August 18, 2013 — The Board of Supervisors has a message for the federal judge who halted flows meant to protect Klamath salmon: Lawsuit or no lawsuit by Central California farmers, there's water in the Trinity River that belongs to Humboldt County and we want it released.
”A lot of us are scared a massive fish kill will happen again,” Chairman and 5th District Supervisor Ryan Sundberg said, referring to the 2002 Klamath River fish kill of tens of thousands of salmon. “There were just dead fish lining the banks. It was really heartbreaking. We're committed to doing everything we can to prevent that.”
Sundberg is the author of a declaration sent to U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill on Thursday that asserts that the federal government is legally obligated to provide no less than 50,000 acre-feet of water to Humboldt County and downstream water users.
The board will vote on ratifying the declaration during Tuesday morning's session, and discuss authorizing Sundberg to “respond as necessary” on the issue on behalf of the county.
The declaration cites the 1955 Trinity River Act and a 1959 contract between the county and the Bureau of Reclamation that resulted from the act.
According to a letter sent by Sundberg and Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairwoman Danielle Vigil Masten to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, the act allowed for the diversion of Trinity River water to the Central Valley, but stipulated “that not less than 50,000 acre-feet shall be released annually from the Trinity Reservoir and made available to Humboldt County and downstream water users.”
Read the full story at the Times-Standard News