From unofelice at gmail.com  Wed Jan  1 11:13:32 2014
From: unofelice at gmail.com (Felice Pace)
Date: Wed, 1 Jan 2014 15:13:32 -0400
Subject: [env-trinity] env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43
In-Reply-To: <mailman.3.1388433605.11257.env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
References: <mailman.3.1388433605.11257.env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
Message-ID: <CA+BcFPnod2SWs3-U+8N-ieZKRz4+1PTXAWQERni9rJR_YsFU+A@mail.gmail.com>

The second largest Coho run on the Scott in redecent years is good news but
the numbers Sari shared indicate that we are not making progress in
rebuilding the Scott Coho population to anything near biological viability
over the long run. To give raders a more complete view perhpas Sari or Tom
will share a full data set for the last 10 years, i.e. the ?bad?years as
well as the ?good? - so that folks get a more comlete picture.

The dewatering of the Scott and key tribs each summer is likely the top
factor preventing recovery of Scott Coho to long-term viability. Very few
of the progeny of this year?s relatively ?good? run will make it to the
ocean. Many will be killed by dewatering below irrigation diversions and
others by Klamath mainstem conditions.  A multi-year deep drought could
still wipe out Scott Coho. We remain on the edge of functional extinction.
Until SWRCB begins or is forced to actually measure and regulate diversions
and groundwater pumping Scott Coho will remain on the brink of extinciton.

Those who work to ?protect?surface and groundwater irrigators from
regulation are an impediment to recovery.

Felice Pace


On Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 4:00 PM, <
env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> wrote:

> Send env-trinity mailing list submissions to
>         env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>         http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>         env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
>         env-trinity-owner at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of env-trinity digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
>       (Tom Stokely)
>    2. Re: Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run     largest since
>       2007 (Sari Sommarstrom)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:14:43 -0800 (PST)
> From: Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net>
> Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
>         largest since 2007
> To: "env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us"
>         <env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
> Message-ID:
>         <1388430883.61428.YahooMailNeo at web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131217/NEWS/131219773?
>
> December 17. 2013 9:48AM
> Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
> PHOTO/ PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
> The Shasta River video weir, located close to the Klamath River, was
> damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.
> After a large influx of Coho salmon in the past few weeks, the Scott River
> has seen its largest return of the species since 2007.?
> The latest data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife video
> weirs on the Klamath?s tributaries shows a relatively strong return this
> year for Chinook and Coho, with the Scott?s Chinook numbers as of Dec. 10
> coming in just under the seven year average weir data. Final counts for the
> Scott also rely on carcass and spawning area counts, which have not yet
> been finalized.?
> On Bogus Creek, the numbers of Chinook and Coho passing the video weir
> have trickled to a halt, with only one Coho returning between Dec. 4 and
> Dec. 10.?
> So far, the Bogus numbers are 3,143 Chinook and 290 Coho, which the data
> shows is the strongest Coho return since 2004 and the third-smallest
> Chinook return in that same time period.?
> The end of season for the Shasta counts was called on Dec. 10, due to ice
> floes damaging the weir on Dec. 9. The Chinook count came in at 8,127, the
> third-largest return since 2001, with 151 Coho, the highest number of that
> species since 2007.?
> The Scott and Bogus weirs are still operating, according to
> CDFW?environmental scientist Morgan Knechtle, and once the final numbers
> are compiled and finalized, they will be used in forecasts for 2014.
> -------------- next part --------------
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> URL:
> http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20131230/5cd895d4/attachment-0001.html
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:47:59 -0800
> From: "Sari Sommarstrom" <sari at sisqtel.net>
> Subject: Re: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
>         largest since 2007
> To: "'Tom Stokely'" <tstokely at att.net>,
>         <env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
> Message-ID: <00ef01cf0598$0b2389c0$216a9d40$@sisqtel.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> What was missing from the article was the actual number of coho seen at
> the weir at RM 18 on the Scott River: 1,264 adults as of 12/18. Final
> figure won?t be available until after the weir closes in early January and
> the downstream estimate is added in.
>
> For this same brood year, the recent figure compares with the final weir
> counts of 911 in 2010 and 1,622 in 2007.
>
>
>
> ~Sari Sommarstrom
>
> Etna
>
>
>
> From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:
> env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Tom Stokely
> Sent: Monday, December 30, 2013 11:15 AM
> To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
> Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run largest
> since 2007
>
>
>
> http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131217/NEWS/131219773
>
> December 17. 2013 9:48AM
>
>
> Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
>
>
>  The Shasta River video weir,located close to the Klamath River, was
> damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river. <
> http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/storyimage/CA/20131217/NEWS/131219773/AR/0/AR-131219773.jpg&MaxH=225&MaxW=225
> >
>
> PHOTO/ PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
>
> The Shasta River video weir, located close to the Klamath River, was
> damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.
>
> After a large influx of Coho salmon in the past few weeks, the Scott River
> has seen its largest return of the species since 2007.
> The latest data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife video
> weirs on the Klamath?s tributaries shows a relatively strong return this
> year for Chinook and Coho, with the Scott?s Chinook numbers as of Dec. 10
> coming in just under the seven year average weir data. Final counts for the
> Scott also rely on carcass and spawning area counts, which have not yet
> been finalized.
> On Bogus Creek, the numbers of Chinook and Coho passing the video weir
> have trickled to a halt, with only one Coho returning between Dec. 4 and
> Dec. 10.
> So far, the Bogus numbers are 3,143 Chinook and 290 Coho, which the data
> shows is the strongest Coho return since 2004 and the third-smallest
> Chinook return in that same time period.
> The end of season for the Shasta counts was called on Dec. 10, due to ice
> floes damaging the weir on Dec. 9. The Chinook count came in at 8,127, the
> third-largest return since 2001, with 151 Coho, the highest number of that
> species since 2007.
> The Scott and Bogus weirs are still operating, according to
> CDFW?environmental scientist Morgan Knechtle, and once the final numbers
> are compiled and finalized, they will be used in forecasts for 2014.
>
> -------------- next part --------------
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> http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20131230/81eb1f4f/attachment-0001.html
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> env-trinity mailing list
> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
>
>
> End of env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43
> ********************************************
>



-- 
Felice Pace
Klamath, CA 95548
707-954-6588

"we must always seek the truth in our opponents' error and the error in our
own truth."


                                                                 - Reinhold
Niebuhr
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From pcatanese at dhscott.com  Wed Jan  1 13:51:47 2014
From: pcatanese at dhscott.com (Paul Catanese)
Date: Wed, 1 Jan 2014 21:51:47 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43
In-Reply-To: <CA+BcFPnod2SWs3-U+8N-ieZKRz4+1PTXAWQERni9rJR_YsFU+A@mail.gmail.com>
References: <mailman.3.1388433605.11257.env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
	<CA+BcFPnod2SWs3-U+8N-ieZKRz4+1PTXAWQERni9rJR_YsFU+A@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <E169971B-0148-4E2A-A575-CBAD67E4AB98@dhscott.com>

Felice: based on your logic it would seem that indiscriminate over netting at the lower reaches based on bogus projections of fish returns would have a significantly greater negative impact on the on the species than surface water. What say you. Let's be intellectually honest. Let's study that.


Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 1, 2014, at 11:13 AM, "Felice Pace" <unofelice at gmail.com<mailto:unofelice at gmail.com>> wrote:

The second largest Coho run on the Scott in redecent years is good news but the numbers Sari shared indicate that we are not making progress in rebuilding the Scott Coho population to anything near biological viability over the long run. To give raders a more complete view perhpas Sari or Tom will share a full data set for the last 10 years, i.e. the ?bad?years as well as the ?good? - so that folks get a more comlete picture.

The dewatering of the Scott and key tribs each summer is likely the top factor preventing recovery of Scott Coho to long-term viability. Very few of the progeny of this year?s relatively ?good? run will make it to the ocean. Many will be killed by dewatering below irrigation diversions and others by Klamath mainstem conditions.  A multi-year deep drought could still wipe out Scott Coho. We remain on the edge of functional extinction. Until SWRCB begins or is forced to actually measure and regulate diversions and groundwater pumping Scott Coho will remain on the brink of extinciton.

Those who work to ?protect?surface and groundwater irrigators from regulation are an impediment to recovery.

Felice Pace


On Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 4:00 PM, <env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us<mailto:env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>> wrote:
Send env-trinity mailing list submissions to
        env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us<mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>

To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
        http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
        env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us<mailto:env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>

You can reach the person managing the list at
        env-trinity-owner at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us<mailto:env-trinity-owner at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>

When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of env-trinity digest..."


Today's Topics:

   1. Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
      (Tom Stokely)
   2. Re: Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run     largest since
      2007 (Sari Sommarstrom)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:14:43 -0800 (PST)
From: Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net<mailto:tstokely at att.net>>
Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
        largest since 2007
To: "env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us<mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>"
        <env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us<mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>>
Message-ID:
        <1388430883.61428.YahooMailNeo at web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com<mailto:1388430883.61428.YahooMailNeo at web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131217/NEWS/131219773?

December 17. 2013 9:48AM
Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
PHOTO/ PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
The Shasta River video weir, located close to the Klamath River, was damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.
After a large influx of Coho salmon in the past few weeks, the Scott River has seen its largest return of the species since 2007.?
The latest data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife video weirs on the Klamath?s tributaries shows a relatively strong return this year for Chinook and Coho, with the Scott?s Chinook numbers as of Dec. 10 coming in just under the seven year average weir data. Final counts for the Scott also rely on carcass and spawning area counts, which have not yet been finalized.?
On Bogus Creek, the numbers of Chinook and Coho passing the video weir have trickled to a halt, with only one Coho returning between Dec. 4 and Dec. 10.?
So far, the Bogus numbers are 3,143 Chinook and 290 Coho, which the data shows is the strongest Coho return since 2004 and the third-smallest Chinook return in that same time period.?
The end of season for the Shasta counts was called on Dec. 10, due to ice floes damaging the weir on Dec. 9. The Chinook count came in at 8,127, the third-largest return since 2001, with 151 Coho, the highest number of that species since 2007.?
The Scott and Bogus weirs are still operating, according to CDFW?environmental scientist Morgan Knechtle, and once the final numbers are compiled and finalized, they will be used in forecasts for 2014.
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------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:47:59 -0800
From: "Sari Sommarstrom" <sari at sisqtel.net<mailto:sari at sisqtel.net>>
Subject: Re: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
        largest since 2007
To: "'Tom Stokely'" <tstokely at att.net<mailto:tstokely at att.net>>,
        <env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us<mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>>
Message-ID: <00ef01cf0598$0b2389c0$216a9d40$@sisqtel.net<http://sisqtel.net>>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

What was missing from the article was the actual number of coho seen at the weir at RM 18 on the Scott River: 1,264 adults as of 12/18. Final figure won?t be available until after the weir closes in early January and the downstream estimate is added in.

For this same brood year, the recent figure compares with the final weir counts of 911 in 2010 and 1,622 in 2007.



~Sari Sommarstrom

Etna



From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us<mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us<mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>] On Behalf Of Tom Stokely
Sent: Monday, December 30, 2013 11:15 AM
To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us<mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run largest since 2007



http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131217/NEWS/131219773

December 17. 2013 9:48AM


Scott River Coho run largest since 2007


 The Shasta River video weir,located close to the Klamath River, was damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river. <http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/storyimage/CA/20131217/NEWS/131219773/AR/0/AR-131219773.jpg&MaxH=225&MaxW=225>

PHOTO/ PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

The Shasta River video weir, located close to the Klamath River, was damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.

After a large influx of Coho salmon in the past few weeks, the Scott River has seen its largest return of the species since 2007.
The latest data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife video weirs on the Klamath?s tributaries shows a relatively strong return this year for Chinook and Coho, with the Scott?s Chinook numbers as of Dec. 10 coming in just under the seven year average weir data. Final counts for the Scott also rely on carcass and spawning area counts, which have not yet been finalized.
On Bogus Creek, the numbers of Chinook and Coho passing the video weir have trickled to a halt, with only one Coho returning between Dec. 4 and Dec. 10.
So far, the Bogus numbers are 3,143 Chinook and 290 Coho, which the data shows is the strongest Coho return since 2004 and the third-smallest Chinook return in that same time period.
The end of season for the Shasta counts was called on Dec. 10, due to ice floes damaging the weir on Dec. 9. The Chinook count came in at 8,127, the third-largest return since 2001, with 151 Coho, the highest number of that species since 2007.
The Scott and Bogus weirs are still operating, according to CDFW?environmental scientist Morgan Knechtle, and once the final numbers are compiled and finalized, they will be used in forecasts for 2014.

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------------------------------

_______________________________________________
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http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity


End of env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43
********************************************



--
Felice Pace
Klamath, CA 95548
707-954-6588

"we must always seek the truth in our opponents' error and the error in our own truth."

                                                                                               - Reinhold Niebuhr


_______________________________________________
env-trinity mailing list
env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us<mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
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From campaign at mbaysav.org  Wed Jan  1 18:51:57 2014
From: campaign at mbaysav.org (Deirdre Des Jardins)
Date: Wed, 01 Jan 2014 21:51:57 -0500
Subject: [env-trinity] env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43
In-Reply-To: <E169971B-0148-4E2A-A575-CBAD67E4AB98@dhscott.com>
References: <mailman.3.1388433605.11257.env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>	<CA+BcFPnod2SWs3-U+8N-ieZKRz4+1PTXAWQERni9rJR_YsFU+A@mail.gmail.com>
	<E169971B-0148-4E2A-A575-CBAD67E4AB98@dhscott.com>
Message-ID: <52C4D44D.3050407@mbaysav.org>

To anyone who studies water use in California, it's becoming 
increasingly apparent that there is likely to be less water available in 
the future for agriculture in the state, because of the impacts of 
climate change and population growth.

So finding a constructive way to resolve the conflicts between water 
needs for agriculture and for fish populations is essential.   In 
dialogues like this all over the state, I  have seen endless discussions 
about how fish populations might survive with less water, but little 
discussions of strategies for reducing agricultural water use, such as 
regulated deficit irrigation, which allows growing crops with less 
water, or of crop shifting.

These seem like essential strategies but they are hardly even 
discussed.   In a high water cost situation, regulated deficit 
irrigation may even increase farmer's profits.
See, for example,  Deficit irrigation for reducing agricultural water 
use http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/content/58/2/147.abstract

Deirdre Des Jardins
California Water Research

On Wednesday/1/1/14 4:51 PM, Paul Catanese wrote:
> Felice: based on your logic it would seem that indiscriminate over 
> netting at the lower reaches based on bogus projections of fish 
> returns would have a significantly greater negative impact on the on 
> the species than surface water. What say you. Let's be intellectually 
> honest. Let's study that.
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jan 1, 2014, at 11:13 AM, "Felice Pace" <unofelice at gmail.com 
> <mailto:unofelice at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>> The second largest Coho run on the Scott in redecent years is good 
>> news but the numbers Sari shared indicate that we are not making 
>> progress in rebuilding the Scott Coho population to anything near 
>> biological viability over the long run. To give raders a more 
>> complete view perhpas Sari or Tom will share a full data set for the 
>> last 10 years, i.e. the ?bad?years as well as the ?good? - so that 
>> folks get a more comlete picture.
>>
>> The dewatering of the Scott and key tribs each summer is likely the 
>> top factor preventing recovery of Scott Coho to long-term viability. 
>> Very few of the progeny of this year?s relatively ?good? run will 
>> make it to the ocean. Many will be killed by dewatering below 
>> irrigation diversions and others by Klamath mainstem conditions.  A 
>> multi-year deep drought could still wipe out Scott Coho. We remain on 
>> the edge of functional extinction. Until SWRCB begins or is forced to 
>> actually measure and regulate diversions and groundwater pumping 
>> Scott Coho will remain on the brink of extinciton.
>>
>> Those who work to ?protect?surface and groundwater irrigators from 
>> regulation are an impediment to recovery.
>>
>> Felice Pace
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 4:00 PM, 
>> <env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us 
>> <mailto:env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>> wrote:
>>
>>     Send env-trinity mailing list submissions to
>>     env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>     <mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
>>
>>     To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>>     http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
>>     <http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity>
>>     or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>>     env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>     <mailto:env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
>>
>>     You can reach the person managing the list at
>>     env-trinity-owner at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>     <mailto:env-trinity-owner at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
>>
>>     When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
>>     than "Re: Contents of env-trinity digest..."
>>
>>
>>     Today's Topics:
>>
>>        1. Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
>>           (Tom Stokely)
>>        2. Re: Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run largest since
>>           2007 (Sari Sommarstrom)
>>
>>
>>     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>     Message: 1
>>     Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:14:43 -0800 (PST)
>>     From: Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net <mailto:tstokely at att.net>>
>>     Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
>>             largest since 2007
>>     To: "env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>     <mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>"
>>             <env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>     <mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>>
>>     Message-ID:
>>            
>>     <1388430883.61428.YahooMailNeo at web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com
>>     <mailto:1388430883.61428.YahooMailNeo at web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>>
>>     Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>>
>>     http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131217/NEWS/131219773?
>>
>>     December 17. 2013 9:48AM
>>     Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
>>     PHOTO/ PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
>>     The Shasta River video weir, located close to the Klamath River,
>>     was damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.
>>     After a large influx of Coho salmon in the past few weeks, the
>>     Scott River has seen its largest return of the species since 2007.?
>>     The latest data from the California Department of Fish and
>>     Wildlife video weirs on the Klamath?s tributaries shows a
>>     relatively strong return this year for Chinook and Coho, with the
>>     Scott?s Chinook numbers as of Dec. 10 coming in just under the
>>     seven year average weir data. Final counts for the Scott also
>>     rely on carcass and spawning area counts, which have not yet been
>>     finalized.?
>>     On Bogus Creek, the numbers of Chinook and Coho passing the video
>>     weir have trickled to a halt, with only one Coho returning
>>     between Dec. 4 and Dec. 10.?
>>     So far, the Bogus numbers are 3,143 Chinook and 290 Coho, which
>>     the data shows is the strongest Coho return since 2004 and the
>>     third-smallest Chinook return in that same time period.?
>>     The end of season for the Shasta counts was called on Dec. 10,
>>     due to ice floes damaging the weir on Dec. 9. The Chinook count
>>     came in at 8,127, the third-largest return since 2001, with 151
>>     Coho, the highest number of that species since 2007.?
>>     The Scott and Bogus weirs are still operating, according to
>>     CDFW?environmental scientist Morgan Knechtle, and once the final
>>     numbers are compiled and finalized, they will be used in
>>     forecasts for 2014.
>>     -------------- next part --------------
>>     An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
>>     URL:
>>     http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20131230/5cd895d4/attachment-0001.html
>>
>>     ------------------------------
>>
>>     Message: 2
>>     Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:47:59 -0800
>>     From: "Sari Sommarstrom" <sari at sisqtel.net <mailto:sari at sisqtel.net>>
>>     Subject: Re: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
>>             largest since 2007
>>     To: "'Tom Stokely'" <tstokely at att.net <mailto:tstokely at att.net>>,
>>             <env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>     <mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>>
>>     Message-ID: <00ef01cf0598$0b2389c0$216a9d40$@sisqtel.net
>>     <http://sisqtel.net>>
>>     Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>>
>>     What was missing from the article was the actual number of coho
>>     seen at the weir at RM 18 on the Scott River: 1,264 adults as of
>>     12/18. Final figure won?t be available until after the weir
>>     closes in early January and the downstream estimate is added in.
>>
>>     For this same brood year, the recent figure compares with the
>>     final weir counts of 911 in 2010 and 1,622 in 2007.
>>
>>
>>
>>     ~Sari Sommarstrom
>>
>>     Etna
>>
>>
>>
>>     From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>     <mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
>>     [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>     <mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>] On
>>     Behalf Of Tom Stokely
>>     Sent: Monday, December 30, 2013 11:15 AM
>>     To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>     <mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
>>     Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
>>     largest since 2007
>>
>>
>>
>>     http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131217/NEWS/131219773
>>
>>     December 17. 2013 9:48AM
>>
>>
>>     Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
>>
>>
>>      The Shasta River video weir,located close to the Klamath River,
>>     was damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.
>>     <http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/storyimage/CA/20131217/NEWS/131219773/AR/0/AR-131219773.jpg&MaxH=225&MaxW=225>
>>
>>     PHOTO/ PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
>>
>>     The Shasta River video weir, located close to the Klamath River,
>>     was damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.
>>
>>     After a large influx of Coho salmon in the past few weeks, the
>>     Scott River has seen its largest return of the species since 2007.
>>     The latest data from the California Department of Fish and
>>     Wildlife video weirs on the Klamath?s tributaries shows a
>>     relatively strong return this year for Chinook and Coho, with the
>>     Scott?s Chinook numbers as of Dec. 10 coming in just under the
>>     seven year average weir data. Final counts for the Scott also
>>     rely on carcass and spawning area counts, which have not yet been
>>     finalized.
>>     On Bogus Creek, the numbers of Chinook and Coho passing the video
>>     weir have trickled to a halt, with only one Coho returning
>>     between Dec. 4 and Dec. 10.
>>     So far, the Bogus numbers are 3,143 Chinook and 290 Coho, which
>>     the data shows is the strongest Coho return since 2004 and the
>>     third-smallest Chinook return in that same time period.
>>     The end of season for the Shasta counts was called on Dec. 10,
>>     due to ice floes damaging the weir on Dec. 9. The Chinook count
>>     came in at 8,127, the third-largest return since 2001, with 151
>>     Coho, the highest number of that species since 2007.
>>     The Scott and Bogus weirs are still operating, according to
>>     CDFW?environmental scientist Morgan Knechtle, and once the final
>>     numbers are compiled and finalized, they will be used in
>>     forecasts for 2014.
>>
>>     -------------- next part --------------
>>     An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
>>     URL:
>>     http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20131230/81eb1f4f/attachment-0001.html
>>
>>     ------------------------------
>>
>>     _______________________________________________
>>     env-trinity mailing list
>>     env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>     <mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
>>     http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
>>
>>
>>     End of env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43
>>     ********************************************
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> Felice Pace
>> Klamath, CA 95548
>> 707-954-6588
>>
>> "we must always seek the truth in our opponents' error and the error 
>> in our own truth."
>>
>>      - Reinhold Niebuhr
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> env-trinity mailing list
>> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us 
>> <mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
>> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> env-trinity mailing list
> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity

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From truman at jeffnet.org  Wed Jan  1 19:08:10 2014
From: truman at jeffnet.org (Patrick Truman)
Date: Wed, 1 Jan 2014 19:08:10 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43
In-Reply-To: <52C4D44D.3050407@mbaysav.org>
References: <mailman.3.1388433605.11257.env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>	<CA+BcFPnod2SWs3-U+8N-ieZKRz4+1PTXAWQERni9rJR_YsFU+A@mail.gmail.com><E169971B-0148-4E2A-A575-CBAD67E4AB98@dhscott.com>
	<52C4D44D.3050407@mbaysav.org>
Message-ID: <CA3D2724309A41109A3F6EACB0C9806C@Bertha>

more water meters in areas without them would help, we even have water meters in Weaverville, but we all know locations throughout the state that do not have metered water service, perhaps we should start a list of shame.

Patrick Truman
Local Rabble Rouser, and I hope that is not an oxymoron...

From: Deirdre Des Jardins 
Sent: Wednesday, January 01, 2014 6:51 PM
To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us 
Subject: Re: [env-trinity] env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43

To anyone who studies water use in California, it's becoming increasingly apparent that there is likely to be less water available in the future for agriculture in the state, because of the impacts of climate change and population growth.    

So finding a constructive way to resolve the conflicts between water needs for agriculture and for fish populations is essential.   In dialogues like this all over the state, I  have seen endless discussions about how fish populations might survive with less water, but little discussions of strategies for reducing agricultural water use, such as regulated deficit irrigation, which allows growing crops with less water, or of crop shifting.

These seem like essential strategies but they are hardly even discussed.   In a high water cost situation, regulated deficit irrigation may even increase farmer's profits.
See, for example,  Deficit irrigation for reducing agricultural water use   http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/content/58/2/147.abstract

Deirdre Des Jardins
California Water Research


On Wednesday/1/1/14 4:51 PM, Paul Catanese wrote:

  Felice: based on your logic it would seem that indiscriminate over netting at the lower reaches based on bogus projections of fish returns would have a significantly greater negative impact on the on the species than surface water. What say you. Let's be intellectually honest. Let's study that. 


  Sent from my iPhone

  On Jan 1, 2014, at 11:13 AM, "Felice Pace" <unofelice at gmail.com> wrote:


    The second largest Coho run on the Scott in redecent years is good news but the numbers Sari shared indicate that we are not making progress in rebuilding the Scott Coho population to anything near biological viability over the long run. To give raders a more complete view perhpas Sari or Tom will share a full data set for the last 10 years, i.e. the ?bad?years as well as the ?good? - so that folks get a more comlete picture. 


    The dewatering of the Scott and key tribs each summer is likely the top factor preventing recovery of Scott Coho to long-term viability. Very few of the progeny of this year?s relatively ?good? run will make it to the ocean. Many will be killed by dewatering below irrigation diversions and others by Klamath mainstem conditions.  A multi-year deep drought could still wipe out Scott Coho. We remain on the edge of functional extinction. Until SWRCB begins or is forced to actually measure and regulate diversions and groundwater pumping Scott Coho will remain on the brink of extinciton. 


    Those who work to ?protect?surface and groundwater irrigators from regulation are an impediment to recovery.    


    Felice Pace




    On Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 4:00 PM, <env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> wrote:

      Send env-trinity mailing list submissions to
              env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us

      To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
              http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
      or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
              env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us

      You can reach the person managing the list at
              env-trinity-owner at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us

      When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
      than "Re: Contents of env-trinity digest..."


      Today's Topics:

         1. Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
            (Tom Stokely)
         2. Re: Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run     largest since
            2007 (Sari Sommarstrom)


      ----------------------------------------------------------------------

      Message: 1
      Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:14:43 -0800 (PST)
      From: Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net>
      Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
              largest since 2007
      To: "env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us"
              <env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
      Message-ID:
              <1388430883.61428.YahooMailNeo at web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
      Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

      http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131217/NEWS/131219773?

      December 17. 2013 9:48AM
      Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
      PHOTO/ PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
      The Shasta River video weir, located close to the Klamath River, was damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.
      After a large influx of Coho salmon in the past few weeks, the Scott River has seen its largest return of the species since 2007.?
      The latest data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife video weirs on the Klamath?s tributaries shows a relatively strong return this year for Chinook and Coho, with the Scott?s Chinook numbers as of Dec. 10 coming in just under the seven year average weir data. Final counts for the Scott also rely on carcass and spawning area counts, which have not yet been finalized.?
      On Bogus Creek, the numbers of Chinook and Coho passing the video weir have trickled to a halt, with only one Coho returning between Dec. 4 and Dec. 10.?
      So far, the Bogus numbers are 3,143 Chinook and 290 Coho, which the data shows is the strongest Coho return since 2004 and the third-smallest Chinook return in that same time period.?
      The end of season for the Shasta counts was called on Dec. 10, due to ice floes damaging the weir on Dec. 9. The Chinook count came in at 8,127, the third-largest return since 2001, with 151 Coho, the highest number of that species since 2007.?
      The Scott and Bogus weirs are still operating, according to CDFW?environmental scientist Morgan Knechtle, and once the final numbers are compiled and finalized, they will be used in forecasts for 2014.
      -------------- next part --------------
      An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
      URL: http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20131230/5cd895d4/attachment-0001.html

      ------------------------------

      Message: 2
      Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:47:59 -0800
      From: "Sari Sommarstrom" <sari at sisqtel.net>
      Subject: Re: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
              largest since 2007
      To: "'Tom Stokely'" <tstokely at att.net>,
              <env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
      Message-ID: <00ef01cf0598$0b2389c0$216a9d40$@sisqtel.net>
      Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

      What was missing from the article was the actual number of coho seen at the weir at RM 18 on the Scott River: 1,264 adults as of 12/18. Final figure won?t be available until after the weir closes in early January and the downstream estimate is added in.

      For this same brood year, the recent figure compares with the final weir counts of 911 in 2010 and 1,622 in 2007.



      ~Sari Sommarstrom

      Etna



      From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Tom Stokely
      Sent: Monday, December 30, 2013 11:15 AM
      To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
      Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run largest since 2007



      http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131217/NEWS/131219773

      December 17. 2013 9:48AM


      Scott River Coho run largest since 2007


      The Shasta River video weir,located close to the Klamath River, was damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river. <http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/storyimage/CA/20131217/NEWS/131219773/AR/0/AR-131219773.jpg&MaxH=225&MaxW=225>

      PHOTO/ PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

      The Shasta River video weir, located close to the Klamath River, was damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.

      After a large influx of Coho salmon in the past few weeks, the Scott River has seen its largest return of the species since 2007.
      The latest data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife video weirs on the Klamath?s tributaries shows a relatively strong return this year for Chinook and Coho, with the Scott?s Chinook numbers as of Dec. 10 coming in just under the seven year average weir data. Final counts for the Scott also rely on carcass and spawning area counts, which have not yet been finalized.
      On Bogus Creek, the numbers of Chinook and Coho passing the video weir have trickled to a halt, with only one Coho returning between Dec. 4 and Dec. 10.
      So far, the Bogus numbers are 3,143 Chinook and 290 Coho, which the data shows is the strongest Coho return since 2004 and the third-smallest Chinook return in that same time period.
      The end of season for the Shasta counts was called on Dec. 10, due to ice floes damaging the weir on Dec. 9. The Chinook count came in at 8,127, the third-largest return since 2001, with 151 Coho, the highest number of that species since 2007.
      The Scott and Bogus weirs are still operating, according to CDFW?environmental scientist Morgan Knechtle, and once the final numbers are compiled and finalized, they will be used in forecasts for 2014.

      -------------- next part --------------
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      ------------------------------

      _______________________________________________
      env-trinity mailing list
      env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
      http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity


      End of env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43
      ********************************************




    -- 
    Felice Pace
    Klamath, CA 95548
    707-954-6588 

    "we must always seek the truth in our opponents' error and the error in our own truth."

                                                                                                   - Reinhold Niebuhr

                                             

    _______________________________________________
    env-trinity mailing list
    env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
    http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity


   

_______________________________________________
env-trinity mailing list
env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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From campaign at mbaysav.org  Thu Jan  2 06:29:31 2014
From: campaign at mbaysav.org (Deirdre Des Jardins)
Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2014 09:29:31 -0500
Subject: [env-trinity] env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43
In-Reply-To: <CA3D2724309A41109A3F6EACB0C9806C@Bertha>
References: <mailman.3.1388433605.11257.env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>	<CA+BcFPnod2SWs3-U+8N-ieZKRz4+1PTXAWQERni9rJR_YsFU+A@mail.gmail.com><E169971B-0148-4E2A-A575-CBAD67E4AB98@dhscott.com>
	<52C4D44D.3050407@mbaysav.org>
	<CA3D2724309A41109A3F6EACB0C9806C@Bertha>
Message-ID: <52C577CB.7050501@mbaysav.org>

Population growth is greatly impacting the state's water use.   When I 
looked at diversions from the Sacramento Delta by the State and Federal 
Water Projects over the last 30 years, I found that 90% of the increased 
diversions between the 1990s and 2000-2007 were from the State Water 
Project, which is mostly urban.      You can see the graphs of changes 
in exports by decade here: http://nodeltagates.com/mythsfacts/

I think that almost every river basin in the state is similarly stressed 
because of population growth.

We definitely need to look at how to supply water for housing more 
efficiently, and how existing housing can use less water.     The 
pattern for the last 30 years of building expansive single family 
residential subdivisions with large lawns is completely 
unsustainable.     Either multi-family residential or Xeriscaping is 
much more efficient and leaves water in the rivers for both fish and 
agriculture.    Multi-family residential is also much more energy efficient.

