration. The city is the first member of the Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) to withdraw from the lawsuit as a partner with Westlands Water District.
The NCPA is a coalition of cities and utility districts that buy electricity from Trinity River dams. Thirteen other cities, including Roseville, Alameda, Gridley, Santa Clara, Lompoc, Healdsburg, Ukiah, Biggs, Redding, and the Turlock Irrigation District, remain partners in the lawsuit with Westlands.
Palo Alto's action follows the withdrawal by Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) from appeals filed in the litigation in late April and from any further involvement in Trinity restoration activities. The coalition of American Indian tribes, environmental groups and fishermen's organizations that pressured SMUD to withdraw from the litigation was also responsible for influencing Palo Alto's decision.
The lawsuit blocked the historic Record of Decision (ROD) in December 2000 by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit to restore the Trinity River. The ROD allocated 47 percent of the river's water to the fish and the tribes, and 53 percent to agriculture and hydroelectric needs. Until that decision, Westlands Water District and other water users diverted up to 90 percent of the river's water, resulting in dramatic declines in the river's once-abundant steelhead, king salmon and coho salmon runs. King salmon number about 10 percent of their pre-dam population levels and cohos are listed as threatened.
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