[env-trinity] Trinity Journal- No gravel will be added in '12

[Tom Stokely]

TRRP: No gravel will be added in ’12

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/2012-02-01/Front_Page/TRRP_No_gravel_will_be_added_in_12.html 

BY AMY GITTELSOHN
THE TRINITY JOURNAL
Answering a question of great concern to fishing guides, Trinity River Restoration Program staff said Thursday there will be no high flow addition of gravel to the Trinity River in 2012.

Gravel augmentation this year has been opposed by the Trinity River Guides Association, which says the gravel meant to aid fish spawning has filled deep pools in the river used by adult fish.

The restoration program has two channel manipulation projects planned for 2012 — the Upper Junction City project and half of the Lower Steiner Flat project in Douglas City. The projects have been scaled down but still include side channels and wood structures in the river, alcoves, an island, a bar using large rock, a wood structure to protect a landowner’s bank from high flows and provide fish habitat, and other features.

Although river restoration staff hopes to break ground on the projects by late June, an environmental assessment (EA) and the permitting process are still pending with a draft EA expected to be released for public comment in early February.

The restoration program’s plans were shared during a public scoping meeting held Thursday at the Douglas City Fire Hall.

From the program, environmental specialist Brandt Gutermuth said, “This year there will be no high-flow addition of gravel.”

The Trinity River Guide Association strongly opposes addition of gravel to the river until an analysis is complete and public comment received. Prior to Thursday’s meeting, the association sent out a letter clarifying its position on the 2012 projects. The letter states that the association supports the first phase of the Lower Steiner Flat project, with modifications that were presented to them. They tentatively support the Upper Junction City project, though they express concerns about some of the features.

However, “If gravel is planned for augmentation at any of the sites for 2012, or if it is scheduled for injection during a high flow event, the TRGA will withdraw its support for the aforementioned projects,” the letter states.

In his presentation, Gutermuth noted that the 2000 Trinity River Record of Decision (ROD) called for higher river flows, addition of gravel, control of fine sediments entering the river and infrastructure modification to make the higher flows possible.

Fifteen years of flows of 150 cubic feet per second after Trinity and Lewiston dams were constructed left the river with no connection with its floodplain that otherwise would provide habitat and nutrition for fish, he said.

Explaining why the program has done some things not called for in the ROD — such as creating logjams and many more side channels than the ROD envisioned – Gutermuth said early monitoring has shown fish are not using earlier sites such as Hocker Flat in the Junction City area as much as had been hoped. In addition to the low flows, mining may have contributed to elevating the floodplain, he said.

In attempting to create habitat faster, he said, “The projects are quite a bit bigger than originally envisioned.”

Trinity County Sup. Debra Chapman asked why the second phase of projects is going forward when the analysis of the first phase has not been completed.

“We picked a couple of projects where we think the impacts will be wholly beneficial in those areas,” Gutermuth said, pointing out that they include no addition of small, mobile gravel.

He noted that fish live only four years, so “the time frame is pretty short to recover those species.”

In Lewiston, the Sven Olbertson project site with side channels and wood logjams added is seen as a success by program staff.

“In Lewiston the second we moved off the site the fish were there,” Gutermuth said. “We’re still waiting in Hocker Flat.”

Gail Goodyear, whose family owns property along the river, said the work on the river has been, “much more invasive than was originally planned.” And Jim Smith pointed out that early pre-dam pictures of the river show no side channels or large woody debris.

Gutermuth agreed but said the river is different now, giving the example that the river is kept artificially high in the summer because spring chinook salmon are no longer able to get to tributaries above the dams.

Also from the restoration program, implementation branch chief DJ Bandrowski said the program staff is attentive to the concerns of river guides, landowners and others.

However, the program’s executive director, Robin Schrock, said the program cannot just do what people want. Science and peer review must also be come into it, she said.

On the topic of gravel injections, she said data from a bathymetric survey looking at riverbed changes has not been completed. Program staff was reluctant to approve more gravel injections until they can see those models, she said. The water year determination also plays a part, as gravel augmentation is not called for in very dry years – and this year may be dry.

There were questions about access to the river during construction. Bandrowski said BLM’s Primitive Campground will be closed. The river will remain navigable by boat the entire time, he said. He made no promises about a popular boat launching area for the fishing guides, but there was discussion about the possibility of having itopenbefore7am.ifthatcanbedone safely. Improvement of the ramp is to be part of the project.

Aesthetic concerns were also expressed.

“These engineered logjams on a scenic river look like World War I trenches or bunkers,” said Rich Lorenz of Douglas City.

Gutermuth responded that vegetation will grow on the logjams which have dirt on them, and Bandrowski said the logjams can protect openings to side channels from erosion and provide complexity that fish like.

“I agree I think we can make them look a little more natural,” he said.

Averil Carmona of Douglas City said, “Those tons of gravel you dumped in didn’t stay in Junction City and didn’t stay in Lewiston.”

She asked if the impacts upstream and downstream of the projects have been considered.

Bandrowski said the gravel injections are being evaluated, and it’s looking as if it did not move much farther than 1,500 feet. Gravel already in the system moves as well during high flows, he noted.

Studies that will shed more light on the results of the projects and last year’s high spring flow release of 11,000 cfs are still pending. Those studies include 40 miles of lidar using lasers to get elevations and contours, an assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey and bathymetry using sonar to map changes underwater.


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