BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair

                                           1253 (Fuller)
          
          Hearing Date:  08/17/2009           Amended: 08/17/2009
          Consultant:  Brendan McCarthy   Policy Vote: NR&W 9-0
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          BILL SUMMARY:  This bill requires the CalFed Science Program to  
          evaluate the effects of predation on native fish species in the  
          Delta. The evaluation shall also review mitigation measures  
          being used by the State Water Project and the Central Valley  
          Project and make recommendations for potential changes in those  
          mitigation measures to improve fish survival.
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          ____
                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2009-10      2010-11       2011-12     Fund
           
          CalFed study           $150                             Bonds *

          * Proposition 50.
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          ____

          STAFF COMMENTS: This bill meets the criteria for referral to the  
          Suspense file. 
          
          In recent years, significant declines in pelagic (open water)  
          fish populations within the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta  
          (Delta) have been observed. The causes of the decline are a  
          matter of some controversy. Potential causes include predation  
          or competition from invasive species, reduced water quality due  
          to pollution, and impacts from the State Water Project and  
          Central Valley Project. (The two water projects impact fish  
          populations by changing water flows through the Delta and by  
          sucking fish into the pumps used to extract water from the  
          Delta.) The relative contributions of these factors to the  
          decline of pelagic fishes have not been determined.

          This bill requires the CalFed Science Program to conduct a  
          scientific review of existing literature and studies of  
          predation in the Delta to determine whether additional studies  
          are needed and to determine whether predator species are  










          adversely affecting population levels of salmon or other native  
          fish species of the Delta. The review shall identify potential  
          policy changes and management actions that could be undertaken  
          to reduce the effects of predation. The Science Program will  
          also evaluate existing studies on fish salvage methods and other  
          mitigation measures being used by the State Water Project and  
          the Central Valley Project and make recommendations for ways to  
          improve those mitigation measures in order to improve fish  
          survival. The review shall also include information on the  
          potential costs to carry out any improved mitigation measures.

          Staff estimates the cost to the CalFed Science Program to  
          undertake the required study to be about $150,000. Currently,  
          the Science Program is funded with Proposition 50 bond funds and  
          State Water Project funds.