Oregon Public Broadcasting

As  the Klamath Basin approaches an historic compromise over water – a tense court battle is unfolding over a major river system farther south.

The Sacramento Delta is a key migratory step for several salmon species that ultimately reach the  Oregon coast.

Federal District Judge Oliver Wanger angered fishing groups last week when he allowed less water for fish.

But Judge Wanger reversed himself this week, after water pumps killed some federally protected delta smelt.

However, fishing groups are on the defensive again. U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein says she’s drafting a bill that she says would re-route water to economically hard-hit farming communities.

Zeke Grader, with the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, says Feinstein has spent too much time listening to farmers.

Zeke Grader: “So she really needs to see what’s happening on the coast. And I’m hoping that the Oregon senators and Oregon’s congressional delegation can weigh in and try to persuade her, and convince her to do something different, because this doesn’t just affect California, it also affects the Oregon Coast.”

Fishing groups say that Feinstein’s proposal would set a dangerous precedent by suspending the Endangered Species Act. But Feinstein has argued there is a precedent from 2003, when the Senate dictated water levels in New Mexico.