Press release from the Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley and the Southern California Water Coalition:

The Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley and the Southern California Water Coalition have sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland advocating for the temporary suspension of the Fall X2 component of the Summer Fall Habitat Action for the 2024 water management year. This request is based on scientific evidence that demonstrates the ineffectiveness of the action for its intended purpose of supporting Delta smelt and highlights its adverse impacts on water supplies.

The Fall X2 Action, as currently prescribed, would result in significant cuts to water supplies to water projects that provide water to San Joaquin Valley agriculture, rural communities – including disadvantaged communities – and state and private wildlife refuges, and to Southern California.

“Implementation of this action is expected to result in a loss of 300,000 to 400,000 acre-feet of water supplies over the next two months that could otherwise be put to good use,” said Blueprint Chairman Eddie Ocampo. “Science has shown over the past decade that this action, which imposes significant water supply costs, does not provide the intended benefits to species, but instead reduces water supplies to affected communities that rely on water provided by the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project.”

Recent evaluations have shown that the Fall X2 action, which aims to increase Delta runoff in the fall, not only does not benefit Delta smelts, but also imposes unnecessary hardship on agriculture, local communities, and Southern California businesses and residents by significantly reducing water availability. The action, which cost the projects an estimated 734,000 acre-feet of water in 2023, equivalent to a $557 million open market value, underscores the need to reevaluate its effectiveness and impacts.

“The ongoing implementation of the Fall X2 Action based on outdated scientific data simply does not make sense, especially given its adverse impacts on the economic and environmental well-being of the people of the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California,” said Charley Wilson, executive director of the Southern California Water Coalition. “It is critical that water project operations follow an adaptive management approach that is consistent with current scientific evidence and minimizes unnecessary impacts to our communities.”

The groups are calling for the suspension of this measure for 2024, guided by the principles of adaptive management, which allow for the adaptation or discontinuation of management measures that prove to be ineffective or harmful based on empirical evidence and scientific advances.

By addressing these concerns, the Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley and the Southern California Water Coalition hope to restore more balanced and science-based water management that supports agricultural productivity, environmental health, and community sustainability in California.

Further information on Case X2: