Tribe Sues to Stop Water Transfers By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 12:21 a.m. ET LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Conservationists and an American Indian tribe sued the federal government Wednesday in an attempt to stop water transfers they claim could further threaten the dying Salton Sea. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Riverside, could delay a complicated water swap aimed at reducing California's overuse of Colorado River water. The suit claims Interior Secretary Gale Norton and the Bureau of Reclamation haven't completed mandated studies on restoring the sea -- a landlocked body of water 120 miles northeast of San Diego that is a main stopping place for tens of thousands of migrating birds. Trudy Harlow, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Reclamation, declined to comment, saying government lawyers hadn't reviewed the lawsuit. The 380-square-mile lake, created in the desert by a 1905 canal breach, survives mainly through agricultural runoff. But with no outlet to the ocean, it has become increasingly salty and could be unable to support fish or wildlife in a few decades. A 1998 act required the government to develop a plan by 2000 to restore the sea. The suit says feasibility studies and a final environmental impact statement are two years late. The lawsuit was filed by the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, whose members historically have used the sea and surrounding areas for hunting, fishing and other activities. The sea is an ``environmental treasure,'' said Elden Hughes, chair of the Sierra Club's California/Nevada Desert Committee. The Salton Sea is the key in a proposed transfer of water from Imperial County agriculture to San Diego for drinking water. The plan has become crucial as California tries to shrink its take of Colorado River water by 15 percent by 2016. The state has a Dec. 31 deadline to show it's on track to meet that goal or risk an immediate cutback that would be borne entirely by Southern California homes and businesses. ^------ On the Net: CalFed: http://calfed.water.ca.gov Salton Sea Authority: http://www.saltonsea.ca.gov Cabazon Band of Mission Indians: http://www.cabazonnation.com Center for Biological Diversity: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org Sierra Club: http://www.sierraclub.org Andre Cramblit, Operations Director The Northern California Indian Development Council (http://www.ncidc.org) NCIDC is a non-profit organization that meets the social, educational, and economic development needs of American Indian communities. NCIDC operates a fine art gallery featuring the Tribes of N.W. California. (http://www.americanindianonline.com) Visit and show your support for the Grass Roots Oyate http://members.tripod.com/GrassRootsOyate Clemency for Leonard Peltier. Sign the Petition. http://petitiononline.com/Release/petition.html ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?b1ddNB.b2HgmN Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
