Oversight Field Hearing Set on Sucker Fish Habitat Designation

The House Subcommittee on Water and Power will hold a field hearing Oct. 18 in the Inland Empire to examine federal designation of nearly 10,000 acres of critical habitat for the Santa Ana sucker.

The oversight hearing, requested by U.S. Reps. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) and Ken Calvert (R-CA), will look at the science used in the designation and projected impacts on jobs and water supplies.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced a revised critical habitat designation for the Santa Ana sucker, a small fish that lives in the Santa Ana River that has been listed as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act since 2001. The revised designation significantly expands the existing habitat area for the fish to affect water pipelines, treatments plants, groundwater recharge ponds and flood control facilities along the Santa Ana River in western Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

 The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. at the Highland City Hall in Highland. A list of witnesses invited to testify will be available soon here.