Deirdre Des Jardins
California Water Research

On Wednesday/1/1/14 10:08 PM, Patrick Truman wrote:
> more water meters in areas without them would help, we even have water 
> meters in Weaverville, but we all know locations throughout the state 
> that do not have metered water service, perhaps we should start a list 
> of shame.
> Patrick Truman
> Local Rabble Rouser, and I hope that is not an oxymoron...
> *From:* Deirdre Des Jardins <mailto:campaign at mbaysav.org>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, January 01, 2014 6:51 PM
> *To:* env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us 
> <mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
> *Subject:* Re: [env-trinity] env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43
> To anyone who studies water use in California, it's becoming 
> increasingly apparent that there is likely to be less water available 
> in the future for agriculture in the state, because of the impacts of 
> climate change and population growth.
>
> So finding a constructive way to resolve the conflicts between water 
> needs for agriculture and for fish populations is essential.   In 
> dialogues like this all over the state, I  have seen endless 
> discussions about how fish populations might survive with less water, 
> but little discussions of strategies for reducing agricultural water 
> use, such as regulated deficit irrigation, which allows growing crops 
> with less water, or of crop shifting.
>
> These seem like essential strategies but they are hardly even 
> discussed.   In a high water cost situation, regulated deficit 
> irrigation may even increase farmer's profits.
> See, for example,  Deficit irrigation for reducing agricultural water 
> use http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/content/58/2/147.abstract
>
> Deirdre Des Jardins
> California Water Research
>
> On Wednesday/1/1/14 4:51 PM, Paul Catanese wrote:
>> Felice: based on your logic it would seem that indiscriminate over 
>> netting at the lower reaches based on bogus projections of fish 
>> returns would have a significantly greater negative impact on the on 
>> the species than surface water. What say you. Let's be intellectually 
>> honest. Let's study that.
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Jan 1, 2014, at 11:13 AM, "Felice Pace" <unofelice at gmail.com 
>> <mailto:unofelice at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>
>>> The second largest Coho run on the Scott in redecent years is good 
>>> news but the numbers Sari shared indicate that we are not making 
>>> progress in rebuilding the Scott Coho population to anything near 
>>> biological viability over the long run. To give raders a more 
>>> complete view perhpas Sari or Tom will share a full data set for the 
>>> last 10 years, i.e. the ?bad?years as well as the ?good? - so that 
>>> folks get a more comlete picture.
>>>
>>> The dewatering of the Scott and key tribs each summer is likely the 
>>> top factor preventing recovery of Scott Coho to long-term viability. 
>>> Very few of the progeny of this year?s relatively ?good? run will 
>>> make it to the ocean. Many will be killed by dewatering below 
>>> irrigation diversions and others by Klamath mainstem conditions.  A 
>>> multi-year deep drought could still wipe out Scott Coho. We remain 
>>> on the edge of functional extinction. Until SWRCB begins or is 
>>> forced to actually measure and regulate diversions and groundwater 
>>> pumping Scott Coho will remain on the brink of extinciton.
>>>
>>> Those who work to ?protect?surface and groundwater irrigators from 
>>> regulation are an impediment to recovery.
>>>
>>> Felice Pace
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 4:00 PM, 
>>> <env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us 
>>> <mailto:env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>> wrote:
>>>
>>>     Send env-trinity mailing list submissions to
>>>     env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>>     <mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
>>>
>>>     To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>>>     http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
>>>     or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>>>     env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>>     <mailto:env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
>>>
>>>     You can reach the person managing the list at
>>>     env-trinity-owner at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>>     <mailto:env-trinity-owner at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
>>>
>>>     When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
>>>     than "Re: Contents of env-trinity digest..."
>>>
>>>
>>>     Today's Topics:
>>>
>>>        1. Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
>>>           (Tom Stokely)
>>>        2. Re: Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run     largest
>>>     since
>>>           2007 (Sari Sommarstrom)
>>>
>>>
>>>     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>     Message: 1
>>>     Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:14:43 -0800 (PST)
>>>     From: Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net <mailto:tstokely at att.net>>
>>>     Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
>>>             largest since 2007
>>>     To: "env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>>     <mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>"
>>>             <env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>>     <mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>>
>>>     Message-ID:
>>>            
>>>     <1388430883.61428.YahooMailNeo at web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com
>>>     <mailto:1388430883.61428.YahooMailNeo at web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>>
>>>     Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>>>
>>>     http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131217/NEWS/131219773?
>>>
>>>     December 17. 2013 9:48AM
>>>     Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
>>>     PHOTO/ PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
>>>     The Shasta River video weir, located close to the Klamath River,
>>>     was damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.
>>>     After a large influx of Coho salmon in the past few weeks, the
>>>     Scott River has seen its largest return of the species since 2007.?
>>>     The latest data from the California Department of Fish and
>>>     Wildlife video weirs on the Klamath?s tributaries shows a
>>>     relatively strong return this year for Chinook and Coho, with
>>>     the Scott?s Chinook numbers as of Dec. 10 coming in just under
>>>     the seven year average weir data. Final counts for the Scott
>>>     also rely on carcass and spawning area counts, which have not
>>>     yet been finalized.?
>>>     On Bogus Creek, the numbers of Chinook and Coho passing the
>>>     video weir have trickled to a halt, with only one Coho returning
>>>     between Dec. 4 and Dec. 10.?
>>>     So far, the Bogus numbers are 3,143 Chinook and 290 Coho, which
>>>     the data shows is the strongest Coho return since 2004 and the
>>>     third-smallest Chinook return in that same time period.?
>>>     The end of season for the Shasta counts was called on Dec. 10,
>>>     due to ice floes damaging the weir on Dec. 9. The Chinook count
>>>     came in at 8,127, the third-largest return since 2001, with 151
>>>     Coho, the highest number of that species since 2007.?
>>>     The Scott and Bogus weirs are still operating, according to
>>>     CDFW?environmental scientist Morgan Knechtle, and once the final
>>>     numbers are compiled and finalized, they will be used in
>>>     forecasts for 2014.
>>>     -------------- next part --------------
>>>     An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
>>>     URL:
>>>     http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20131230/5cd895d4/attachment-0001.html
>>>
>>>     ------------------------------
>>>
>>>     Message: 2
>>>     Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:47:59 -0800
>>>     From: "Sari Sommarstrom" <sari at sisqtel.net
>>>     <mailto:sari at sisqtel.net>>
>>>     Subject: Re: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
>>>             largest since 2007
>>>     To: "'Tom Stokely'" <tstokely at att.net <mailto:tstokely at att.net>>,
>>>             <env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>>     <mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>>
>>>     Message-ID: <00ef01cf0598$0b2389c0$216a9d40$@sisqtel.net
>>>     <http://sisqtel.net>>
>>>     Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>>>
>>>     What was missing from the article was the actual number of coho
>>>     seen at the weir at RM 18 on the Scott River: 1,264 adults as of
>>>     12/18. Final figure won?t be available until after the weir
>>>     closes in early January and the downstream estimate is added in.
>>>
>>>     For this same brood year, the recent figure compares with the
>>>     final weir counts of 911 in 2010 and 1,622 in 2007.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>     ~Sari Sommarstrom
>>>
>>>     Etna
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>     From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>>     <mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
>>>     [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>>     <mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>] On
>>>     Behalf Of Tom Stokely
>>>     Sent: Monday, December 30, 2013 11:15 AM
>>>     To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>>     <mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
>>>     Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
>>>     largest since 2007
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>     http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131217/NEWS/131219773
>>>
>>>     December 17. 2013 9:48AM
>>>
>>>
>>>     Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
>>>
>>>
>>>     The Shasta River video weir,located close to the Klamath River,
>>>     was damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.
>>>     <http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/storyimage/CA/20131217/NEWS/131219773/AR/0/AR-131219773.jpg&MaxH=225&MaxW=225>
>>>
>>>     PHOTO/ PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
>>>
>>>     The Shasta River video weir, located close to the Klamath River,
>>>     was damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.
>>>
>>>     After a large influx of Coho salmon in the past few weeks, the
>>>     Scott River has seen its largest return of the species since 2007.
>>>     The latest data from the California Department of Fish and
>>>     Wildlife video weirs on the Klamath?s tributaries shows a
>>>     relatively strong return this year for Chinook and Coho, with
>>>     the Scott?s Chinook numbers as of Dec. 10 coming in just under
>>>     the seven year average weir data. Final counts for the Scott
>>>     also rely on carcass and spawning area counts, which have not
>>>     yet been finalized.
>>>     On Bogus Creek, the numbers of Chinook and Coho passing the
>>>     video weir have trickled to a halt, with only one Coho returning
>>>     between Dec. 4 and Dec. 10.
>>>     So far, the Bogus numbers are 3,143 Chinook and 290 Coho, which
>>>     the data shows is the strongest Coho return since 2004 and the
>>>     third-smallest Chinook return in that same time period.
>>>     The end of season for the Shasta counts was called on Dec. 10,
>>>     due to ice floes damaging the weir on Dec. 9. The Chinook count
>>>     came in at 8,127, the third-largest return since 2001, with 151
>>>     Coho, the highest number of that species since 2007.
>>>     The Scott and Bogus weirs are still operating, according to
>>>     CDFW?environmental scientist Morgan Knechtle, and once the final
>>>     numbers are compiled and finalized, they will be used in
>>>     forecasts for 2014.
>>>
>>>     -------------- next part --------------
>>>     An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
>>>     URL:
>>>     http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20131230/81eb1f4f/attachment-0001.html
>>>
>>>     ------------------------------
>>>
>>>     _______________________________________________
>>>     env-trinity mailing list
>>>     env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>>>     <mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
>>>     http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
>>>
>>>
>>>     End of env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43
>>>     ********************************************
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Felice Pace
>>> Klamath, CA 95548
>>> 707-954-6588
>>>
>>> "we must always seek the truth in our opponents' error and the error 
>>> in our own truth."
>>>
>>> - Reinhold Niebuhr
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> env-trinity mailing list
>>> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us 
>>> <mailto:env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
>>> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> env-trinity mailing list
>> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
>> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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> env-trinity mailing list
> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
>
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From awhitridge at dishmail.net  Thu Jan  2 07:46:19 2014
From: awhitridge at dishmail.net (Arnold Whitridge)
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2014 07:46:19 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43
In-Reply-To: <E169971B-0148-4E2A-A575-CBAD67E4AB98@dhscott.com>
References: <mailman.3.1388433605.11257.env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us><CA+BcFPnod2SWs3-U+8N-ieZKRz4+1PTXAWQERni9rJR_YsFU+A@mail.gmail.com>
	<E169971B-0148-4E2A-A575-CBAD67E4AB98@dhscott.com>
Message-ID: <2ED320AC7931458D990085381E101579@arnPC>

Wait, wait.  Paul, it seems that in your frustration you've embraced an argument that was advanced by Westlands and others to obstruct the return of water to the Trinity-  namely that fish population declines can be solved by reducing harvests, so it's unnecessary to address apparent flow deficiencies (at least, not until we reduce harvests and monitor the results for a decade or two...).  After many (too many!) years of study and discussion of the sort that you propose, this argument ended up discredited among intellectually honest people. It doesn't "hold water" for Trinity River circumstances, and I don't see why it would hold water for other Klamath tributaries.

Consider, if available habitat can't support adequate numbers of young fish, which was found to be the case on the Trinity and which Felice argues is the case on the Scott (is he off base on this? how and why?), then we have a problem that can't be successfully addressed (and indeed, will probably be exacerbated) by increasing the number of spawners.  If we put 1000 young fish into a stream that can only support 100, we'll end up with less than 100, not more than 100, surviving. 

Also, it doesn't seem reasonable to say that a harvest based on projections is "indiscriminate".  Of course we need appropriate harvest management, and of course appropriate harvest management requires accurate projections.  All fishers should, and I believe most fishers do, support appropriate harvest levels and improvement in run projections.  I've personally heard repeated and credible support for these things from those lower-reach netters you mention.  If you want to argue about how the harvest is divided among different groups of fishers, that's fine, but it's not the same topic as restoration science and strategy.

Regardless, it seems like a big mistake for any fisher to argue that better flows are maybe unnecessary in a flow-depleted system with struggling fish populations.

Arnold Whitridge   


 



----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Paul Catanese 
  To: Felice Pace 
  Cc: Trinity List 
  Sent: Wednesday, January 01, 2014 1:51 PM
  Subject: Re: [env-trinity] env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43


  Felice: based on your logic it would seem that indiscriminate over netting at the lower reaches based on bogus projections of fish returns would have a significantly greater negative impact on the on the species than surface water. What say you. Let's be intellectually honest. Let's study that. 



  Sent from my iPhone

  On Jan 1, 2014, at 11:13 AM, "Felice Pace" <unofelice at gmail.com> wrote:


    The second largest Coho run on the Scott in redecent years is good news but the numbers Sari shared indicate that we are not making progress in rebuilding the Scott Coho population to anything near biological viability over the long run. To give raders a more complete view perhpas Sari or Tom will share a full data set for the last 10 years, i.e. the ?bad?years as well as the ?good? - so that folks get a more comlete picture. 


    The dewatering of the Scott and key tribs each summer is likely the top factor preventing recovery of Scott Coho to long-term viability. Very few of the progeny of this year?s relatively ?good? run will make it to the ocean. Many will be killed by dewatering below irrigation diversions and others by Klamath mainstem conditions.  A multi-year deep drought could still wipe out Scott Coho. We remain on the edge of functional extinction. Until SWRCB begins or is forced to actually measure and regulate diversions and groundwater pumping Scott Coho will remain on the brink of extinciton. 


    Those who work to ?protect?surface and groundwater irrigators from regulation are an impediment to recovery.    


    Felice Pace




    On Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 4:00 PM, <env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> wrote:

      Send env-trinity mailing list submissions to
              env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us

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      When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
      than "Re: Contents of env-trinity digest..."


      Today's Topics:

         1. Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
            (Tom Stokely)
         2. Re: Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run     largest since
            2007 (Sari Sommarstrom)


      ----------------------------------------------------------------------

      Message: 1
      Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:14:43 -0800 (PST)
      From: Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net>
      Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
              largest since 2007
      To: "env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us"
              <env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
      Message-ID:
              <1388430883.61428.YahooMailNeo at web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
      Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

      http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131217/NEWS/131219773?

      December 17. 2013 9:48AM
      Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
      PHOTO/ PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
      The Shasta River video weir, located close to the Klamath River, was damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.
      After a large influx of Coho salmon in the past few weeks, the Scott River has seen its largest return of the species since 2007.?
      The latest data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife video weirs on the Klamath?s tributaries shows a relatively strong return this year for Chinook and Coho, with the Scott?s Chinook numbers as of Dec. 10 coming in just under the seven year average weir data. Final counts for the Scott also rely on carcass and spawning area counts, which have not yet been finalized.?
      On Bogus Creek, the numbers of Chinook and Coho passing the video weir have trickled to a halt, with only one Coho returning between Dec. 4 and Dec. 10.?
      So far, the Bogus numbers are 3,143 Chinook and 290 Coho, which the data shows is the strongest Coho return since 2004 and the third-smallest Chinook return in that same time period.?
      The end of season for the Shasta counts was called on Dec. 10, due to ice floes damaging the weir on Dec. 9. The Chinook count came in at 8,127, the third-largest return since 2001, with 151 Coho, the highest number of that species since 2007.?
      The Scott and Bogus weirs are still operating, according to CDFW?environmental scientist Morgan Knechtle, and once the final numbers are compiled and finalized, they will be used in forecasts for 2014.
      -------------- next part --------------
      An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
      URL: http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20131230/5cd895d4/attachment-0001.html

      ------------------------------

      Message: 2
      Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:47:59 -0800
      From: "Sari Sommarstrom" <sari at sisqtel.net>
      Subject: Re: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
              largest since 2007
      To: "'Tom Stokely'" <tstokely at att.net>,
              <env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
      Message-ID: <00ef01cf0598$0b2389c0$216a9d40$@sisqtel.net>
      Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

      What was missing from the article was the actual number of coho seen at the weir at RM 18 on the Scott River: 1,264 adults as of 12/18. Final figure won?t be available until after the weir closes in early January and the downstream estimate is added in.

      For this same brood year, the recent figure compares with the final weir counts of 911 in 2010 and 1,622 in 2007.



      ~Sari Sommarstrom

      Etna



      From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Tom Stokely
      Sent: Monday, December 30, 2013 11:15 AM
      To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
      Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run largest since 2007



      http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131217/NEWS/131219773

      December 17. 2013 9:48AM


      Scott River Coho run largest since 2007


       The Shasta River video weir,located close to the Klamath River, was damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river. <http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/storyimage/CA/20131217/NEWS/131219773/AR/0/AR-131219773.jpg&MaxH=225&MaxW=225>

      PHOTO/ PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

      The Shasta River video weir, located close to the Klamath River, was damaged on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.

      After a large influx of Coho salmon in the past few weeks, the Scott River has seen its largest return of the species since 2007.
      The latest data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife video weirs on the Klamath?s tributaries shows a relatively strong return this year for Chinook and Coho, with the Scott?s Chinook numbers as of Dec. 10 coming in just under the seven year average weir data. Final counts for the Scott also rely on carcass and spawning area counts, which have not yet been finalized.
      On Bogus Creek, the numbers of Chinook and Coho passing the video weir have trickled to a halt, with only one Coho returning between Dec. 4 and Dec. 10.
      So far, the Bogus numbers are 3,143 Chinook and 290 Coho, which the data shows is the strongest Coho return since 2004 and the third-smallest Chinook return in that same time period.
      The end of season for the Shasta counts was called on Dec. 10, due to ice floes damaging the weir on Dec. 9. The Chinook count came in at 8,127, the third-largest return since 2001, with 151 Coho, the highest number of that species since 2007.
      The Scott and Bogus weirs are still operating, according to CDFW?environmental scientist Morgan Knechtle, and once the final numbers are compiled and finalized, they will be used in forecasts for 2014.

      -------------- next part --------------
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      ------------------------------

      _______________________________________________
      env-trinity mailing list
      env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
      http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity


      End of env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43
      ********************************************




    -- 
    Felice Pace
    Klamath, CA 95548
    707-954-6588 

    "we must always seek the truth in our opponents' error and the error in our own truth."

                                                                                                   - Reinhold Niebuhr

                                             

    _______________________________________________
    env-trinity mailing list
    env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
    http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity



------------------------------------------------------------------------------


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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Jan  2 09:10:10 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2014 09:10:10 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Jerry Meral joins Natural Heritage Institute
Message-ID: <1388682610.47995.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://mavensnotebook.com/2013/12/31/jerry-meral-joins-natural-heritage-institute/

Jerry Meral joins Natural Heritage Institute
Sliderbox Posts,?Water
by?Maven
Received via email:
Dr. Jerry Meral, who directed the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) for Governor Jerry Brown, has joined the Natural Heritage Institute as Director of the California Water Program.
>Dr. Meral served as Deputy Director of the California Department of Water Resources from 1975 to 1983, Executive Director of the Planning and Conservation League from 1983 to 2010, and as Deputy Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency from 2011 to 2013.? In the latter capacity, he was in charge of the BDCP, a habitat conservation plan which includes the proposed twin water tunnels which would pass under the Delta from Sacramento to Tracy, as well as extensive habitat restoration.
>Dr. Meral will represent NHI on BDCP issues.? In order to comply with state law regarding ?revolving door? issues, he will not be compensated for his time working on BDCP.? He will also represent NHI on groundwater issues, transportation issues affecting water quality and habitat, and other California water matters.? Dr. Meral previously served on the NHI Board of Directors, and represented NHI on the BDCP Steering Committee in 2010.
>NHI is a non-profit environmental conservation organization founded in 1989 with 25 years of experience in California water issues. NHI was represented on the BDCP Steering Committee for many years. NHI also works on river management issues throughout the world, with special focus on preserving and restoring natural functions on major river systems in Asia, Africa, and North and South America.? The NHI Board of Directors includes well known scientists such as Dr. Peter Moyle, an expert on California fish.
>The Natural Heritage Institute has been an early and strenuous proponent of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.? NHI finds the evidence overwhelming that the delta cannot serve the dual functions of maintaining endangered species and water supply reliability without?a massive habitat restoration program and improvements to the water diversion and conveyance infrastructure that can reduce the conflicts between these uses.? BDCP is the only apparent vehicle for marshalling the billions of dollars of financial support from the State and Federal Water Contractors for the needed infrastructure improvements and for the public funding needed to undertake the restoration program.
>The infrastructure improvements may also provide substantial benefits beyond the delta itself.? NHI has worked for decades to illuminate opportunities for conjunctive use of surface and groundwater resources, many of which would rely on a more flexible system of moving water across the delta.? When it becomes easier to move water to new off-stream storage facilities and empty groundwater basins in the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, it will be possible to undertake stream enhancement north of the Delta, benefitting both the environment and water users of all regions
>The principal fear of people in Northern California is that those in the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley, and Southern California will take more water from the Delta than is good for the fish and the environment of the Delta can be alleviated through water management measures to implement the existing state policy to reduce reliance on the delta by the state and federal water supply agencies.? Water exports from the Delta should not increase beyond the historic level of export.
>Learn more about NHI at?www.n-h-i.org
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Thu Jan  2 11:39:19 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2014 11:39:19 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Natural Heritage Institute Hires Jerry Meral
In-Reply-To: <52C577CB.7050501@mbaysav.org>
References: <mailman.3.1388433605.11257.env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>	<CA+BcFPnod2SWs3-U+8N-ieZKRz4+1PTXAWQERni9rJR_YsFU+A@mail.gmail.com><E169971B-0148-4E2A-A575-CBAD67E4AB98@dhscott.com>
	<52C4D44D.3050407@mbaysav.org>
	<CA3D2724309A41109A3F6EACB0C9806C@Bertha>
	<52C577CB.7050501@mbaysav.org>
Message-ID: <4D8812D2-DBD2-4334-AA9B-3A44805ADE6D@fishsniffer.com>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/02/1266590/-Natural-Heritage- 
Institute-Hires-Jerry-Meral

http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/natural-heritage-institute- 
hires-jerry-meral/

  ?

Photo of Jerry Meral at BDCP meeting by Dan Bacher.



Natural Heritage Institute Hires Jerry Meral

by Dan Bacher

Many people have been speculating about where Jerry Meral, the  
controversial Deputy Secretary for Natural Resources who claimed "the  
Delta cannot be saved" in April 2013, would go to work after his  
retirement from state service on December 31.

The speculation is over. Meral, Governor Jerry Brown's former point  
man for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the  
peripheral tunnels, announced in an email and his new employer  
announced in a statement on December 31 that he will be now working  
for the Natural Heritage Institute (NHI), a pro twin tunnels  
"environmental" NGO that touts itself as "an early and strenuous  
proponent of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan."

Jerry Meral is joining an organization that not only has been an  
"early and strenuous" cheerleader of the BDCP, but has long  
championed water markets and water transfers that have privatized  
water and transformed a public trust asset, belonging to all  
citizens, into a "profit center to enrich special interests,"  
according to Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California  
Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA).

"NHI also developed the concept that became the Environmental Water  
Account, which enabled water speculators to sell public trust water  
back to the public at vast profit," said Jennings.

"As you may have heard, I am retiring from state service today,"  
Meral said in his email. "It has been a great pleasure working for  
Governor Brown on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan for the past three  
years. I am confident that the Plan will be successfully completed  
and implemented."

He said that starting January 1, "I will be representing the Natural  
Heritage Institute on California water matters, including BDCP."

The Natural Heritage Institute announced his new employment in a  
statement saying, "Dr. Meral will represent NHI on BDCP issues."

"In order to comply with state law regarding 'revolving door' issues,  
he will not be compensated for his time working on BDCP," according  
to the Institute. "He will also represent NHI on groundwater issues,  
transportation issues affecting water quality and habitat, and other  
California water matters. Dr. Meral previously served on the NHI  
Board of Directors, and represented NHI on the BDCP Steering  
Committee in 2010."

The complete NHI announcement regarding Meral's hiring is below:

"Dr. Jerry Meral, who directed the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP)  
for Governor Jerry Brown, has joined the Natural Heritage Institute  
as Director of the California Water Program.

Dr. Meral served as Deputy Director of the California Department of  
Water Resources from 1975 to 1983, Executive Director of the Planning  
and Conservation League from 1983 to 2010, and as Deputy Secretary of  
the California Natural Resources Agency from 2011 to 2013. In the  
latter capacity, he was in charge of the BDCP, a habitat conservation  
plan which includes the proposed twin water tunnels which would pass  
under the Delta from Sacramento to Tracy, as well as extensive  
habitat restoration.

Dr. Meral will represent NHI on BDCP issues. In order to comply with  
state law regarding 'revolving door' issues, he will not be  
compensated for his time working on BDCP. He will also represent NHI  
on groundwater issues, transportation issues affecting water quality  
and habitat, and other California water matters. Dr. Meral previously  
served on the NHI Board of Directors, and represented NHI on the BDCP  
Steering Committee in 2010.

NHI is a non-profit environmental conservation organization founded  
in 1989 with 25 years of experience in California water issues. NHI  
was represented on the BDCP Steering Committee for many years. NHI  
also works on river management issues throughout the world, with  
special focus on preserving and restoring natural functions on major  
river systems in Asia, Africa, and North and South America. The NHI  
Board of Directors includes well known scientists such as Dr. Peter  
Moyle, an expert on California fish.

The Natural Heritage Institute has been an early and strenuous  
proponent of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. NHI finds the evidence  
overwhelming that the delta cannot serve the dual functions of  
maintaining endangered species and water supply reliability without a  
massive habitat restoration program and improvements to the water  
diversion and conveyance infrastructure that can reduce the conflicts  
between these uses. BDCP is the only apparent vehicle for marshalling  
the billions of dollars of financial support from the State and  
Federal Water Contractors for the needed infrastructure improvements  
and for the public funding needed to undertake the restoration program.

The infrastructure improvements may also provide substantial benefits  
beyond the delta itself. NHI has worked for decades to illuminate  
opportunities for conjunctive use of surface and groundwater  
resources, many of which would rely on a more flexible system of  
moving water across the delta. When it becomes easier to move water  
to new off-stream storage facilities and empty groundwater basins in  
the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, it will be possible  
to undertake stream enhancement north of the Delta, benefitting both  
the environment and water users of all regions

The principal fear of people in Northern California is that those in  
the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley, and Southern California will take  
more water from the Delta than is good for the fish and the  
environment of the Delta can be alleviated through water management  
measures to implement the existing state policy to reduce reliance on  
the delta by the state and federal water supply agencies. Water  
exports from the Delta should not increase beyond the historic level  
of export.

Learn more about NHI at http://www.n-h-i.org."

A list of government agencies, NGOs and foundations is listed on the  
Institute's website as "partners, funders and clients" (it doesn't  
specify which are partners, funders and clients).

The foundations listed include the Ford Foundation, National Fish and  
Wildlife Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, Resources Legacy Fund,  
S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Soros Foundation and The David and  
Lucile Packard Foundation, among others.

Background on Meral and the BDCP:

Meral became the focus of a huge controversy when he acknowledged on  
April 15, 2013 that "BDCP is not about, and has never been about  
saving the Delta.The Delta cannot be saved.'"

He made his controversial comments while speaking with Tom Stokely of  
the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) in a private conversation  
after a meeting with Northern California Indian Tribes, according to  
Restore the Delta's "Delta Flows" newsletter (http:// 
www.restorethedelta.org/or-is-it-the-point/)

After Meral made the revealing, candid comments, five Congressional  
Democrats - George Miller, Mike Thompson, Jerry McNerney, Doris  
Matsui and Anna Eshoo - called for Meral's immediate resignation.  
(http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/congressional-democrats- 
call-for-brown-administration-officials-resignation/)

"Meral?s statement, if accurately reported, suggests the Brown  
Administration intends to explicitly violate the established  
statutory co-equal goals of ecosystem restoration in the Bay-Delta  
and water reliability throughout the state," according to the  
Representatives' statement. "This fuels speculation that the  
Administration?s plan, if unchanged, will devastate the Sacramento- 
San Joaquin River Delta and the communities that rely on it, a  
concern that Northern California Lawmakers and other stakeholders  
have voiced throughout the process."

The widely-criticized plan proposes to construct three new intakes in  
the north Delta along the Sacramento River about 35 miles north of  
the existing South Delta pumping plants. Two 35-mile long twin  
tunnels would carry the water underground to the existing pumping  
plants that feed canals sttetching hundreds of miles to the south and  
west.

The release of the over 40,000 pages of public review draft of the  
Bay Delta Conservation Plan and its corresponding Draft Environmental  
Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) on December 13  
triggered a 120-day period for the gathering of public comments  
through April 14, 2014.

The construction of the twin tunnels will likely hasten the  
extinction of Sacramento River Chinook salmon, Central Valley  
steelhead, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish  
species, as well as threaten the steelhead and salmon populations on  
the Trinity and Klamath rivers.

For more information, go to: http://www.restorethedelta.org
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Jan  2 15:29:45 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2014 23:29:45 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinty River Trapping Summary Update Jweeks 51&52
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C10721D@057-SN2MPN1-041.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Happy New Year!!!
This week's summary updates the Trinity River Hatchery trapping data for Jweeks 51 and 52 (Dec 17- 30).
Please see attachments.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Jan  5 11:59:19 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2014 11:59:19 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] SACBEE- Outrage in Owens Valley a century after L.A.
	began taking its water
In-Reply-To: <1388950306.84740.YahooMailNeo@web125404.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1388950306.84740.YahooMailNeo@web125404.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1388951959.54556.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/05/6046630/outrage-in-owens-valley.html


Outrage in Owens Valley a century after L.A. began taking its
water

?
By Tom Knudson
tknudson at sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Jan. 5,
2014 - 12:00 am
Last Modified: Sunday,
Jan. 5, 2014 - 8:30 am
INDEPENDENCE -- By now, the story seems old. A
young city, thirsty for water, deploys wealth, cunning and power to divert a
river from a distant valley, safeguarding its future at the expense of others.
A century ago, Los Angeles did just that
in the Owens Valley, a
75-mile-long, U-shaped cul-de-sac on the east side of the snow-capped Sierra, a
place so scenic some called it an American Switzerland.
What happened next ? the withering of the valley,
the rise of the nation?s second-largest metropolis ? has been recounted so
often it is a part of western lore, a parable of the promise and peril of water
development.
But 100 years after the Owens River was diverted
to L.A., the story is not over. Like a stone dropped into a pond, the city?s
action set in motion a widening circle of impacts that continue to shape
conflicts and challenges.
Water, of course, is at the heart of it. But no
longer is the Owens River the focal point. Now much of the controversy is about
groundwater pumping that long ago dried up seeps and springs and is blamed now
for harming many of the valley?s lush, ecologically important meadows.
?Year after year, we watch the grasses die back.
We watch the shrubs move in. We watch the weeds come in,? said Sally Manning,
environmental director of the Big Pine Paiute Tribe whose ancestors carved the
first irrigation ditches in the valley centuries ago. ?Years go by and nothing
gets done.?
As the land dries out, the dust blows, so
intensely at times that it halts traffic on U.S. Highway 395 and triggers
health advisories in communities across the valley.
This fall, April Zrelak drove through one giant dust storm from her home
in Independence, the Inyo County seat (population 669) in the middle of the
valley, to Big Pine, 26 miles north.
?There was a wall of dirt. You could not see the
mountains,? said Zrelak, who tracks air quality issues for
another valley tribe, the Paiute-Shoshone. ?It?s a road hazard. It?s a health hazard. And it?s
erosion. It?s eroding the soil so it?s going to be even harder for plants to
take hold.?
It?s not just the valley?s air and land that are
hurting. Residents say the area?s historical charm is also in decline, as
frontier-era buildings that Los Angeles bought in the early 20th century, along
with the land and water rights, slide into disrepair and are torn down. ?They are chipping away at our
historical district,? said Independence resident Lynn Johnson. ?Our cultural
landscape is being turned back into this desert.?
Officials with the Los Angeles Department of
Water and Power, the city?s municipal utility and the agency that oversees
Owens Valley operations, defend their stewardship. They say old structures are
costly to maintain and that drought and other factors are often to blame for
environmental woes.
?We?re very protective of the valley,? said
Martin Adams, the utility?s director of water operations. ?Some will imply
anything we do is the source of all the problems. There are many more factors,
weather probably being the biggest one.?
Utility officials also point to a recent track
record of environmental gains. Seven years ago, DWP returned water to the lower
Owens River, bringing a Lazarus-like, 62-mile-long stream corridor back to
life. Since 2001, it has spent $1.2 billion to control dust across 42 square
miles of dried-up Owens Lake. And it diverts significantly less water out of the valley than a generation
ago.
?The city is like everyone else that is trying to
be responsible environmentally,? said DWP spokesman Chris Plakos. ?Things have
changed significantly over the past two, three decades.?
But environmentalists say Los Angeles had to be
pushed to make those changes through years of legal and regulatory conflict.
?It?s not voluntary,? said Daniel Pritchett, a board member of the Owens Valley
Committee, an environmental nonprofit based in Bishop. ?It?s only because
they?ve been forced, kicking and screaming, by the courts.?
Restoring water to the lower Owens River took 10
years, two environmental lawsuits and a court order fining DWP $5,000 a day for
missing deadlines. In all, penalties came to more than $3 million.
At Owens Lake, DWP has fought the local air quality district with five lawsuits and filed four
administrative appeals with the California
Air Resources Board in disputes over air quality and fees. It also
has ordered air pollution monitoring stations removed from land it controls,
creating blind spots where dust levels that sometimes exceed the federal EPA
health standard no longer can be measured.
?It?s crazy,? said Ted Schade, director of the
Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District in Bishop. ?They?re not
going to make the problem go away by making the monitors go away.?
The battle over groundwater, which began with an
Inyo County lawsuit in 1972, is even more divisive. After four decades, it is
reaching a pivotal moment as the county tries to prove in legal proceedings
that pumping has harmed one especially parched part of the valley, with the
ultimate aim of mitigating the damage.
?It takes a lot of patience,? said Bob
Harrington, director of the Inyo County Water Department. ?L.A.?s got a lot of
resources to pursue their interests, to do whatever they need to do to keep the
water going to L.A. None of these disputes were resolved overnight.?
Gift from the mountains
Too little water was not something early settlers
worried about. Their memories, recorded in books and oral histories, describe
the Owens Valley at the turn of the 20th century as an agricultural Eden
sustained by clear, cold Sierra snowmelt.
L.A. savored that runoff, too, and acquired it
amid much controversy by using bond money and other public funds to buy valley farms and ranches ? and their water rights ? and then
build an aqueduct to L.A.
Nothing like it had been attempted in the West.
More than 230 miles long, the aqueduct took thousands of workers five years to
finish. When water finally tumbled down a sluiceway into the San Fernando Valley on
Nov. 5, 1913, it was a moment for DWP superintendent William Mulholland and a
crowd of onlookers to celebrate. ?There it is. Take it,? he said.
But in Owens Valley, anger began to brew. By the
1920s, as Los Angeles bought more land, passion ran so high some residents
dynamited the aqueduct. The Inyo Register and the Owens Valley Herald summed up
the sentiment in a 1925 headline: ?Greed of City Ruins the Owens Valley.?
By the 1930s, the struggle was over. The
Department of Water and Power, which had acquired nearly all the farmland and
most town properties, won. Since then, the region has turned increasingly to
tourism for survival, serving as a gateway to the High Sierra and Mammoth
Mountain Ski Area.
But with its wide-open spaces and historic small
towns, the region also retains an Old West ambiance. For some, that uncluttered,
little-changed landscape, so unlike other parts of California, is a positive ?
and under-appreciated ? benefit of DWP?s vast holdings.
?The only thing worse than having DWP in the
valley would be not having them here,? said Phil Pister, a retired state
fisheries biologist who has lived in the valley for more than half a century.
?Where else in California do you find an area
like this that has not been built on or destroyed ecologically?? Pister said.
?Overall, DWP has been a pretty good steward of their lands. They really have.?
But many others say that attitude overlooks the
negative impacts of DWP?s legacy, including the desiccation of valley
vegetation from groundwater pumping, which ramped up in the 1970s to help fill
a second aqueduct.
?There are a lot of us who feel the city of Los
Angeles regards Inyo County as a resource colony to be exploited to whatever
means they see fit,? said Dave Wagner, a retired geologist in Independence.
?They are taking all the water they possibly can. Water tables are dropping
precipitously. Desertification is increasing.?
Like the Owens River, groundwater is the gift of
mountain snowmelt that surges out of the high country each spring and gathers
itself under the valley floor. In one of the driest climates in America ? an
average of just 5 inches of rain falls a year in the valley, less than Phoenix
? that water works miracles.
It slakes the thirst of cottonwoods and willows,
waters native grasses and shrubs and fills coffee cups and cattle tanks across
the valley. But with billions of gallons of valley groundwater now going to
L.A. each year, that subterranean magic is in danger.
Springs that bubbled clear and cold from the
valley floor dried up first in the 1970s. As shallow water tables dropped,
trees began to die. Today, large swaths of ecologically unique native grasses
and flowers that rely on water tables no more than 7 to 8 feet deep are
struggling, too.
Known as alkalai meadows, such grassy areas are
valuable to ranchers who lease land from DWP. They also are home to sensitive
species found nowhere else in California, such as the Owens Valley vole, Inyo
County star-tulip and Owens Valley checkerbloom, a state endangered species.
In the 1980s, one lush spot could be found east
of U.S. Highway 395 near Goodale Creek where Manning, then a plant ecologist
with Inyo County, studied meadow conditions. But when she visited the area
recently, Manning found mostly desert.
Where wildflowers once grew, she walked through a
tangle of tumbleweed and saltbush. Powdery gray dust rose from her footsteps.
In places, wind had scoured soil out from under clumps of dry grass, leaving
them stranded atop pedestals of dirt and roots.
?We are being dewatered to a huge extent,? said
Manning. ?It?s astonishing how much change there has been.?
Contention and gridlock
Adams, director of water operations at DWP,
acknowledged some meadow areas have grown drier. But he put most of the blame
on natural causes, including a major drought gripping the West.
?Part of it is the fact that we had one of our
lowest water years ever on record,? Adams said. ?Things are really depressed
over the whole West. It?s hard to believe the Owens Valley would be exempt from
those natural impacts.?
?You have wet periods and dry periods and brush
fires. And in the future we?ll have climate change,? Adams
said. ?When you super-impose those conditions on L.A.?s activities, one of the
challenges is always to determine what?s due to what L.A. is taking and what?s
due to natural causes.?
Adams also said that DWP data show that Owens
Valley water tables have not dropped that much over the past two decades.
?Anywhere you pump, you may have a little more immediate drawdown around the
well,? he said. ?But overall, groundwater levels are not depressed.?
L.A. obtains 25 percent to 30 percent of its
water from the eastern Sierra, down significantly from recent decades. Its
valley groundwater pumping has dropped, too, from 150,000 to 200,000 acre-feet
a year in the late 1980s to 91,600 acre-feet in 2012. But that?s still more
than what a 1998 U.S. Geological Survey study suggested could be pumped without
lowering water tables and harming vegetation.
?Ninety-one thousand is higher than we would like
to see, especially after two desperately dry years,? said Mike Prather, chair
of the Inyo County Water Commission.
Groundwater is overseen by a 1991 agreement with
Inyo County in which DWP said it would manage pumping in ways that do not dry
up meadows. But critics say the agreement has flaws, including a conflict
resolution process that can drag on for years.
?Too often we see this gridlock condition,? said
Pritchett, the Owens Valley Committee board member. ?They have a hard time even
getting their dispute resolution process to work because they can?t agree on
the wording of their disputes.?
Another point of contention is the use of soil
moisture levels to determine when wells must be shut off. As Harrington, the
county water director, wrote in a 2005 article in the Owens Valley Monitor: ?By
the time soil moisture is depleted, even if pumping stops, the water table may
not recover in time to prevent vegetation harm.?
Nonetheless, he believes the agreement has helped
the valley by keeping some farmland in irrigation and reducing pumping to an
average of 73,000 acre-feet a year over the past two decades.
?There are problem areas where we think L.A.?s
water management has had negative effects,? he said. ?There are areas in the
valley that are doing pretty well, where we think the water agreement has had
tremendous benefits, both for native vegetation and irrigated lands.?
One problem area is an alkali meadow north of
Independence near Black Rock Springs Road where Manning has documented the
decline of native grasses and wildflowers and low water table conditions for
more than two decades.
Not long ago, she returned to the meadow with a
1988 photo of the area in her hands. ?You don?t have to believe me but this is
what it used to look like,? she said, kneeling down and holding the photo in
her hands. It showed a lush, green, shaggy carpet of native grasses that rely
on groundwater for survival, along with some shrubs.
The landscape in front of her now was dry, dusty
and dominated by desert shrubs that can survive on scant precipitation. ?This
is what the agreement was supposed to avoid,? Manning said. ?There was a line
in the sand that there would be no further change. But that line has been
crossed many times by DWP.?
She resigned in frustration in 2008. ?It was just
heartbreaking to monitor the death of this meadow and present the data to the
decision-makers and have them just shrug,? said Manning. ?It got to the point
where it was hopeless.?
The county is now trying to hold DWP accountable
for the transformation ? so far, unsuccessfully. In arbitration, the agency
claimed Inyo County?s monitoring process was flawed, making it impossible to
determine whether change had occurred. This fall, arbitrators brought in by the
two sides disagreed with that assessment. But the extent of the damage, and the
cause, remain in dispute.
Meanwhile, pumping continues nearby at two wells
that are exempt from regulation because they supply water to a state fish
hatchery before it goes to L.A. ? a situation that draws the ire of critics.
?Groundwater pumping tied to mitigation
activities is not right,? said Alan Bacock, water program coordinator for the
Big Pine Paiute Tribe.
Dust from a moonscape
Thirty miles south, a larger conflict over air
quality also has dragged on for years.
This one is at Owens Lake, which dried up in the
mid-1920s, forming a salty-white moonscape that has become the largest man-made
source of hazardous airborne dust in America.
Owens Lake dust is dangerous because its
particles are so tiny, they are easily inhaled and can increase the risk of
respiratory and cardiac problems. The federal health standard for such
diminutive dust ? know as ?PM10,? for particulate matter 10 microns or less in
diameter ? is 150 micrograms per cubic meter.
PM10 levels at Owens Lake often dwarf that. In
2011, one dust storm was measured at 13,380 micrograms ? 89 times the EPA
standard. In 2001, another reached 20,754 micrograms ? 138 times the federal
standard.
?It has a funny taste to it. It burns your eyes.
It makes me cough,? said Janice Aten, a member of the Paiute-Shoshone Tribe in
nearby Lone Pine who has lived in Owens Valley for years.
To control that dust, DWP now spreads more than
30 billion gallons of water a year ? enough to fill the Rose Bowl every day ?
across the lake floor. It also has re-vegetated large areas, creating habitat
for eared grebes, snowy plovers and other migratory birds.
It is the largest dust control project in U.S.
history, covering 42 square miles at a cost of $1.2 billion. And it has made a
difference: Overall, dust levels have dropped about 90 percent to 1,000 to
1,500 micrograms per cubic meter since the early 2000s.
?We?ve seen a dramatic improvement,? said Schade,
director of the Great Basin Unified air district. ?But we are still 10 times
over the standard.?
The district and DWP are quarreling now over an
additional 3.6 square miles where Schade says more dust control measures are
needed to bring pollution levels into compliance with federal law. DWP contends
it?s being asked to control dust it didn?t cause and has fought back with state
and federal lawsuits and administrative appeals. In 2012, it ordered Great
Basin to remove three air quality monitors from land owned by Los Angeles,
terminating the agreement that gave the air district access.
?We felt very strongly the data collected was
being used incorrectly,? said Adams, the DWP director. ?We are in a situation
where we are controlling dust that?s been naturally occurring for all of
history and not due to any activity by Los Angeles.?
Schade disagreed. ?Their water gathering
activities are what caused this problem,? he said. ?We?re asking them to clean
up after themselves. It?s the law.?
The district is trying to install new monitors on
nearby state and federal land, so far without success. At one spot, a concrete
pad for a monitoring station sits on state-owned land just 110 meters from the
old DWP site. But persuading DWP to supply power to the new site has been
difficult.
?Unfortunately, the air polluter is also the
power provider,? said Schade. ?We can?t get DWP to get off the dime and string
the wires. They could do it tomorrow.?
As the fine lake dust recedes, concern is growing
about the huge clouds of wind-borne soil and grit that billow off once-green
alkali meadows and farm fields.
?They need water,? Schade said. ?You can bring
the vegetation back and bring the dust down, or you can put it in swimming
pools down in Southern California.?
A hole in history
DWP is stirring up a different kind of conflict
in Independence, the Inyo county seat, where residents say the community?s
historic charm is in danger.
Independence itself is tiny, just a few blocks
long and wide. There is no stoplight, no grocery store, no Starbucks. And the
scenery ? snow-capped vistas, wide-open spaces ? is stunning.
But it?s the history that catches a visitor?s
eye: the stately 1922 Inyo County Courthouse; the Pines Cafe, a community
gathering spot for decades; the ?Commander?s House,? a 19th-century Victorian
built to establish a military presence in the region.
Independence is a town ?trapped in time where
little of the built environment has changed since the 1920s and early 1930s,? a
2000 Caltrans road-widening survey reported.
?In the present age of fast food, traffic
congestion, ?old town? pretensions and ?cyber-adnauseam,? the Independence
(downtown) district is an increasingly rare representation of small-town
Americana ?? the Caltrans survey said.
But that history is fading. The Pines Cafe is
boarded up. The Commander?s House and other structures are in need of repair.
And some have been torn down.
?We have trouble getting tourists to stop. They
just drive on through,? said Wagner, the retired geologist. ?We need a reason
to have them stop. A viable historical district would go a long way towards
doing that.?
For decades, L.A. owned much of Independence,
which is home to a major DWP work center. In recent decades, it has sold many
homes but retained other old structures and property along U.S. 395, including
a century-old barbershop in poor condition that many residents wanted
protected.
Nancy Masters, president of the Independence
Civic Club, even submitted a plan to restore the building in 2010.
?We thought it was eminently do-able,? said
Masters. ?This was potentially one of the oldest buildings in town. DWP?s
response was silence. They didn?t get back to us.?
Instead, DWP tore the building down while the
town slept in April 2012, outraging many residents. Adams, though, defended the
action.
?I never heard any real legitimate offers that
would make that property viable,? he said. ?We couldn?t just let it sit there
until it fell down on its own.? The work was done at night, he added, to avoid
traffic problems. ?We weren?t trying to be sneaky,? he said.
Adams also said the utility is exploring ways to
sell old buildings because maintaining them is costly. ?We are looking for
creative ways to move on these properties,? he said. ?We know that tearing them
down is not a good idea.?
With the old barbershop gone, Independence now
has one more vacant lot ? one more hole in a history that Masters, the Inyo
County librarian, has struggled to safeguard. She calls herself a ?guerrilla
archivist? and oversees a small room in the county courthouse filled with
books, newspaper clippings and historical material about Inyo County and Owens
Valley.
?It?s not just our history,? she said. ?A lot of
our history has created history elsewhere. It set the tone for water battles
throughout the Western United States.
?The built environment is a visible archive of
our history. It tells a story. And when that has been dismantled, nothing is
left to continue that thread into the future.?
?
? 
?
? 
? Read more
articles by Tom Knudson
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Jan  6 08:27:57 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2014 08:27:57 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Tom Stokely to talk about BDCP 1/8/14 at Shasta
	Trinity Fly Fishers in Redding
Message-ID: <1389025677.27020.YahooMailNeo@web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Please forward!

