Environmentalists theaten to sue Central Valley farmers

Alex Breitler writes in the Record of a decades-long dispute over selenium run-off into the San Joaquin River:

Growers say great progress already has been made in decreasing the amount of toxic selenium that drains from their lands and into the San Joaquin River, which flows downstream past Stockton. Scientists have found deformities in fish, which have been linked to selenium. Last year, regulators gave them an extension of nearly 10 years to finish meeting a standard established in 1996.

Displeased with that delay, a coalition of advocacy groups filed papers Tuesday claiming the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority need federal permits for the farmers' runoff and have failed to acquire them. The environmentalists warned they intend to sue within 60 days.