The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday signed off on a letter of support for a state Assembly Bill penned by District 2 Assemblymember Chris Rogers (D-Santa Rosa). The letter for the bill, which would make emergency water regulations permanent on two Klamath tributaries in the name of protecting fish, was approved in a 4-1 vote. First District Supervisor Rex Bohn was the dissenting vote.Assembly Bill 263 would keep emergency drought water diversion rules in place for the Scott and Shasta rivers until permanent regulations are adopted. Drought water rules for these tributaries to the Klamath River are presently set by the California State Water Resources Control Board on a yearly basis. The board is working on permanent rules for the sticky water diversion situation, but this is expected to take a long time and hinges on state emergency declarations of drought. Rogers previously told the Times-Standard this system creates uncertainty for fish cycles and water users alike.“Humboldt County has long relied on the fishing industry to support its local economy, and we also acknowledge the historic inequitable management of our state’s water system has discounted and ignored important tribal, cultural and economic uses of water and dependence on healthy aquatic ecosystems,” the letter states, initiated by Supervisor Steve Madrone.The letter points to the importance of salmon for local tribes and the significant decline of salmon populations locally. The rivers host spawning and rearing habitats for fish populations. Conservationists, state agencies and the fishing industries have pointed out low flows have cut off habitat for fish, where native populations are shrinking.