http://www.shastatrinityflyfishers.org/meeting.html


?
?
Current Events
	* Monthly Meeting
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________________________________
Mayflies Home Page
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?
Our Supporters
	* STFF Home
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	* Contact Us
Monthly Meeting
Shasta-Trinity Fly Fishers regular monthly meetings are usually held the second Wednesday of the month in the new location (as of March 2013) at the:
Park Marina Events Center, 1800 Park Marina Drive, Redding.
These presentations are open to the public, the doors open at 5:00 PM.
Meeting business and the evenings presentation begins at 5:30 PM. The meetings include updates on what?s going on locally, fishing reports and lies. We offer a monthly raffle along with presentations by prominent guides, fly fishers, and biologists. Our monthly newsletter,?The Shasta Caster, contains event schedules, fishing reports and contact information for the clubs officers and committee directors.
If you are interested in what the Shasta-Trinity Fly Fishers has to offer, feel free to drop into any of the monthly meetings or?classroomevents.
________________________________

January Monthly Meeting Information
Wednesday, January 8, 2014, 6:00 PM?
Tom Stokely - Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact, California Water Impact Network
Attend this very important presentation to obtain information on California water conservation plans and expected impacts, both financially and environmentally, as well as, viable and cost effective alternatives to meet Southern California's future water demands without impacting the rest of the state.
Tom Stokely is water policy analyst and director with the California Water Impact Network. He retired as Principal Planner with the Natural Resources Division of Trinity County in 2008. He graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 1979 with a degree in Biology and Environmental Studies, with honors in Biology. He worked for Trinity County for over 23 years as a natural resources planner in various capacities, but worked on Trinity River and Central Valley Project and salmon and steelhead issues for Trinity County for most of his time there.
Mr. Stokely has been a member of the California Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout since 1990, and is a past chairman and past vice-chairman. He is vice-chairman of the federal advisory committee for the Trinity River Restoration Program- the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group. Tom is a recipient of California Trout?s Roderick Haig-Brown Award.
? 2012 - 2014Shasta-Trinity Fly Fishers, Redding, CA
Web Design: Guy Manning - (530) 222-2601
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Jan  6 09:26:31 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2014 09:26:31 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?River_Herald_News=3A_Water_Wars_continue_?=
 =?utf-8?q?as_Golden_State=E2=80=99s__drought_persists?=
Message-ID: <1389029191.36404.YahooMailNeo@web125405.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://rivernewsherald.org/articles2013/bdcp_12-31-2013.html
Water Wars continue as Golden State?s?
drought persists
BDCP?s release calls on Delta residents to comment in 120-day period 
December 31, 2013
Galen Kusic
Editor
?
  
Photo By Jarrod R. Kohls
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance Executive Director Bill Jennings speaks in protest to the adoption of the Delta Plan in Sacramento. Photo By Jarrod R. Kohls
Director of Fish and Wildlife Chuck Bonham visited Staten Island, future site of the proposed twin tunnels in September. The media tour was specifically for southern California journalists to learn more about the Delta and BDCP. 
With recent news accounting for interest and inflation, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan?s actual price tag looks somewhere between $51-67 billion. That is a far cry from the $24.5 billion estimate that has consistently been noted as the accurate mark by state officials.
2013 saw one of California?s most active and important years in water politics history. The BDCP was unveiled before our very eyes after seven years of planning and $200 million shelled out by the water contractors, the Delta Plan was adopted with a unanimous vote, and protests around the region and state spread like wildfire to oppose Gov. Jerry Brown?s twin tunnel legacy project.
While the report in the?San Jose Mercury News?came out last week that these inflated cost numbers were accurate, DWR spokesperson Nancy Vogel responded that these are not ?new estimates? and that state water contractors knew that they would have to account for interest and inflation on the proposed numbers all along.
?Each public water district paying for the BDCP will approach financing from their own perspective ? bond terms, length of financing, etc. ? so we present the total planning, construction, operations and maintenance and mitigation costs in real terms of $25 billion,? said Vogel.
She explained that with each milestone in the project, their respective boards review financing and commitments and make a determination if they will continue to finance the effort.
?Some might view this as unusual high drama because they oppose the project, but in general it?s good governance to continually review financial commitments to an effort of this magnitude,? she said. ?Also, a water bond does not necessarily need to pass in 2014 for the BDCP to go forward.?There are federal and state funds available to begin habitat restoration.?
Vogel lastly outlined that in the recently released EIR/EIS, 15 project alternatives are analyzed, including a ?no action/no project? alternative. She explained that over 100 alternative solutions were considered in the EIR/EIS process, but it appears that the proposed plan will continue ? two 40-foot diameter tunnels submerged 150-feet below the Delta.
DWR still has not gained access to 105 landowners property within the Delta, as the case is still tied up in court. Until that land is studied and surveyed beneath the surface ? no project will begin construction, and the ?unknown? will continue to dominate talks of conveyance and habitat restoration in the Delta.
2013 saw opponents to the plan rise to the occasion as they did in 1982 when Gov. Brown?s peripheral canal plan was defeated with a referendum. Now, Restore the Delta, dozens of environmental groups, lawmakers and activists are leading the fight against what opponents call ?the ultimate destruction of the West Coast?s largest estuary? under the name of Californians for a Fair Water Policy.
Congressional leaders from the region came together in unison to fight against the proposal, calling it ?bad plumbing before policy,? a ?boondoggle? and an ?archaic 19th century idea.? Congressman John Garamendi has produced his own Water Plan for all California.. The plan itself consists of six basic elements ? conservation, recycling, the creation of new storage systems, ?Fix the Delta? ? right sized conveyance, levee improvements and habitat restoration, a science driven process and the protection of existing water rights.
?They?re going to take all the water out of this river ? I think that?s their plan, take it all. No way, no how can that happen,? said Garamendi at a press conference in late May on the Sacramento River. ?Let there be a fight, let it be this one. Let it be about maintaining the extraordinary agriculture economic viability of northern California."
Dr. Robert Pyke and the California Planning and Conservation League both came out with alternative proposals to the plan ? estimated at a much lower cost with smaller conveyance facilities. These were brought before the Delta Protection Commission, as the government entity wrote a letter to Gov. Brown and The White House that they do not support BDCP in its current form. The 9-0 vote with two abstentions from state employees was a landmark decision that could have some clout when it comes to BDCP getting permits from the state and federal wildlife agencies.
As California is currently in its driest year on record with an estimated 20 percent of normal snowpack, pumping to southern California from the Tracy pumps was shut down to protect Delta smelt earlier in the year. This could become a more regular process, as there is no sign of rain coming anytime soon ? and millions depending on Delta water to irrigate crops.
Conservation has become the staple of any argument in water, as citizens are being asked to use less. The overall trend is that Californians are using less water than ever before, but there is a long way to go to achieve efficiency.
  
Photo By Jarrod R. Kohls
Joy Baker mourns the "Death of the Delta" as she carries the coffin symbolizing all of the communities, industries and species potentially decimated by the twin tunnels project. Photo By Galen Kusic
Dr. Jerry Meral officially retired from the California Natural Resources Agency on Dec.31, but has gained employment with the Natural Heritage Institute as Director of the California Water Program. He is pictured here fighting off sleep at a meeting in Courtland on unavoidable impacts to the Delta from BDCP. 
?The salmon used to flourish with the farming that was there,? said Restore the Delta board member and Roberts Island resident Rogene Reynolds. ?Until the ?60?s when the State Water Project came on. It is not the farming, it?s not the levees ? it is the pumping. I cannot understand why the BDCP does not completely investigate the cost/benefit of reducing pumping.?
The BDCP?s goal with construction of three conveyance facilities in the north Delta is to reduce reliance on the south Delta for pumping. Regardless, the south Delta would be used at least half the time to pump water south ? still killing millions of fish at the pumps year after year.
?The BDCP does not solve the dry year problem,? said Contra Costa Water District General Manager Greg Gartrell. ?It doesn?t matter how big of a pipe you have, if you don?t have water to put in it ? you don?t get any water. If you want to have dry year supplies, you?ve got to have more storage. It?s simple.?
In other news, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressman Garamendi proposed a Delta National Heritage Area. While Feinstein is for the construction of the tunnels, Garamendi, a longtime Walnut Grove resident strongly opposes the plan from all angles.
?A Delta NHA will be a valuable tool to help the Delta gain visibility as a destination for recreation and tourism activities, thus assisting with both economic development and public education,? said California Delta Chambers Executive Director Bill Wells in a letter to former DPC Executive Director Mike Machado. ?Since the Delta NHA is a community-driven approach to heritage conservation and economic development, it is imperative that there be public-private partnerships to support historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism, and educational projects to tell the ?Delta story.?
Machado retired from his post as executive director of the Delta Protection Commission in June, as Eric Vink took over as his successor. The Delta Protection Commission Advisory Commission started up again, and will play a major role in the BDCP public commenting process.
State Senator Lois Wolk is also strongly opposed to BDCP, and has authored SB42, an alternative water bond that focuses largely on the same elements of Garamendi?s water plan ? a more holistic and healing approach to the Delta ecosystem than what is being proposed currently from BDCP.
?The BDCP is at the top of a stove about to boil over,? she said at McCormack Ranch in September. ?It is a contractor driven plan with the result of a 50-year permit. The public is on the hook for any additional funding. There are going to be changes ? who?s on the hook for that??
In June the Delta Stewardship Council approved the long-awaited Final Delta Plan, which will essentially govern the Delta per the Delta Reform Act of 2009 for the next 50 years. The 7-0 unanimous vote was unexpected, as Sacramento County Supervisor Don Nottoli has been opposed to BDCP since its inception.
With the Delta Plan in place, it allows the possibility for BDCP to gain permits and be incorporated into the Delta Plan.
?We can say yes, they did comply with the law, or no, they did not comply ? or we can ask questions,? said DSC Chair Phil Isenberg. ?We were not granted the authority to change the BDCP. If it meets the requirements of law, it will be incorporated in the Delta Plan.?
Nottoli still opposes BDCP adamantly, as the two are completely separate entities.
?The really compelling thing to me is that we have no reason to expect that next year will be any different or the year after that will be different,? said DWR Director Mark Cowin. ?This conflict will continue to play out year after year until we make fundamental changes in the way that we manage the Delta and move from a species by species approach to protecting the fish in the Delta to a more comprehensive approach.?
Cowin discussed that the Delta?s health has continued to suffer, but that after seven years DWR and various state and federal agencies are ready to ?reverse? those trends. He noted that this plan received an unprecedented amount of consensus from said agencies.
?This plan (BDCP) isn?t about waging war, it?s about resolving some of the most critical resource management conflicts in California,? he said.
Over the summer with the increasingly successful Restore the Delta campaign of ?Save the Delta! Stop the Tunnels!? ? Caltrans confiscated numerous signs along Highway 160 on the Sacramento River, citing that they were too close to the roadway.
This unleashed a firestorm of journalistic and political backlash ? as Caltrans returned the signs and protesters were instructed to place signs 14 feet back from the roadway.
?They said there would be $10,000 fines if they were not moved,? Restore the Delta Executive Director Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla said. ?They were very clear about it. We don?t know where the orders came from ? we want to know who ordered the decision, but at the same time whether it was an employee or it was higher up, it?s kind of irrelevant because what this exemplifies is the culture of state agencies and how they treat people in the Delta and that culture and making those decisions starts with the Governor and goes down through the government.?
The Pear Fair parade this year saw a huge outpouring of support against the tunnels, and state and county officials coming together to form the Delta Coalition. Together, a formidable opponent has been placed in Gov. Brown?s way between his legacy project and what folks in the Delta say ?Big Dumb Concrete Pipes.?
A small victory for residents of the Delta included the optimization of the BDCP project, which included reducing the intermediate forebay near Hood from 250 acres to 40. This proposed forebay was moved east of Stone Lakes Wildlife Refuge, a major nesting area for Greater Sandhill Cranes. However, in the process, the new tunnel alignment is scheduled to be constructed through Staten Island, a preserve for cranes run by the Nature Conservancy.
The Nature Conservancy has pulled support for BDCP since finding out the news and countless opposition has come out against the tunnels being realigned in this particular space. Yet, BDCP and DWR officials maintain that it will actually enhance crane habitat, not destroy it.
California Natural Resources Agency Deputy Secretary Dr. Jerry Meral received the most criticism of all this year, after his comments, ?The Delta cannot be saved.? While state officials claim that this was taken out of context, it drew more attention to the project through media than ever before.
Now, with the release of the EIR/EIS, Meral retired from the Natural Resources Agency. Only Meral himself can let the public know what really happened, but since that fateful quote ? he has been nestled amongst sharks in blood-filled water.
?I am not surprised by Dr. Meral?s retirement announcement,? said North Delta Water Agency Manager Melinda Terry.??The heavy lifting required to get the BDCP EIR/EIS to this point appears to be taxing him physically of late, so I?m sure he considered the release of the Public Draft a fulfillment of a major milestone for his commitment to the Brown Administration.??
Prior to Dr. Meral?s appointment, the CA Natural Resources Undersecretary, Karen Scarborough was the lead BDCP person for the Schwarzenegger Administration.?When Gov. Brown came into office for the second time, he created Dr. Meral?s Deputy Secretary position to oversee and manage the BDCP development.?Since his position is not a permanent Deputy Secretary title at the Natural Resources Agency, the Governor could choose to not replace him and instead let DWR Director Cowin continue on as the project leader, but it remains to be seen what the pleasure of the Gov. Brown is.
2014 will prove to yet again be one of the most historic and important years in water politics history. Stay tuned to the RNH for full coverage.  
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Jan  8 08:44:24 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 8 Jan 2014 08:44:24 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Bruce Ross Blog: What will Twin Tunnels mean for the
	North State?
Message-ID: <1389199464.14943.YahooMailNeo@web125405.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://blogs.redding.com/bross/archives/2014/01/what-will-twin.html


What will Twin Tunnels mean for the North State?
January 7, 2014 4:29 PM?|?No Comments
I'm sure there are as many answers to that question as there are residents of the North State, but one very well-informed resident -- and impassioned critic of the state's plan to replumb the Delta -- is Mount Shasta's Tom Stokely, formerly a Trinity County planner (keenly focused on the Trinity River) and now with the California Water Impact Network.
He'll be speaking in Redding tomorrow evening at?a meeting of the Shasta-Trinity Fly Fishers, and the talk is open to the public. I have not heard Stokely's pitch on the subject, but I imagine it's well worth hearing if you've any interest in the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and how it all might shake out.
It's at the Park Marina Events Center, 1800 Park Marina Drive in Redding. More details:
Wednesday, January 8, 2014, 6:00 PM
>
>Tom Stokely - Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact, California Water Impact Network
>Attend this very important presentation to obtain information on California water conservation plans and expected impacts, both financially and environmentally, as well as, viable and cost effective alternatives to meet Southern California's future water demands without impacting the rest of the state.
>Tom Stokely is water policy analyst and director with the California Water Impact Network. He retired as Principal Planner with the Natural Resources Division of Trinity County in 2008. He graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 1979 with a degree in Biology and Environmental Studies, with honors in Biology. He worked for Trinity County for over 23 years as a natural resources planner in various capacities, but worked on Trinity River and Central Valley Project and salmon and steelhead issues for Trinity County for most of his time there.
>Mr. Stokely has been a member of the California Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout since 1990, and is a past chairman and past vice-chairman. He is vice-chairman of the federal advisory committee for the Trinity River Restoration Program- the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group. Tom is a recipient of California Trout's Roderick Haig-Brown Award.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Jan  8 09:23:47 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 8 Jan 2014 09:23:47 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Appeal Democrat: Thirsty state looks to Northern
	California
In-Reply-To: <52CD8164.4010604@tcrcd.net>
References: <52CD8164.4010604@tcrcd.net>
Message-ID: <1389201827.42940.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/thirsty-state-looks-to-northern-california/article_1b01c2dc-7837-11e3-a494-001a4bcf6878.html


Thirsty state looks to Northern California

By Andrew Creasey/ acreasey at appealdemocrat.com | Posted: Wednesday, January 8, 2014 12:10 am  
SACRAMENTO ? As the possibility of a historic drought builds with every dry day, Central Valley water users could eventually turn north for relief.
If they do, they might find the tank already empty.
If there was one picture that emerged from a meeting between the State Board of Food and Agriculture and local and state water agencies on Tuesday, it was that most signs are pointing to a drought on par with the worst in state history and that the San Joaquin Valley is likely to see staggering cuts in water allotments.
The topic of the meeting was water transfers and the need for the state to expedite the approval process. Water transfers have become a buffer against drought for the southern state. With reservoirs drying up and water cuts a looming certainty, water managers in the Central Valley anticipate transfers could again be large parts of their water portfolios.
Mention the idea of water transfers to a resident of Northern California, and it's typical to hear talk about the fear of a water grab.
Currently, any water transfer has to have a willing buyer and a willing seller, so, at the moment, any fears of a grab are unfounded, sources said. But that hasn't quelled concerns.
Reason to be nervous
"When you have 60 percent of the population in the south and about 10 percent north of Sacramento, there's a reason to be nervous, especially when they're building tunnels that increase the water transfer capacity," said Assemblyman Dan Logue, R-Loma Rica.
Walter Cotter, general manager of Browns Valley Irrigation District, said water transfers now don't create a window for a non-northern agency to take water, but he worries about the future.
"My concern is that Northern California does not have the dollars or enough votes to stop a run on Northern California water should the balance of the state decide to come after it," Cotter said. "Our best bet to ensure the entire state has water is to work as a state and keep everybody whole."
The problem is that the drought, in the wake of a dry 2013, has reached the point where even the relatively water-rich North State and Sacramento Delta may not be able to help.
Not enough water
"When you look at water supply in the Sacramento Valley, there's an expectation that there is always water there," said David Guy, president of the Northern California Water Association. "There simply isn't going to be enough water to transfer to other parts of the state."
Guy pointed to a convergence of low reservoir levels and low inflow to those reservoirs as the principal cause of the water worries in 2014.
"It's kind of the worst of all dynamics," Guy said. "Through the valley, you will see reductions in surface water supplies unless that changes."
Locally, the Yuba County Water Agency typically transfers the most water around the state. In 2013, it transferred about 60,000 acre-feet, which is essentially taken from the area's groundwater.
The agency has 180,000 acre-feet of groundwater it can transfer over three years, but the needs of its local customers, including eight irrigation district spread over almost 100,000 acres, have to be met first, said Scott Matyac, YCWA water resources manager.
"If it remains dry, it's not certain that locals will have water available to transfer," Matyac said.

________________________________
 
?In a pretty deep hole?
Local and state water managers at a state Board of Food and Agriculture meeting were almost unanimous in their call to Gov. Jerry Brown to officially declare a drought.
"It's easy to say we're going to have a dry year at this point," said Paul Fujitani, chief of water operations for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Mid-Pacific Region. "Even the most optimistic forecasts show a difficult path to an average year. We're in a pretty deep hole right now."
Fujitani said water supplies to southern contractors could be reduced, and the agency would have trouble meeting parts of the Endangered Species Act, if the dryness continues.
Jason Peltier, chief deputy manager of the Westlands Water District, said they've been bracing their water users in Kings and Fresno counties for the possibility of a zero-allocation year.
"Five hundred thousand people's water supply is at risk today," Peltier said. "With the increase in farm production since the last drought in 1977, the stakes have gotten much higher. Looking at those factors gives you the sense of the gravity and the reach of a drought crisis."
With a drought could come fallow fields, with some estimates showing the possibility that 500,000 acres of San Joaquin Valley farmland could go out of production, Peltier said.
"We're entering into uncharted territory," said David Guy, president of the Northern California Water Association.
A drought declaration by the governor would give agencies leeway to relax their standards for protection of fish and wildlife and increase their flows to irrigation districts and other users.
? Andew Creasey

________________________________
 
CONTACT reporter Andrew Creasey at 749-4780 and on Twitter @AD_Creasey.
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Jan 10 10:27:04 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2014 10:27:04 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?SACBEE=3A_Brown_says_he_is_monitoring_dro?=
 =?utf-8?q?ught_but_says_=E2=80=98governors_can=E2=80=99t_make_it_rain?=
 =?utf-8?b?4oCZ?=
Message-ID: <1389378424.41274.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/09/6060697/brown-says-he-is-monitoring-drought.html?

Brown says he is monitoring drought but says ?governors can?t make it rain?
By?Jim Miller
jmiller at sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014 - 10:06 pm
Gov. Jerry Brown said Thursday that he is closely monitoring the state?s worsening drought, but suggested that a drought emergency declaration was not imminent.
?Governors can?t make it rain,? Brown told reporters at the state Capitol. A state water task force is working on the issue, he said, and ?I?m very aware of the problems of the drought.?
California is in its third consecutive dry year and many reservoirs are at a fraction of their capacities. Last week, a Department of Water Resources snow survey found that the Sierra Nevada snowpack was a fifth of the average for that date. Some water agencies and other local governments, meanwhile, have imposed rules against outdoor watering, while others are considering such measures as well as asking residents to conserve voluntarily.
Folsom Dam,?the source of water for about 500,000 Sacramento-area residents, is at just 18 percent of capacity, prompting officials to reduce flows into the?American River.?Other major reservoirs in the state also are well below capacity, including Lake Shasta (37 percent),?Lake Oroville?(37 percent) and?San Luis Reservoir?(29 percent), according to the state Department of Food and Agriculture.
In November, the State Water Project released initial allocation levels for state water contractors of only 5 percent. That is among the lowest initial allocations ever, and equal to the allocations during the 2007-2009 drought, which posed major hardships for the state?s agricultural industry.
Brown, whose first term as governor included a bad drought year in 1977, said the state will take ?whatever steps we can, in collaboration with the state?s farmers ... and also the urban people have to do their part.?
Last year was the driest in 119 years of keeping records, and the dry conditions are projected to continue through January; three-quarters of the state?s rain normally falls from November through March. Earlier this week, California Department of Water Resources Director Mark Cowin told thestate Board?of Food and Agriculture that his agency might present the governor with a drought declaration.
?But don?t think that a paper from the Governor?s Office is going to affect the rain,? Brown told reporters. ?We are doing what we can do in terms of water exchanges and we?ll do other things as we get down the road. That seems to be probably enough, from my point of view.?
________________________________

Call Jim Miller, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5521. Follow him on Twitter?@jimmiller2.
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Jan 12 10:00:18 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2014 10:00:18 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Redding.com: Sacramento River hits historic lows
Message-ID: <1389549618.98966.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.redding.com/news/2014/jan/11/sacramento-river-hits-historic-lows/?

Sacramento River hits historic lows
Water levels at their lowest in more than 20 years
By Damon Arthur
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Kirk Portocarrero spends a lot of time on the Sacramento River. As a fishing guide, he makes his living off the river.
And he has never seen the river flowing like it is this winter.
?This is the lowest I?ve ever seen it in 30 years I?ve been working on the river,? Portocarrero said.
On Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey gauge in the river below Keswick Dam measured 3,260 cubic-feet per second flowing down the stream.
Don Bader, deputy area manager for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation at Shasta Dam, confirmed the river flows are at their lowest in more than 20 years. He said the flow in the river hit 2,800 cfs in the spring of 1992 and went even lower in March and April 1989 when flows dropped to 2,400 cfs.
The bureau has had to cut back releases from Keswick Dam to conserve water in Lake Shasta for spring and summer when water demand is greater for agricultural irrigators downstream in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley.
The bureau also needs to conserve its supply in the lake to continue to provide cold water for salmon in the river, he said.
Driving the low dam releases is the lack of rain and snow that typically fills Lake Shasta and feeds the river. Last year?s 12.81 inches of rain eclipsed a record low level that had held since 1932.
Since July 1, only 3.56 inches of rain has fallen, compared with the normal of about 15.53 inches that normally falls by this time of the year, according to the National Weather Service. As of this time last year nearly 20 inches of rain had fallen since July, the weather service said.
Saturday brought meager rainfall to the Redding area. The National Weather Service on Saturday afternoon reported .05 inches of rain had fallen on Redding, while a hundredth of an inch had fallen in Red Bluff. Mount Shasta saw the highest in the North State with .13 inches.
Sunshine is predicted to return and stay most of this week.
Winter rains bring runoff from creeks that feed into the river.
But rainfall and water from tributaries has gone missing this winter, bringing historically low levels to the river and the lakes.
Lake Shasta is 86 feet lower this year than at the same time last year, according to the bureau. Bader said the lake is still about 100 feet higher than its all-time low in 1977.
John Ruth, of Redding, who was out walking his dog along the river Thursday, said he can tell the river is lower because there is a white ring of rocks resembling a bathtub ring along the shore of some parts of the river.
The white rocks with moss on them are usually submerged, he said. Ruth said he remembers the river running lower in the mid-1970s.
?You can tell there?s more gravel showing. That?s where the water level is,? Ruth said, pointing to rocks on the shore near the Highway 44 bridge in Redding.
Dave Jacobs, also a fishing guide on the Sacramento River, said that as the river level dropped this past fall salmon nests that were once underwater were left high and dry, killing the eggs and baby fish in the pools.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials have said 20 percent to 40 percent of the salmon nests, called redds, have been left above the water level as the river level dropped beginning in November.
?There?s definitely some concern with that,? Jacobs said. The young fish killed in the river are naturally raised Chinook salmon, rather than salmon reared at Coleman National Fish Hatchery in Anderson, he said
?That poses a really big problem,? he said of the loss of naturally born fish.
The Golden Gate Salmon Association, which represents commercial anglers, marinas, food processors and restaurants, says the Sacramento River is an important component of California?s $1.4 billion salmon industry.
The releases out of Keswick Dam are typically low at this time of year. But with so little rainfall, there is even less water in the river because there is so little flowing into the river from tributaries.
Last year on Jan. 9, there were 4,438 cfs flowing from Keswick, according to the state Department of Water Resources? Data Exchange Center.
Officials at Coleman had originally planned to release 750,000 young salmon from the hatchery in December, but postponed letting them go because of low river flows.
Scott Hamelberg, project leader at Coleman, said the little fishes? bodies are undergoing a change that enables them to live in salt water and they can no longer wait for rain.
After they hatch, young salmon swim out to the Pacific Ocean and live there for two to three years. They then return to spawn and die in the same area where they hatched.
If the late-fall-run salmon tentatively set to be released Monday don?t head out to sea pretty soon, they become disoriented and won?t ever leave and live out their typical life cycle, Hamelberg said.
The hatchery held off on the release, hoping to get a good rainfall, which muddies up the water and increases the flow in the river, which provide cover for the little fish (about 5 inches long) from predators, he said.
?When we have really low flows like we have right now you have lots of predators that can eat the fish,? including other fish, birds and mammals, Jacobs said.
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Jan 12 11:42:02 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2014 11:42:02 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] SACBEE: California drought will test Jerry Brown
Message-ID: <1389555722.43074.YahooMailNeo@web125405.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

California drought will test Jerry Brown
?
By David
Siders and Matt Weiser
dsiders at sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Jan.
12, 2014 - 12:00 am
As California withered through a drought in 1977,
Gov. Jerry Brown called for a
25?percent reduction in personal water use statewide and
flew to Washington to press the Carter administration for
federal aid.
He reduced the spray of his shower head and, in a
characteristic moment of stagecraft, replaced a pitcher of water at a news
conference with a single cup.
?We have only one glass of water,? Brown said at
the time, ?which is an indication of our effort here.?
Today Brown is governor again, and California is
entering one of the driest winters on record. Two dry years already have
depleted many reservoirs. The snowpack is meager, and streams and rivers are
running low.
If it remains dry ? as long-term forecasts
suggest ? the drought will test the management abilities of a governor who,
with the exception of the Rim fire last year, has largely avoided widespread
natural disasters since returning to the Capitol in 2011.
?The drought could be the first real disaster,
and it?s an interesting kind of disaster because it?s slow moving, as opposed
to a bomb going off, or an earthquake or a firestorm,? said Rob Stutzman, a Republican
strategist who worked for former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. ?He could have
some tough decisions to make.?
Pressure has been building on Brown to formally
declare a drought
emergency, with eight state lawmakers, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein
and Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, sending letters urging action. Brown has
appointed a committee to review conditions, and his administration said it is
considering a formal declaration.
The third-term Democrat suggested his authority
is limited, however.
?Governors can?t make it rain,? he said Thursday,
?but we?ll do everything that is humanly possible to allow for a flexible use
of California?s water resources.?
Although California has experienced many
droughts, historically there have never been clear rules about when to formally
declare one. Scientists use the term to refer to abnormally dry conditions,
which California is clearly experiencing. But for governors, formally declaring
a drought has been largely a political decision based on mounting anecdotal
reports of weather-related hardship and evidence that relief is not in the
forecast.
Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association
of California Water Agencies, said there is no question the state is
in the midst of a drought. The association represents more than 400 agencies
that deliver 90?percent of the state?s urban and agriculture water, and it
believes the governor should issue a declaration, Quinn said.
?It?s something that?s threatening the entire
state,? he said. ?The governor is a powerful instrument of public education.
That?s the most important thing it would do.?
Chris Brown, executive director of the California Urban Water Conservation Council, said
there are generally three concrete ways to assess whether a drought prevails:
low water storage, low soil moisture and dry weather forecasts.
?I think from those three basic measures, clearly
we?re in a drought,? he said.
He also said there are clear benefits to a
governor?s drought declaration. One is that it helps bring the crisis to the
attention of federal officials, who can accelerate some relief programs. The
other, he said, is that it exerts a significant motivational force on the
public.
?That?s an important step in all of this,? he
said. ?Having the governor speak out and say everybody needs to start behaving
like we have a water
shortage, because we do, is going to help send the whole message
across the state.?
Still, he said, there can be a reluctance to do
so, because a drought declaration also suggests a state is experiencing
economic hardship.
?The reason people hesitate to do it is that it
also sends a message that things are dire here,? he said. ?A lot of people
interpret that as being ?bad for business.? I?ve seen this happen in a number
of states over the years.?
?Down this road before?
The California
Department of Water Resources said last week it is considering
whether to present a drought declaration for Brown?s consideration. Natural
Resources Secretary John Laird said the administration is engaged in a ?very
deliberate effort to really look at the facts on the ground.?
?You go through Step 1 to get to Step 2 to get to
Step 3,? he said.
A drought declaration could have political
implications for the governor. Both sides of a major dispute over Brown?s plan
to build two tunnels to divert water around the Delta have employed the dry
conditions in recent arguments about the $25?billion project, claiming the
Delta has no water to give in a drought, or conversely, that the project is
critical to improving water
management statewide.
Dry conditions also are focusing attention on an
$11.1?billion water bond the Legislature has twice deferred, in part over
concerns about its cost, since voting in 2009 to place it on the ballot. The
measure is scheduled for the November election but is likely to be replaced, if
not put off again.
?I think there is a growing sentiment out there
(to ask voters to act on a water bond), with news reports about the drought and
how it keeps getting worse,? said Assemblyman Anthony Rendon, the Lakewood
Democrat who chairs an Assembly water bond working group. ?I think public
opinion is definitely moving in favor of doing something big relating to
water.?
Brown, however, is noncommittal. Asked about the
water bond at a budget-related news conference Thursday in Sacramento, the
governor said, ?The world is changing with these serious drought conditions, but I
think I?ll withhold judgment on that.?
As for the drought itself, Brown told reporters
in Los Angeles he had been
?down this road before.?
?It?s a real challenge,? he said. ?We?re going to
have to do a lot of different things.?
During one hard-hitting drought in 1991,
then-Gov. Pete Wilson told Californians he was turning off the water before soaping up in the shower,
and he urged other residents to do the same. He also created a water bank that
allowed Northern California farmers to sell water for use in arid parts of the
state.
Wilson contrasted a drought with some
faster-moving natural disasters in which ?you don?t have much in the way of
warning.?
?With a drought, obviously, you don?t know
necessarily how long it will last, but at least it is not an imminent peril,
like fire, flood or earthquake,? Wilson said last week. ?But what they all have
in common is the need to anticipate.?
Schwarzenegger issued 85 disaster proclamations
during his seven years in office, according to the state. Brown has declared 20
states of emergency in various parts of California since taking office three
years ago, perhaps none more significant than the Rim fire. The fire last year
burned more than 257,000 acres in and around Yosemite National Park and became the third-largest wildfire in state history.
President Barack Obama in December declared the
fire a major disaster, freeing up federal funding for the state after Brown
appealed an earlier denial of aid.
Not all regions hurting
Brown?s handling of other natural disasters has
not always been so successful. Most notable is his decision to forgo aerial
spraying against the Mediterranean fruit fly, which threatened California?s
agricultural industry in 1981. Brown later acknowledged he waited too long to
act.
Jeanine Jones, interstate resources manager at
the California
Department of Water Resources, said a drought declaration would help
expedite water transfers among local agencies. It could also loosen water quality
standards that often prevent water diversions from the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta, a move that would be opposed by environmental groups.
A drought declaration also would allow the state
to activate police powers in regard to water rights. For instance, during a
drought, those who hold water rights in a river are not allowed to divert water
that flows by their property when it is released from an upstream reservoir for
someone else?s benefit. In such cases, the state could put inspectors in the
field to monitor diversions and move to curtail or rescind a water right if
necessary.
But a governor?s declaration would not
necessarily make money available to anyone suffering from drought, whether from
the state or federal government.
During the last drought, from 2007-09, the state
had money available for conservation projects thanks to a recently approved
water bond. That isn?t the case now.
?We haven?t had a new water bond since then, and
many of the funds that were made available then are already obligated,? said
Jones, who is a member of the drought task force recently activated by the
governor. ?It?s not like we have a new source of revenue to make available.?
In the federal government?s case, a formal
declaration by the president of a drought disaster in a particular state is
exceedingly rare. The last presidential drought declaration came for New Jersey
in 1980, Jones said. One has never been made for California.
That does not mean federal money is not available
to assist in a drought. In fact, every county in California already has been
declared eligible for drought disaster assistance from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. Help is available in the form of low-interest loans ? for farm and
non-farm businesses as well as nonprofits ? to cover expenses such as rent,
utilities and providing water and feed to livestock.
Although many local communities and farmers are
already suffering from dry conditions, this is not the case statewide. The
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which serves the Los
Angeles-San Diego metropolis, is not planning any drought restrictions this
year. It may even have enough water if the dry conditions continue into 2015.
The district depends almost entirely on water
imported from other places, including the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The
state?s last prolonged drought, which lasted from 1987-1992, strained the
district?s supplies and brought harsh conservation measures to the region.
Since then, Metropolitan has invested $3 billion
in local water storage projects. This includes Diamond Valley Lake, the largest
reservoir built in California in nearly 50 years, a billion-dollar tunnel to
move larger pulses of water into the reservoir when available, and a range of
groundwater storage systems. As a result, it has a cushion to survive droughts
even if its imported water supplies dry up.
?We?ll have plenty of water in 2015,? said
Jeffrey Kightlinger, Metropolitan?s general manager. ?And even if it?s still a
drought, we?ll still have enough water in 2016. But our board will be taking a
hard look at how do we ease into it. That?s the nice thing about having made
all these investments. We have options.?
Metropolitan also has invested heavily in
conservation. Since 1990, it has reduced systemwide water demand from
2.4?million acre-feet to about 1.8?million today, despite adding
5?million people to the region?s population.
Many communities in Southern California will pay
customers 30?cents per square foot to remove lawns, the biggest source of
water demand in most cities. Rebates available for water-saving appliances go
way beyond low-flow toilets. Customers can get money back on rain barrels,
urinals, ice machines, soil moisture sensors and lots more.
?We have enormous reserves, and we?ve lowered our
demand substantially,? said Kightlinger. ?My guess is, as you look around the
state, not many regions have done that. And that is what?s needed.?
?
Call David Siders, Bee Capitol Bureau,
(916)?321-1215. Follow him on Twitter @davidsiders. The Bee?s Jeremy B. White
contributed to this report.
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Jan 12 20:38:43 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2014 20:38:43 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Media_Advisory-Can_California_Tunnel_its_?=
 =?utf-8?q?Way_Out_of_Drought=3F_Experts_to_Examine_Drought=E2=80=99s_Impa?=
 =?utf-8?q?cts?=
Message-ID: <1389587923.9506.YahooMailNeo@web125404.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

