Officials from a dozen SoCal water agencies said Tuesday morning they have taken the first step to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service unless it withdraws a recent expansion of critical habitat areas designated for the Santa Ana sucker.
The ruling, which went into effect in January, adds 1,026 acres to the fish's habitat, bringing the total protected area to more than 10,000 acres. According to a 60-day notice filed this week, the ruling could result in a net water loss equal to what it takes to supply 500,000 people.
The habitat designation does not mean any human water supplies will be shut off or altered, but it does mean that local water districts and cities must consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service before doing work on any new or existing water projects with any federal involvement and could face stricter limits on what they can do.
"Water agencies are successfully conserving the sucker, and will continue to do so," said Douglas Headrick, general manager of San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District. "Ironically, the Fish and Wildlife Service is hindering this positive environmental progress while destabilizing regional water supplies and the economy of much of inland Southern California, which depends on reliable, affordable water."
The expanded habitat includes upstream areas that have no sucker fish living in them now and that sometimes dry up entirely because those areas hold the gravel that is critical for the fish's survival, said Ileene Anderson, a biologist with Center for Biological Diversity, the group that sued in 2005. That gravel needs to be washed downstream to help the fish, she said.
"The whole reason is to identify areas that may not have any animals in them anymore, but historically did. The critical habitat looks at recovery opportunities as well, rather than just keeping them on life support,'' Anderson said of the fish.
The Santa Ana sucker fish is listed as a federally threatened species. Not extending the sucker fish habitat could mean a closer end to the small river fish. Extending the sucker fish habitat with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plan could result in less water for locals. No matter which direction the water flows, it doesn't look good for the Sucker fish.
