Water district buys Yolo tract

One of California's most powerful water agencies has purchased a huge tract of land in the Yolo Bypass, saying it hopes to create a nursery for imperiled fish and ease pressure on the state's water system.

Westlands Water District irrigates more than 600,000 acres of farms in the San Joaquin Valley and is almost entirely dependent on water pumped out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It is the world's largest irrigation district, known for power politics as much as a billion-dollar annual yield of grapes, nuts and cotton.

But its fortunes are threatened by Delta pumping restrictions that were driven by a rapid decline in several sensitive fish species, particularly the Delta smelt, a native fingerling protected by the federal Endangered Species Act.

On Wednesday, Westlands closed escrow on a 3,450-acre tract of farmland on the southern edge of Yolo County alongside the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel. The acreage lies in the Yolo Bypass, a swath of land designed to flood in major storms.

Research shows that fish colonize the bypass to feed on insects and plants that bloom during floods. By causing more frequent flooding and creating refuge areas within the bypass for fish to feed and rest, biologists believe the bypass could boost the population of many native species.

Government agencies have tried and failed to pull that off, so Westlands decided to step in.

"The district purchased this property because it thinks that if we're going to improve our water supply, it's necessary to recover the species, and restoring the habitat is one of the things necessary to accomplish that," said Tom Birmingham, Westlands general manager. "We are not dependent on federal or state appropriations. So there will be a steady stream of revenue for the restoration program."

Westlands bought the land for $12 million from longtime Yolo Bypass farmer Duncan McCormack. He could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Delta advocates greeted the deal with skepticism and hope.

The skeptics point to Westlands' track record. In 2006, it outbid a host of other parties to buy a fishing resort on the McCloud River and 3,000 acres of surrounding land considered sacred to the Winnemem Wintu tribe.

Birmingham stated plainly that Westlands bought the land to ensure it doesn't become an obstacle to raising Shasta Dam.

Bill Jennings, director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, said of the latest Westlands news: "If, in fact, they are doing this altruistically, it's appreciated. But in the face of this catastrophic collapse of native species, it may be too little, too late."

Numerous fish species continue to decline in the Delta. The state's annual fall trawling surveys for Delta fish, still under way, show falling numbers for a variety of species, including striped bass, threadfin shad, longfin smelt and Delta smelt.

The fall chinook salmon run on the Sacramento River has been poor this year, despite conditions that should have been favorable.

Thousands of Delta fish die each year when they are sucked into state and federal water export pumps near Tracy.

The pumps deliver water to more than 23 million Californians and 2 million acres of farmland. Westlands is the second-largest consumer.

A federal judge ruled in August that the pumps don't do enough to protect Delta smelt, particularly young fish that are too small to be screened out at the pumps. A final ruling, expected early next week, may slash Delta water exports by 30 percent.

Competition from invasive species and water contamination are other culprits in the fish decline. Another is a shortage of food and habitat, which is where Westlands hopes to help.

The district plans to work with state and federal wildlife agencies to restore its new property. This might involve removing some levees on the land to open up more area to flooding and tides. Birmingham could not say when the work would begin, but consultants will be hired soon to develop a plan.

Some of the parcel will still be farmed, and the land includes water rights. But Birmingham said he didn't know much about that.

"Our interest in acquiring this property was the potential for creating or restoring Delta smelt habitat," he said. "We have not done a detailed analysis of water rights on the property."

The Yolo Bypass and nearby Cache Slough have been eyed for years as a restoration site.

In 1999, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a North Delta National Wildlife Refuge that would have encompassed much of the area, but Congress refused to authorize it amid opposition from some landowners.

Officials are again looking at major habitat projects in the area to address ecological problems. Birmingham said Westlands hopes to jump-start this effort.

"Of course we need to be skeptical, but if Westlands is telling the truth that they bought it to do restoration and they want to help, I applaud them," said John Cain, director of restoration programs at the Natural Heritages Institute, which has designed habitat projects in the area. "It's fantastic that Westlands is stepping forward to try and solve the problem that they helped create."

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