See the attached media advisory for Monday at 10:30 am with yours truly and several others talking about how the Twin Tunnels wouldn't help during a drought.
?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Jan 13 09:10:39 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2014 09:10:39 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Chronicle opinion: Away go our dollars down the delta
	drains
Message-ID: <1389633039.66239.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Away go our dollars down the delta drains
Richard Walker
Updated
6:11?pm, Friday, January 10, 2014 
	* Gov. Jerry Brown attends the Colusa Farm Show in 2013 to
pitch his multibillion-dollar plan to build tunnels to convey water under the
delta. Photo: Chris Kaufman, Associated Press
?Gov. Jerry
Brown wants to build two giant tunnels underneath the Sacramento-San
Joaquin River Delta to siphon water from the Sacramento River to the pumps that
feed the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California. The California Aqueduct
and Delta-Mendota Canal already transport more than 5 million acre-feet a year
southward on average. The cost of the project is said to be $25 billion, but
the total bill, with interest, will be more like $60?billion.
That's a lot of money to waste on a bad?idea.
California's waterworks are out of whack, ecologically,
physically and financially, but Brown's titanic tunnels are an expensive fix
that does not treat the real problems. I call them the Delta Drains because
they will drain the life out of the delta and the money out of our pockets
while chiefly benefiting big?agribusiness.
The drains are just the notorious Peripheral Canal moved
underground. Thirty years ago, California voters rejected the canal and I wrote
a key study about its perverse financing that helped stop the project.
Unfortunately, Brown refuses to give up on a bad?idea.
Despite years of study under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, no one has
been able to square the circle of water exports versus the environment. Someone
must lose: either exporters or the people of?California.
Proponents make three arguments for the Delta Drains: they
will protect the environment, provide water for millions and be virtually
self-financing. Alas, none of these is?true.
The first bogus argument is that moving water underground
will help the delta. Because the massive pumps confuse migrating fish and
massacre millions of fry every year, bypassing surface waterways will reduce
the carnage. But the drains reduce one environmental problem by making two
others?worse.
One is that the bay-delta estuary already suffers from too
much water diversion, which reduces freshwater flows, nutrients to the
ecosystem and flushing effects on pollutants. But the purpose of the siphons is
to draw more, not less, water. Meanwhile, the delta is sinking and sea levels
are rising, so much of it will become open water when levees fail under the
strain, as they have done repeatedly. Yet the drains' real purpose is to assure
a steady supply of water southward, regardless - as Brown's point man on water Jerry Meralhas
admitted. The right way to save the delta is to pump less and only during high
spring flows, and to strengthen levees and restore?marshlands.
The second false argument in favor of the Delta Drains is
that they will assure a steady supply of water to "25 million
Californians," mostly south of the Tehachapis. In fact, personal water use
is a drop in the bucket. Statewide, domestic consumption is only about 8
percent of the total versus 75 percent for agriculture and 17 percent for
business and landscaping. As for water pumped out of the delta, only about
one-quarter goes to Southern California, while three-quarters go to
agribusiness in the Central?Valley.
The principal users of delta diversions are the Westlands
Water District on the west side of Fresno County and the Kern County Water Agencyat the
south end of the San Joaquin Valley. These water wholesalers buy it from the
state and federal governments, then sell it to gigantic growers. Water exports
are for profits, not?people.
The third unwarranted claim for the drains is that the
"water users" will pony up most of the cost. Sounds fair, but it's
not. The users with the deepest pockets are city-dwellers, who pay 10 times
what growers pay for water. Agribusiness gets its water at a discount because
cities subsidize growers through electricity purchases, land taxes and the
release of "surplus" water by the Metropolitan Water District of
Southern?California.
Our 1982 study showed that Southern Californians were paying
for water going to San Joaquin growers, and it is still true. The people are
paying and the growers are still getting a bargain. With the drains, we'll be
paying?more.
In all this, Westlands is the tail wagging the water dog. The
district has the lowest priority water rights and can't get enough water in dry
years. The district wants more water diverted from the Sacramento and the North
Coast, not less. They don't give a fig for the fish, having sued to stop water
releases for salmon in the San Joaquin and Trinity?rivers.
I have a better solution. Instead of building the Delta
Drains, use the money to buy out Westlands, about $9 billion at current
land?prices.
This would be cheaper and have the added benefit of saving 1
million acre-feet a year (average) now going to Westlands, leaving that water
for other farmers and urban?users.
Farming Westlands is a bad bargain for California. The area
has too little groundwater and makes too little profit to pay for irrigation
water (hence the subsidies). Worse, it has a severe problem of toxic metals in
the drain water. Nor are its crops vital foodstuffs, being principally almonds
for snacks, flavorings and beauty products. The land should go back
to?grazing.
In short, the Delta Drains will be Gov. Brown's gift to a few
hundred growers, paid for by millions of unsuspecting?Californians.
Richard Walkeris
professor emeritus of geography at UC Berkeley and the author of "The
Conquest of Bread: 150 Years of California Agribusiness" (2004) and
"The Atlas of California" (2013), among his many writings on the
Golden State. To comment, go to www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Away-go-our-dollars-down-the-delta-drains-5132228.php
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Jan 13 18:00:02 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2014 18:00:02 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Coalition letter on Trinity River Lower Junction City
	and Bucktail Projects
In-Reply-To: <1389660451.89715.YahooMailNeo@web125405.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1389655989.3639.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
	<1389656183.89970.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
	<1389656355.42064.YahooMailNeo@web125404.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
	<1389656516.70406.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
	<1389656539.247.YahooMailNeo@web125405.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
	<1389660451.89715.YahooMailNeo@web125405.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1389664802.27107.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Attached is a letter that was sent today to the Trinity River Restoration Program and North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board on the latest environmental document for Trinity River mainstem work.



See?http://www.c-win.org/content/c-win-and-coalition-send-letter-concerns-about-trinity-river-mainstem-channel-rehabilitation ?

As you can see, it's from a broad coalition of individuals, organizations and businesses. We believe that it's time for the Trinity River Restoration Program to get to?take a break on the mainstem work until it's shown that there is a significant benefit. ?There is still plenty of work to be done replacing the Bucktail Bridge and working in the watersheds.


Sincerely,


Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell
 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jan 14 10:29:31 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2014 10:29:31 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Trinity River Restoration Program's Monthly
	Coordination E-mail
In-Reply-To: <CAGn92iW9Q=3WLxj-f93WHkYh8sphUd+iuBW_jYNAFG9tLjEsww@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAGn92iW9Q=3WLxj-f93WHkYh8sphUd+iuBW_jYNAFG9tLjEsww@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1389724171.38537.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: "JACKSON, DEANNA" <dljackson at usbr.gov>
To: Perry Morrow <perryrmorrow at gmail.com>; Aaron Martin <yurokfish at gmail.com>; Andreas Krause <akrause at yuroktribe.nsn.us>; "Bair, John" <John at mcbaintrush.com>; "Belchik, Mike" <mbelchik at snowcrest.net>; "Berol, Emelia" <ema.berol at yahoo.com>; "Berry, Mike" <mberry at dfg.ca.gov>; "Borok, Sara" <sborok at dfg.ca.gov>; Brian L. Person <BPerson at usbr.gov>; "Brock, William" <wbrock at fs.fed.us>; "Chamberlain, Charlie" <Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov>; Clair Stalnaker <clair_stalnaker at cowisp.net>; "Cousins, Alex" <acousins at tcrcd.net>; "Currier, Monty" <mcurrier at dfg.ca.gov>; Damon Arthur <DArthur at redding.com>; Daniel Nordstrom <dnordstrom at usbr.gov>; "Dave at yuroktribe.nsn.us" <Dave at yuroktribe.nsn.us>; David J. Bandrowski <DBANDROWSKI at usbr.gov>; David R. Myers <dmyers01 at fs.fed.us>; Debra Chapman <dchapman at trinitycounty.org>; "Denn, Sandy" <snowgoose at pulsarco.com>; "Diridoni, Gary" <gary_diridoni at blm.gov>; Donald R. Reck <DReck at usbr.gov>; Donna Rupp <drupp at tcrcd.net>; "Duggan,
 Edgar" <yen2fish at yahoo.com>; Elizabeth Hadley <ehadley at ci.redding.ca.us>; Eric Peterson <EBPETERSON at USBR.GOV>; Eric R Wiseman <ewiseman at fs.fed.us>; Ernest Clarke <ernest_clarke at fws.gov>; "Frye, Vina" <Vina_Frye at fws.gov>; "Gaeuman, David" <DGAEUMAN at USBR.GOV>; Gail Goodyear <ggoodyear at hotmail.com>; "Gallagher, Michele" <MAGALLAGHER at USBR.GOV>; "Gant, Kelli" <trla at northtrinitylake.com>; "Garrett, Ann" <Ann.Garrett at noaa.gov>; George Kautsky <hupafish at hoopa-nsn.gov>; "Gittelsohn, Amy" <amyg at dcacable.net>; "Gogan, Liam" <krista at trinityriveroutfitters.com>; "Goodman, Damon" <damon_goodman at fws.gov>; Gus Kormeier <guskormeier at gmail.com>; "Gutermuth, Brandt" <BGUTERMUTH at USBR.GOV>; "Harp, Jim" <JEHarp at aol.com>; "Hauser, Paul" <phauser at trinitypud.com>; Heidi Harris <heidi.harris at ca.usda.gov>; "Hetrick, Nick" <Nick_Hetrick at fws.gov>; "Hord, Dana" <splash8 at hughes.net>; Hugh Ashley <mr.mongous at yahoo.com>; "Jackson, Deanna" <DLJACKSON at USBR.GOV>; James Lee
 <james.chris.lee at gmail.com>; Jedediah D Lewis <jdlewis at usbr.gov>; Jeffrey Sutton <jsutton at tccanal.com>; Judy Pflueger <jpflueger at trinitycounty.org>; "Kennedy, Scott" <kennedys at water.ca.gov>; Kim Mattson <mattson at ecosystemsnorthwest.com>; Lisa Land <lisaland at hoopa-nsn.gov>; "Lisle, Tom" <tel7001 at humboldt.edu>; "Lorenz, Richard" <rlorenz at snowcrest.net>; Louise Pierce <kanakabar at gmail.com>; "Lydy, Chuck" <hawk191940 at yahoo.com>; M. S. Andrew J. Jensen <ajensen at dfg.ca.gov>; Marc Lancaster <mlancaster at 5counties.org>; "Marine, Keith" <marine at nsrnet.com>; Mark Dowdle <mdowdle at tcrcd.net>; "Matthews, Graham" <graham at gmahydrology.com>; "McBain, Scott" <scott at mcbaintrush.com>; "McCarthy, Joseph" <JOEWMCCARTHY at COMCAST.NET>; "Mcsloy, Jeanne" <JMCSLOY at USBR.GOV>; "Melcher, Curt" <curt.melcher at state.or.us>; "Merigliano, Mike" <mike.merigliano at cfc.umt.edu>; "Meyer, Fred" <Fred at mcbaintrush.com>; "Michel, Travis" <sweettrinity at live.com>; "Milliron, Curtis"
 <Curtis.Milliron at wildlife.ca.gov>; "Morris, Jeff" <jeff at weavervilleinfo.com>; "Nicolls, Carrie" <ccapra24 at gmail.com>; "Petros, Paul" <ppetros at hoopa-nsn.gov>; "Polos, Joe" <joe_polos at fws.gov>; "Ralph, CJ" <cjralph at humboldt1.com>; "Reed, Ron" <rreed at karuk.us>; Renee Maggio <rmmaggio at fs.fed.us>; Robert Franklin <fishwater at hoopa-nsn.gov>; Robert Klamt <rklamt at waterboards.ca.gov>; Robin Schrock <rschrock at usbr.gov>; Rod Mendes <hoopaoes at gmail.com>; Scott Foott <Scott_Foott at fws.gov>; Sean Ledwin <hvtsean at gmail.com>; Seth Naman <Seth.Naman at noaa.gov>; "Sherman, Lesley" <lsherman at hoopa-nsn.gov>; "Sinnen, Wade" <WSinnen at dfg.ca.gov>; "Snodgrass, Nancy" <nch1 at water.ca.gov>; Steve Rothert <srothert at americanrivers.org>; "Stokely, Tom" <tstokely at att.net>; "Strange, Josh" <joshstrange at hotmail.com>; Suzie White <suwhite at trinitycounty.org>; Teresa Connor <connor at water.ca.gov>; Tom Weseloh <tom.weseloh at asm.ca.gov>; Tracy McFadin <tmcfadin at tcrcd.net>; "Trush, Bill"
 <bill at mcbaintrush.com>; "tsoto at karuk.us" <tsoto at karuk.us>; "Uncapher, Paul" <uncapher at nsrnet.com>; "Welsh, Hart" <hwelsh at fs.fed.us>; "Wittler, Rod" <rjwittler at usbr.gov>; "Zedonis, Paul" <pzedonis at usbr.gov>; mike.gallagher33 at gmail.com 
Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2014 9:52 AM
Subject: Trinity River Restoration Program's Monthly Coordination E-mail
 


Good Morning,
Attached is our?monthly?coordination e-mail.? Please let us know if there are other items you would like to see included.?
?Please send contributions for next?months??announcement no later than January 29th to?dljackson at usbr.gov?.
?Thank You,
-- 

Deanna Jackson

Secretary
Trinity River Restoration Program
PO Box 1300, 1313 South Main Street
Weaverville, California ?96093
Phone: ?530.623.1800
Fax: ?530.623.5944
E-Mail: dljackson at usbr.gov
Website: ?www.trrp.net?
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Jan 15 08:45:16 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2014 08:45:16 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Judge tosses initiatives
Message-ID: <1389804316.69520.YahooMailNeo@web125405.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_3132ec5c-7d91-11e3-992a-0019bb30f31a.html?

Judge tosses initiatives

Posted:?Wednesday, January 15, 2014 6:15 am
Sally Morris The Trinity Journal?|?0?comments
A visiting judge from Colusa County ruled in Trinity County?s favor Tuesday on three separate lawsuits involving proposed voter initiatives that proponents have been trying to get on the ballot over the past two years, effectively dismissing them all.The first one known as The Responsible Government Act (or RGA) was submitted for the ballot two years ago by proponent Fred May of Hayfork and the Trinity County Constitutional Law Alliance. It was disqualified by the county elections office for insufficient signatures that contained post office boxes, but not physical addresses.
May sued the county and its top elections official Deanna Bradford, claiming elections fraud and seeking a court order forcing the county to place the measure on the ballot.
The other two initiatives were submitted last year by a different set of proponents and are known as the We the People?s Reaffirmation of Constitutional Rights Act and Forest Fire Prevention Act. Those measures were certified by the elections office as containing sufficient signatures to qualify for the June 2014 ballot.
However, the Trinity County Board of Supervisors filed a pre-election challenge to halt the process, claiming the initiatives were not proper for the ballot because they would violate many state and federal laws. The proponents were Diane Richards, Firenza Pini and Shirley Armstead of Hayfork, Kay Graves of Lewiston, Nancy Mok and Diana Sheen of Weaverville.
The initiative proponents were all represented by an attorney from San Francisco, William Abbott. The county was represented by its former County Counsel attorney Derek Cole in the hearings held Monday and Tuesday in Trinity County Superior Court in Weaverville.
The visiting retired judge William Able concluded that all three of the proposed initiatives violate the single subject rule in the state?s election code.
Regarding May?s case against the county alleging elections fraud, Able said the elections code ?is succinct and very clear that physical addresses are absolutely mandatory on the signature page. I don?t see anything in the record to persuade this court today to deviate from what the law clearly says.?
He added that even if the county elections staff made a mistake in what was told to the proponent, ?and I?m not saying they did, but even if the county messed up, the law clearly requires a residential address. It says so in bold, capital letters on the sample signature page.?
Abbott argued that the actions of the elections office and county counsel at the time, Derek Cole, ?were reprehensible. My client jumped through every hoop and did everything possible over and over again to try to conform to the rules that kept shifting. At first the elections staff tried to be helpful, but at some point Mr. Cole took over with a plan to keep it off the ballot no matter what. Nothing in elections code gave him that power and this county has trampled people?s rights to use the initiative process.?
Abbott said May was initially told by elections staff that post office boxes would be allowed, then 10 days later was told that was a mistake. Then he said former County Clerk/Recorder/Assessor and Voter Registrar Dave Hunt, who later resigned, told May he could re-submit the initiative with new signatures. When May did that, the signatures were refused and the process was halted.
Derek Cole responded that May, a ?prolific writer,? had been ?peppering elections staff every day and they did their best to give him answers.?
He said that as the county?s lawyer at the time, he was asked for advice by the elections official ?so I looked up the applicable law and gave that advice. We applied the law as it is clearly written and it was done right in both situations ? the post office boxes and the recirculation, but they have come up with this false conspiracy theory. All we can do is rely on what is in the law.?
Cole added that the RGA clearly violated the single subject rule as well by including so many different topics and proposed actions.
A stay request from Abbott allowing time to subpoena Dave Hunt as a witness was rejected by Judge Able, who also agreed the law is clear regarding recirculation.
?It says once you submit, that is final. It is done. You cannot resubmit. If it?s not good enough, you can start the process over, but that is the law. The county elections official cannot send it back to collect more signatures because that is not the law anymore,? he said, denying May?s request for an order to place the initiative on the ballot, adding ?the law is clearly not on your side in this.?
On the We the People initiative and Forest Fire Prevention Act, the judge said the measures are too broad and do not legally satisfy the initiative process.
He supported that conclusion by listing some of the subjects included in the We the People initiative on constitutional rights ranging from elimination of the East Connector Road project and county Planning Department to a moratorium on eminent domain and general plan amendments, search warrants, code enforcement ?and unfettered rights to the use of property. The initiative is beyond the scope of power contained in the initiative process.?
Regarding the Forest Fire Prevention Act, the judge reached a similar conclusion, saying ?this thing can never be enforced. You can?t do what you?re trying to do and it would create a nightmarish burden on everyone involved. What matters most is the initiative is unlawful, attempting to legislate matters that have totally been pre-empted by state and federal law.?
The judge did not grant any of the parties reimbursement of attorney fees and other costs associated with the lawsuits. Abbott argued that his clients were entitled to recover costs incurred fighting to place issues on the ballot whether they prevailed or not. Cole said that although the county?s challenge to halt the We the People initiatives was written broadly at first to include a standard request for attorneys? fees to discourage frivolous lawsuits, that request was later withdrawn.
?We just want a ruling on the merits,? he said.
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From sari at sisqtel.net  Wed Jan 15 16:05:05 2014
From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom)
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2014 16:05:05 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] env-trinity Digest 119 (43) Scott River update
Message-ID: <013401cf124e$9c409160$d4c1b420$@sisqtel.net>

* incomplete data

CDFW data from video weir at River Mile 18, Scott River.

 

Brood years are rebuilding.

 

From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
[mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Felice
Pace
Sent: Wednesday, January 01, 2014 11:14 AM
To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
Subject: Re: [env-trinity] env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43

 

The second largest Coho run on the Scott in redecent years is good news but
the numbers Sari shared indicate that we are not making progress in
rebuilding the Scott Coho population to anything near biological viability
over the long run. To give raders a more complete view perhpas Sari or Tom
will share a full data set for the last 10 years, i.e. the ?bad?years as
well as the ?good? - so that folks get a more comlete picture. 

The dewatering of the Scott and key tribs each summer is likely the top
factor preventing recovery of Scott Coho to long-term viability. Very few of
the progeny of this year?s relatively ?good? run will make it to the ocean.
Many will be killed by dewatering below irrigation diversions and others by
Klamath mainstem conditions.  A multi-year deep drought could still wipe out
Scott Coho. We remain on the edge of functional extinction. Until SWRCB
begins or is forced to actually measure and regulate diversions and
groundwater pumping Scott Coho will remain on the brink of extinciton. 

Those who work to ?protect?surface and groundwater irrigators from
regulation are an impediment to recovery.    

Felice Pace

 

On Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 4:00 PM,
<env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> wrote:

Send env-trinity mailing list submissions to
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When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of env-trinity digest..."


Today's Topics:

   1. Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
      (Tom Stokely)
   2. Re: Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run     largest since
      2007 (Sari Sommarstrom)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:14:43 -0800 (PST)
From: Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net>
Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
        largest since 2007
To: "env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us"
        <env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
Message-ID:
        <1388430883.61428.YahooMailNeo at web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131217/NEWS/131219773?

December 17. 2013 9:48AM
Scott River Coho run largest since 2007
PHOTO/ PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
The Shasta River video weir, located close to the Klamath River, was damaged
on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.
After a large influx of Coho salmon in the past few weeks, the Scott River
has seen its largest return of the species since 2007.?
The latest data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife video
weirs on the Klamath?s tributaries shows a relatively strong return this
year for Chinook and Coho, with the Scott?s Chinook numbers as of Dec. 10
coming in just under the seven year average weir data. Final counts for the
Scott also rely on carcass and spawning area counts, which have not yet been
finalized.?
On Bogus Creek, the numbers of Chinook and Coho passing the video weir have
trickled to a halt, with only one Coho returning between Dec. 4 and Dec.
10.?
So far, the Bogus numbers are 3,143 Chinook and 290 Coho, which the data
shows is the strongest Coho return since 2004 and the third-smallest Chinook
return in that same time period.?
The end of season for the Shasta counts was called on Dec. 10, due to ice
floes damaging the weir on Dec. 9. The Chinook count came in at 8,127, the
third-largest return since 2001, with 151 Coho, the highest number of that
species since 2007.?
The Scott and Bogus weirs are still operating, according to
CDFW?environmental scientist Morgan Knechtle, and once the final numbers are
compiled and finalized, they will be used in forecasts for 2014.
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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:47:59 -0800
From: "Sari Sommarstrom" <sari at sisqtel.net>
Subject: Re: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run
        largest since 2007
To: "'Tom Stokely'" <tstokely at att.net>,
        <env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
Message-ID: <00ef01cf0598$0b2389c0$216a9d40$@sisqtel.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

What was missing from the article was the actual number of coho seen at the
weir at RM 18 on the Scott River: 1,264 adults as of 12/18. Final figure
won?t be available until after the weir closes in early January and the
downstream estimate is added in.

For this same brood year, the recent figure compares with the final weir
counts of 911 in 2010 and 1,622 in 2007.



~Sari Sommarstrom

Etna



From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
[mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Tom
Stokely
Sent: Monday, December 30, 2013 11:15 AM
To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Scott River Coho run largest
since 2007



http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131217/NEWS/131219773

December 17. 2013 9:48AM


Scott River Coho run largest since 2007


 The Shasta River video weir,located close to the Klamath River, was damaged
on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.
<http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/storyimage/CA/20131217/NEWS/131219773/AR/0/AR-
131219773.jpg
<http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/storyimage/CA/20131217/NEWS/131219773/AR/0/AR-
131219773.jpg&MaxH=225&MaxW=225> &MaxH=225&MaxW=225>

PHOTO/ PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

The Shasta River video weir, located close to the Klamath River, was damaged
on Dec. 9 by the icy conditions in the river.

After a large influx of Coho salmon in the past few weeks, the Scott River
has seen its largest return of the species since 2007.
The latest data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife video
weirs on the Klamath?s tributaries shows a relatively strong return this
year for Chinook and Coho, with the Scott?s Chinook numbers as of Dec. 10
coming in just under the seven year average weir data. Final counts for the
Scott also rely on carcass and spawning area counts, which have not yet been
finalized.
On Bogus Creek, the numbers of Chinook and Coho passing the video weir have
trickled to a halt, with only one Coho returning between Dec. 4 and Dec. 10.
So far, the Bogus numbers are 3,143 Chinook and 290 Coho, which the data
shows is the strongest Coho return since 2004 and the third-smallest Chinook
return in that same time period.
The end of season for the Shasta counts was called on Dec. 10, due to ice
floes damaging the weir on Dec. 9. The Chinook count came in at 8,127, the
third-largest return since 2001, with 151 Coho, the highest number of that
species since 2007.
The Scott and Bogus weirs are still operating, according to
CDFW?environmental scientist Morgan Knechtle, and once the final numbers are
compiled and finalized, they will be used in forecasts for 2014.

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_______________________________________________
env-trinity mailing list
env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
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End of env-trinity Digest, Vol 119, Issue 43
********************************************




-- 
Felice Pace
Klamath, CA 95548
707-954-6588 

"we must always seek the truth in our opponents' error and the error in our
own truth."

 
- Reinhold Niebuhr

                                         

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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Wed Jan 15 15:34:11 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:34:11 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek2
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C10F171@057-SN2MPN1-043.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Please see attachments for the Trinity River trapping summary update for Jweek2 (Jan.8-14).  There was no spawning activity at the hatchery during Jweek1.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From truman at jeffnet.org  Thu Jan 16 11:55:11 2014
From: truman at jeffnet.org (Patrick Truman)
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 11:55:11 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Drought map
Message-ID: <84EE55E06810467CA5B6E4EBA70F5BA8@Bertha>


http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/




From tstokely at att.net  Thu Jan 16 12:19:42 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 12:19:42 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Bakersfield Californian:Locals remain wary as state
	secretary pushes water plan
Message-ID: <1389903582.41346.YahooMailNeo@web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/politics/local/x22865854/Locals-remain-wary-as-state-secretary-pushes-water-plan?

Wednesday, Jan 15 2014 05:13 PM
Locals remain wary as state secretary pushes water plan
	1. 1 of 1
By Manny Crisostomo/ Sacramento Bee/ ZUMA Press
An aerial view of the Delta and the islands separated by the Franks Tract in the foreground; San Joaquin river in the middle and the Sacramento River in the background. This aerial photograph of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta was taken Nov. 11, 2008.
BY LOIS HENRY Californian staff writer lhenry at bakersfield.com
Gov. Jerry Brown and his administration put on a full-court press this week on Brown's plan to fix California's water woes.SHABrown himself visited several valley cities.PROPOSED STATE WATER PROJECT
Learn more about the proposed Bay Delta Conservation Plan, the state's effort to make water more reliable south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, at a public meeting.
State and federal staffers will be on hand to answer questions from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 5101 California Ave.
The draft environmental documents can also be accessed at:
www.baydeltaconservationplan.com
RELATED STORIES
	* State comes to Bakersfield with $25 billion Bay Delta Conservation Plan
	* JEAN FULLER: Ensure water supply in '14 and work toward a long-term plan
	* LOIS HENRY: Governor's Delta tunnel plan: devil is in the details
His plan, known as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), went on its own valley tour complete with an entourage of staffers to answer questions.
And Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency John Laird made a string of calls to members of the media.
Whether BDCP improves water supplies in Kern County, where most of our west-side farming is dependant on water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta, depends on how you look at the situation, Laird told The Californian Wednesday.
Without the plan, "... the delta will decline and water exports from the delta will continue to decline," he said.
"We are working hard to set up a system that makes the delta reliable (for water exports) in the range of what comes out of the delta now."
Without the BDCP, Laird said several times, things could get worse for Kern water users.
That wasn't good enough to convince some locals that BDCP is worth its gargantuan price tag.
"There's no defined (water) supply that we'd be buying," explained Eric Averett, general manager for the Rosedale Rio-Bravo Water Storage District.
"We'd be buying protection that our water wouldn't diminish, but there is no guarantee that it wouldn't," he said.
Rosedale is so dismayed by the lack of assurances in the BDCP it likely will not continue putting money into the planning phase come March or April when the next round is due.
And without a drastic change to the plan itself, Rosedale likely won't pony up for the biggest ticket item, the twin tunnels.
Several other Kern water districts have also opted not to continue funding the planning phase and are mulling whether to opt out of the twin tunnels as well.
For background, the BDCP aims to do two things. It would restore and manage delta habitat and even out water deliveries using two tunnels that would take water around the delta for delivery south.
It's an ambitious plan with an equally ambitious price tag.
The habitat restoration side would be funded by an $11 billion state bond that could be on the ballot this coming November.
The tunnels, estimated to cost between $14 billion and $17 billion, would be paid for by water users, including nearly all of Kern's agricultural water districts.
Kern's participation in BDCP is key. Together, the local water districts make up 12 percent of the overall cost.
If all of Kern were to drop out, it could greatly upset the cost balance.
In fact, Jerry Meral, until recently the deputy secretary of Natural Resources, said during a visit to Bakersfield last July that such a move would be "devastating" to the project.
"It will not be the opposition that stops this project, or lawsuits," Meral said. "If it fails, it will be because of the unwillingness of the people who would use it to write the checks."
Laird said it's the administration's intent not to get to that point.
"It's in their (Kern water districts') interest to stay in the project," he said. "The only other option is having (water) yields to Kern drop every year over the next few decades."
That's because as fish species decline, regulations kick in that curtail water deliveries. BDCP hopes to stop that cycle by restoring and managing habitat to keep fish levels up.
That's great, Averett said. But if the BDCP really will provide that kind of environmental coverage, then the state should be able to give water districts assurances as to how much water they can expect, and how much it's going to cost.
"But none of that is in the current form of the BDCP," he said.
In fact, the state's own economic evaluation of BDCP said it doesn't make sense for ag. It does for big urban water providers, such as Metropolitan Water District, which provides water for a number of southern California cities, because it can spread the costs among many ratepayers.
Not so much for ag.
Laird said that was a misnomer.
"It works for California overall and provides a more reliable source of water overall for ag," he said. "If ag doesn't have that reliability, that's where the real crisis is."
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From moira at onramp113.com  Sun Jan 19 14:16:18 2014
From: moira at onramp113.com (Moira Burke)
Date: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 14:16:18 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] from today's Davis Enterprise
Message-ID: <D5043B07-2EC3-4741-A8FD-D361A602CA74@onramp113.com>

River water diversions threaten sturgeon, study shows
Sturgeon are one of the largest and oldest families of bony fish in the world, with 15 of the remaining 25 species listed as critically endangered due to over-fishing, habitat changes and habitat loss. UC Davis/Courtesy photo
By Pat Bailey
From page A9 | January 19, 2014 | Leave Comment

UC Davis researchers have used laboratory studies to estimate the risk to young green sturgeon, which may be killed by unscreened pipes that divert water from the Sacramento River into adjacent farm fields.

The study confirms that this ancient protected fish species may be jeopardized by the current system of water diversion pipes. The findings also suggest that the threat could be lessened by diverting river water more slowly and over longer periods of time, meeting agricultural needs while conserving the green sturgeon populations.

The researchers report the study results this week in the online journal PLOS ONE.

?Our work highlights the potential danger that unscreened water diversions pose to migrating juvenile green sturgeon ? a risk that is poorly understood for this species,? said Jamilynn Poletto, a doctoral student in the laboratory of the study?s lead researcher Nann Fangue, an assistant professor in the department of wildlife, fish and conservation biology.

Sturgeon are one of the largest and oldest families of bony fish in the world, with 15 of the remaining 25 species listed as critically endangered due to over-fishing, habitat changes and habitat loss.

One of those endangered species is the green sturgeon, which lives in coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean, from Alaska to Mexico. A specific population of these green sturgeon spawn only in the Sacramento River and is listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Unscreened agricultural water-diversion pipes that line the Sacramento River banks and levees have long been considered a threat to native fishes, but there has been limited data assessing their impacts.

Water is diverted from the rivers for agricultural use at more than 3,300 locations throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin Watershed, and 98 percent of the diversion pipes are unscreened, posing a significant threat to juvenile green sturgeon.

Fish drawn into the pipes are either killed directly by water pumps or die when they are stranded in seasonally irrigated canals, ditches and fields when the water supply is withdrawn.

In an effort to quantify that threat, Poletto, Fangue and their colleagues simulated river conditions with an experimental flume, complete with an unscreened diversion pipe, angled bank and flowing water. The study was conducted in collaboration with the J. Amorocho Hydraulics Laboratory, which is run by M. Levent Kavvas, a UCD professor of civil and environmental engineering.

The research team found that a surprisingly large percentage of the young sturgeon placed in the flume was drawn into the unscreened pipe. Data from the study estimate that up to 52 percent of green sturgeon that pass within 1.5 meters of a water diversion pipe just three times could become irreversibly drawn into the pipes.

Unlike young Chinook salmon previously tested in the flume, the young green sturgeon did not demonstrate behaviors that would cause them to recognize and avoid the intake pipes.

The green sturgeon also were trapped in the diversion pipes at a higher rate than the Chinook salmon observed in the flume.

The researchers suggest that this difference between the sturgeon and the salmon could be explained by the fact that the sturgeon have fewer sensory organs that detect changes in water velocity than do the salmon.

The study also demonstrated that a 50 percent reduction in the flow of water through the diversion pipe resulted in a 78 percent decrease in the number of fish drawn into the pipe.

The researchers note that extrapolation of their findings to in-river conditions must be done with caution, but they suggest that new water diversion strategies, such as slowing the rate of water diversion, might be successful in balancing agricultural needs in the Sacramento Valley with fish conservation priorities.

