Officials say the recent court decision to turn off pumps that deliver about 45,000 acre-feet of water from the State Water Project will have no immediate local effect, as enough water is currently held in storage. The decision was promoted by lawsuits filed on behalf of the Delta smelt, a threatened species decimated by the turbines that move California’s waters through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to southern water agencies. The 10-day shutdown aims to help juvenile smelt reach adulthood. If prolonged, however, local water agencies can expect to feel the pinch of the shutdown.
