The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has called on the California State Water Resources Control Board to protect tribal cultural practices in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay
Delta, with a focus on preserving subsistence fishing.
Yesterday’s Sacramento Bee, highlights comments made by EPA Regional Administrator
Martha Guzman, who asserted, “The EPA strongly supports the proposal in the draft plan to
designate tribal cultural uses throughout the Bay Delta watershed. This proposal recognizes the
centrality of vital fish populations to many California tribes.”
Guzman also challenged Governor Newsom’s “Voluntary Agreements” proposal, which would
allow water users to voluntarily reduce their use with limited oversight. Her remarks follow a civil
rights complaint filed with the EPA by a coalition of environmental groups and tribes, including
Restore the Delta, which argues that inadequate water quality standards have led to the
degradation of the Bay-Delta watershed, disproportionately impacting tribes that rely on fish for
both sustenance and cultural preservation.
Krystal Moreno from the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians commended Guzman’s
intervention, stating, “Tribal communities need water quality standards that protect the unique
way we utilize our waterways. We appreciate her leadership elevating this issue and hope the
board acts to incorporate her recommendation.”
Importantly, Guzman’s comments come at a time when California water regulators are
deliberating over several controversial options for the Delta’s future. This rare federal
intervention highlights the ongoing crisis in the Delta, and reinforces the State’s responsibility to
preserve water flows, fish populations, and tribal cultural practices.
Barbara Barrigan-Parilla, Executive Director for Restore the Delta, emphasized the added
pressure this places on Governor Newsom, saying, “Martha Guzman echoed the language of
our petition and addresses the governor. This is important. Who will his legacy be for, tribes or
water exporters?”
You can read more from Ari Plachta in the Sacramento Bee here.