Green Groups, Tribe to Appeal Loss in Fight Over Delta Smelt

Environmental groups and a tribe will appeal to the Ninth Circuit, after a lower court found that the federal government properly considered the effect water contracts in California would have on the endangered delta smelt.

The Natural Resources Defense Council, Winnemem Wintu Tribe, and four other groups filed their lawsuit after the government renewed contracts linked to the Central Valley Project. The CVP, operated by California and the federal Bureau of Reclamation, is one of the “largest and most important water projects in the United States,” according to court filings.

The Fish and Wildlife Service failed to conduct an adequate ...