No simple fix for Delta

A team of researchers assigned with analyzing the environmental state of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta concluded there is no easy way to reconcile the growing conflict between endangered species and water demands.

The new study, released by the National Research Council, was conducted over two years by 17 scientists who found a multitude of reasons for the Delta’s decline rather than one single cause, according to The Sacramento Bee. The Delta, which is a source of water for 25 million Californians, has been strained by water diversions, pollution and invasive species. Since 2002, populations of nine native-fish species have decreased dramatically, prompting an unprecedented closure of commercial fishing.

“We’re trying to give our fellow citizens a wake-up call that water scarcity is not simply limited to drought situations, but is more or less a constant characteristic of the emerging water situation,” said Henry Vaux, one of the study’s co-authors.