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Smelt Slip Up

Biologists are calling a recent Delta smelt monitoring project everything from "a waste of money" to "the O.J. Simpson of water."

The monitoring operation, conducted by Hanson Environmental, was conceived as a way to determine the timing and path of fish caught in the state and federal water projects. Pumping levels were increased systematically over a ten-day period - drawing on American River water - while Kodiak trawlers tracked the density of smelt in the Old and Middle Rivers. The plan was to correlate the density of the smelt found in the rivers with fish found in the salvage operations at the two water facilities. Unfortunately, by the time the experiment took place this July, most of the smelt had moved out of range of the pumps. Researchers collected only six smelt - a meager catch for $100,000.

Critics abound. "They're just using this as an excuse to pump more water," says Felix Smith, a retired U.S. Fish & Wildlife official. "This is the O.J. Simpson of water." Cal Fish & Game's Perry Herrgesell says, "The science could be questioned." And John Williams, who is charged with administering a court order allocating the American River's resources, says, "You'd want to do that experiment when the fish were in a position in the central Delta where they would be susceptible to the pumps."

"The test quite frankly was a little too late," says the Department of Water Resources' Leo Winternitz, who asked Hanson to conduct the study. Winternitz stressed that the monitoring showed only that smelt are not at risk from pumping in July. He hopes to conduct better studies next spring.

If additional studies do come online, Williams would like to get a chance to comment. "In this instance, I don't think the effect on the American River is that significant," he says. "But it does get into the range of activities that have environmental effects. I hate to be bureaucratic about it, but there ought to have been some opportunity for public input."

Contact: Leo Winternitz (916)495-7203

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