State Targeted In Drought Lawsuit
San Francisco, CA — The lawsuit claims the state and federal government have mismanaged their handling of water during the four-year drought.
The California Sportfishing Protection Association (CSPA) and other organizations filed the suit in a Sacramento federal court Thursday. The group charges the Federal Bureau of Reclamation and state Water Resources Control Board ignored state and federal laws when divvying up the state’s depleted water supplies creating even greater water woes for the state. The lawsuit claims that due to the governments mishandling of water flows, vital native fish populations are much closer to extinction in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Delta. CSPA Executive Director Bill Jennings says, “We cannot stand aside and watch species go extinct simply because special interests have captured our regulatory agencies and they refuse to comply with laws enacted to protect fish and water quality. The situation is critical and we’re left with no alternative but the courts. And we’re prepared to sue them again and again and again. We don’t know if we can save these species, perhaps we can, but by god we will try!”
The Bureau of Reclamation has declined comment citing legal reasons.
