Opening the spigot to help save fish

State and federal agencies released extra water into the American River last week to offset rising salinity in the Delta, but environmental groups warn fish could be stranded as water eventually recedes.

Last Tuesday, officials began releasing 400,000 acre-feet of water from Shasta, Folsom and Oroville reservoirs into the American River, raising water levels about 2 feet. On Sunday the amount released began tapering.

The releases, which also affect the Sacramento and Feather rivers, are mandated under a 1994 Bay-Delta agreement between water users and environmental groups to protect water quality and fish, including salmon and the Delta smelt.

But releases last year were halted, drying out eggs and stranding fish in tributaries of the American River, says Spreck Rosekrans of Environmental Defense.

The state Department of Water Resources says it can minimize stranded fish this year by releasing water in spring when fewer fish are spawning or migrating.

“We’re doing everything we can to diminish the impacts [of releasing less water into the river],” said Jeff McCracken of the federal Bureau of Reclamation.

-- Charles Duhigg