Dutch expert offers advice on saving Delta

The Sacramento Bee
By Matt Weiser
July 1, 2009

Tropical islands and mountain glaciers get all the attention. But the planet's river deltas are the real front lines of climate change.

Sharing that message is a goal of the Delta Alliance, a new effort by officials in the Netherlands to unite people around the world struggling to manage river delta regions. This includes Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nigeria - and California.

Scientists have advised California to prepare for 55 inches of sea level rise in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by 2100. Protecting communities and the Delta freshwater supply, which serves 23 million Californians, will be a complicated and pricey task.

Water pumping restrictions to protect Delta smelt end

The Modesto Bee
By Matt Weiser
July 1, 2009

Federal officials on Tuesday ended seasonal water pumping restrictions intended to protect the threatened Delta smelt.

The end of the water flow limits came in accordance with a biological opinion that governs Delta water export pumping only through June 30. Tuesday's action means water exports this summer no longer will be restricted specifically to protect smelt. The pumping rules don't resume again until winter.

Columbia River sockeye returns still strong

The Seattle Times
By Mark Yuasa
June 30, 2009

The Columbia River sockeye return remains fairly strong for the second year in a row.

"It continues to rumble on, and there are still some sockeye being caught in the lower river," said Joe Hymer, a state Fish and Widlife biologist. "Our forecast is pretty close to prediction [183,200 sockeye] and that is looking good."

The single day count at Bonneville Dam on June 27 was 11,404 sockeye; June 28 it was 10,114; and June 29 another 8,882 were tallied. So far this summer, 134,970 sockeye have been counted at Bonneville, and 55,737 sockeye have been counted at McNary Dam.