Big ag wins temporary Delta victory

Still bemoaning drought conditions, lobbyists convinced Federal Judge Oliver W. Wanger to enact a temporary stay on pumping restrictions designed to help the crashing population of salmon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

For two weeks, the judge ruled according to The Associated Press, the pumps will be turned on, and Parts Previously Unwatered will receive more Delta water than is probably healthy for the Delta.

If this is any indication for the future, those fighting to protect the Delta from water interests who have historically treated it as nothing more than a giant well — instead of a delicate and once-rich ecosystem that can, when properly managed, provide for wildlife, humans, fishing and agriculture — have a major uphill battle.