is an attempt to block water agreements that are currently temporary but which are in the process of being converted into permanent contracts.
The agreements are between the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and agricultural users further south in the Central Valley.
The tribe argues that, with these new agreements, Reclamation is out of compliance with existing laws that prioritize water for fish habitat protection and restoration.
鈥淲e say that certain provisions in their contracts needs to be included, including providing for the environmental restoration and also adhering to what the law and the courts have said, that the Trinity is a priority first and foremost, before it鈥檚 exported into the Central Valley,鈥� says Michael Orcutt, fisheries department director with the Hoopa Valley Tribe.
Orcutt says each year about half the water from the Trinity River is reserved for fish habitat and the other half is diverted to agricultural users.
The amount varies by year but it鈥檚 especially important during critically dry water years like this one.
The Trinity River flows for 165 miles from the Trinity Alps to its confluence with the Klamath River.
