The Water Crisis Forum
Understanding the Challenge for the Sierra Foothills and the San Joaquin Valley
Sponsored by The Lake Tulloch Alliance

 

For Immediate Release 
Contact: Jack Cox (209) 785- 1944
 

(Lake Tulloch, California) United States Congressman Tom McClintock will join state legislators and local leaders for a discussion about federal policies that are draining our Sierra Reservoirs to "save fish." McClintock will be joined by several California State Legislators representing the San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Foothills. Local government officials will be present too including Tuolumne County Supervisor Karl Rodefer along with an internationally recognized biologist and an expert on fishflows.

       The Lake Tulloch Alliance joining with other organizations is sponsoring The Water Crisis Forum March 28th will bring together federal and state legislators with local leaders to discuss plans to deal with the problems caused by the Endangered Species Act with rivers and dams in the Sierra and its impact on agriculture and communities.

     
       The act is effectively mandating the release of billions of gallons of water to increase fish population downstream from Sierra dams. These releases threaten to remove more than a half million acre feet of water from New Melones and Tulloch Reservoirs by September alone plus more from other reservoirs. The forum will be held at ground zero at Lake Tulloch, which is threatened with being drained by September if fish release policies are not ended.


       The forum will also include an analysis of the effectiveness of environmental policy that employs amount of water to improve fisheries. Douglas Demko, President of Fishbio and an internationally recognized expert on fisheries research/monitoring, will present the analysis. Demko has for two decades conducted in-depth analysis of fishery issues in Stanislaus River but has also worked for such organizations as the United States Army Corps of Engineers and wildlife organizations.

        “This environmental policy threatens agriculture in the valley and communities throughout the Sierra Foothills and will also impact higher mountain communities by decreasing tourism.” Jack Cox of the Lake Tulloch Alliance continued “These releases will effectively waste enough water to supply the cities of Modesto and Stockton combined for one year while removing a valuable storage of water that may been needed in the future if the drought continues in 2015-2016. This is bad public policy.”

          The Forum provides an opportunity for citizens to hear and interact with their Washington and Sacramento Legislators and other leaders. The goal is to provide the real facts on the practice using water releases to “save fish” and their impact on the people, economy, agriculture and ecology of the Sierra foothills and the Central Valley of California.

           It will be held at the Blackcreek Center in Copperopolis at 10 am Saturday March 28, 2015. For additional information citizens and media can to The Lake Tulloch Alliance website, www.laketulloch.org or contact the organization at laketullochalliance@gmail.com.