Luke Ellison is holding something most of us will never get to see: a delta smelt. Graceful, iridescent and about as long as my finger, these fish are so rare in the wild that just six adults were found during a sample survey of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta last spring. And the Delta is the only place in the world where this endangered species lives – in the wild, that is.

Delta smelt also live in enormous round outdoor tanks and smaller tanks inside dimly lit trailers filled with the sound of running water.

Recent rainstorms have swelled Lake Mendocino, reopening the reservoir to motor boats for the first time since August, swallowing islands raised by the drought and bringing fresh hope to ranchers and water officials.

 

By Thursday afternoon, the lake had reached 98 percent of capacity for this time of the year, when some space is reserved in the reservoir to help with flood prevention.

 

Once the level hits 100 percent, dam managers must increase releases to keep it at that level, unless they are given permission to hold back additional supplies.

Residents of Pauma Valley will have the opportunity of expressing their opinions about the possibility of the County of San Diego becoming a Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) in the San Luis Rey Groundwater Basin at the February 2, 7 p.m. meeting of the Pala Pauma Community Sponsor Group at the Pauma Valley Community Center.

 

Once formed under the requirements of the Groundwater Sustainability Management Act (SGMA) of 2014, as amended, GSA’s will have broad responsibilities, including fee collection and enforcement actions, over the use and management of groundwater that are yet to be fully understood by many of the residents of Pauma Valley.