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Prior to the Improvement Act, total water supplies for these wetlands and wildlife refuges were not guaranteed. The amount of water provided by the Central Valley Project varied each year and commonly was not delivered in quantities and at times necessary for proper wetland management. As a consequence, habitat conditions were poor, especially during drought years. To address this degradation, CVPIA provides firm water supplies to refuges dependent on the Central Valley Project. Supplies are provided according to specific biologically driven delivery schedules and will be phased in over 10 years. Deliveries to refuges can be reduced on a temporary basis to 25% due to drought. In total, the Improvement Act will allocate almost 335,000 acre-feet (af) of new water to wildlife refuges and wetlands. This is in addition to any water that may be pur- chased from willing sellers under the CVPIA Water Acquisitions Program. This relatively small amount of water has provided tremendous results since 1992. The firm deliveries to refuges benefit over 550 species of birds, animals and plants, including 47 species that are federally listed under the Endangered Species Act, such as the bald eagle and the giant garter snake. Firm water supplies have: ^ Increased food production for migrating birds and other wetland-dependent wildlife; ^ Provided a "safe harbor" for threatened and endangered species that might otherwise be drawn to marginal habitat on private farmland; and ^ Improved water quality on the refuges. Federal biologists report that selenium concentration levels in certain wetlands are lower after four years of firm, good quality water deliveries. The Improvement Act's firm water supplies have coincided with dramatic increases of Pacific Flyway migrating waterfowl. m the birds' nesting grounds and other state and federal conservation programs, but firm water supplies in the wetlands and refuges have certainly played an important role. Resident and migratory bird use of Central Valley refuges has increased markedly with the Improvement Act. Additional public benefits from firm water supplies to Central Valley wetlands include improved educational and recre- ational opportunities, such as wildlife viewing and duck hunting, which generate revenue for local economies. "[T]he survival of juvenile Central Valley chinook salmon spawned in 1992 and 1993 benefited from Central Valley Project flow management actions in InstreamFlowsforCentra1Va11eyRivers 1993 and 1994. These Just as the Central Valley Project was a key factor in the destruction and degradation of California's wetlands, it significantly harmed salmon, steelhead trout and other anadromous fish by diverting massive amounts of water, damming off fish access to freshwater habitat and trapping fish in unscreened irrigation diversion pipes. One dam alone, the Friant Dam on the San Joaquin River, eliminated a run of chinook salmon that once numbered over 100,000 returning spawners annually. Similar statistics apply to other streams and rivers progeny provided much of the increased ocean harvest in 1995 as age-2 and age-3 fish." Frank R. Warrens, Chairman, Pacific Fishery Management Council 39