PG&E Responsible For Killing Fraction Of California's Suffering Salmon Population

BUTTE COUNTY (BCN)-- More than one-tenth of a threatened population of California Central Valley salmon has perished after a utility diverted some water from their creek.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. had to shut down a canal ferrying cooling water into Butte County's Butte Creek between May 29 and Wednesday, for repairs, officials say.

Without the water from the canal, 227 of Butte Creek's nearly 2,000 wild, spring-run Chinook salmon perished this month.

Spokesman Paul Moreno of PG&E says the utility rushed to get the canal back online as quickly as possible.

The stream is home to the largest surviving population of wild Central Valley spring-run Chinook.

California Fish and Wildlife department spokesman Andrew Hughan says this year's record-low amount of cooling snowmelt means salmon populations are suffering throughout their range in California.