?To create effective management strategies for green sturgeon and other native fishes, we first must understand the factors like these water diversions that could be impacting population declines,? Fangue said.

In addition to Fangue, Poletto and Kavvas, the researchers on this study were Timothy Mussen, Dennis Cocherell, Jon Reardon, Zachary Hockett, Ali Ercan, Houssein Bandeh and Joseph Cech, Jr.

The study was funded by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife?s Ecosystem Restoration Program, the UC Agricultural Experiment Station, the U.S. Department of Interior?s Anadromous Fish Screen Program and the National Science Foundation.

? UC Davis News


M o i r a  B u r k e
tel 707 678 3591  

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From sari at sisqtel.net  Mon Jan 20 11:11:43 2014
From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom)
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 11:11:43 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] from today's Davis Enterprise
In-Reply-To: <D5043B07-2EC3-4741-A8FD-D361A602CA74@onramp113.com>
References: <D5043B07-2EC3-4741-A8FD-D361A602CA74@onramp113.com>
Message-ID: <007901cf1613$74c17960$5e446c20$@sisqtel.net>

Amazing that so many diversions remain unscreened in the Sacramento River
system (98% reported below). The Scott River's diversions are 100% screened
due to potential coho reaches receiving high priority. With so many listed
species (not just sturgeon) in the Sacramento system, why has it taken so
long there to make a significant dent in fish screening needs?

Curious,

Sari Sommarstrom

 

From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
[mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Moira
Burke
Sent: Sunday, January 19, 2014 2:16 PM
To: Tom Stokely; env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
Subject: [env-trinity] from today's Davis Enterprise

 


River water diversions threaten sturgeon, study shows


 
<http://www.davisenterprise.com/media-post/sturgeon-photo/attachment/green-s
turgeonw/> Green SturgeonW

Sturgeon are one of the largest and oldest families of bony fish in the
world, with 15 of the remaining 25 species listed as critically endangered
due to over-fishing, habitat changes and habitat loss. UC Davis/Courtesy
photo

By  <http://www.davisenterprise.com/author/pat-bailey/> Pat Bailey
 <http://www.davisenterprise.com/print?edition=2014-01-19&ptitle=A9> From
page A9 | January 19, 2014 |
<http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/ucd/river-water-diversions-threat
en-sturgeon-study-shows/#commentBox> Leave Comment

 

UC Davis researchers have used laboratory studies to estimate the risk to
young green sturgeon, which may be killed by unscreened pipes that divert
water from the Sacramento River into adjacent farm fields.

The study confirms that this ancient protected fish species may be
jeopardized by the current system of water diversion pipes. The findings
also suggest that the threat could be lessened by diverting river water more
slowly and over longer periods of time, meeting agricultural needs while
conserving the green sturgeon populations.

The researchers report the study results this week in the online journal
PLOS ONE.

"Our work highlights the potential danger that unscreened water diversions
pose to migrating juvenile green sturgeon - a risk that is poorly understood
for this species," said Jamilynn Poletto, a doctoral student in the
laboratory of the study's lead researcher Nann Fangue, an assistant
professor in the department of wildlife, fish and conservation biology.

Sturgeon are one of the largest and oldest families of bony fish in the
world, with 15 of the remaining 25 species listed as critically endangered
due to over-fishing, habitat changes and habitat loss.

One of those endangered species is the green sturgeon, which lives in
coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean, from Alaska to Mexico. A specific
population of these green sturgeon spawn only in the Sacramento River and is
listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Unscreened agricultural water-diversion pipes that line the Sacramento River
banks and levees have long been considered a threat to native fishes, but
there has been limited data assessing their impacts.

Water is diverted from the rivers for agricultural use at more than 3,300
locations throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin Watershed, and 98 percent of
the diversion pipes are unscreened, posing a significant threat to juvenile
green sturgeon.

Fish drawn into the pipes are either killed directly by water pumps or die
when they are stranded in seasonally irrigated canals, ditches and fields
when the water supply is withdrawn.

In an effort to quantify that threat, Poletto, Fangue and their colleagues
simulated river conditions with an experimental flume, complete with an
unscreened diversion pipe, angled bank and flowing water. The study was
conducted in collaboration with the J. Amorocho Hydraulics Laboratory, which
is run by M. Levent Kavvas, a UCD professor of civil and environmental
engineering.

The research team found that a surprisingly large percentage of the young
sturgeon placed in the flume was drawn into the unscreened pipe. Data from
the study estimate that up to 52 percent of green sturgeon that pass within
1.5 meters of a water diversion pipe just three times could become
irreversibly drawn into the pipes.

Unlike young Chinook salmon previously tested in the flume, the young green
sturgeon did not demonstrate behaviors that would cause them to recognize
and avoid the intake pipes.

The green sturgeon also were trapped in the diversion pipes at a higher rate
than the Chinook salmon observed in the flume.

The researchers suggest that this difference between the sturgeon and the
salmon could be explained by the fact that the sturgeon have fewer sensory
organs that detect changes in water velocity than do the salmon.

The study also demonstrated that a 50 percent reduction in the flow of water
through the diversion pipe resulted in a 78 percent decrease in the number
of fish drawn into the pipe.

The researchers note that extrapolation of their findings to in-river
conditions must be done with caution, but they suggest that new water
diversion strategies, such as slowing the rate of water diversion, might be
successful in balancing agricultural needs in the Sacramento Valley with
fish conservation priorities.

"To create effective management strategies for green sturgeon and other
native fishes, we first must understand the factors like these water
diversions that could be impacting population declines," Fangue said.

In addition to Fangue, Poletto and Kavvas, the researchers on this study
were Timothy Mussen, Dennis Cocherell, Jon Reardon, Zachary Hockett, Ali
Ercan, Houssein Bandeh and Joseph Cech, Jr.

The study was funded by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's
Ecosystem Restoration Program, the UC Agricultural Experiment Station, the
U.S. Department of Interior's Anadromous Fish Screen Program and the
National Science Foundation.

- UC Davis News

 
<http://www.davisenterprise.com/media-post/sturgeon-photo/attachment/green-s
turgeonw/> 

M o i r a  B u r k e

tel 707 678 3591  

 

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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jan 21 11:08:05 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 11:08:05 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Capitol Weekly: Drought: The behemoths combine
Message-ID: <1390331285.20132.YahooMailNeo@web125405.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://capitolweekly.net/water-drought-california-cvp-swp-consolidate/?

Drought: The behemoths combine
BY?JOHN HOWARD?POSTED?01.20.2014
TWITTER
FACKBOOK
EMAIL
The heavy hitters are stepping up to the plate.
California?s two behemoth water deliverers ? the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project, perhaps the best known water purveyors in the world ?? are poised to join together to move water quickly around the state in the face of an unprecedented drought.
Gov. Brown?s decision to ask Californians to voluntarily reduce their water consumption by 20 percent received support, especially among those with long memories: In the historic drought of 1977, California had 22 million people. This year, it has at least 38 million.
?The big picture here the governor is calling for conservation,? said Ron Stork of the Friends of the River. ?That?s not only a good thing, but an essential thing. Some conservation will be required, and when you conserve, you are building more reliability into your supply.?
DWR?s Frank Gehrke checks the Sierra snowpack. (Photo: DWR)
But the temporary consolidation of the two enormous water networks ? 80 percent of Californians get at least some of their drinking water from the SWP ?and the CVP serves much of the farm belt ? raised concerns and prompted discussions among water districts, environmentalists, farmers and lawmakers. The issue in the north is uncertainty?about how the water would be distributed, whether environmental safeguards will be suspended and whether there would be a shift of priorities to move more water south. In the south it is equally basic: How much water will be available?
How ever the alliance plays out, the arrangement will be temporary.
?Those would be a change only during the duration of the drought,? said Nancy Vogel, a spokesperson for the state Department of Water Resources. The intent, she added, was ?streamlining the whole bureaucracy? in the face of an unprecedented drought.
Gov. Brown said that the collaboration between the two projects would be defined by the State Water Resources Control Board, a panel of termed appointees of the governor headed by Chair Felicia Marcus.?The governor asked the board, which has jurisdiction over ?place of use? for both the state and federal projects, to consolidate their operations to ?allow for transfers of water between the two systems without the State Water Board having to process a change petition for every single transfer.?
?There?s going to be a lot of barren ground,? Jason Peltier of the Westlands Water District, ?at least 200,000 acres.?
The board could move on the governor?s consolidation request as early as this week. There is precedent for consolidation: It occurred during the Schwarzenegger administration in 2009.
According to Brown?s order, the board ?will immediately consider petitions requesting consolidation of the places of use of the State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project, which would streamline water transfers and exchanges between water users within the areas of these two major water projects.?
?The consolidation of the place of use for the State and federal projects would allow for transfers of water between the two systems without the State Water Board having to process a change petition for every single transfer.? An eligible transfer applicant would still be subject to DWR?s transfer approval process,? the order said.

Farms use an estimated four out of every five gallons of California water and face deep stresses when water is curtailed.
?There?s going to be a lot of barren ground,? Jason Peltier of the Westlands Water District, ?at least 200,000 acres.? In the 2009 drought, his district none of ?its allocation, he said, and ??the ?likelihood is that we?ll start this year with a zero allocation.?
Despite the complexity of consolidating operations and transferring water, the task certainly is doable, he added.
?It?need not be a difficult thing to accomplish and my sense and is that the SWRCB (State Water Resources Control Board) is stepping up its game, not only in transfers but in all the operational limits. Those operational standards were all set with a range of water years of mind.? ?To some extent, he said, ?this consolidation is going to require the regulatory agencies stepping back? but he said that ?actions taken under the drought will be limited to the drought. Period.?
DWR Director Mark Cowin
The Central Valley Project, founded in 1933 during the Great Depression, was created primarily to help farmers. It moves about 7 million acre-feet of water annually; the SWP about 2.3 million acre-feet. ?Both use water from the north state, where most of the rain falls, and ship it southward, where most of the people are. Among farms, groundwater may account 40 percent of the water used, a figure that rises during times of drought when supplies from the projects dwindle.
??The governor?s challenge to each and every Californian to reduce water use sends the?right message that we are one state and can never take water for granted,? he said.
While arid, the south state arguably?has made better use of storage.
?Lowering water?demand in Southern California is a big reason why this region has sufficient supplies short term,?but this drought is a wakeup call to re-examine all of our water uses and redouble the?commitment to conserve every possible drop,? said Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, a water wholesaler that serves 19 million people in 26 cities and water agencies across the south state.
??The governor?s challenge to each and every Californian to reduce water use sends the?right message that we are one state and can never take water for granted,? he said.
Ultimately, the biggest concern in the governor?s may be the state?s food supply.
?My surface read is that it?s about agriculture,? said Kathryn Phillips of the Sierra Club. ?My sense is that Southern California has done a pretty good job of water conservation. The kinds of things they?ve been talking about doing in SouthernCalifornia, how can we all share in improving our conservation and efficiency? This is just the beginning. This is the kind of thing we are going to face on a regular basis because of climate change.?
The drought ?is not a north-south issue,? she added. ?We have to make sure that every drop of water that is used is used conservatively.?
Gov. Brown, facing the second major drought of his political career and the worst dry spell in at least a century, signed the executive order Friday urging Californians to voluntarily cut their water use by 20 percent, and eased rules to enable farmers to purchase water from those with more plentiful supplies.
?A formal drought declaration signals that the state is prepared to channel resources and assistance to the areas in greatest stress this year, and paves the way for water transfers and other actions that can provide relief??
?We are in an unprecedented, very serious situation,? the governor said at a San Francisco press conference.? People should ?pause and reflect on how dependent we are on rain and on mother nature.?
Brown, who during his first term as governor in the 1970s dealt with a then-unprecedented drought, said the politics of water was secondary to the need to deal with the problem.
With federal forecasters predicting a 90-day dry spell and with low levels at reservoirs across the state already dropping dramatically, the governor said the voluntary request could become a mandatory order if conservation goals are not met. Reservoirs have dropped below their historic lows and the Sierra Nevada snow pack, a critical indicator of spring runoff, is at only 20 percent of average.
?A formal drought declaration signals that the state is prepared to channel resources and assistance to the areas in greatest stress this year, and paves the way for water transfers and other actions that can provide relief,? said Timothy Quinn of the Association of California Water Agencies.
Brown, who during his first term as governor in the 1970s dealt with a then-unprecedented drought, said the politics of water was secondary to the need to deal with the problem.
?It?s a call to arms,? he added. ?This is not a partisan adversary. This is mother nature.?
Environmentalists hope his ?call to arms? doesn?t weaken environmental protections.
?The biggest concern I had,? what alarmed me, was the notion of consolidated use,? Stork said.
?The fundamental question is what?s the intent? Is it to fundamentally change the CVP?? he said. ?From the perspective of Northern California and a good deal of the state north of the Tehachapis, the notion has always been that the CVP has been to serve the Central Valley and not the MWD (Metropolitan Water District of Southern California).?
But the bottom-line issue isn?t about the bureaucracy.
?This is all about rain,? said Westlands? Peltier.
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jan 21 11:10:07 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 11:10:07 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Chronicle-Willie Brown: Drought will force Jerry
	Brown to put hold on delta tunnels Willie Brown
Message-ID: <1390331407.9610.YahooMailNeo@web125404.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Drought-will-force-Jerry-Brown-to-put-hold-on-5156185.php?


Drought will force Jerry Brown to put hold on delta tunnels
Willie Brown
Published 5:16?pm, Saturday, January 18, 2014
	* Former Mayor Willie Brown poses for a portrait at his apartment in the St. Regis Hotel on Thursday July 31, 2008 in San Francisco, Calif. Photo: Mike Kepka, The ChronicleWhat is it about?Jerry Brown? Every time he's governor, we have a?drought.?I don't know if there's a divine connection, but I do think this latest drought will force Brown to put a yearlong hold (at least) on his plan for those big delta tunnels that would ship Northern California water to the?southland.
Sharing is something you do in a time of abundance. You really don't want to be in a position of telling one part of the state it has to share water when there's a?shortage.
Especially when it's in an election year and your approval rating is at 46?percent.
________________________________

Longtime East Bay Rep. George Miller's announcement that he is retiring from Congress did not come as a?surprise.
Miller has been at it for 40 years, and being in Congress is not nearly as much fun as it once was. Your privacy vanishes, and everything you say goes under the microscope and is often?misinterpreted.
Plus, like a lot of senior?Democrats, Miller knows what it's like to have had majority clout in Congress. The idea of slogging on in the minority just isn't that?appealing.
It's tough going from being a power in the halls to just walking through?them.
________________________________
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jan 21 11:19:41 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 11:19:41 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Manteca Bulletin: The Aqueduct still flows full
	throttle during current drought
Message-ID: <1390331981.62714.YahooMailNeo@web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.mantecabulletin.com/section/38/article/96016/?

The Aqueduct still flows full throttle during current droughtDennis Wyatt
dwyatt at mantecabulletin.com
209-249-3519
January 20, 2014

There is one ?river? flowing at full capacity as California enters its third year of drought.

It?s the California Aqueduct.

It is fed by the water from the Sierra watershed captured behind massive concrete edifices such as Shasta, New Melones, and Friant as well as earthen creations such as Oroville.

Much of the 701-mile aqueduct ? specifically the portion from the headwaters at the Tracy pumps to the base of the Tehachapi Mountains ? flows through the San Joaquin Valley. Come March when fields are supposed to turn green and the skies are blue, the valley will in all likelihood be parched and blanketed in hues of gold and brown while orchards die, land lays fallow, and the heavens paled with wind-blown dust.

Further north in the Sacramento Valley many homes in areas such as Fair Oaks and Citrus Heights will have dead or dying grass with landscaping under severe stress from mandatory water cutbacks and emergency drought rules prohibiting outdoor watering. It will be worse in some places such as Willets where severe water use limits of 150 gallons per person a day will mean toilets can?t be flushed after every use.

It will be a different story south of the Tehachapi range.

Grass will remain green. Toilets will flush. Ornamental water fountains will gush. New swimming pools will be filled.

Those living in the Los Angeles-San Diego region will bristle at suggestions they are not reducing water use enough. They will point northward and slam those in northern and central California for failing to develop ?their own water system?. They will argue it is unfair for them to suffer because of the failures of those to the north.

This will happen because it has happened before in every drought since 1977.

It started on Friday after the governor?s declaration of a drought emergency throughout California. State water experts, in a bid to convince folks we are all in this together, noted even though reservoir levels in Southern California are fairly high those in northern and central California are significantly lower.

Unless you are immersed in the dynamics of water in California on a day-to-day basis instead of just turning on and off faucets and live north of the Tehachapi Mountains, you will miss the point.

You will ask yourself why we should suffer when ?they?? folks up north and in the central state ? are the ones with less water.

You won?t realize that the only reason Southern California reservoirs are as high as they are is because of the long drinking straws known as the California Aqueduct, the Los Angeles Aqueduct from the Owens Valley, and the 242-mile Colorado River Aqueduct? that have been placed in water sources elsewhere.

Imported water built Los Angeles and San Diego. It also supports San Francisco and gave birth to the richest agricultural region in the world ? the San Joaquin Valley.

But nowhere in California besides Los Angeles are so many people supported on water diverted in such an aggressive manner that also wrecks havoc on the people and land of the watersheds that the water is diverted from.

Owens Valley is the extreme case followed closely by the trickle of muddy water known as the Colorado River that flows into Mexico after Los Angeles has sucked the life out of the river.?

The Sacramento-San Joaquin watersheds fare much better due to a better run diversion system with a lot of help from the massive reservoir of water captured in snow that usually blankets the Sierra.

The economic devastation and ecological disaster that befell the Owens Valley and the final stretch of the Colorado River will be nothing compared to what can happen in one year north of the Tehachapi Mountains. We are being forced by political dynamics to take a bigger hit this drought even though most of the water Los Angeles relies on flows from north of the Tehachapi.

If you doubt that, drive over to the California Aqueduct in Tracy. If massive farms on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley are no longer getting any measurable water, why is so much still flowing south?

The reason is simple. It is to water the largest sprawling concrete and suburban jungle man has even known ? that if supported on the strength of its own watershed ? would have been stunted long ago to the size of perhaps Bakersfield and Fresno combined.

Until everyone that drinks out of the Sierra watershed follows the same conservation rules, we are not all into this together.

You might want to keep that in mind as Gov. Jerry Brown and Southland interests that are in bed with mega corporate farmers step up their campaign to destroy the Delta and further shortchange the north and central state via the Twin Tunnels.



This column is the opinion of executive editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinion of The Bulletin or Morris Newspaper Corp. of CA.? He can be contacted at dwyatt at mantecabulletin.com or 209-249-3519.


http://www.mantecabulletin.com/section/38/article/96016/
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From bhill at igc.org  Tue Jan 21 12:28:33 2014
From: bhill at igc.org (bhill)
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 12:28:33 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] FW:  Capitol Weekly: Drought: The behemoths combine
Message-ID: <011e01cf16e7$5f5bec70$1e13c550$@org>

If "[f]arms use an estimated four out of every five gallons of California water", what percent of the farmland is factory farmed?  And, what percent of the water bill do the factory farms pay?

 

Brian

 

 

From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Tom Stokely
Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2014 11:08 AM
To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
Subject: [env-trinity] Capitol Weekly: Drought: The behemoths combine

 

http://capitolweekly.net/water-drought-california-cvp-swp-consolidate/ 


Drought: The behemoths combine


 Lake Oroville (Photo: DWR) <http://capweekly.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Oroville-Lake-634x321.jpg> 

BY JOHN HOWARD POSTED 01.20.2014

 <https://twitter.com/share> TWITTER <http://capitolweekly.net/water-drought-california-cvp-swp-consolidate/> FACKBOOK <mailto:?subject=Drought:%20The%20behemoths%20combine&body='http://capitolweekly.net/water-drought-california-cvp-swp-consolidate/'> EMAIL

The heavy hitters are stepping up to the plate.

California?s two behemoth water deliverers ? the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project, perhaps the best known water purveyors in the world ?  are poised to join together to move water quickly around the state in the face of an unprecedented drought.

Gov. Brown?s decision to ask Californians to voluntarily reduce their water consumption by 20 percent received support, especially among those with long memories: In the historic drought of 1977, California had 22 million people. This year, it has at least 38 million.

?The big picture here the governor is calling for conservation,? said Ron Stork of the Friends of the River. ?That?s not only a good thing, but an essential thing. Some conservation will be required, and when you conserve, you are building more reliability into your supply.?

 DWR's Frank Gehrke checks the Sierra snowpack. (Photo: DWR)  <http://capweekly.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Snow-Survey-300x200.jpg> 

DWR?s Frank Gehrke checks the Sierra snowpack. (Photo: DWR)

But the temporary consolidation of the two enormous water networks ? 80 percent of Californians get at least some of their drinking water from the SWP  and the CVP serves much of the farm belt ? raised concerns and prompted discussions among water districts, environmentalists, farmers and lawmakers. The issue in the north is uncertainty about how the water would be distributed, whether environmental safeguards will be suspended and whether there would be a shift of priorities to move more water south. In the south it is equally basic: How much water will be available?

How ever the alliance plays out, the arrangement will be temporary.

?Those would be a change only during the duration of the drought,? said Nancy Vogel, a spokesperson for the state Department of Water Resources. The intent, she added, was ?streamlining the whole bureaucracy? in the face of an unprecedented drought.

Gov. Brown said that the collaboration between the two projects would be defined by the State Water Resources Control Board, a panel of termed appointees of the governor headed by Chair Felicia Marcus. The governor asked the board, which has jurisdiction over ?place of use? for both the state and federal projects, to consolidate their operations to ?allow for transfers of water between the two systems without the State Water Board having to process a change petition for every single transfer.?

?There?s going to be a lot of barren ground,? Jason Peltier of the Westlands Water District, ?at least 200,000 acres.?

The board could move on the governor?s consolidation request as early as this week. There is precedent for consolidation: It occurred during the Schwarzenegger administration in 2009.

According to Brown?s order, the board ?will immediately consider petitions requesting consolidation of the places of use of the State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project, which would streamline water transfers and exchanges between water users within the areas of these two major water projects.?

?The consolidation of the place of use for the State and federal projects would allow for transfers of water between the two systems without the State Water Board having to process a change petition for every single transfer.  An eligible transfer applicant would still be subject to DWR?s transfer approval process,? the order said.



Farms use an estimated four out of every five gallons of California water and face deep stresses when water is curtailed.

?There?s going to be a lot of barren ground,? Jason Peltier of the Westlands Water District, ?at least 200,000 acres.? In the 2009 drought, his district none of  its allocation, he said, and  ?the  likelihood is that we?ll start this year with a zero allocation.?

Despite the complexity of consolidating operations and transferring water, the task certainly is doable, he added.

?It need not be a difficult thing to accomplish and my sense and is that the SWRCB (State Water Resources Control Board) is stepping up its game, not only in transfers but in all the operational limits. Those operational standards were all set with a range of water years of mind.?  To some extent, he said, ?this consolidation is going to require the regulatory agencies stepping back? but he said that ?actions taken under the drought will be limited to the drought. Period.?

 DWR Director Mark Cowin <http://capweekly.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Mark-Cowin-300x300.jpg> 

DWR Director Mark Cowin

The Central Valley Project, founded in 1933 during the Great Depression, was created primarily to help farmers. It moves about 7 million acre-feet of water annually; the SWP about 2.3 million acre-feet.  Both use water from the north state, where most of the rain falls, and ship it southward, where most of the people are. Among farms, groundwater may account 40 percent of the water used, a figure that rises during times of drought when supplies from the projects dwindle.

? The governor?s challenge to each and every Californian to reduce water use sends the right message that we are one state and can never take water for granted,? he said.

While arid, the south state arguably has made better use of storage.

?Lowering water demand in Southern California is a big reason why this region has sufficient supplies short term, but this drought is a wakeup call to re-examine all of our water uses and redouble the commitment to conserve every possible drop,? said Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, a water wholesaler that serves 19 million people in 26 cities and water agencies across the south state.

? The governor?s challenge to each and every Californian to reduce water use sends the right message that we are one state and can never take water for granted,? he said.

Ultimately, the biggest concern in the governor?s may be the state?s food supply.

?My surface read is that it?s about agriculture,? said Kathryn Phillips of the Sierra Club. ?My sense is that Southern California has done a pretty good job of water conservation. The kinds of things they?ve been talking about doing in SouthernCalifornia, how can we all share in improving our conservation and efficiency? This is just the beginning. This is the kind of thing we are going to face on a regular basis because of climate change.?

The drought ?is not a north-south issue,? she added. ?We have to make sure that every drop of water that is used is used conservatively.?

Gov. Brown, facing the second major drought of his political career and the worst dry spell in at least a century, signed the executive order Friday urging Californians to voluntarily cut their water use by 20 percent, and eased rules to enable farmers to purchase water from those with more plentiful supplies.

?A formal drought declaration signals that the state is prepared to channel resources and assistance to the areas in greatest stress this year, and paves the way for water transfers and other actions that can provide relief??

?We are in an unprecedented, very serious situation,? the governor said at a San Francisco press conference.  People should ?pause and reflect on how dependent we are on rain and on mother nature.?

Brown, who during his first term as governor in the 1970s dealt with a then-unprecedented drought, said the politics of water was secondary to the need to deal with the problem.

With federal forecasters predicting a 90-day dry spell and with low levels at reservoirs across the state already dropping dramatically, the governor said the voluntary request could become a mandatory order if conservation goals are not met. Reservoirs have dropped below their historic lows and the Sierra Nevada snow pack, a critical indicator of spring runoff, is at only 20 percent of average.

?A formal drought declaration signals that the state is prepared to channel resources and assistance to the areas in greatest stress this year, and paves the way for water transfers and other actions that can provide relief,? said Timothy Quinn of the Association of California Water Agencies.

Brown, who during his first term as governor in the 1970s dealt with a then-unprecedented drought, said the politics of water was secondary to the need to deal with the problem.

?It?s a call to arms,? he added. ?This is not a partisan adversary. This is mother nature.?

Environmentalists hope his ?call to arms? doesn?t weaken environmental protections.

?The biggest concern I had,  what alarmed me, was the notion of consolidated use,? Stork said.

?The fundamental question is what?s the intent? Is it to fundamentally change the CVP?? he said. ?From the perspective of Northern California and a good deal of the state north of the Tehachapis, the notion has always been that the CVP has been to serve the Central Valley and not the MWD (Metropolitan Water District of Southern California).?

But the bottom-line issue isn?t about the bureaucracy.

?This is all about rain,? said Westlands? Peltier.

 

  _____  

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Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jan 21 16:09:28 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 16:09:28 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] SACBEE Viewpoints: A healthy Klamath River benefits
	California fisheries and farms
Message-ID: <1390349368.5127.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



Viewpoints: A healthy Klamath River benefits California fisheries and farms
By?Curtis Knight and Glen Spain
Special to The Bee
Published: Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013 - 12:00 am
Recent droughts, wildfires and floods throughout the?West point?to one stark reality: An integrated approach to?water management?is essential to securing our region?s long-term prosperity. A long history of divvying up water too freely among?competing interests?has left none satisfied. We continue to live with an over-appropriated?water system?that pits farmers against fisheries and urban users against agriculture.
If we are to thrive, or even survive, it?s time to step out of our narrow perspectives. We must embrace a more coordinated approach that recognizes that many of our rivers are altered landscapes. Today?s working watersheds providedrinking water,?produce hydropower, grow food, provide recreational opportunities and support valuable fisheries for commercial, sport and tribal interests. Saving these working watersheds can no longer mean rewinding them back to some pristine, romantic past. We must instead craft comprehensive and durable water management solutions for the modern world.
This type of integrated thinking is being put to work in the?Klamath River?Basin, straddling the California-Oregon border. There fishermen and farmers have alternately suffered through severewater shortages.?In 2001, tens of millions of dollars in?farm productivity?was lost when water was diverted to protect migrating salmon. The next year, the water went to the farmers. The result was a record-breaking fish kill on the Klamath River, leaving 70,000 adult salmon dead before they could spawn. That disaster had long-term economic consequences for much of California and Oregon, including widespread fisheries closures in 2006 that cost coastal economies an estimated $200 million.
These conflicts were the result of old ways of thinking. At the time, the belief in the Klamath Basin was that one side could win the ?water war,? typically in the courts, at the expense of all others. But history proves that zero-sum thinking cannot create a promising future, either for farmers or for fisheries.
Recognizing this reality, dozens of disparate stakeholder groups worked for years to negotiate a water-sharing deal for the Klamath Basin that would restore healthy salmon populations while providing more water certainty to farmers. These stakeholders negotiated a pair of settlement agreements that would give the basin?s farmers, fishermen, tribes and electricity customers of Pacific Power ? which owns several hydroelectric dams on the river ? an opportunity to create a stable regional economy.
The Klamath Settlement Agreements dedicate significant resources to river restoration, including unblocking the river and restoring access to more than 420 miles of historic spawning and rearing habitat for steelhead and salmon. Farmers and ranchers helped to craft and continue to support this deal because it provides them with more certainty about how much water they would receive in both wet and dry years.
Although the Klamath Settlement Agreements have been in place since 2010, they cannot be fully implemented without congressional approval. Unfortunately, Congress has been slow to act. But recent efforts signal hope that the agreements are likely to be taken up soon in Washington, D.C.
The 2013 water year was very dry, straining farmers and ranchers, fish and fishermen alike. Without the agreements, more water had to be kept in the Trinity River ? a major Klamath River tributary whose water supports California?s Central Valley agriculture ? to prevent another massive fish kill. The connection between the Trinity and Klamath rivers underscores the fact that an unhealthy Klamath impacts many Californians.
The Klamath is also intimately linked to the health of coastal fishing economies from Monterey up to?Washington state.?But without congressional approval of these vitally important agreements, the future of the Klamath will continue to be one of conflict and economic loss, not solutions, with broad implications up and down the West Coast.
A comprehensive Klamath Basin recovery is good for the economies of both California and Oregon. Putting the Klamath Settlement Agreements into action would support a healthier West Coast salmon fishery, provide enhanced water security to farmers and ranchers, and protect tribal trust rights. Throughout the previous decade, the Klamath Basin was in constant conflict. But local stakeholders have made it clear that they are ready for a productive and cooperative future.
With congressional approval, we can implement one of the most important water management, river restoration and economic stabilization efforts in the United States, resulting in 4,600 new jobs and restoring more than $750 million annually in Klamath Basin economic activity. Putting these landmark agreements into action would signal a new day for the Klamath Basin, and light a new path forward for water management throughout the West.
________________________________

Curtis Knight is conservation director for California Trout, a nonprofit fish and watershed advocacy organization. Glen Spain is northwest regional director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/03/5964912/viewpoints-a-healthy-klamath-river.html#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Jan 22 08:25:39 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 08:25:39 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Fwd: please distribute to coordination email list
In-Reply-To: <CAGn92iXUr6cAQAmbvSig0dj7+dQJ8GXJEiaOfa81PeeZrU6FTQ@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAP6bShL6Gb5wy=_=fqvXP16_VAb-cHk4nPFwLzAr6LU50f_c5Q@mail.gmail.com>
	<CAGn92iXUr6cAQAmbvSig0dj7+dQJ8GXJEiaOfa81PeeZrU6FTQ@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1390407939.3014.YahooMailNeo@web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "JACKSON, DEANNA" <dljackson at usbr.gov>
To:??
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 8:20 AM
Subject: Fwd: please distribute to coordination email list
 




The Northern California Area Office, Trinity River Restoration Division, is currently recruiting for an?Acquisition?Support Specialist in Weaverville, CA. ?The following announcement has been prepared via Reclamation's HireMe on-line application system.


BR-MP-2014-040, Acquisition Support Specialist, GS-1101-09

Interested Applicants?can view the announcement through USAJOBS at the following link: ?https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/359814700

First time applicants must register with USAJOBS at ??https://www.usajobs.gov/Account/Account? to create an account.

For additional information regarding this vacancy, please call Joan Russell at 916-978-5498 or email?jrussell at usbr.gov

-- 

Robin M. Schrock
Executive Director
Trinity River Restoration Program
PO Box 1300, 1313 South Main Street
Weaverville, CA 96093
TEL: (530) 623-1800
FAX: (530) 623-5944
CELL: (530) 945-7489
www.trrp.net
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From ema.berol at yahoo.com  Wed Jan 22 11:10:50 2014
From: ema.berol at yahoo.com (Emilia Berol)
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 11:10:50 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Fwd: LETTER FROM SACRAMENTO: A Turning Point in
	California's Water Policy?
References: <1369569984.1390350498214.JavaMail.www@app249.cl2int.convio.net>
Message-ID: <2E8FDE68-8AC7-4B68-ABBB-3FFB401BAFE9@yahoo.com>



Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Kathryn Phillips, Sierra Club California" <SierraClub.California at sierraclub.org>
> Date: January 21, 2014 at 4:25:28 PM PST
> To: ema.berol at yahoo.com
> Subject: LETTER FROM SACRAMENTO: A Turning Point in California's Water Policy?
> Reply-To: "Kathryn Phillips, Sierra Club California" <SierraClub.California at sierraclub.org>
> 
> 
> 		
> Donate | Send to a Friend | View in Browser | Sent to ema.berol at yahoo.com (Not You? Sign Up Here)
> Dear Robert,
> 
> We are living in interesting times.
> 
> Within the last two weeks, the governor introduced the strongest environmental budget proposal since he was elected in 2010.
> 
> Among the highlights are about $8 million for groundwater data collection, assessment and management; $20 million for water efficiency, including reducing energy use for water pumping; $30 million for watershed and wetland restoration; and more than $472 million in regional water management.
> 
> For years, and most recently in a white paper, Sierra Club California and our members and activists have been calling for greater focus on these areas of water policy. These are among the areas that can, if given the right attention, resolve the state?s water supply problems and make it unnecessary to move growing amounts of water out of the sensitive San Francisco Bay Delta.
> 
> Following on the budget proposal by about a week, the governor signed a drought emergency declaration. For the third year in a row, California's rainfall and snowfall were well below normal in 2013. Now, in this first month of 2014, the drought is getting downright frightening.
> 
> Snowpack is less than 20 percent of normal in the Sierra. Mount Shasta, usually topped with a strong icing of snow this time of year, looks nearly naked. Sacramento-area rivers that are usually roiling in January look more like wide streams, and streams and creeks have dried up.
> 
> Both the governor's budget proposal and the emergency declaration contain elements that will help Californians finally get a reasonable handle on how to manage water in this increasingly dry state. This could be a turning point in California's 164-year-old battle with itself about how to manage a precious resource.
> 
> So, as an environmental advocate for an organization that has long pressed for better water policies, I should be encouraged. And I am.
> 
> But I'm also aware that not everyone is ready to ditch bad water policy.
> 
> The ink was barely dry on the emergency declaration before some editorialists, columnists and Republican legislators, mostly from the San Joaquin Valley, started pushing for more above-ground storage. Some above-ground storage doesn't require a new dam. Some storage, for instance, involves increasing the use of above-ground percolation systems to replenish groundwater. But most of those who jumped onto the emergency declaration to call for more storage want more dams.
> 
> We are living in an era when the earth's climate is changing because of human-caused pollution, particularly pollution from engines and factories and power plants fueled by oil, natural gas and coal. What used to be the norm for rainfall and snowfall is not likely to be the norm in the future.
> 
> That's why the old ways of doing things won't work. Putting up a dam to collect water, when there simply isn't rain or snow, won't work.  Building giant tunnels, at a total cost of more than $50 billion, to carry water that may not be there isn't a smart investment. 
> 
> We need to focus money and effort on using more carefully that water we do have. The solutions include conservation, recycling, improving efficiency, patching leaks, pricing water right, and abandoning bad ideas?such as fracking?that waste and pollute water.
> 
> This year the governor's water budget appropriately emphasizes regional solutions and regional resilience. It's almost hard to believe this is coming from the same administration that has spent the last two years touting the giant Bay-Delta tunnels. Perhaps the drought has provided a reality check.
> 
> These are, indeed, interesting times.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> 
> 
> Kathryn Phillips
> Director
> 
>  
> 
> Sierra Club California is the Sacramento-based legislative and regulatory advocacy arm of the 13 California chapters of the Sierra Club.
> 
>   
> 
> Please consider becoming a sustaining donor.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Update My Profile | Manage My Email Preferences | Update My Interests
> Unsubscribe from Sierra Club California Updates
> 
> Sierra Club California 
> 909 12th Street, Suite 202 Sacramento, CA 95814 | P: (916) 557-1100
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Jan 22 14:59:57 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 14:59:57 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Redding.com: Delta conservation plan meeting Thursday
	in Redding
Message-ID: <1390431597.91743.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.redding.com/news/2014/jan/21/delta-conservation-plan-meeting-thursday-in/?

