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California Sportfishing Protection Alliance
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CSPA asks Regional Board to halt discharge of salmon killing pollutants from San Luis drainage into fragile San Joaquin River system

December 7, 2008 -- The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) and California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) have submitted joint scoping comments to the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board concerning the Board's proposed amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins. 

The amendment would allow the continuation of the Grasslands Bypass Project and allow the project to continue to discharge toxic pollutants into the San Joaquin River for another nine years.

The Grasslands Bypass Project is a regional drainage facility undertaken by the San Luis and Delta Mendota Water Authority that discharges selenium and salt-laden irrigation drain water from agricultural lands on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley to the San Joaquin River.

While the project has had limited success, selenium and salts continue to violate water quality standards and increase the mass loading of selenium to the Delta where it bioaccumulates to harmful levels in aquatic life.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have estimated that the concentrations of selenium discharged to the river have been high enough to kill up to a quarter of young salmon migrating past the point of discharge.

CSPA and C-WIN have long recommended that the Regional Board adopt rigorous waste discharge requirements for the project that ensure compliance with water quality standards.  The only long-term effective solution is to retire the 379,000 acres of drainage-impaired lands within the San Luis Unit.  Land retirement would not only reduce the fish-killing diversion of Delta water to irrigate impaired lands but also largely eliminate the discharge toxic drainage back to the river and Delta.

Its time that the Regional Board, charged with the statutory authority of protecting fish and water quality, exhibit the same enthusiasm in protecting our rivers that they have long demonstrated in protecting agricultural polluters.

CSPA C-WIN Scoping Comments for Development of an Amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins (Basin Plan) to allow the Continuation of the Grasslands Bypass Project 2010-2019

CSPA letter to Senator Feinstein on San Luis drainage issue

Research Paper: Toxicity of Selenium to Salmonids