Minor Amendment to California Endangered Species Act Incidental Take Permit No. 2081-2019-066-00 (ITP)

Minor Amendment to California Endangered Species Act Incidental Take Permit No. 2081-2019-066-00 (ITP)

The ongoing operations of the State Water Project (SWP) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Marsh as approved by the lead agency is expected to result in incidental take and impacts to habitat of Longfin Smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys), Delta Smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus), Winter-run Chinook Salmon ESU (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and Spring-run Chinook Salmon ESU Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Longfin Smelt and Spring-run Chinook Salmon are designated as threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act. Delta Smelt and Winter-run Chinook Salmon are designated as endangered species under the California Endangered Species Act. This amendment to the ITP changes Condition of Approval 8.6.3 to allow Permittee to use CDFW-approved genetic analyses to identify all natural older juvenile Chinook salmon observed in salvage at the SWP and Central Valley Project. The amendment specifies that natural older juvenile Chinook Salmon identified by genetic analyses not to be CHNWR will not count toward the daily loss thresholds identified in Condition of Approval 8.6.3, in water year 2023. The ITP referenced above as issued and amended by CDFW authorizes incidental take of Longfin Smelt, Delta Smelt, Winter-run Chinook Salmon, and Spring-run Chinook Salmon that may occur as a result of ongoing operations of the SWP facilities, as is more specifically described in the ITP.

Statewide