From the Delta Stewardship Council:
Created by NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Long-term Operations Biological Opinions (LOBO) documents are designed to alleviate jeopardy to listed species and avoid adverse modification of critical habitat resulting from long-term operation of the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP) and include Reasonable and Prudent Alternative (RPA) actions.
The Delta Stewardship Council (Council) coordinates the science review required by the RPA actions every other year. Additionally, the Council facilitates the annual release of technical team reports, which are now available online.
In November or December 2019, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, NMFS, and USFWS will participate in a biennial science review to evaluate prior years’ water operations and regulatory actions prescribed by their respective LOBO RPA actions. The goal of the review is to develop lessons learned, incorporate new science, and make appropriate, scientifically justified adjustments to the implementation of the RPA actions to inform water operations in future years.
The 2019 LOBO biennial review is anticipated to be similar in nature to the 2017 LOBO biennial science review. An independent review panel will provide findings and recommendations to agency staff to inform the operation of the CVP and SWP.
Questions? Please contact Mike Hendrick at (916) 414-2420 or mhendrick@usbr.gov.
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