Blog: Environmental groups prevail in case to protect California steelhead
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion Friday ruling that the operators of Twitchell Dam–the Bureau of Reclamation (“Reclamation”) and the Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District (“the District”)–can release water from the Dam to comply with the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”). This ruling marks an important step toward protecting the endangered Southern California Steelhead in the Santa Maria River system. In 2019, plaintiffs San Luis Obispo Coastkeeper and Los Padres ForestWatch filed a lawsuit in federal district court, represented by the Environmental Defense Center, Sycamore Law, Inc., and Aqua Terra Aeris Law Group.