Delta conservation plan meeting Thursday in Redding
By Damon Arthur
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
State officials will be in Redding Thursday to provide information and take public comment on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.
The controversial plan attempts to improve the health of the delta where the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers meet and improve the way water is moved out of the delta.
The meeting is from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Red Lion Hotel in Redding.
The state is taking public comment on environmental reports assessing the effects of the proposed plan and wants to provide information about it at the meeting, said Nancy Vogel, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Water Resources.
?The point of all this is so folks can share with us the most informed comments possible,? Vogel said.
The meeting is one of a dozen throughout the state and is set up in an open house format. People who wrote the plan and the environmental documents will be at the meeting to answer questions.
There will be informational exhibits set up, but there will be no formal presentations or panel to receive public comments. The state is accepting written public comment on the plan until April 14.
Visitors also can write out comments and submit them at the meeting. There will also be a court reporter at the meeting to record comments, Vogel said.
The plan and all of the environmental reports total about 33,000 pages, and the state estimates it will cost about $25 billion to implement.
At the heart of the plan is a proposal to build two tunnels to divert water around the delta to deliver water to San Joaquin Valley farms and Southern California cities.
Tom Stokely, a water policy analyst for the California Water Impact Network, said his organization has made it a top priority to defeat the plan because it lays the groundwork to move more Northern California to the south.
?It?s a conveyance system to move water south of the delta,? he said. The cost of the plan is likely to be more than $70 billion, he said.
Vogel said the tunnels would move the location where water is pumped out of the delta from a location in the south delta to a point closer to Sacramento. The move is intended to improve the survival rate of Chinook salmon migrating to the ocean.
Under the plan, the amount of water diverted from the delta would not vary more than 5 percent more or less from the 20-year average, Vogel said.
About the Bay Delta Conservation Plan
An informational open house on the plan is from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Red Lion Hotel, 1830 Hilltop Drive in Redding.
To read the Bay Delta Conservation Plan online, go to http://bit.ly/1aHKVcJ
To read the environmental reports on the plan online, go to http://bit.ly/1fXHDGD
Comments on the plan and environmental reports may be emailed to BDCP.Comments at noaa.gov
Comments also may be submitted by mail to BDCP Comments, Ryan Wulff, NMFS, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 5-100, Sacramento, CA 95814
The documents also are available at the Redding Library, 1100 Parkview Ave.; Trinity County Library, 351 Main St. in Weaverville; Tehama County Library, 645 Madison St. in Red Bluff; and in Siskiyou County at the Yreka Branch Library, 719 4th St.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Jan 22 15:20:59 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 15:20:59 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Coalition wants further review on
	river projects
Message-ID: <1390432859.84567.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_8c1144cc-830c-11e3-bd0c-001a4bcf6878.html

Coalition wants further review on river projects
Amy Gittelsohn The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 6:15 am
A coalition of environmental groups, fishing guides and landowners along the Trinity River have formally requested that two proposed channel rehabilitation projects be mothballed until fuller environmental studies are done.
?The environmental document for the Bucktail and Lower Junction City Trinity River mainstem rehabilitation projects is inadequate,? the letter to the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and Trinity River Restoration Program states.
Signers of the letter ask that a full Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report be prepared to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and California Environmental Quality Act.
The restoration program projects they cite in Lewiston and Lower Junction City include in-river work to increase salmon and steelhead habitat by creating slow-water refuge areas and work to allow the river to spread onto its floodplain. The project at Bucktail in Lewiston would include a side channel and placement of habitat features including logjams.
The Lower Junction City project is proposed for construction in 2014, while the Bucktail project could be scheduled for 2015.
Signers of the letter include the California Water Impact Network, the Trinity River Guide Association, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Association, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, AquAlliance, Safe Alternatives for our Forest Environment, Environmental Protection Information Center, North Coast Environmental Center, Trinity Fly Shop, Environmental Water Caucus, Butte Environmental Council, Trinity Lake Revitalization Alliance, Friends of the Eel River, six guide services and several individuals living by the river.
They contend the projects deviate substantially from what was covered in the Trinity River Record of Decision, whereas the watershed component of that decision has not been fully implemented.
For example, the letter states that no more than three side channels were considered in the Record of Decision, but many more than that have been built. Engineered logjams also have not been adequately evaluated, signers of the letter say.
From the Trinity Management Council that decides on which projects go forward, Executive Director Brian Person said a master EIS/EIR produced for the program in 2009 ?takes into account environmental considerations for a suite of projects.?
That is followed by an environmental analysis for each project to address specifics, he said, adding it is a common approach to multi-year activities all planned along the same theme and meets NEPA and CEQA requirements.
Still, Person said the requests in the letter will be considered.
?The program and other agency partners have more work to do before we decide what to do with that comment,? he said.
The letter says past projects have caused ?increased river turbidity, reduced public access, reduced adult salmonid holding habitat, filling of pools, impairment of river navigation, spreading of noxious weeds, noise, truck traffic and damage to agricultural water supplies.?
The letter also quotes sections of a draft report from a Science Advisory Board that evaluated the first phase of projects on the river, finding among other things that ?increases in juvenile rearing habitat were not statistically significant? from channel rehabilitation projects.
Person and restoration program Executive Director Robin Schrock debate how that draft report has been characterized, although Person acknowledged that at just past the halfway point ?the interim results the Science Advisory Board states, no, those aren?t the incremental numbers we?d hoped for by now.?
However, he and Schrock noted that draft report only takes into account habitat created during base flows on the river.
?As far as the fish population numbers,? Schrock said, ?there have only been two cohort returns that have spawned and reared in the river since those projects were begun in 2005.?
The letter signers also say that the Bucktail Bridge, at risk of failure due to the higher Trinity River flows called for in the Record of Decision, should be replaced before a rehabilitation project is constructed there.
They oppose approval of the projects until an EIS/EIR has been prepared following completion of the Science Advisory Board?s review and at least two annual releases from Lewiston Dam of 10,000 cubic feet per second or more.
Flows that high are called for in the Record of Decision only in extremely wet years, although in some years the flow schedule has been modified for research purposes.
?Important work need not stop because the Bucktail and Lower Junction City projects do not move forward at this time,? the letter states. ?We support replacement of the Bucktail Bridge and an accelerated watershed restoration program as high priority projects with broad public support that fit within the existing Trinity River Restoration Program framework.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Jan 23 12:39:57 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 12:39:57 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Coalition_Media_Release-_Trinity_River_?=
 =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=9CRestoration=E2=80=9D_Program_Wastes_Money=2C_Degrades_?=
 =?utf-8?q?Environment?=
In-Reply-To: <1390507346.3529.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1390506761.58202.YahooMailNeo@web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
	<1390507304.97298.YahooMailNeo@web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
	<1390507346.3529.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1390509597.41188.YahooMailNeo@web125405.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Tom Stokely

Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org


http://www.c-win.org/content/media-release-coalition-says-trinity-river-?restoration?-program-wastes-money-degrades-envir ?


*******************************************************************************
?
Date: January 23, 2014
?
For:? Immediate Release
?
?Trinity River ?Restoration? Program Wastes
Money, Degrades Environment
?
Channel Rehabilitation Work ?Falls Flat on Multiple Counts 
?
A coalition of 21 groups and individuals led by the California Water
Impact Network (C-WIN) is asking the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP)
to put all ?channel rehabilitation? projects on hold pending a ?thorough review. 
?
The group noted in a letter that the projects are causing rather than
mitigating environmental harm, that necessary watershed rehabilitation projects
are underfunded due to the channel revamping efforts, and that a new county
bridge is needed at Bucktail because of higher fishery flows that have
undermined the structure.? 
?
The project?s channel rehabilitation work consists of bulldozing the
river?s edge to create juvenile salmon habitat, an activity equivalent to a
clear-cut on a Wild and Scenic River (see link to photo below). 
?
An embargoed draft report by the TRRP?s Science Advisory Board (see
link below) found that the benefits of the mainstem projects to salmon are not
significant, and that the program has veered significantly from the intent
described in the 2000 Trinity River Record of Decision.? Tens of millions of dollars have been spent
on the mainstem projects with few results and multiple negative impacts,
including turbidity,? the spread of? noxious weeds, reduction in public access,
noise, truck traffic, impacts to agricultural water systems, and the filling of
adult steelhead holding habitat.
?
??The 2000 Trinity River Record
of Decision (Trinity ROD) called for a break in these projects to evaluate them
before more mainstem work is done,? said Tom Stokely, an analyst for C-WIN.
?The Science Board?s draft report clearly shows that the expected benefits of
these projects have not materialized.? Spending millions more public dollars on these projects cannot be
justified at this time.? 
?
Zeke Grader, the executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of
Fishermen?s Associations, concurred with Stokely, noting that ?the Trinity
River Restoration Program has produced scant results for the ?boatloads? of
money that have been invested.?
?
?We?ve got to do better,? said Grader. ?That money should have been
spent on reviving our fisheries through watershed and tributary restoration.
That?s where we?ll get real results.?
?
Steve Townzen with the Trinity River Guides Association said the
projects have ?decimated much of the ?adult steelhead holding habitat upstream
of Douglas City.? 
?
??Bucktail is one of the last
good holes left in that part of the river,? said Townzen.?? ?A new Bucktail Bridge should be built
before any other mainstem alterations occur.? They also propose eliminating the existing public access to the river at
Bucktail, moving it downstream.? The
proposed Bucktail project will be a disaster for the river, the fish and the
public.?
?
Barbara Vlamis with AquAlliance of Chico said the Science Advisory
Board?s report nullifies agency attempts to justify the projects.? 
?
?The Science Board said that ?increases in juvenile rearing habitat
were not statistically significant? from channel rehabilitation projects
and that the program?s ?formal scientific hypothesis testing is frequently
lacking,? observed Vlamis.? ?The
Bureau of Reclamation is being dishonest with the public when they claim the
benefits outweigh the 25 significant impacts from these projects.? 
?
Gary Graham-Hughes of the Environmental Protection Information Center
(EPIC) in Arcata said a full environmental review based on current conditions
in the river must be conducted before the North Coast Regional Water Quality
Control Board allows further restoration work.
?
?Public participation is crucial for developing real solutions, and we
also need a couple of wet years to see if the existing projects will provide
any benefits,? said Graham-Hughes.? ?There is plenty of habitat restoration work to do in the watersheds and
tributaries below the dam. Those tributaries will become increasingly important
as salmon refugia if Trinity Lake reaches dead pool and the river dries up from
continued drought.?
?
Bill Jennings of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance said
the projects evoke another troubling ?conservation? effort ? the Bay Delta
Conservation Plan.
?
?If the Trinity River Restoration Program is any indication of how the
Bay Delta Conservation Plan will use Science and Adaptive Management to
?restore? the Delta ecosystem, we?re in deep trouble.? Jennings said. ?We can?t
promote environmental destruction under the rubric of conservation.? It?s dishonest, it?s catastrophic for
fisheries and wildlife, and it?s an affront to the public that pays for these
boondoggles.? 
?
Other signatories to the letter are the Northcoast Environmental
Center, AquAlliance, Friends of the Eel River, Trinity Lake Revitalization
Alliance, Safe Alternatives for our Forest Environment, Trinity Fly Shop, Butte
Environmental Council, California Environmental Water Caucus, Trinity River
Outfitters, Gold Coast Guide and Shuttle Service, Trinity River Adventures,
Sweet Trinity Guide Service, Steve?s Trinity River Guide Service, Tiger T?s
Guide Service, Kristi Bevard, Michael Caranci and Clark Tuthill.
?
The coalition?s recommendations are contained in a comment letter to
the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Bureau of
Reclamation.
?
?#
?
Contacts:
Tom Stokely, California Water Impact Network 530-926-9727 cell 524-0315 www.c-win.org
Zeke Grader, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations 415-561-5080 www.pcffa.org
Steve Townzen, Trinity River Guides Association 530-623-2112 http://trinityriverguidesassociation.com 
Barbara Vlamis, AquAlliance 530-895-9420 cell 530-519-7468 www.aqualliance.net
Gary Graham-Hughes, Environmental Protection Information Center
707-822-7711 www.wildcalifornia.org
Bill Jennings, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance 209-464-5067
cell 938-9053 www.calsport.org
?
Links:
Coalition Letter: http://www.c-win.org/webfm_send/410
?Review of the Trinity River Restoration Program?s Channel
Rehabilitation Strategy?: http://trinityriverguidesassociation.com/4-14-2013-wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/TRRP-Phase-1-Draft-Review-copy.pdf
Photograph of Trinity River Chanel Rehabilitation Project: http://www.c-win.org/webfm_send/417
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Jan 24 08:54:26 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 24 Jan 2014 08:54:26 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Links on House Speaker touts drought emergency bill
	at Bakersfield event
Message-ID: <1390582466.34647.YahooMailNeo@web125405.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Restore the Delta's statement is at the bottom of these links and and can be found at http://www.restorethedelta.org/tunnels-critics-blast-congressional-move-to-suspend-endangered-species-act-to-favor-westlands-kern-mega-growers-during-drought/?


Boehner backs GOP bill to send water from delta to farms
Carolyn Lochhead, San Francisco Chronicle
Amid the worst drought in California's recorded history, House Speaker?John Boehner?stood in a bare dirt field near Bakersfield to declare his support for taking more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and sending it to the parched farms of the Central Valley.

Congressional bill would give water for fish to farmers
Associated Press
House Speaker John Boehner visited a dusty California field on Wednesday, joining Central Valley Republicans to announce an emergency drought-relief bill to help farmers through what is certain to be a devastating year.
?
California Congressmen Propose Drought Relief Legislation
Amy Quinton, Capital Public Radio
After declaring a drought last week, California Governor Jerry Brown only briefly mentioned the drought during his state of the state speech. But several Central Valley Congressmen are calling for more action through federal legislation.
?
Congressmen push to ship more Delta water
Alex Breitler, Stockton Record
In a sign of increasing political pressure to address California's drought, south San Joaquin Valley congressmen on Wednesday said they will introduce legislation to ship more water out of the Delta and temporarily block plans to restore the San Joaquin River.
?
House Speaker touts drought emergency bill at Bakersfield event
John Ellis,?Fresno Bee
House Speaker John Boehner and three San Joaquin Valley Republican congressmen on Wednesday called on their Senate colleagues to approve emergency drought legislation they say would bring more water to the region.
?Boehner supports California drought plan that puts people before fish
Bartholomew Sullivan, Ventura County Star
Temporarily suspending efforts to restore the flow of the San Joaquin River to mitigate the effects of the ongoing drought would place people before fish or would be environmentally harmful while producing little water for growers, the two sides in the water war said Wednesday.

http://www.capitalpress.com/article/20140122/ARTICLE/140129967/1006?utm_source=Capital+Press+Newsletters&utm_campaign=29d98c4739-California_Weekly_Update&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4b7e61b049-29d98c4739-69628337

http://www.restorethedelta.org/tunnels-critics-blast-congressional-move-to-suspend-endangered-species-act-to-favor-westlands-kern-mega-growers-during-drought/?

Tunnels critics blast Congressional move to suspend Endangered Species Act to favor Westlands, Kern mega-growers during drought
by?STINA?on?JANUARY 22, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; steve at hopcraft.com; Twitter:?@shopcraft;?@MrSandHillCrane; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 barbara at restorethedelta.org; Twitter:?@RestoretheDelta
Tunnels critics blast Congressional move to suspend Endangered Species Act to favor Westlands, Kern mega-growers during drought
The move to push forward legislation by Congressman Devin Nunes, Congressman Kevin McCarthy, and Congressman David Valadao, with the support of House Speaker John Boehner, to allow the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta pumps to operate ?as long as water is available? in a drought is nothing more than a blatant, short-sighted water grab, fueled by years of political contributions from huge growers in the Westlands Water District and the Kern County Water Agency to these Central Valley Congressional Representatives.
Furthermore, we find it ironic that these Congressional representatives, who claim to be in favor of reduced Federal government intervention into state affairs, are looking for a way to bypass State and Federal water quality and quantity regulations, which will be violated if pumping restrictions are removed in the Delta. They are playing the anti-regulation card to dictate economic winners and losers among California?s farm and fishing communities.
By declaring a drought emergency, Governor Brown has set up opponents of the Endangered Species Act to be able to strip away water quality protections for Bay-Delta fisheries, Delta family farms, and Delta urban communities. The Bureau of Reclamation and the Department of Water Resources allowed the overpumping of the Delta by 800,000 acre feet last year in order to appease the leaders of the Westlands Water District and the Kern County Water Agency. The mega-growers in those two water districts have used more exported water combined than the Metropolitan Water District and the Santa Clara Valley Water District over the last ten years. While water conservation is of the upmost importance for California, which experiences drought a third of the time, Metropolitan Water District officials have made recent statements that they have enough water in storage for the next three years. Taking more water away from the Delta and California?s rivers during a
 drought, one made worse by State and Federal water resource mismanagement, proves that even more of the same would happen if Governor Brown?s plan to build the peripheral tunnels comes to pass.
What does it say that Governor Brown and Speaker Boehner are on the same side of championing the decimation of the Bay-Delta estuary, all to appease a few hundred growers who contribute less than .3% to the State?s economy? It indicates to the people on the ground in the Delta that our political leaders are poised to squander the most important and largest estuary on the west coast of the Americas for an unsustainable future that will further enrich a few big political contributors to Central Valley Congressional races, and recent California ballot initiatives.
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Jan 23 15:40:20 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 23:40:20 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Update Jweek 3
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C110B9C@057-SN2MPN1-043.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi All,
Please see attachments for the JWeek 3 (Jan 15- Jan 21) Trinity River trapping summary update.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Jan 27 21:07:31 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 21:07:31 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Press Democrat Editorial and cartoon
In-Reply-To: <1390885420.80517.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1390885420.80517.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1390885651.55599.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Pretty good editorial too.


http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20140127/opinion/140129750#page=0?


PD Editorial: No drought in California's water wars
	* (TOM MEYER / meyertoons.com)
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From indiancreeklodge at wildblue.net  Tue Jan 28 16:08:50 2014
From: indiancreeklodge at wildblue.net (Indian Creek Lodge)
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 19:08:50 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Winter Steelhead,
	Fly Fishing Schools & Special Packages
Message-ID: <1116360440493.1108984582140.4554.0.321908JL.1002@scheduler.constantcontact.com>

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

January 28, 2014
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We wish we could say the Lodge looks like this right now, but alas we are still 
praying for rain and snow. Meanwhile steelhead fishing is pretty darn good. John's
Fishing Report is at the bottom of this column, but before skipping down please 
take a minute to read about the Fly Fishing Schools coming up this spring as well
as the Special Packages available through the Lodge. For a chance to win a package
that includes a drift boat day, lodging, and dinner drop by our booth at the Pleasanton
Fly Fishing Show, Alameda County Fairgrounds, February 21-23.

THE FLY SHOP'S SIGNATURE TWO DAY FLY FISHING SCHOOL
April 11-13 the experts from The Fly Shop in Redding will hold their annual, all-inclusive
two day school at the Lodge. This top-notched comprehensive school gives both beginners
and intermediate anglers an in-depth look at all facets of fly fishing. Excellent
classroom sessions featuring The Fly Shop's exclusive curriculum are combined with
on-the-water practice on the Trinity where expert guides and casting instructors
 help the students learn and improve skills. A low teacher-student ratio ensures
 plenty of individual time and attention for each student in a comfortable, relaxed
atmosphere.
Limited space available. To enroll or for more information use thislink [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BPhim_B2W4hNkJrbcXVNx29oBRO8j47TYLwW1B298izCa8sxxEJ1XIJA4TS5jrQr40-AvInbhc-0qpoqEmMJAPUKNW89ghVqAIqakN5jaYZYwGNL1HOZ4eMHbdfJWs1JT0ozIuoAt4i3TnrLq72YaShtmoIA0lt4wMtBMdOaCyi0bkB8CHNudig1h8Id50X-0ZescToDBu4aNdA4vNW2Zw==&c=-6J-wczZ39jaZx5iMCQ8geKbKmht6dcY-44JqxqpgjLu-oag4Y0IzA==&ch=Nj9JybIgUAUzmtM699Fd2EwFMBWqRBWwL5SX7RbS6SATaMP6UER6jg==]
or call Kara at The Fly Shop, 530 222 3555.

. . . AND ANOTHER SCHOOL IS PLANNED WITH SPOUSES IN MIND

Cliff Sullivan, who runs the fly fishing section at the big BassPro store in Tracy,
is starting a new fly fishing school here at the Lodge with the inaugural event 
March 28-30 this year. Cliff is a well known FFF certified Master Instructor and
 Master Fly Tier, and a pretty darn good chef as well. If you are interested in 
a good, fun, reasonably priced two day fly fishing school (Friday afternoon to Sunday
afternoon-all meals and equipment included) with excellent classroom instruction
 in small classes, and plenty of real fishing time on the water, give us a call.
 The cost is $650 per person and only $175 more for a tag-along roommate who just
wants to come up to a beautiful place and enjoy the good food and camaraderie. Available
only through Indian Creek Lodge. Limited availability. Call for details and reservations.

OUR POPULAR TWO DAY DRIFT, DINE AND STAY PACKAGE FOR TWO IS STILL AVAILABLE for 
$950*

Two full guided drift boat days of fishing, two nights' accommodations for two, 
and $100 in dinner vouchers for LaGrange Caf? in Weaverville all for only $950* 
available on non-holiday weekdays. Let us know your dates and we will let you know
which guide is available before you book. 50% deposit is required on booking; payments
by check or cash only. Taxes included; gratuities and shuttle costs not included.

AN UNBELIEVABLY INEXPENSIVE "LEARN TO FISH" PACKAGE

Between March 20 and April 25, two full drift boat days for two anglers with local
guides Ron Purl (Trinity River Drifters) or Todd LeBoeuf (Tiger T's) plus two nights'
lodging for only $650*. That's not a typo--$650*! This package is designed for kids
and newer anglers to learn to fish (either spinning or fly fishing) when there are
lots of fish to catch.  In mid-March thousands of yearling steelhead and coho (average
8" to 10" inches) are released from the Trinity River Hatchery.  These little guys
can be great fun for any experience level, and they make the big browns very aggressive.
Beginners can easily catch the little ones, and there's always a chance of hooking
up with a winter run steelhead or an enormous brown like this 16 pound hog John 
Schmidt caught near the Lodge fishing with Ron Purl in March 2012. All tackle is
 included. Come on up and enjoy springtime fishing, wild life, bird watching or 
photography on the beautiful Wild and Scenic Trinity River.

SOME FEEL GOOD THINGS

In addition to hosting Casting for Recovery and Wounded Warriors (see blurbs in 
right column Upcoming Events) we also have the pleasure of hosting Helping Hands,
an innovative program put together by local therapist Scott LaFein. 8th and 9th 
graders will work in teams assembling artificial hands to be shipped to amputee 
war victims all over the world. In packaging the prostheses the kids will include
a self-photo and a letter to establish pen/email relationships with the recipients.
For more info or offers of support call Scott at 530 623 2695.

GOT SCAMPI?

For years folks have been asking for us to open a restaurant here--and my standard
joke is "I've already found enough ways in my life to lose money"!

Joking aside, we truly believe that a restaurant here would be a sure winner and
 we are ready to bring in some new blood to tackle that project. So, if you know
 a talented self-starting, entrepreneurial person or couple who would be interested
in leasing our kitchen/cafe to build a good business, have them get in touch. Requirements:
energetic chef or culinary couple with experience and proven success in all aspects
of restaurant management (purchasing, inventory management, personnel, pricing, 
etc.) plus desire to live in our beautiful area. Serious inquiries only.

. . . and at last,

WINTER STEELHEAD REPORT
Despite the lack of rain/snow steelheaders have been having typical winter Trinity
River success rates. The fish are spread throughout the system, and guides now reporting
pods of fresh fish moving up through the Junction City area.  The stretch behind
 the Lodge continues to produce more hookups than anywhere else on the river--I 
counted five landed yesterday and there may have been more.
With low, clear river conditions the fishing is more technical than normal for this
time of year and the "production gap" between drift boats vs. walking and wading
 is narrow than usual--probably because of the added need for stealth. This season
we haven't had any real "hot" stretches when everyone out there is having double
 digit hookup days, but frankly that could spoil the adrenaline rush when the line
does sizzle off the reel. It's steelheading--skilled anglers who know the river 
do well, less experienced folks have a great time on a beautiful river with slimmer
results. Most of the steelhead being hooked are wild and hot, with beautiful browns
sprinkled in for variety.
No real need to be out there knocking ice off guides at first light--most of the
 action starts later in the morning after the air starts to warm followed by small
afternoon hatches. When we get into a true warming trend both steelhead and browns
should become even more active.

FISHING the TRINITY in the SPRING

About a year ago I let the cat out of the bag by blabbing about spring fishing on
the Trinity, much to the displeasure of some well-informed Trinity aficionados who
would prefer to keep the spring fishing to themselves.  However, the "damage" is
 already done, so I'll remind you Indian Creek Lodge fans of the facts. Winter-run
steelhead keep coming up the Trinity through March and into April, and warmer conditions
really put the big browns on the prowl. In fact, in my opinion March was the best
all around month in both 2012 and 2013 for both steelhead and browns, with mid-afternoon
hatches providing the opportunity for dry fly action.  Keep in mind the hatchery
 release of yearling coho and steelhead around March 15, which is a boon to beginning
anglers but can be a bummer for experienced hands who view 8"-10" fish as pests.
 However, the adult steelhead should still be arriving, and the smolt will make 
the big browns very aggressive.  The increased flow releases from Lewiston Dam will
start around April 25--we don't have a definite date yet--until then there should
be good action with steelhead and the used-to-be-a-secret Trinity browns . . . and
the river won't be crowded with anglers unless all of you come at once.  As always,
feel free to give us a call for up-to-the-minute reports.

John, Elena, Kurt and The Gang at

Indian Creek Lodge

*Quoted prices include taxes, but not gratuities or shuttles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Indian Creek Lodge

59741 Highway 299 West

Post Office Box 100

Douglas City, CA. 96024

Phone (530) 623-6294
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upcoming Events

February 21-23, 2014

Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show--if you are in the area please stop by our booth to 
say "hi" and enter our high stakes raffle.

March 19, 2014

Shasta Trinity Fly Fishers

hold their annual fly fishing outing for vets under the auspices of the national
 Wounded Warriors program--a great event for a great cause. Vets are taught the 
basics of fly fishing followed by socializing, dinner, and an overnight at the Lodge.

March 22-23, 2014 Helping Hands.  Teams of local 8th and 9th graders assemble artificial
hands to be sent to amputee victims of war injuries worldwide. Kids learn team building,
the rewards of giving, and make friends on other continents.

March 28-30, 2014

Cliff Sullivan Fly Fishing School, described in the left hand column.

April 10, 2014, Indian Creek Lodge will present a program for Granite Bay Fly Casters
on Fly Fishing the Trinity.

April 11-13, 2014

The Fly Shop's Two Day Fly Fishing School at the Lodge. Click here [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BPhim_B2W4hNkJrbcXVNx29oBRO8j47TYLwW1B298izCa8sxxEJ1XIJA4TS5jrQr40-AvInbhc-0qpoqEmMJAPUKNW89ghVqAIqakN5jaYZYwGNL1HOZ4eMHbdfJWs1JT0ozIuoAt4i3TnrLq72YaShtmoIA0lt4wMtBMdOaCyi0bkB8CHNudig1h8Id50X-0ZescToDBu4aNdA4vNW2Zw==&c=-6J-wczZ39jaZx5iMCQ8geKbKmht6dcY-44JqxqpgjLu-oag4Y0IzA==&ch=Nj9JybIgUAUzmtM699Fd2EwFMBWqRBWwL5SX7RbS6SATaMP6UER6jg==]
for details and to enroll.

April 25-27, 2014

Casting For Recovery Retreat, teaching breast cancer patients and survivors the 
art  of fly fishing in a therapeutic and supportive atmosphere. Third annual retreat
at Indian Creek Lodge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quick Links

Indian Creek Lodge Website [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BPhim_B2W4hNkJrbcXVNx29oBRO8j47TYLwW1B298izCa8sxxEJ1XOrwXUnvSjpsfZPMmP4WtgG2YAFuRbN_dAAflVtbC33JBMTcEVE1AUPTmMUQadQmCjRlLq6_r0UhtUycG1ML6WUXcCd03gkDpSMwf0G0jjERhepCGGfWFq4=&c=-6J-wczZ39jaZx5iMCQ8geKbKmht6dcY-44JqxqpgjLu-oag4Y0IzA==&ch=Nj9JybIgUAUzmtM699Fd2EwFMBWqRBWwL5SX7RbS6SATaMP6UER6jg==]
How to find us [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BPhim_B2W4hNkJrbcXVNx29oBRO8j47TYLwW1B298izCa8sxxEJ1XOrwXUnvSjpsILzMcNM8wot6dXjgUtqK10OigKTi-xiXEw-J5NEIUX9AtgpEx0oqF3LsYRp9LngPV0cy_zGvZlGVY0cdshnQ7ihWXIjbQZUuY4U9gxob1DclJVSiv07WdPWLc96zDcdt&c=-6J-wczZ39jaZx5iMCQ8geKbKmht6dcY-44JqxqpgjLu-oag4Y0IzA==&ch=Nj9JybIgUAUzmtM699Fd2EwFMBWqRBWwL5SX7RbS6SATaMP6UER6jg==]
Weddings and Special Events [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BPhim_B2W4hNkJrbcXVNx29oBRO8j47TYLwW1B298izCa8sxxEJ1XOrwXUnvSjps071AyULfwUXGgbUKxvQu6g5MNe_anRz74JT6cdqJ2i7Am88Lt-2TSwAIR4efAwsPcCshGK-RHTzVYEJ0PGFYEzhFtuWzeAGiaeBTwCrWSVnt_wqLHDqSgqesjqGOz6jWaF-pAPaKhQfB5k-EnfrS6gy-8zhGYMq0&c=-6J-wczZ39jaZx5iMCQ8geKbKmht6dcY-44JqxqpgjLu-oag4Y0IzA==&ch=Nj9JybIgUAUzmtM699Fd2EwFMBWqRBWwL5SX7RbS6SATaMP6UER6jg==]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Indian Creek Lodge is a great place for weddings or family gatherings

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Indian Creek Lodge | 59741 Hwy 299 West | Douglas City | CA | 96024
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Jan 29 08:13:24 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 08:13:24 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee: Valley GOP leaders regroup after
	drought-relief maneuver fails
Message-ID: <1391012004.57642.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/01/28/3737399/politics-leaks-into-efforts-to.html

Valley GOP leaders regroup after drought-relief maneuver fails
BY MICHAEL DOYLE
Bee Washington BureauJanuary 28, 2014?Updated 9 hours ago

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/01/28/3737399/politics-leaks-into-efforts-to.html#storylink=cpy
WASHINGTON?? San Joaquin Valley congressional Republicans took aim this week and missed their stated goal of helping California cope with drought.
Now, having unsuccessfully tried a long-shot, last-minute farm bill maneuver, the GOP lawmakers are regrouping. Their next steps, though unclear, are certainly on the way.
?The situation we have in the Valley today calls for extreme measures,? Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, said Tuesday. ?We?re going to continue to do everything in our power to bring ideas forward until something sticks.?
One key question now is whether this week?s failed effort to add California water language to a farm bill poisons the well or builds effective long-term pressure. Another question is what political lessons might be learned to ease future drought action. There?s also the question of what future legislation would look like.
California?s House Republicans hashed out some of the water questions in their weekly private lunch Tuesday.
?We?re looking at, tactically, when we can get something on the House floor, and what we can get on the House floor,? Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, said Tuesday. ?We have got to get something on the floor to have a vehicle.?
Their first vehicle stalled.
Valley Republicans announced their intentions to push California water legislation at a Bakersfield-area news conference on Jan. 22. The presence of House Majority Leader John Boehner emphasized their seriousness and their clout.
Instead of introducing legislation, the lawmakers wrote language they hoped to drop into a final farm bill. They had been working behind the scenes for a while, Valadao said Tuesday, and had secured the formidable backing of Boehner and the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. Ken Lucas, R-Okla.
?This is the last chance to make a difference for tens of thousands of Central Valley farmers and residents whose water supplies are running critically low,? Valadao, Nunes and House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield declared in a news release sent Monday morning.
The news release created immediate Valley news and social media buzz, including some that could help Valadao in his re-election bid. On Tuesday, following rejection of the water language the night before, the three House Republicans declared that ?California?s senators have rejected yet another House initiative to bring more water? to the San Joaquin Valley.
Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow, chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee told reporters in a teleconference Tuesday that the California water language arrived too late for serious consideration. Stabenow further stressed the last-minute proposal ?was never discussed at the member level,? and a spokesman for Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Tom Mentzer, added Tuesday that ?neither the senator nor her staff were approached about this.?
Parachuting last-minute language into House and Senate negotiations is an oft-seen, if occasionally controversial, way of doing business on Capitol Hill. Sometimes it works. Nunes, for instance, once deployed a 3,000-page omnibus spending bill to secure passage of a two-paragraph measure helping owners of cabins in Sequoia National Park?s Mineral King Valley.
The California water language, though, was going to be a more difficult sell. The GOP Valley lawmakers had power behind them, but not momentum.
House and Senate farm bill negotiators had been conferring since October without talking about California water. No agriculture committee hearings had been conducted on the California water proposals. The last House consideration of related California water legislation occurred in February 2012.
The farm bill negotiators, moreover, already had their hands full compromising on everything from food stamps to dairy policy. They were two years late in reaching a delicate balance that could pass Congress, and so were leery of fresh conflict.
?It is gross irresponsibility, to be throwing in at the very last minute a highly controversial proposal,? Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, said in an interview. ?It?s foolishness, and it diverts our attention from what we should be doing.?
Garamendi represents a district near the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and often opposes the San Joaquin Valley lawmakers who represent farmers south of the Delta. Besides their frequent policy differences, Garamendi is also willing to make tart political observations, as when he suggested that the water maneuver was designed to help spotlight Valadao?s initiative amid a competitive reelection bid.
?It was a gross power play,? Garamendi said.
But Nunes countered that last-minute negotiations are ?when everything gets brought up,? and Aubrey Bettencourt of the California Water Alliance, lobbying Capitol Hill on Tuesday likewise insisted that ?if you have emergency legislation, you?re going to look for any vehicle to move it.?
The reporter can be reached at (202) 383-0006,?mdoyle at mcclatchydc.com?or @MichaelDoyle10 on Twitter.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/01/28/3737399/politics-leaks-into-efforts-to.html#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Jan 31 09:53:55 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 09:53:55 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] San Diego UT: Southern Cal resists water rationing
Message-ID: <1391190835.20824.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jan/30/brown-drought-water-rationing/

