LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Marcia Scully, general counsel of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, issues the following statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court decision today to turn down a petition from several California water agencies, including Metropolitan. The petition sought a review of an appellate court ruling that had upheld water Endangered Species Act biological opinions that restrict water operations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta because of delta smelt:
“The Supreme Court decision was not a surprise. The water agencies understood the long odds against prevailing even before filing the petition because the Supreme Court hears less than 1 percent of the 10,000 requests it receives each year.
“Metropolitan supports California’s co-equal goals of restoring the Delta and providing water supplies. We will continue to work with the regulatory agencies to improve the underlying science in the Delta.”
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving nearly 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.
