Senior water rights for the South San Joaquin Irrigation District were protected once again in a federal court decision. While the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld a 2009 federal decision that called for reducing the amount of water pumped from the Delta in order to protect salmon and other species, it left intact a lower court ruling that said the federal government couldn’t use SSJID or Oakdale Irrigation District water to pump up flows for fish. The ruling opens the door for water beyond the 600,000 acre feet the two districts share from New Melones Reservoir to be used to maintain fish flows.