Southern Cal resists water rationing
By?Michael Gardner9:32 a.m.Jan. 30, 2014Updated5:36 p.m.
The San Vicente Dam has now reached its new full height of 337 feet. The San Diego County Water Authority raised the dam 117 feet to more than double the reservoir's capacity using roller-compacted concrete. The process involves laying the concrete in layers from the bottom up, completely covering the original dam on the dry side. The dam owned by the city of San Diego, now has an additional capacity of 152,100 acre-feet of water for potential emergency use and for storage during wet years for use in subsequent dry years.?? John Gastaldo
SACRAMENTO?? Under intensifying pressure, leading Southern California water managers promised Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday that they will take more aggressive steps to encourage conservation after weeks of caution.
With the Sierra snowpack meager and reservoir levels rapidly shrinking, Brown has implored Californians to cut use by as much as 20 percent.
?Every day this drought goes on we?re going to have to tighten the screws on what people are doing,? Brown warned. ?It?s voluntary now, but we?ll keep monitoring the situation every day.?
Water agencies in San Diego and Southern California have said adequate reserves will allow them to keep conservation efforts mostly voluntary even though districts up north already have imposed rationing in the wake of punishing shortages exacting a heavy toll.
In Sacramento, where two mighty rivers merge before massive pumps push flows south to Los Angeles, residents have been ordered to cut use by 20 percent. The tiny Redwood country town of Willits has imposed a 150-gallon per day limit on household uses and a 35 percent reduction on businesses.
Elsewhere, cattle ranchers plan to thin their herds because feed is sparse and farmers in the San Joaquin Valley may be forced to idle thousands of acres ? potentially tossing field hands out of work and leading to higher prices at the grocery store.
With their own supplies tight, some water officials in the north have privately complained about Southern California?s hesitancy to promote conservation more forcefully. That was one of the reasons driving Brown to make his first-ever appearance at the Los Angeles headquarters of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
The governor also offered the public some practical tips like turning off the water while shaving and taking short showers. ?Don?t flush more than you have to,? Brown added.
On a more serious note, Brown praised Metropolitan for its ?excellent conservation ? a real example to other areas of the state.? He added that Metropolitan has ?invested resources in storage in ways other parts of the state have not.? But he said more is demanded given the drought could last years, if not decades.
Southern California is using less water than it was nearly a quarter century ago. Metropolitan reduced demand by 9 percent between 1990 and 2012, despite a 23 percent increase in population, according to its figures. The San Diego region used 578,000 acre feet for a population of 2.5 million in 1991. In 2013, water use dropped to 574,000 acre feet despite adding 600,000 more people, the authority said.
Southern California has vast reserves thanks to the adoption of a determined ? and costly ? ?never again? philosophy after the region was decimated by the harshest of dry spells in 1976-77. The 1987-92 drought only reinforced the aggressive spending, which produced the Diamond Valley reservoir, a new aqueduct and deals to pay farmers to conserve in exchange for a share of the saved supplies. Moreover, Metropolitan hs used its political capital to negotiate more favorable access to unused water at Lake Mead in Nevada. Also, the Colorado River system ? a key source ? is showing improvements after paltry runoff much of the past decade.
The San Diego County Water Authority has been equally persistent, driven by memories of deep cuts in past droughts and a thirst for independent supplies. The authority secured a hard-fought agreement to buy water from Imperial County, is expanding San Vicente Reservoir and has embarked on an expensive ocean desalination project in Carlsbad. All bring higher rates, but a more reliable supply.
Both agencies also have pushed conservation even during times of plenty. Rebate programs and other incentives to entice residents and businesses to use less are offered.
Against that backdrop, and fully aware of north-south feuds over water dating back to his own failed Peripheral Canal plan of 1982, Brown met with Southern California water officials to review whether more conservation should be pushed and debate whether their reserves should be shared with the rest of the state.
Metropolitan General Manager Jeff Kightlinger subsequently pledged to double the agency?s commitment to conservation incentives ? to $40 million from the current $20 million. The district also plans to issue a more formal, but still voluntary, conservation directive. Those steps, and a look at how the district might be able to help water-short regions elsewhere, will top the board?s Feb. 11 agenda.
San Diego County Water Authority officials have been mapping out proposals to bring to the board of directors Feb. 27. The authority, a wholesaler to some two dozen member agencies, does not have the power to directly impose rationing on homes and businesses, but can reduce sales to local districts. Rationing is up to individual districts in the region.
In an earlier interview, San Diego County Water Authority Director Elsa Saxod wondered whether the board should issue a stepped up call for voluntary compliance given the pain roiling across the state.
?I am not truly convinced whether we should or should not. I am still trying to find out for myself,? said Saxod, who is one of 10 to represent the city of San Diego on the authority board.
Saxod said a decision would be better made after the final snowfall tallies. February, and sometimes March, can deliver storms with punch. Authority officials also said they want to follow Metropolitan?s lead.
The fresh storm in Northern California this week ? the first in nearly two months ? is welcome, but not a drought-buster by any means. The state?s second snow pack survey of the season on Thursday came in at a paltry 12 percent of normal for this date.
Snowpack measurements, along with reservoir levels, help determine how much water the state delivers to farms and cities. The current delivery figure is just 5 percent of usual.
?That is the lowest ever. We?ve never been this low, this late,? Kightlinger said.
So why not lay down mandatory conservation orders now?
?We don?t know how long it (the drought) will last,? he said. ?People don?t like it when you cry wolf,? Kightlinger said, explaining that a rush to rationing would come with weeks of winter still in the wings. He said the public generally responds to persuasive urging, rather than direct orders.
During past droughts, Metropolitan has been one of those in line wanting to buy water from those who have excess supplies ? particularly in Northern California. But don?t expect a role reversal.
?Our board has never done that outside our service area,? he said. ?We are just going to have to be nimble. We want to work with the state so that dislocation is kept at a minimum.?
Both Metropolitan and San Diego credit ongoing conservation ? drought or no drought ? for being in a good position despite three straight dry years.
The Encinitas-based Olivenhain Municipal Water District is one example. After issuing mandatory restrictions a few years ago, its board decided to keep voluntary guidelines in place and continue to promote conservation heavily, from landscape audits to workshops on how to use rain barrels and gray water.
In 2008, the per capita use at the district was 340 gallons per day. Today, even after restrictions were lifted, use is down to 269 ? below the district?s 2020 goal of 283 gallons per day per capita.
?Our customers stepped up to the challenge,? said Kimberly Thorner, the general manager.
But she worries about the price tag for them if the drought persists and mandatory rationing returns.
?Every additional drop is harder,? she said.
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Jan 31 15:15:05 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 15:15:05 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] RTD Press release from today
In-Reply-To: <CAE7_X2BQ3EpQOpUA-NAozZZ1sNKYZZwO7Kvq7qMH6LF3rY0L-A@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAE7_X2BQ3EpQOpUA-NAozZZ1sNKYZZwO7Kvq7qMH6LF3rY0L-A@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1391210105.90339.YahooMailNeo@web125405.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



For Immediate
Release: Friday, January 31, 2014 
Contact:
Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; steve at hopcraft.com; Twitter: @shopcraft; @MrSandHillCrane; Barbara
Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 barbara at restorethedelta.org; 
Twitter:
@RestoretheDelta
?
Gov. Brown Sings from Mega-Growers?
Hymnal,
Tries to Bully Federal Scientists into
Approving Tunnels
State Mismanagement of Water helped cause
shortage
?
Sacramento,
CA- Restore the Delta (RTD),
opponents of Gov. Brown?s rush to build Peripheral Tunnels that would drain the
Delta and doom salmon and other Pacific fisheries, today responded to Gov.
Brown?s statement Thursday that he urged President Obama to get federal
scientists to suspend their expert judgment and approve his tunnels. 
?
?It is
outrageous that Governor Brown is using the drought to push the president to
override federal biologists who think the water tunnels are too risky,? said Barbara
Barrigan-Parrilla.? ?The federal scientists are the only ones willing to
stand up to special interests that want to violate the Public Trust, and
transfer wealth from this region to mega irrigators with toxic soils on the
west side that are last in the water bucket line.?
?
?The governor has
bullied the state scientists into going along with him, but he has not yet
cowed the federal experts into disregarding their conclusions and agreeing that
Gov. Brown?s tunnels are a solution to our water challenges,? said Barbara
Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of RTD. ?What?s remarkable is that Gov.
Brown is using nearly the exact same language as the Westlands Water District.
Clearly, he is carrying their water at the expense of the rest of us.?
?
We have had three dry
years in a row and the governor admits the tunnels won?t add one drop of water
to our drought-plagued state. We need solutions more appropriate to our future
water challenges, not this $60 billion mega-project that would misspend the
billions needed for sustainable water solutions.?
?
?The better approach would be to invest wisely in projects that
actually produce new water and local jobs. ?California needs more water
recycling projects, such as Orange County's that is producing enough water for
600,000 residents each year. ?By cleaning up groundwater, we will create
another new supply and room to store water when it is truly available,"
said Barrigan-Parrilla.
?
Instead of operating
in a manner that plans for regular droughts, the State Water Projects deplete
storage under the theory that they should 'take it while it's there,' and they
thereby make the dry year shortages even worse.? This past year the State
pumped over 800 thousand acre-feet (TAF) more than it had promised, making the
water shortage worse, and compliance with water quality and fishery standards
impossible."
?
The
language used by the Governor is right from the Westlands Water District
script.? Excerpts below are from a recent Westlands Board meeting.? 
Westlands
General Manager Tom Birmingham, Harris Ranch, Westlands Water District Board
Meeting 1-15-2014. 
?
@ 43:03
Transcript Pg
4:? Tom Birmingham ?They [the state] say this is going to work just fine.
And yet, you?ve got biologists in the federal agencies?not people in political
positions or even management positions?we?ve got biologists who are saying ?we
still don?t know if this is going to work. There?s too much risk associated
with it?.?
?[44:25]
?So
it?s very exasperating. But again, if these issues are not resolved, we?re
done. That message is being sent very clearly to the federal agencies.? Pg
4.
?
?.The
basic problem is that every time you complete a stage, the federal agencies?the
biologists in those federal agencies?say, ?We need more analysis. We need more
analysis.? They don?t want an agency decision.? @pg 4
?
KCRA-TV (Sacramento, NBC) report (1/30/2014; 6:05
pm) 
Gov. Jerry Brown "lower level [Federal]
officials" aren't being helpful ?. in fact, quite the opposite.?
?
Bill
Jennings, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing Protection
Alliance, said, "The present crisis could have been avoided, and is a
direct result of egregious?mismanagement of the state?s water supply
system by the state and federal water projects.? Excessive water exports
and the failure to prepare for inevitable drought have created a decades-long
disaster for fisheries, and placed the people and economic prosperity of
northern California at grave risk. The State's obsession with tunneling under
the Delta does nothing to address drought, or put us on a path to correct the
misuse of limited water supplies."
?
John
Herrick, Restore the Delta board member and Counsel and Manager of the South
Delta Water Agency, said, ?The failure of the State Water Projects to plan
ahead contributed to the current water shortage.? Last winter and spring
the projects were concerned about not having enough water to meet fishery or
agricultural standards, and so sought changes in their permits to allow for the
relaxation of those standards.? At the same time, they projected the
amount of water available for export.? As soon as the projections were
released, they began to pump MORE water than they projected; thus taking the
water needed for fish and endangering future allocations for all
purposes.?? If this had not been allowed, the reservoirs would have
800+ TAF more storage in them?than they currently do.?
?
?The
Urgency Petition process is for actual, unforeseeable emergencies,? said
Herrick.? ?The State has known since at least September that we might be
facing a horrible water supply year due to the lack of precipitation during the
first 9 months of 2013.? Knowing that reservoir levels were getting very
low, and that the prior year had insufficient water for fish and water quality
standards, the projects simply waited to see what would happen.? Not until
the very last minute did they file their Urgency Petition.? Urgency
Petitions require no public notice or input, but must be based on a finding
that the petitioner exercised due diligence in getting the permit change under
the normal petition process if possible.? Since the projects have known
for months that this scenario was facing them, they should have made their
petition months ago. But that would have resulted in public notice, public
hearing and input by the interests who depend on the current standards being
met.?It appears that, as in the past, the projects manipulated the process
to make sure there was no official opposition to their requests to violate the water
quality standards.? Worse, it appears the regulators (SWRCB staff) were
working with the regulated projects outside of the public purview to make sure
the petition remained unknown. Therefore, there was no contrary data submitted
to contradict the pre-agreed to order granting the petition.?What would
have been the findings?of the SWRCB Board if the information of the
projects taking too much water last season were in the record??
-- 
Steve Hopcraft
Hopcraft Communications
Government and Media Relations; Campaign Management
Phone: 916.457.5546; FAX: 916.457.5548
http://www.hopcraft.com
Follow me on Twitter @shopcraft
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Jan 31 15:25:10 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 23:25:10 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Update Jweek 4
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C119567@057-SN2MPN1-041.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Please see attachments for the JWeek 4 (Jan 22 - 28) Trinity River trapping summary update.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Feb  1 12:48:17 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2014 12:48:17 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: 2014 Grant solicitation for coastal restoration
In-Reply-To: <B045C0A449242D49A3DF0F522580EA6129260B@057-SN2MPN1-022.057d.mgd.msft.net>
References: <B045C0A449242D49A3DF0F522580EA6129260B@057-SN2MPN1-022.057d.mgd.msft.net>
Message-ID: <1391287697.96770.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: "Shaffer, Kevin at Wildlife" <Kevin.Shaffer at wildlife.ca.gov>
To:?
Sent: Saturday, February 1, 2014 11:58 AM
Subject: 2014 Grant solicitation for coastal restoration
 


 
Hi everyone,
?
CDFW's public solicitation notice for coastal restoration is now posted on the public website.? The public notice is also on CDFW's lead page under public notices, in the February calendar listings.
?
The online application will be open for 6 weeks and there will be nine public workshops, starting next week, across the State.
?
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/fish/Administration/Grants/FRGP/Solicitation.asp
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Feb  2 11:03:36 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2014 11:03:36 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Redding.com Editorial: Subsidy disclosure quietly
	disappears from the farm bill
Message-ID: <1391367816.47044.YahooMailNeo@web125404.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.redding.com/news/2014/feb/01/editorial-subsidy-disclosure-quietly-disappears/?

Editorial: Subsidy disclosure quietly disappears from the farm bill
Staff Reports
Saturday, February 1, 2014
The long-delayed farm bill that the U.S. House of Representatives passed last week remains, even in the final compromise, a source of controversy.
Cuts from food stamps, though far smaller than reductions the House Republicans passed last year, are drawing howls from liberals over the fate of the neediest Americans, even as conservatives complain of runaway spending and still-high deficits. An overhaul of the system of ag subsidies and crop insurance doesn?t go nearly far enough to satisfy reformers. (Rep. Doug LaMalfa said he?d have preferred deeper cuts but voted for the bill as a workable compromise.)
But there was one provision of the bill that, on its face, was uncontroversial. It initially passed the House ? the infamously contentious House ? by unanimous consent. And yet, in the final version that emerged from House-Senate negotiations, this little section was gone.
Why would a measure with unanimous House support vanish from the law? Well, go figure. It could prove embarrassing to leading politicians.
Farm subsidies have long been matters of public record, leading to a greater public understanding of the program and embarrassment for the media moguls, rock stars and, yes, politicians who pull income from programs theoretically aimed at supporting the family farmer. That?s changing. The new system eliminates direct payments and replaces them with insurance to cover crop losses ? but in a way that obscures individual checks.
Want to know how much federal money Ted Turner pulled in on his sprawling ranches, or congressman LaMalfa on the Sacramento Valley rice farm? Such figures have been easy to look up. No longer.
But the House last summer voted for a measure that would require disclosure of payments made to members of Congress and the president?s Cabinet, as well as their families. Fuller disclosure akin to the current system would far better serve the public, but as a fallback citizens should at least know which politicians are enjoying the largesse of programs they themselves shape in Washington.
And they would have ? until the bill was ?fixed.? As the group Taxpayers for Common Sense discovered this week when analyzing the final bill, a thousand-pager released two days before its House vote, the disclosure requirements for politicians had disappeared. Did all those stories about subsidized farmer-politicians calling for food-stamp recipients to stop abusing the system start to sting?
LaMalfa blamed the Senate for removing the provision and said he was disappointed. From afar, though, it?s hard not to simply see a drill where politicians publicly vote for disclosure and a fully informed public, only to let those potentially troublesome measures disappear in closed-door conference committees.
The farm bill?s a big mixed bag. It includes measures important to the North State: federal ?payments in lieu of tax? that help rural counties with large swaths of federal land provide vital local services (but which budget cuts had threatened); permanent authorization of ?stewardship contracting,? which lets communities take a vital new role in managing the federal forests around them, successfully pioneered by the Weaverville Community Forest.
Yet the rollback of detailed disclosure of farm-program spending means the taxpayers will once again be left in the dark about how their own money is being spent. And the two-step in which Congress supports full disclosure of politicians? federal subsidies until, suddenly and mysteriously, it doesn?t ? that?s precisely the kind of double dealing that leaves the public so cynically convinced that politicians? first loyalty is to themselves.
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Feb  4 07:50:23 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2014 07:50:23 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Dan Walters: Drought complicates already dicey water
	politics
Message-ID: <1391529023.57342.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Dan Walters: Drought complicates already dicey water politics

By?Dan Walters
dwalters at sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014 - 12:00 am
A crisis, it?s been said, is a terrible thing to waste.
Economist Paul Romer originated the aphorism a decade ago, but it?s since entered the political lexicon.
California is facing a?water crisis,?the third ? and by far the worst ? year of drought, with the all-important Sierra snowpack just 12 percent of normal and man-made reservoirs drawn down to historically low levels.
Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a?drought emergency,?and local water purveyors up and down the state have imposed stricterconservation measures.
Last week, state water officials dropped projected deliveries to agricultural and municipal agencies south of the?Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta?to zero for the first time, and instituted emergency procedures to protect the Delta from saltwater intrusion.
The situation?s only bright spot is that Southern California water agencies, having constructed more storage in recent years to counter erratic deliveries from the north, and tightened upconservation measures,?are in fairly healthy condition to ride out the drought.
By happenstance, the drought occurs just as politicians are engaged in one of their periodic attempts to stabilize California?s water supply, and the crisis adds another dimension to already dicey water politics.
The state incessantly debates whether rising water demands ? the vast majority from agriculture ? should be met mostly by constructing more reservoirs and conveyances or through stricter conservation.
Broadly, big water agencies and users ? known colloquially as ?water buffaloes? ? advocate the former and environmentalists the latter. But Brown and other politicians are all over the map.
Coincidentally, Brown?s administration just published a white paper that embraces both major remedies, but is not specific on what should be done. And with water, the devil is very much in the details.
Brown wants to build twin tunnels to bypass the environmentally troubled Delta and improve stability of shipments southward, but faces very stiff opposition.
There are at least four water bond proposals floating around the Capitol, to replace one already on the 2014 ballot. But they vary widely in details, with additional reservoirs and the tunnels the major issues, and Brown, prior to declaring a crisis, had implied he doesn?t want any bonds on the ballot as he seeks re-election this year.
Meanwhile, what?s happening, or not happening, in the state Capitol is reflected in wrangling within California?s very fragmented congressional delegation over how the feds should respond both to the drought and longer-term water supply issues.
Every faction in water politics may see the crisis as an opportunity to advance its larger cause, but it could just as easily mean a continuation of a perpetual political stalemate.
________________________________

Call The Bee?s?Dan Walters,?(916) 321-1195. Back columns,?www.sacbee.com/walters. Follow him on Twitter @WaltersBee.
??Read more articles by Dan Walters

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/02/04/6125710/dan-walters-drought-complicates.html#mi_rss=Dan%20Walters#storylink=cpy
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From bgutermuth at usbr.gov  Tue Feb  4 11:22:22 2014
From: bgutermuth at usbr.gov (GUTERMUTH, F.)
Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2014 11:22:22 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Lorenz Gulch Boat ramp and Channel Rehabilitation
 site open for public use
Message-ID: <CAMnws3LwB7rkBP2QV3VhL+BKNQNLm3nAGwcKO6aNq9xwL7T7fw@mail.gmail.com>

Dear Trinity River Floaters-

The Lorenz Gulch Boat ramp and project area is open for use!   Please take
care of the plants.
See below-
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2014/january/trinityriver.html


[image: Inline image 1]



Best Regards -

Brandt




Brandt Gutermuth
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Restoration Program
PO Box 1300, 1313 S. Main ST.
Weaverville CA 96093
530.623.1806 Voice
http://www.trrp.net/
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From thayden at yuroktribe.nsn.us  Tue Feb  4 15:15:48 2014
From: thayden at yuroktribe.nsn.us (Tim Hayden)
Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2014 15:15:48 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Coalition letter on Trinity River Lower Junction
 City and Bucktail Projects
Message-ID: <07968F55C4B6674AAB697ABE5DFD21F8B367BF8A62@exchange.yuroktribe.nsn.us>

Attached is a letter from the Yurok Tribe in response to the coalition letter referenced in the email below.

Sincerely,

Tim Hayden
Senior Fisheries Biologist
Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program

From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Tom Stokely
Sent: Monday, January 13, 2014 6:00 PM
To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
Subject: [env-trinity] Coalition letter on Trinity River Lower Junction City and Bucktail Projects

Attached is a letter that was sent today to the Trinity River Restoration Program and North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board on the latest environmental document for Trinity River mainstem work.


See http://www.c-win.org/content/c-win-and-coalition-send-letter-concerns-about-trinity-river-mainstem-channel-rehabilitation

As you can see, it's from a broad coalition of individuals, organizations and businesses. We believe that it's time for the Trinity River Restoration Program to get to take a break on the mainstem work until it's shown that there is a significant benefit.  There is still plenty of work to be done replacing the Bucktail Bridge and working in the watersheds.

Sincerely,

Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net<mailto:tstokely at att.net>
http://www.c-win.org






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From sari at sisqtel.net  Tue Feb  4 16:11:46 2014
From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom)
Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2014 16:11:46 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee Viewpoints: Environmental water market would
	help the losers in this drought
Message-ID: <007201cf2206$dbb42c40$931c84c0$@sisqtel.net>

 

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/02/02/6116419/viewpoints-environmental-water.html

 <http://www.sacbee.com/> SacBee.com

Viewpoints: Environmental water market would help the losers in this drought

By Jay Lund, Ellen Hanak and Barton "Buzz" Thompson
Special to The Bee 

By Jay Lund, Ellen Hanak and Barton "Buzz" Thompson 

Last modified: 2014-02-01T06:24:49Z

Published: Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 - 12:00 am 

 <http://www.sacbee.com/terms-of-service> Copyright 2014 . All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed. 

California is in a major drought, and state and federal regulators will be
under pressure to loosen environmental standards that protect native fish.
This happened in the 1976-77 and 1987-92 droughts, and the current drought
could become much more severe. 

These standards demonstrate the high value society places on the survival of
native fish and wildlife. In past droughts, we have given away some of these
protections because of pressure to make more water available for other uses.
But this time, California can do better. We can create a special water
market that meets the state's goals of both ensuring a reliable water supply
and protecting the environment. In this market, growers and cities would pay
for the additional water made available from relaxed environmental
standards, and the revenues would help support fish and wildlife recovery.

Typically, water trading dampens the costs of drought. Farmers irrigating
high-cash crops such as almond trees can buy some water from growers of
alfalfa, rice and other crops that are less profitable per drop of water
used. Such trading can greatly reduce the overall economic and social costs
of a drought and distribute these costs more broadly. Importantly, such
market transactions ensure that those who use less water than their
entitlement are compensated for the reduction. Because water buyers must pay
for the added water, they also have an incentive to conserve. 

Although environmental uses generally do not have water rights, river flow
and water quality rules intended to protect endangered fish and wildlife
from extinction are similar to very secure water entitlements. But in past
droughts, state or federal decisions to relax environmental standards
essentially became a gift to other water users. The shorted environmental
uses were not compensated, and farmers and cities that benefited had less
incentive to conserve water.

A better approach would create a special drought environmental water market,
so that those who gain from relaxed standards help compensate the losers.
When standards are loosened, fish threatened with extinction may require
additional expensive actions such as habitat restoration and acquisition and
"conservation hatcheries," which help maintain populations of endangered
species outside of their natural environment. 

Unlike past environmental water markets, where agencies only bought water
for fish and wildlife refuges, some environmental flows in this special
drought market would be treated as senior water rights that could be sold.
Fishery agencies could sell some of these flows when they determine that the
reduction will not jeopardize endangered species. The sale of this water
would provide funds that help native species recover.

For example, a relaxation of environmental flow requirements that made
available 100,000 acre-feet of water (1 acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons)
- perhaps worth $400 an acre-foot during a drought - would generate $40
million to help pay for compensating actions. Those actions might include
buying water for environmental purposes elsewhere in the state or creating a
reserve fund to aid native fish after the drought.

Making this new market work would require some new rules, and there are
several options. Compensated relaxation of environmental flow standards
could be done as part of regulatory actions under the Endangered Species Act
(biological opinions, incidental take permits and habitat conservation
plans), negotiated agreements with water users or fixed penalties for
violating flow and water quality standards. The price could be set at the
fair market value of the water made available, the cost of compensatory
environmental actions or a fixed or negotiated fee established by the
regulatory agency.

Creating this type of drought environmental water market would help limit
the reductions in environmental river flows, while ensuring that such
reductions receive some compensation.

For California, this would be an appropriate expression of the state's
co-equal environmental and economic goals for water management in times of
hardship. If we can't all get better together in a severe drought, at least
we can reduce and share the pain fairly in a way that provides some help to
fish and other species that depend on our rivers for their survival. 

  _____  

Jay Lund is director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University
of California, Davis. Ellen Hanak is senior fellow at the Public Policy
Institute of California. Barton "Buzz" Thompson is director of the Stanford
Woods Institute for the Environment. Brian Gray, a professor at the UC
Hastings College of the Law; Jeffrey Mount, senior fellow at PPIC; and
Katrina Jessoe, assistant professor of agricultural and resource economics
at UC Davis, contributed to this article.


Read more here:
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/02/02/6116419/viewpoints-environmental-water.html
#storylink=cpy

 

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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Feb  5 08:51:08 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2014 08:51:08 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Two Rivers Tribune: Changes in Store for Trinity
	River Fish Hatchery
Message-ID: <1391619068.89878.YahooMailNeo@web125404.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Changes in Store for Trinity River Fish Hatchery
Hatchery workers preparing fingerlings for release into the Trinity River. /Photo courtesy of Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries- See more at: http://www.tworiverstribune.com/2014/01/changes-in-store-for-trinity-river-fish-hatchery/#sthash.HZ7FnnQw.dpuf


By KRISTAN KORNS, Two Rivers Tribune
A host of negotiators with a stake in Trinity River fish, including the Hoopa and Yurok Tribes, are reportedly close to settling a lawsuit over hatchery operations.
The Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) sued the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife over how the Trinity River Hatchery was being run.
EPIC charged that the facility was being run without a Hatchery Genetic Management Plan (HGMP), which is a violation of Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulations.
They also charged that steelhead hatchlings from the hatchery were competing for resources and food with endangered Coho salmon native non-hatchery hatchlings, and that adult Coho salmon were being ?illegally taken? by the hatchery for their eggs.
Gary Hughes, EPIC?s executive director, said, ?As a public interest organization, we were compelled to take action to ensure that the ecological interactions between hatchery Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and Coho salmon in the Trinity River were taken into consideration.?
The Hoopa and Yurok Tribes, not originally part of the lawsuit, joined in as defendants alongside the BOR and Department of Fish and Wildlife. Both tribes were concerned about the effects on fishing of any possible court-ordered halt of hatchery operations.
George Kautsky, deputy director of Hoopa Tribal Fisheries, said, ?If this hatchery closed, it would be significant for this tribe and its ability to harvest fish.?
Rebecca McMahon, Hoopa?s former acting senior attorney, said, ?The Tribe is basically co-managing the hatchery and the outcome of the suit would impact tribal fishing rights, so they had to become involved.?
Tribes in the Klamath River Basin have relied on subsistence fishing for many thousands of years, and the Hoopa and Yurok Tribes? fishing rights are federally-recognized.
Anadromous fish, including salmon and trout, must return to the rivers and streams where they were born to spawn. Trinity Dam, built in the 1950s, blocked off more than 109 miles of habitat formerly used by the fish.
The Trinity River Hatchery produces Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and Coho salmon hatchlings from eggs, and releases them into the river.
McMahon said, ?It?s a mitigation hatchery for the Trinity Dam. Its purpose was to try and mitigate for the loss of the habitat because of the dam.?
Ryan Jackson, Hoopa Valley tribal vice chairman, said, ?The Federal government has known since 2008 the need to develop a hatchery and genetics management plan and failed to do so.?
?We had to step in and defend the BOR in order to defend against the reduction of tribal fishing rights,? Jackson said.
Kautsky said, ?It?s awkward for the Tribe to find itself in a position where its federally-reserved fishing rights are held hostage on account of the federal government?s negligence.?
After several months of legal maneuvering and discussions, EPIC?s lawsuit over hatchery operations is reportedly close to ending with a negotiated settlement.
Hughes said, ?There was a settlement conference and the parties arrived at an agreement in principle. The terms were agreed on, but it still needs to be approved by the respective councils.?
Under the terms of the proposed settlement, the Trinity River Hatchery will be required to submit a Hatchery Genetic Management Plan (HGMP).
McMahon said, ?Completion of the hatchery plan is something that the Tribe has been fighting to have done for a while, so that aspect of the settlement is very positive.?
Jackson said, ?BOR will be required by court order to produce a hatchery management plan that will be developed by tribal technical staff.?
Hoopa Tribal Fisheries started work on the plan even before the settlement agreement was negotiated.
?We?re working with the Yurok Tribe, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Bureau of Reclamation to prepare the HGMP for submission to NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] Fisheries in May,? Kautsky said.
Jackson said this could give the Hoopa Tribe more negotiating power when it comes to future management of the hatchery. ?The Tribe is currently finalizing a MOA [Memorandum of Agreement] with the BOR to co-manage the hatchery.?
Kautsky said negotiations with the BOR and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on plans for a new governance structure at the hatchery ? ongoing since 1998 ? are almost complete.
Under the proposed plan, the Hoopa Valley Tribe, the Yurok Tribe, the BOR, and the state of California would form a four-party Governing Board to oversee hatchery operations.
?We?re hopeful that this is going to be the year that we succeed in signing an MOA for the Trinity River Hatchery,? Kautsky said.- See more at: http://www.tworiverstribune.com/2014/01/changes-in-store-for-trinity-river-fish-hatchery/#sthash.HZ7FnnQw.dpuf
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Feb  5 10:10:36 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2014 10:10:36 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] East Bay Express: California's Thirsty Almonds
Message-ID: <1391623836.24604.YahooMailNeo@web125405.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/californias-thirsty-almonds/Content?oid=3830095&showFullText=true?


California's Thirsty Almonds?
How the water-intensive crop is helping drive the governor's $25 billion plan to ship water to the desert.
By?Joaquin Palomino?@JoaquinPalomino
Dan Errotabere's family has been farming the dry soils of the western San Joaquin Valley for nearly a century. His grandfather primarily grew wheat and other grains. His father grew vegetables and other annual crops almost exclusively. But in 1999, Errotabere decided to plant his first almond tree. Today, almonds account for more than a quarter of his 3,600-acre farm.
"Out here it's nothing but topsoil," he told me during a tour of his property late last year. He added that his land is especially good for growing nuts.
If there's enough water.
Errotabere's farm resides within the Westlands Water District, a barren landscape southwest of Fresno that gets very little rain ? even in non-drought years. The average annual precipitation in the district is just eight inches, and the region suffers from poor drainage, high levels of toxic minerals in the soil, and salt-laden groundwater. "It's really an area that should have never been farmed,"?said Richard Walker, a retired UC Berkeley geography professor and an expert on agricultural economics.
Yet Westlands is almost all farmland, thanks to water from Northern California and the Sierra Nevada that the state and federal governments pump out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and ship south through a series of canals and aqueducts. Throughout the 20th century, this massive transfer of water turned a large section of California desert into a bountiful ? and profitable ? farming region.
But ever since freshwater began flowing to the dusty west side of the valley, the landscape has been in constant flux. A decade ago, Westlands' major crop was cotton. But today, almonds are on their way to becoming king. Since 2000, the amount of land dedicated to growing almonds has more than doubled in the district, bringing the total to 75,000 acres. And now about one out of every ten almonds sold in the world comes from Westlands. The only crop more common in the district is tomatoes, which cover 80,000 acres.
Westlands farmers like Errotabere have shifted to growing almonds, and to a lesser extent, pistachios, because of the exploding international demand for them. California produces 80 percent of the almonds sold worldwide, with gross revenues of more than $6.2 billion in 2013 ? nearly double what they were in 2009. Last year, almonds were California's most lucrative agricultural export by far. "We have good markets, and we're a global product that's extremely desired," said Richard Waycott, CEO of the California Almond Board.
The global almond boom is being fueled in part by sleek marketing campaigns that have made almonds the nut of choice for consumers. Subway stations in China are blanketed with billboards proclaiming almonds to be a heart-healthy snack that makes people "perpetually feel good" (almond exports to China have more than doubled in the past five years). In Korea, California almonds have been integrated into the storyline of a popular prime-time television show. And in Europe, French and British TV personalities have lauded almonds as a healthy alternative to processed foods.
In the United States, almonds have become a staple for many health-conscious consumers. In its raw form, the "power food" is said to lower cholesterol, spur weight loss, and provide powerful antioxidants such as Vitamin E and manganese. Products like almond butter and almond milk have also become increasingly popular in health food stores.
But growing almonds in an arid climate requires lots of water. In fact, Westlands' almond orchards suck up nearly 100 billion gallons of water a year. Cotton, by contrast, needs 40 percent less water per acre, and tomatoes require about half as much water as almonds.
Also, unlike cotton and tomatoes, almonds are a "permanent" crop, meaning the land they're grown on can't lie fallow when water is scarce. "It means farmers really do need to get a hold of water in dry years in order to keep the trees alive," explained Ellen Hanak, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California and an expert on water.
Almonds, in short, aren't cut out for droughts. And unless the coming months bring a deluge of rain and snow to California, the almond growers of the western San Joaquin Valley could be in for a catastrophic year. On the last day of January, the state Department of Water Resources said it would cut all water deliveries from California's vast system of reservoirs and aqueducts. The Central Valley Project, which is run by the federal government and provides water to Westlands, may also eliminate water allocations this year. And since tree nuts don't respond well to groundwater in Westlands because of its high salinity levels, the water stoppage could leave the district's almond farmers high and dry. "Every barrier that a grower would never want to experience is being placed before them today," said Gayle Holman, a spokesperson for Westlands.
Errotabere said that, under the best-case scenario, he would have to take 1,000 acres of his tomato and garlic plants out of production to free up water for his 1,000-acre almond grove. Under a worst-case scenario, he may have to uproot parts of his orchard, thereby inflicting a serious financial blow to his farm because it took a lot of time and money to grow his almond trees. "It's starting to get really scary," he said. "I simply don't have the means to farm it all, and when that happens there's lost production, lost labor, lost taxes, lost everything because the ground is doing nothing."
Many growers in the western San Joaquin Valley will have to make similarly tough decisions in the coming months, and Westlands, which is one of the most politically powerful agencies in the state, is revving up its PR machine to rally support for struggling farmers.
But many environmentalists have little sympathy for the Westlands almond growers. They note that if farmers hadn't zealously planted water-intensive crops in the desert, they wouldn't be in such a tight bind. "One of my associates referred to it as the 'Westlands death march,'" said Tom Stokely, a longtime water activist and member of the environmental group California Water Impact Network. "While Westlands is pursuing water and growing crops, in the long run it can't be sustained."
Since climate change could make droughts ? even ones as severe as this year's ? much more common, some water policy experts have also suggested taking huge swaths of farmland in the western San Joaquin Valley out of production permanently. This would conserve water, benefit the environment, and save taxpayers millions of dollars.
But Westlands growers aren't ready to give up their almonds. Instead, they're banking on Governor Jerry Brown's $25 billion water project, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), to keep them afloat. While the plan, which includes building two giant water tunnels to ship water south to Westlands and Southern California, espouses the goals of repairing the delta's impaired ecosystem and ensuring a more reliable water supply for California, its primary objective is maintaining agriculture ? and almonds ? in an area that gets very little rain.
________________________________

At the end of December, it looked like summertime in the western San Joaquin Valley. The parched hills along I-5 were golden-brown and the soil was bone-dry. While the area is prone to long spells without rain, it experienced the driest calendar year on record in 2013 ? along with much of the state.
The historic dry spell is already wreaking havoc throughout California. Late last week, the Sierra snowpack stood at just 12 percent of normal, the lowest on record for this time of year; many reservoirs are at all-time lows; and state officials reported recently that seventeen communities could run out of water in 60 to 120 days. In January, hundreds of wildfires flared up across the state during a month in which fires are typically nonexistent. Such dire conditions compelled Governor Brown to declare a drought emergency. "We can't make it rain," he said at a press conference last month. "But we can be much better prepared for the terrible consequences that California's drought now threatens."
The dry weather will arguably take the biggest toll on Westlands' growers because, unlike farmers in other parts of the Central Valley, they have a scant natural water supply.
Over the years, Californians have tended to view the Central Valley, which spans from Redding in Northern California to Bakersfield in the south, as one giant entity. For many Bay Area residents, it's that vast farmland you see through your car window while speeding down I-5 at eighty miles per hour. But the valley's geography is incredibly nuanced, especially in terms of water.
The Sacramento Valley is the verdant area between Redding and the city of Sacramento. The middle portion of the Sacramento Valley sees between 17 and 34 inches of rain each year, and the mighty Sacramento River ? which has many branches, sloughs, and a very wide flood plain ? brings additional water from the surrounding mountain ranges. This relatively wet climate makes the area perfect for growing many different crops, including tree nuts. Almonds grown in the Sacramento Valley can produce four times the yields that they do in Westlands using the same amount of irrigation water.
The vast majority of California's almonds, however, are grown in the San Joaquin Valley, which is the area south of Sacramento. The region is drier overall than its northern counterpart, although portions of it get plenty of water, too.
On the east side of the valley, the towering Sierra Nevada range blocks weather systems as they move in from the Pacific Ocean, forcing them to dump their loads of rain and snow. In the spring, as the Sierra snowpack melts, surging rivers flow into the eastern San Joaquin Valley, feeding enormous underground aquifers. In some areas, tree crops barely need to be irrigated since their roots sit in the natural water table. "The east side and the center of the San Joaquin Valley is wonderful farmland, and it is well watered," said Walker, the retired UC Berkeley geography professor.
The west side of the valley, by contrast, has almost no water of its own. It's bordered to the west by the coastal range, which, unlike the Sierra, has very few rivers or streams. The mountains also create a natural barrier to the rain, making the driest parts of the region more arid than Nevada's Great Basin desert. Groundwater in Westlands is also deep in the earth ? sometimes hundreds to thousands of feet below the surface ? making it expensive and difficult to pump out.
Still, the west side of the valley has an abundance of one key agricultural ingredient: sunshine. And in the early 1900s, after deep-well water pumps made Westlands' groundwater accessible, irrigated agriculture in the region exploded.
It wasn't long, however, before farmers in Westlands had pumped their underground aquifers dry. Partially to rescue these growers, the federal government began constructing the Central Valley Project in the 1930s. Touted as one of the biggest water projects in the history of the world, the Central Valley Project made it possible to send trillions of gallons of freshwater from the Trinity Alps in Northern California through the delta to farmers in the western San Joaquin Valley. With this new source of cheap and abundant water, snow-white fields of cotton and endless rows of ruby-red tomatoes quickly replaced low-value grains like wheat, corn, and barley. Today, the region is an agricultural powerhouse, growing a plethora of fruits, nuts, and vegetables that generate roughly $1 billion in profits each year.
The Westlands Water District has been instrumental in this transformation. Founded in 1952, it supplies irrigation water to about 700 growers in a 1,000 square mile strip of land. The average farm size in the district is 875 acres, although many growers divide their holdings into smaller tracts in order to get subsidized water (only farms smaller than 960 acres can receive federal aid when buying water.)
Over the years, Westlands has leveraged its strong political clout to keep Northern California water flowing to its farmers. In the past three years, Westlands has spent nearly $1 million lobbying for ag-friendly causes, and its growers and board members have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to favorable politicians. The district has also continuously litigated against environmental protections in the delta. "These folks are making a lot of money, and they have a big war chest for lawyers and lobbyists," Stokely noted.
Westlands has also received sizable public subsidies over the years. In fact, the district has still not fully repaid taxpayers for its share of the cost of building the California Water Project. According to a 2010 study by the Environmental Working Group, Westlands still owed $367 million on the project. And between 2006 and 2009, the district obtained more than $50 million in additional taxpayer-funded subsidies.
To many environmentalists, the massive public investment to grow crops in the western San Joaquin Valley has never made sense. "It's a huge cost to the economy and to the environment to give these guys water, and in the end it's not benefitting society as a whole," Stokely said.
And growing almonds has only intensified Westlands' thirst for water. In the western San Joaquin Valley, an acre of almond trees needs about 1.3 million gallons of water a year on average. Errotabere and other farmers in the region mitigate their water usage by employing computerized drip-irrigation systems that keep water from percolating below the plant's root zone, thereby increasing yields and decreasing waste. About 70 percent of the almonds grown in California use some sort of drip-irrigation system. "There's no big corporate farms here spraying every day," Errotabere said. "That's just folklore that continues to haunt us."
However, improved irrigation methods don't change the fact that tree nuts need a constant and abundant supply of water to stay alive. And since it's likely that growers will receive no water from the state or federal government this year ? a historical first ? some farmers may have to watch their trees whither during the valley's hot, dry summer. This could deal a substantial financial blow to almond farmers since growing the crop is expensive and time-intensive. Drip irrigation systems can cost up to $1,200 an acre, and almond trees don't fruit for their first three to four years of life, meaning that farmers have to wait for their crops to pay off. That's why when a farmer converts from annual crops like tomatoes to almonds, he's usually reluctant to change back.
The rising global demand for almonds also has made the crop irresistible to Westlands farmers. While it's hard to pin down exactly how much money the almond growers are making, it's reasonable to assume that profits have been good. For example, even though it has become much harder to grow tree crops in the region due to rising water costs and shrinking supplies, investors are still bullish about purchasing land that's suitable for tree nuts. Currently, almond and pistachio orchards in Fresno County sell for about twice as much as other farmland. "People talk about an ag bubble that's going to burst because the prices aren't sustainable," said Brian Domingos, a Fresno-based land broker.
________________________________

