Tiny salamanders could complicate Shasta Dam project [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Updated 1:59 pm CST, Wednesday, December 26, 2018

SHASTA LAKE, Calif. (AP) — A trio of salamander species in Northern California could complicate a controversial $1.4 billion public works project to heighten the Shasta Dam, the state's largest reservoir.

The Los Angeles Times reports Wednesday that two environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit last month asking a judge to force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine if Shasta salamanders should be protected under the Endangered Species Act.

One of the groups, the Center for Biological Diversity, asked the wildlife service in 2012 to declare the salamanders endangered or threatened, but to heighten the Shasta Dam, the state's largest reservoir.

The Los Angeles Times reports Wednesday that two environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit last month asking a judge to force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine if Shasta salamanders should be protected under the Endangered Species Act.

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The California Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, passed in 1972, prohibits the 602-foot structure from getting any taller. But the Trump administration is moving forward with the plan.

Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/science/article/Tiny-salamanders-could-complicate-Shasta-Dam-13491611.php