{"id":392842,"date":"2026-07-10T02:07:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T02:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/392842\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T02:07:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T02:07:09","slug":"judge-denies-environmentalists-pause-on-california-water-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/392842\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge denies environmentalists pause on California water projects"},"content":{"rendered":"

Conservation groups say the large water infrastructure projects in Northern California could harm vulnerable salmon, trout and sturgeon populations.<\/p>\n

OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) \u2014\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

Denying<\/a> a temporary restraining order, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston said neither the plaintiffs \u2014 the Center for Biological Diversity, the San Francisco Baykeeper and Friends of the River \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bottom line is that the court cannot readily determine on this record whether plaintiffs\u2019 interpretation of the [biological opinion\u2019s] requirements is superior to or even competitive with Reclamation\u2019s,\u201d she wrote. \u201cThus, the court cannot find either likely success on the merits or a \u2018serious question\u2019 at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Central Valley Project and the California\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

In their March lawsuit<\/a>, the three environmental organizations say the projects threaten fish like the Chinook salmon, steelhead trout and Northern American green sturgeon.<\/p>\n

They say the Bureau of Reclamation\u2019s plans didn\u2019t align with the requirements of a 2024 Endangered Species Act biological opinion provided by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The plans, the nonprofits said, affect water temperature and salinity, which can adversely affect fish at all life stages.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt may be that Reclamation\u2019s interpretation of the biological opinion requirements is ultimately in conflict with the overall goals of the biological opinion and that this conflict may inform the court\u2019s evaluation of the parties\u2019 positions,\u201d Thurston wrote. \u201cBut this is not entirely clear, given that the proposed action, which the biological opinion ultimately approved, is designed to serve multiple purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Central Valley Project is a large system that moves water from the delta to the Central Valley, mostly for agricultural use. In addition to changing water temperature, it also blocks access to fish breeding areas, the groups said.<\/p>\n

The groups asked a federal judge to declare that the bureau has violated the Endangered Species Act and stop it from taking action that harms the endangered fish.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re disappointed that the court failed to protect imperiled fish species from the Bureau\u2019s unlawful operation of the Shasta Dam and reservoir,\u201d Harrison Beck, a Center for Biological Diversity staff attorney, said in a statement to Courthouse News. \u201cToday\u2019s ruling allows the Bureau to continue operating the dam and reservoir in a manner that is likely to harm winter-run Chinook Salmon and other endangered and imperiled species in significant and avoidable ways.\u00a0These iconic species deserve the protection they\u2019re entitled to under the law, and we\u2019re going to keep fighting to make sure they get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The California State Water Resources Control Board \u2014 which reviews and approves plans considering state law requirements imposed on the projects \u2014 requested that the final plans include additional measures that \u201care more likely to result in favorable temperature management conditions for winter-run and fall-run Chinook salmon.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, in June, the board rejected the final plans because they didn\u2019t meet carryover storage requirements that would improve conditions for the salmon.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation declined to comment, citing pending litigation.<\/p>\n

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