When allocating water, wildlife matters: why we need to protect our natural heritage in times of drought

by Alexandra Lee

The Earthscope team was lucky enough to meet Congressman Jared Huffman, representing California’s 2nd District, in his Marin office and interview him about several issues concerning the environment. We covered a broad range of topics, from Huffman’s opinion on oil drilling in the Arctic to ways we can stop the toxic algae blooms that have started to occur off the California coast. I asked him about his year-old Drought Relief and Resilience Act - what it’s main goals are and why California needs it.

    Before getting into what the bill consists of, Huffman talked about how the pumping of water in the San Joaquin Delta affects the endangered salmon and other species of marine life that reside there. He also explained how in times of drought these species need water to survive. While we usually think of how water shortages affect humans, they have terrible consequences for the animals living near our water sources. The San Joaquin Delta water extraction systems are managed by large pumps, according to Huffman, and draw water out of the delta and across California, mainly for drinking water and agriculture use. In times of drought, the water pumping is limited because it will reverse the current of water necessary for salmon and other fish to make it to the bay. Although these endangered species are federally protected in the Delta, many people are advocating for increased pumping in times of drought to extract it for human use even though it could completely wipe out other species. While it’s true that farmers need this water for their crops and millions of humans rely on this water to drink, pumping at full capability during water shortages has the potential to cause the extinction of or severely reduce the population of the endangered salmon and fish populations in the San Joaquin Delta.

http://kpbs.org/photos/2012/jul/30/18209

    Huffman then went on to explain how his bill would address this issue, as well as several other issues concerning the drought. This is a very important issue to be aware of, as salmon are crucial to the survival of several habitats and ecosystems throughout California. We don’t need to protect salmon just to save salmon, we need to protect them to preserve all of the wildlife systems that depend on them. Without these ecosystems, we will surely see a decline in the health and productivity of naturally occurring rivers and forests, which would impact humans as well as animals. Thanks to Jared Huffman for introducing this issue to Earthscope, as well as the several other environmental issues he mentioned to our team.