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Methow Valley News May 25, 2000 Endangered Species Fish and water talks resume by Lee Hicks The Methow basin watershed planning unit, federal and state officials were to begin a two-day round of negotiations Wednesday morning (May 24) in an attempt to reach an agreement on fish and water issues. Focus of the talks will be so-called "parking lot" issues—topics that have been tabled, or "parked," at previous meetings. Among the most critical one is how to protect water rights while adapting irrigation methods to aid fish recovery. The agreement would apply specifically to irrigation on private property, although ditches diverting water on federal land could be affected by issues addressed in any agreement. Unlike last year, federal ditches have begun operating under Forest Service permits. However, final "biological opinions" regarding effects on endangered fish species have yet to be released by National Marine Fisheries Service. Greg Knott of the local Forest Service office said Monday that most ditches covered by Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act are diverting water with an "operation and maintenance plan" signed by the ditch official. "It’s not an edict that we hand down. We try to work with the operators," Knott said. Target streamflow figures in the "O&M" plans were taken from earlier draft biological opinions by NMFS. Irrigators have said the targets are so high that many ditches would have to shut down or severely curtail irrigation as streams drop. The Forest Service has said it used the high targets while anticipating that NMFS would issue new figures in final biological opinions to reflect better information for individual ditches. NMFS’ state director, Bob Turner, said in mid-April that the biological opinions were "on our attorney’s desk." The statement came within days of notice from several environmental groups that they would file suit to force the agency to issue final opinions. The dilemma for irrigators is that the higher target flows will remain in place under Forest Service permits, or "O&M" plan, until new numbers are available in NMFS’ opinions. Irrigators have hoped the opinions will provide more flexibility to allow ditches to operate even as streamflows drop during the season. The crisis over irrigation and endangered species in the Methow basin erupted last irrigation season when NMFS told the Forest Service that operation of some Section 7 ditches would harm listed steelhead and spring Chinook salmon. NMFS listed steelhead and spring Chinook as endangered in the basin. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added bull trout to the "threatened" list under ESA. Opinion | Sports |
Local Interest |