A coalition of environmental groups on the Central and South Coasts have filed a lawsuit against a water district, saying a dam it operates isn’t releasing enough water to help endangered steelhead.
The lawsuit was filed by San Luis Obispo Coastkeeper and Los Padres ForestWatch against the Santa Maria Water Conservation District. The suit seeks an increase in water releases from Twitchell Dam, which is on the Cuyama River, which feeds into the Santa Maria River.
The coalition claims releasing an estimated four percent of the dam’s water supply wouldn’t have a major impact on its water users, but would be enough for the fish to get to and from their spawning habitat to the ocean.
As a result of the drought the reservoir behind Twitchell Dam was at record low levels for the last few years. Even after this year’s significant rainfall, it’s at only 38% of capacity.
