Judge Refuses To Block Plan To Poison Waterway
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Sacramento, CA — A Sacramento Superior Court judge has refused to stop state officials from poisoning a high sierra waterway as part of trout recovery effort.
State officials say the poisoning will save the native Paiute cutthroat trout by eliminating its competitors for food.
Conservationists argue that the poison could destroy other organisms critical to the ecosystem, as well as endanger humans.
Judge Lloyd Connelly ruled that a temporary stay of the project would be against the public interest.
The Paiute is on the federal list of threatened species. The California Department of Fish and Game plans to start applying rotenone, an aquatic insecticide, to the stream system on Wednesday.
