New Melones…One Year of Extreme Rain to Fill. One bad opinion to empty.

After a record year of extreme storms, the New Melones Reservoir on the Stanislaus River may be full but what about next year and the year after that? A federal ruling called the Biological Opinion requires more water be sent down the river to protect salmon and steelhead. But studies show that the BO will empty New Melones 13 times over the next 80 years! All because of one opinion that incorrectly suggests more water means more fish.

The Feds will take your water…and maybe your job

Once the lake is empty, the next water taken will come directly from the Oakdale and South San Joaquin Irrigation Districts. A federal Technical Memo from 2009 says the Districts will be shorted 25% of their monthly deliveries in dry years and 50% in critically dry years. That means there won’t be enough water to irrigate half of the ag areas surrounding Manteca, Oakdale and other communities. Trees, crops and jobs throughout the Central Valley will dry up!

What you can do…call or email your elected representatives

Get involved.

Call or email your state and federal elected officials and tell them you don’t want New Melones or our economy drained.

U.S. Senator
Senator Dianne Feinstein (Democrat)
2500 Tulare Street, Ste. 4290
Fresno, CA. 93721

United States House of Representatives
11th Congressional District
Congressman Jerry McNerney (Democrat)
2222 Grand Canal Blvd. #7
Stockton, CA 95207

18thCongressional District
Congressman Dennis Cardoza (Democrat)
1010 10th Street, Suite 5800
Modesto, CA 95354

19th Congressional District
Congressman Jeff Denham (Republican)
3509 Coffee Road, Suite D3
Modesto, CA 95355

Bureau of Reclamation
Donald Glaser, Regional Director
Mid Pacific Regional Office
Federal Office Building
2800 Cottage Way
Sacramento, CA 95825-1898

Mike Finnegan
Central California Area Office
7794 Folsom Dam Road
Folsom, CA 93727