To adapt to climate change, some water policy experts in California are considering drastic changes to the state's water system. One idea that's often tossed around is buying farmland in Westlands and allowing it to return to its natural state. This would greatly reduce water demand from the delta and benefit the environment, because western San Joaquin Valley agriculture uses about 35 percent of the water that's taken out of the estuary.
"California is going to be faced with some hard choices in the future, and growing crops where there isn't water is not a very sensible policy," retired UC Berkeley professor Walker said of Westlands. "Something has got to give, and these areas of agriculture are the most water-demanding and the least well-situated geographically for growing food."
Widespread land retirement isn't a fringe idea. Overall, irrigated farmland in California has shrunk considerably over the past few decades. The US Bureau of Reclamation has already taken 100,000 acres in Westlands out of production due to drainage problems and has considered retiring 150,000 more. According to a 2007 report by the bureau, large-scale land retirement in Westlands would actually benefit the state's economy.
There's also a strong case to be made that it would be better for the ecosystem of the western San Joaquin Valley.
Thousands of years ago, the Pacific Ocean covered much of the valley. As the sea receded, it left behind marine sediments and mineral deposits in the alkaline soil. Today, large quantities of boron and selenium are concentrated in the western San Joaquin Valley, which can be extremely toxic at high levels and tend to accumulate in irrigation runoff.
Much of the farmland in Westlands also has an impenetrable layer of clay under the topsoil ? the remnants of an ancient lakebed ? causing irrigation water to pool up on farms. And as growers transition to more water-intensive crops like almonds, the amount of toxic wastewater in Westlands soil has increased. "The more you irrigate, the more irrigation runoff there is, and the more exacerbated the problem becomes," said Sam Luoma, a former hydrologist for the US Geological Survey.
This problem has some environmentalists concerned that dangerous levels of minerals ? namely, selenium ? are building up in Westlands. And as history has shown, when selenium accumulates, it can be catastrophic for fish and wildlife.
In the 1970s, Westlands tried to build a long canal to ship its toxic wastewater to the delta and San Francisco Bay. However, funding for the project dried up and the Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge ? a human-made wetland in Merced County ? became Westlands' primary dumping ground.
As Westlands' toxic wastewater built up in Kesterson, the selenium levels spiked. In 1982, catastrophe struck. Droves of migratory birds living in the wetland developed crippling deformities: Some were missing eyes, feet, and beaks; others' brains protruded from their skulls. The local populations of several species, including the black crowned night heron, were almost completely wiped out and almost all of the fish in the wetland died.
Since Kesterson, Westlands' growers have started storing their runoff in underground reservoirs and small evaporation ponds on farms. While this keeps selenium away from wildlife, it's not without its dangers. "No one knows what the long-term outcome of storing the irrigation water on the local farms or putting it on the local soils will be," Luoma said. He added that while another tragedy like Kesterson is unlikely, "ten, twenty years down the line, there may be many little Kestersons."
Longtime water rights activist Stokely thinks that a large-scale environmental disaster is brewing underground in Westlands. "All of their toxic drainage water is percolating into deeper aquifers, and in my opinion they're creating a multi-generational, underground Superfund site," he said.
The Bureau of Reclamation has said the only cost-effective solution to the drainage problem is taking large swaths of Westlands out of production. Even Floyd Dominy, who headed the bureau from 1959 to 1969, said he made a mistake when he decided to pipe water to the western San Joaquin Valley. "We went ahead with the Westlands project before we solved the drainage problem," he said in the 1997 PBS documentary?Cadillac Desert, which was based on the bestselling nonfiction book of the same name by investigative journalist Marc Reisner. "I made a terrible mistake by going ahead with Westlands at the time we did."
________________________________

California's elected officials, however, have by and large ignored the idea of buying up half of the farmland in Westlands and retiring it for good. "It would be cheaper to do that than to build these siphons under the delta," Walker noted, referring to the governor's Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). "But you'll never get the political will to do that."
Instead, the future of agriculture and almonds in the western San Joaquin Valley hinges largely on how things will play out with the BDCP. If the plan moves forward it will be the largest public works project in state history. The cornerstones are two massive 35-mile-long water tunnels ? each wide enough so that three H3 Hummers would comfortably fit in them at the same time. The tunnels would stretch under the delta, redirecting water from the Sacramento River to western San Joaquin Valley farmers and Southern California.
The details of the BDCP are complex (see the?Express' two-part series, "Tunnel Vision,"?6/12/13?and?6/19/13), but the main idea behind it is that by restoring tidal wetlands and cutting back on the use of giant water pumps in Tracy ? which shred tens of millions of delta fish in some years ? native fish populations in the delta would rebound. In turn, water exports from the estuary would become more consistent. "Building some kind of alternative conveyance gives you more flexibility and should reduce vulnerability," said Hanak of the Public Policy Institute of California. "It makes the system more resilient."
However, the plan is mired in controversy. While the state says that BDCP won't increase the amount of water taken from the delta, the tunnels would have the capacity to drain nearly the entire flow of the Sacramento River during parts of the year. And while the BDCP calls for a $9 billion investment in wetlands restoration projects, there's no guarantee that the endeavor will benefit certain threatened fish species (the habitat restoration efforts also depend on voters passing a future bond measure). In addition, reducing the amount of clean water flowing into the estuary from the Sacramento River could make the delta much dirtier and saltier, and thus less hospitable for plants and wildlife.
Such concerns have many critics calling BDCP a conservation plan that could ultimately destroy the largest estuary on the West Coast. Barbara Barrigan-Parilla, executive director of Restore the Delta, an organization of Delta-area stakeholders working to protect the estuary, calls BDCP "a water grab in a green-washed package."
"We're supposed to sacrifice a limited, finite resource to keep this small group of people rich?" she said, referring to Westlands' growers. "No, it doesn't make sense, it's not the best use of water."
During the next few months, the public can review and comment on BDCP's 40,000-plus-page draft environmental impact report. And many environmentalists are questioning whether or not California should spend up to $67 billion (including interest on the bonds that would finance the $25 billion project) upgrading its water system in order to prop up almond growers in an area that some say should never have been irrigated in the first place. "If we ever expect to have a reasonable, science-based, and economic-based solution to California's water problems we have to stop sending this clean water to this poisoned ground," Stokely said.
Yet while Westlands' highly subsidized farms have come to embody everything negative about California agribusiness, Errotabere said he's just trying to carve out a living ? albeit a prosperous one ? growing almonds on land his family has farmed since before the Great Depression. "We have the land, we have the infrastructure, we have no choice, we are wholly invested in farming here," he said.
"Farming is who I am, my future, my entire livelihood is built around this," he continued. "We shouldn't just disappear in the dark. We need to have a public policy debate about whether we want agriculture in California or not."
Yet for many environmentalists and opponents of the governor's plan, the debate is not about whether California should have agriculture, it's about whether it makes sense to spend tens of billions of dollars so that farmers can grow water-intensive crops like almonds in dry environs ? especially if droughts intensify because of climate change.
"When Westlands came online it was understood that it would grow things like lettuce and tomatoes," said Barrigan-Parilla. "They changed their business model, and these are the consequences, because the water isn't there anymore." 

________________________________

Contact?the author of this piece,?send?a letter to the editor,?like?us on Facebook, or?follow?us on Twitter.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Feb  5 12:45:07 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2014 12:45:07 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] East Bay Express: California Water Officials Made the
	Drought Worse
Message-ID: <1391633107.6623.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/california-water-officials-made-the-drought-worse/Content?oid=3830041?


California Water Officials Made the Drought Worse?
There's strong evidence that the state shipped extra water in 2013 ? enough for about four million people ? despite the threat of a third year of little to no rain.
By?Robert Gammon?@RobertGammon
There's no doubt that California is facing a potentially devastating drought this year. After a record-dry year in 2013, the Sierra snowpack measured at just 12 percent of normal late last week. And state officials responded by announcing that cities throughout the state, including some in the East Bay and many in the South Bay, would not receive any water allocations from the State Water Project in 2014. But there is evidence that our current water shortage is worse than it should have been because of questionable decisions made by state water officials. And as a result, many communities may unnecessarily face severe shortages this year, while others, including much of Southern California, are flush with water.
So what happened? Last spring, Northern California's three major reservoirs had plenty of water despite the fact that the state had just endured its second consecutive winter of below-normal precipitation. Records show that by April 2013, Shasta, Oroville, and Folsom reservoirs were at 101 percent, 108 percent, and 96 percent of their historical averages, respectively.
According to a report prepared last fall by the Central Delta Water Agency that was obtained by the conservation group California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, state officials ? mindful of the possibility of a third dry year ? planned to cut back on the amount of water pumped out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta from 1.67 million acre-feet to 1.46 million acre-feet in 2013. Federal water officials announced similar reductions. But then the state reversed course last spring and summer and pumped more water from the delta than it had said it would ? about 827,000 acre-feet more, enough for about four million people. The state appears to have released this extra water from Shasta, Oroville, and Folsom reservoirs into the Sacramento River to the delta. The State Water Project then shipped it to water districts in the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.
As an apparent consequence of this move, and because of a record-dry winter this year, Shasta, Oroville, and Folsom now sit at dangerously low levels. Shasta and Oroville are both at 54 percent of average and Folsom is at 34 percent of average (and just 17 percent of capacity), according to a report last weekend by environmental journalist Dan Bacher. "They went ahead and exported the 800,000 acre-feet of water and brazenly rolled the dice with Nature," Bill Jennings, executive director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, told me. "And Nature won."
And so did the water districts that got water they didn't need. In fact, the Metropolitan Water District, which serves Los Angeles and receives allocations from the State Water Project, now has plenty of water in its large reservoirs. According to Bacher's report, Pyramid Lake and Castaic Reservoir in Southern California are both at 105 percent of their historical averages and are in no danger of running out of water. "We'll have plenty of water in 2015," Metropolitan General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger boasted last month to theSacramento Bee. "And even if it's still a drought, we'll still have enough water in 2016."
Indeed, much of Southern California won't have to ration water at a time when many Northern California communities are facing severe shortages. Jennings has called the state's decision to ship out the extra 827,000 acre-feet of water last year "egregious mismanagement."
In an interview, Terry Erlewine, general manager of the State Water Project, disputed the accuracy of the Central Delta Water Agency report. But he said he did know exactly how much extra water his agency shipped last year. And when asked why Southern California received water it didn't need, he said that was "Monday-morning quarterbacking." He also said it "was easy to second guess" the decision in light of this year's record-dry weather.
In a press release last week, state water officials also contended that the current water crisis proves that California should move forward with Governor Jerry Brown's plan to build two giant water tunnels underneath the delta in order to ensure a steady water supply for San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.
But there's no evidence that Brown's plan would benefit the state during a drought. The tunnels wouldn't produce extra water; rather, they would just make it easier to ship water to the south, which, right now, should not be a priority.
Nonetheless, the governor is still lobbying heavily for the water tunnels, and last week he even launched a not-so-subtle attack on federal government scientists who have sharply criticized it. Brown told Sacramento TV station KCRA Channel 3 that when he spoke to President Obama recently, he told the president that "lower-level [federal] officials aren't being helpful ... in fact, quite the opposite."
These "officials" are biologists who have contended that the water tunnels could divert too much freshwater from the delta and thus make it too salty and inhospitable for fish and wildlife. In an interview, Barbara Barrigan-Parilla, executive director of the conservation group Restore the Delta, said Brown's comments amounted to the "bullying of scientists. It's quite disheartening."
Brown's comments also closely mirrored those made last month by Tom Birmingham, general manager of the Westlands Water District, which represents agricultural interests in the western San Joaquin Valley. According to Bacher's report, Birmingham blamed "biologists in the federal agencies" for holding up the tunnel plan.
The close similarity between Brown and Birmingham's comments also reveal that the governor is apparently more interested in helping Big Agribusiness than in saving the fragile delta ? just as state water officials seem to care more about sending water south than in preparing properly for a drought.

________________________________

Contact?the author of this piece,?send?a letter to the editor,?like?us on Facebook, or?follow?us on Twitter.
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Feb  6 13:42:32 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 6 Feb 2014 21:42:32 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Update Jweek5
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C11AD44@057-SN2MPN1-041.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Please see attachments for the JWeek  5 (Jan 29 - Feb 4) Trinity River trapping summary update.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Feb  8 11:54:30 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 8 Feb 2014 11:54:30 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] redding.com- Marc Beauchamp: Drought may rain on
	ACID's birthday
Message-ID: <1391889270.16474.YahooMailNeo@web125405.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Let's hope it keeps raining and snowing.?

TS

http://www.redding.com/news/2014/feb/07/marc-beauchamp-drought-may-rain-on-acids/?

Marc Beauchamp: Drought may rain on ACID's birthday
Staff Reports
Friday, February 7, 2014
The Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District turns 100 on July 27, but California?s severe drought is likely to put a damper on the festivities.
ACID General Manager Stan Wangberg told me this week his ?most optimistic outlook? is that the agency will get only 50 to 75 percent of its normal water allotment, and there?s a chance it could get no water at all ? none, nada, zippo ? for its 800-odd customers. They use ACID water to irrigate 6,700 acres ? for permanent pasture, to grow walnuts and other trees as well as hay and alfalfa, and to do some commercial farming.
?It?s pretty dire,? a clearly worried Wangberg said. In 28 years in the water business the 63-year-old Chico native and one-time rice farmer?s seen nothing like it.
Any day now Wangberg will hear from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation about ACID?s projected water allocations for the current year.
Last week the state of California took the unprecedented action of announcing there will be no water deliveries this year from the State Water Project. That means no water for some 29 public water agencies that help supply water to 25 million Californians and 750,000 acres of irrigated farmland.
?Not enough water?
Said Mark Cowin, state Department of Water Resources director: ?Simply put, there?s not enough water in the system right now for customers to expect any water this season from the project.? Instead, they?ll have to rely on groundwater, local reservoirs and other supplies, the state said.
ACID gets its water from the federal government; the Bureau of Reclamation built Shasta Dam and its reservoir. Under ACID?s contract with the feds, Wangberg said, its annual allotment can be cut by a maximum of 25 percent.
Trouble is, the state water board, which controls water rights in California, could then step in and further reduce or prohibit diversions of water to the district. ?We?re not immune,? Wangberg said.
Wangberg pointed to this sentence in a Jan. 17 release from the California Water Boards: ?Some riparian and pre-1914 water right holders (that would include ACID) may also receive a notice to stop diverting water if their diversions are downstream of reservoirs releasing stored water and there is no natural flow available for diversion.? Wangberg said he isn?t exactly sure what that sentence means but it worries him. ?We?re all uneasy about where it?s going.?
Shortened season?
Wangberg will lay out options to his board of directors at a meeting on Feb. 13. They could include a shortened water season and potential refunds for ACID customers (who annually pay $75 per acre of land for their water).
?We?re getting lots of calls? from concerned customers, Wangberg said, sitting in ACID?s modest concrete block office across from Anderson City Hall. ?It?s just really bleak,? he said, looking at a print-out of reservoir levels across Northern California.
ACID owns and maintains a 35-mile-long mostly earthen canal that runs from a diversion dam on the Sacramento River at Caldwell Park in Redding to near the confluence of Cottonwood Creek and the Sacramento River.
ACID benefits rural residents and city dwellers alike, Wangberg said.
ACID?s benefits
In Redding, for example, the 56-degree water flowing through the canal helps lower air temperatures and the waterway and its associated laterals provide riparian corridors.
In Churn Creek Bottom, Cottonwood, Anderson and northern Tehama County ACID water ?supports an agricultural lifestyle? that includes horses and backyard farms, allows kids to raise livestock and creates a verdant corridor that makes the south county so attractive to many.
Another benefit, as ACID board member (and former Redding police chief) Bob Blankenship told me in an email: ?Many do not realize the seepage from the ACID canal recharges many private wells in Churn Creek, Anderson, Cottonwood and northern Tehama County.?
A prolonged drought, Blankenship warned, could have ?devastating consequences on the (ACID) system.?
Worth celebrating
Besides direct and indirect benefits to its customers, ACID provides jobs to 12 full-time employees. With water allocations drastically cut or suspended, Wangberg worries about whether he?ll have to lay off staff.
ACID?s projected budget for 2014 is about $1.25 million, with revenue coming mostly from water sales or transfers and property taxes. (ACID sells water to Bella Vista Water District, the city of Shasta Lake, Shasta Community Services District and, since 2008, the city of Redding.)
It?s drizzling as I write this early Thursday morning. And more rain is in the forecast for this weekend. But even a few soaking storms (?rain events,? Wangberg calls them) won?t ease California?s water crisis.
I?ll quote from one of the releases Wangberg handed me: ?It would need to rain and snow heavily every other day from now until May to get us back to average annual rain and snowfall.?
As I said, the drought could put a damper on ACID?s birthday bash this summer, but on the other hand it may inspire us all to reflect on the vital importance and preciousness of water and the generations of pioneering engineers, planners and workers who imagined and built the infrastructure that brings it to us in the arid west.
And, yes, that?s worth celebrating in any year, wet or dry.
Marc Beauchamp has a blog at Redding.com. Reach him atNotBusinessAsUsual at gmail.com.
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Feb  8 13:22:40 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 8 Feb 2014 13:22:40 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Mercury- California Drought: Desperately needed rain,
	courtesy of 'Pineapple Express' slamming into California
Message-ID: <1391894560.44899.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_25088877/california-drought-desperately-needed-rain-courtesy-pineapple-express?source=rss#?


California Drought: Desperately needed rain, courtesy of 'Pineapple Express' slamming into California
By Paul Rogers

progers at mercurynews.com
POSTED: ? 02/07/2014 05:19:57 PM PST?|?UPDATED: ? ABOUT 7 HOURS AGO

A bicyclist tries to stay dry near San Jose State on Feb. 6, 2014. (Gary Reyes/Staff file)
MORE COVERAGE: DROUGHT
	* Data Center: Average water usage by supplier in California
	* California Drought: Water use varies widely around the state
	* California Drought: Desperately needed rain, courtesy of 'Pineapple Express' slamming into California
The storms expected to finally bring Northern California a desperately needed deepdrenching this weekend after the driest year in state history aren't just random showers.
They are the result of a developing situation that scientists call "an atmospheric river," and recent research has shown that they have played a significant role in breaking droughts in the past.
Sometimes known as "the Pineapple Express," these rivers of rain are long, narrow bands of highly-concentrated moisture that are formed in the Pacific Ocean and barrel eastward until they hit land, bringing downpours and flooding.
When they hit California, they pack an amazing punch. Just one can carry 15 times as much water as the Mississippi River.
"It's essentially a fire hose of water brought up from the tropics that comes up and crashes into the West Coast," said Michael Dettinger, an atmospheric scientist with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla.
And one is hitting now, moving up from Hawaii.
By Monday, forecasters expect 2 to 4 inches of rain to have fallen over San Francisco and the East Bay, 2 inches over the South Bay, 4 to 6 inches over the Santa Cruz Mountains and Marin County, and a soaking 7 to 9 inches over parts of Sonoma and Mendocino counties. The Sierra could get 3 feet of snow.
That will almost certainly rank as the biggest storm to hit the Bay Area in 14 months, since San Francisco received 1.39 inches of rain on Nov. 30, 2012. It may even be the biggest in four years, when 2.48 inches drenched San Francisco on Oct. 13, 2009.
Another storm is expected on Wednesday, but that doesn't mean the drought is over. Far from it.
"We need a bunch of these. It's a decent beginning, but we need more," said meteorologist Jan Null, with Golden Gate Weather Services in Saratoga.
"The fire danger will go way down, and you'll probably start seeing some green in the hills," he said. "But hopefully people won't think they can go back to their old ways of using water. We are still so far behind."
DEEP DEFICIT
To put the lack of rain in context, San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco all have received between 2 and 3 inches of rain since July 1. That puts them at about 25 percent of normal for this time of year. Even if this weekend's powerful storms double that total, which is a real possibility, Bay Area cities will still be just 50 percent of normal.
"It's really great. It's so needed. But it doesn't mean people should stop conserving," said Andrea Pook, a spokeswoman for the East Bay Municipal Utility District, in Oakland.
The district's board on Tuesday is expected to vote to ask customers for a voluntary 10 percent reduction in water use, similar to other large Bay Area water agencies.
This weekend's storms will offer a reminder of what winter looks like after California suffered in 2013 through the driest year since it became a state in 1850, with reservoirs at record-low levels, farmers fallowing fields and fire danger high.
"Most likely we'll get ponding on the roadways, and urban and small stream flooding," said Larry Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey. "You could see some minor mud slides. It's definitely going to be a messy weekend."
The rain will provide residents a chance to put out empty garbage cans or other large containers to catch rainwater to use later on plants. It also should begin to fill depleted reservoirs.
ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS
On Friday, a team of scientists from NOAA, Scripps and other institutions flew in a plane loaded with weather instruments from Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield out 800 miles off the California coast into the heart of the atmospheric river now heading east.
"The goal is to better forecast these events: the location, the amount of precipitation and where they make landfall," said Ryan Spackman, with NOAA's Earth System Research Lab in Boulder, Colo., who is working on the project.
The term "atmospheric river" was coined just 15 years ago, when new technology allowed scientists to put microwave equipment on satellites that better measured water vapor patterns in the air.
Since then, scientists have come to realize that such systems transport huge amounts of water in warm, moist air like conveyor belts to California. Even though they are only a few hundred miles wide, a few such storms often provide the bulk of the state's annual water and snow.
Atmospheric rivers are responsible for nearly 50 percent of all the precipitation on the West Coast. They have been the cause of historic storms, Dettinger's research shows, from the 1861 floods that forced Gov. Leland Stanford to take a row boat through the streets of Sacramento to his inauguration to the downpours of 1997-98, which flooded Yosemite Valley.
Unfortunately, this weekend's atmospheric river doesn't make future storms more likely. But it does show that the stubborn ridge of high pressure off the West Coast that has blocked storms for more than a year can break down, said Daniel Swain, a Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University who closely studies the subject.
"There's no guarantee that it won't come back," Swain said of the ridge. "It's possible this is just a temporary break, but I'm cautiously optimistic we'll have more typical rainfall conditions for the rest of the winter."
Paul Rogers covers resources and environmental issues. Contact him at 408-920-5045. Follow him at?Twitter.com/PaulRogersSJMN
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Feb  8 13:23:21 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 8 Feb 2014 13:23:21 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Dan Bacher: The Emptying of Northern California
	Reservoirs
In-Reply-To: <8E633881-51DB-4057-A109-9B707DCA782C@fishsniffer.com>
References: <CAEhkf6=MhDTcLB3+sRT87iscA5aP9UGpet0KffK4z5+Dvgx_qQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<8E633881-51DB-4057-A109-9B707DCA782C@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <1391894601.44899.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/the-emptying-of-northern-california-reservoirs/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/07/1275862/-The-Emptying-of-Northern-California-Reservoirs


Photo of Pyramid Lake, now 96 percent of capacity and 102 percent of average, in Southern California. Photo by Gene Beley.


pyramid_lake.jpeg

The Emptying of Northern California Reservoirs?

State and feds shipped massive amounts of water south during drought?

by Dan Bacher?

The dry bed of Folsom Lake has become an unlikely tourist attraction for visitors to the Sacramento area this year. On any given day this winter, large numbers of people can be seen wandering around the mud flats, granite boulders and rock formations of the lake bed to view ruins of Mormon Island and other communities that were inundated when the lake was formed by the construction of Folsom Dam in the 1950s.?

The lake is its lowest level ever, 17 percent of capacity and 32 percent of average, since the Bureau of Reclamation filled the reservoir with the clear waters of the North, Middle and South Forks of the American River that drain the Sierra Nevada Range. Because of the record low level of the lake, the cities of Sacramento, Folsom and other communities face dramatic water shortages this year.?

The impact on the American River and its unique urban steelhead and salmon fisheries is just as alarming. The Bureau in early January dropped flows to only 500 cubic feet per second (cfs), compared to winter flows ranging from 2000 to 5,000 cfs that anglers are used to fishing in? and much higher flows during wet years.?

Because of the threat to steelhead and Chinook salmon posed by the low water conditions, the Department of Fish and Wildlife voted for an emergency fishing closure on the upper section of the lower American on Wednesday, February 5, along with closures on the Russian River and coastal streams threatened by drought.?

Stafford Lehr, Fisheries Branch Chief of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, explained to the Commission the dire situation that steelhead, salmon and other fish face in the low flows.?

"The snowpack is only 12 percent of normal and Folsom Lake is only 17 percent of capacity," said Lehr. "We are trying to maximize the protection of as many wild salmon and steelhead in the American and other rivers as possible. We are implementing the emergency closures on some waters to reduce mortality caused by angling."?

Lerh stated, ?We are fully aware of the impacts these closures will have on anglers and related businesses. However, anglers have overwhelmingly supported the decision to close fisheries because they are the original conservationists. They understand the severity of this drought.??

SWP Southern California reservoirs are 96 and 86 percent of capacity?

While the drought has received major national and regional mainstream and alternative media attention, most media outlets have failed to explain how the Bureau of Reclamation and Department of Water Resources systematically drained northern California reservoirs last summer, resulting in low flows and endangering salmon and steelhead in the Sacramento, Feather and American rivers while supplying corporate agribusiness interests with subsidized water and filling Southern California water banks and reservoirs.?

Last summer, high water releases down the Sacramento, Feather and American rivers left Shasta, Oroville and Folsom reservoirs at dangerously low levels. Shasta is at 36 percent of capacity and 53 percent of average; Oroville, 36 percent of capacity and 54 percent of average; and Folsom, 17 percent of capacity and 32 percent of average. (http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/reservoirs/RES)?

Yet Pyramid Lake in Los Angeles County is 96 percent of capacity and 101 percent of average, while Castaic Reservoir is 86 percent of capacity and 102 percent of average. Both are State Water Project reservoirs that receive their water from the Delta through the California Aqueduct.?

The state and federal water agencies exported massive quantities of water to agribusiness interests and Southern California water agencies, endangering local water supplies and fish populations as the ecosystem continues to collapse. (http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/22/6090426/northern-california-reservoirs.html)?

Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, explained how the water was mismanaged.?

?We entered 2013 with Shasta, Oroville and Folsom reservoirs at 115 percent, 113 percent, and 121 percent of historical average storage. In April, they were still at 101 percent, 108 percent and 96 percent of average," said Jennings.?

"With no rainfall and little snowpack, the Department of Water Resources and the Bureau (of Reclamation) notified their contractors that water deliveries would be reduced. But they didn?t reduce deliveries. Instead, they actually exported 835,000 acre-feet more water than they said they would be able to deliver," said Jennings. (http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/26/6097073/viewpoints-better-solutions-for.html)?

Ironically, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will have enough water in 2014, 2015 and 2016 to supply its users while Sacramento, Folsom and other cities have been forced to cut water use by 20 percent.?

?We?ll have plenty of water in 2015,? Jeffrey Kightlinger, Metropolitan?s general manager, told the Sacramento Bee. ?And even if it?s still a drought, we?ll still have enough water in 2016." (http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/12/6063205/california-drought-will-test-jerry.html#storylink=cpy)?

Jennings said the present crisis could have been avoided, and is a "direct result of egregious mismanagement of the state?s water supply system by the state and federal water projects."?

"Excessive water exports and the failure to prepare for inevitable drought have created a decades-long disaster for fisheries, and placed the people and economic prosperity of northern California at grave risk. The State's obsession with tunneling under the Delta does nothing to address drought, or put us on a path to correct the misuse of limited water supplies," he added.?

There is no doubt that California?s fish populations are in unprecedented crisis, due to massive water exports south of the Delta by the state and federal water projects.?

The Department of Fish and Wildlife?s fall midwater trawl surveys, initiated in 1967, the same year the State Water Project began exporting water from the Delta, document the steep decline of Delta fish species. They reveal that the population abundance of Delta smelt, striped bass, longfin smelt, threadfin shad and American shad declined 95.6%, 99.6%, 99.8%, 97.8%, 90.9%, respectively, between 1967 and 2013, according to Jennings. The 2013 abundance estimates for Sacramento splittail, a native minnow, were not released, but results from 2012 reveal that splittail abundance indices have dropped 98.5% from 1967 levels.?

Jennings noted that 2013 was also a bad year for salmon. As many as half of this year?s up-migrating winter-run Chinook salmon were stranded in the Yolo Bypass and Colusa Basin in April-June and Sacramento River temperature requirements to protect spawning winter-run were relaxed in June.?

In November, abrupt reductions in Sacramento River flow exposed spawning redds, killed up to 40% of Sacramento River fall-run Chinook salmon eggs and stranded newly emerged fry. "And low reservoir levels will likely lead to inadequate flows for young salmon out-migration this coming spring," said Jennings.?

Failure to plan ahead contributed to water shortage?

John Herrick, Restore the Delta board member and Counsel and Manager of the South Delta Water Agency, said the failure of the state and federal water projects to plan ahead contributed to the current water shortage ? and a looming disaster for salmon, steelhead and other fish species.?

"Last winter and spring the projects were concerned about not having enough water to meet fishery or agricultural standards, and so sought changes in their permits to allow for the relaxation of those standards," he said.?

?At the same time, they projected the amount of water available for export. As soon as the projections were released, they began to pump MORE water than they projected; thus taking the water needed for fish and endangering future allocations for all purposes. If this had not been allowed, the reservoirs would have 800+ TAF more storage in them than they currently do,? he noted.?

?The Urgency Petition process is for actual, unforeseeable emergencies,? said Herrick. ?The State has known since at least September that we might be facing a horrible water supply year due to the lack of precipitation during the first 9 months of 2013. Knowing that reservoir levels were getting very low, and that the prior year had insufficient water for fish and water quality standards, the projects simply waited to see what would happen. Not until the very last minute did they file their Urgency Petition (to the State Water Resources Board - SWRCB)," he explained.?

Herrick noted that Urgency Petitions require no public notice or input, but must be based on a finding that the petitioner exercised due diligence in getting the permit change under the normal petition process if possible.?

?Since the projects have known for months that this scenario was facing them, they should have made their petition months ago. But that would have resulted in public notice, public hearing and input by the interests who depend on the current standards being met,? he said.?

Herrick said, ?It appears that, as in the past, the projects manipulated the process to make sure there was no official opposition to their requests to violate the water quality standards. Worse, it appears the regulators (SWRCB staff) were working with the regulated projects outside of the public purview to make sure the petition remained unknown. Therefore, there was no contrary data submitted to contradict the pre-agreed to order granting the petition.?

Herrick asked, ?What would have been the findings of the SWRCB Board if the information of the projects taking too much water last season were in the record???

Tunnels and fracking will only amplify California's water and fish crisis?

In spite of the record drought, Governor Jerry Brown continues his plan to build the fish killing-peripheral tunnels under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and to expand the water-intensive oil extraction process of fracking (hydraulic fracturing) for oil and natural gas in California.?

Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, the Executive Director of Restore the Delta, urged the state and water agencies to invest in projects that yield new water and jobs, rather than spending billions on the environmentally destructive twin tunnels.?

?We have had three dry years in a row and the governor admits the tunnels won?t add one drop of water to our drought-plagued state," said Barrigan-Parrilla. "We need solutions more appropriate to our future water challenges, not this $60 billion mega-project that would misspend the billions needed for sustainable water solutions."?

?The better approach would be to invest wisely in projects that actually produce new water and local jobs. California needs more water recycling projects, such as Orange County's that is producing enough water for 600,000 residents each year. By cleaning up groundwater, we will create another new supply and room to store water when it is truly available," concluded Barrigan-Parrilla.?

The proposed peripheral tunnels will undoubtedly kill the sensitive Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a delicate mix of salt and freshwater, that is vital to the life cycle of Central Valley Chinook salmon, as well as thousands of other fish and species, according to the Winnemem Wintu Tribe.?

?There is no precedent for the killing of an estuary of this size, so how could any study be trusted to protect the Delta for salmon and other fish? How can they even know what the effects will be?? said Winnemem Wintu Chief and Spiritual Leader Caleen Sisk. ?The end of salmon would also mean the end of Winnemem, so the BDCP is a threat to our very existence as indigenous people.??

Referring to Shasta, Oroville and Folsom dams, Sisk said, "These dams are supposed to be efficient in times like these, but they will never work when water mongers are in charge. They want the dumbed down public to believe now that building the twin tunnels and raising Shasta Dam are what MUST BE DONE...to keep golf courses green, and fallow farms wet with drinking water! Why don't they use their 'reclaimed water' project there like they did on the San Francisco Peaks?"?

The massive tunnels won't create any new water, but they will divert huge quantities of precious water from the Sacramento River to corporate agribusiness interests, Southern California water agencies, and oil companies conducting steam injection and fracking operations in Kern County. The construction of the tunnels would hasten the extinction of Central Valley salmon and Delta fish populations, as well as imperil salmon and steelhead populations on the Trinity River, the largest tributary of the Klamath River.?

?We can?t make it rain, but we can be much better prepared for the terrible consequences that California?s drought now threatens, including dramatically less water for our farms and communities and increased fires in both urban and rural areas,? said Governor Brown when he declared a drought state of emergency in January. ?I?ve declared this emergency and I?m calling all Californians to conserve water in every way possible.??

Brown can't make it rain, but he can can put a moratorium on fracking and he can stop his tunnels project in order to preserve California's precious water resources during an unprecedented drought. While Governor Brown is apparently pushing the construction of the peripheral tunnels as a monument to his ?legacy,? his real legacy will be the extinction of Central Valley salmon and steelhead populations and the draining of northern California unless he stops his mad plans to build the tunnels and frack California.?

For more information, go to: http://www.restorethedelta.org?
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Feb  9 13:53:03 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 9 Feb 2014 13:53:03 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Where Did All the Water Go?
In-Reply-To: <87208768-03AA-4CDA-A5C4-22980DFA962D@fishsniffer.com>
References: <07DE02091A2C0C0003311@mo3.osimail4.us>
	<71D5D57C-8035-4C03-9F52-55E31A9C9299@fishsniffer.com>
	<87208768-03AA-4CDA-A5C4-22980DFA962D@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <1391982783.86825.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Dan Bacher <danielbacher at fishsniffer.com>
To: 
Sent: Sunday, February 9, 2014 12:50 PM
Subject: Where Did All the Water Go? 
 


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/08/1276168/-Where-Did-All-The-Water-Go

Where Did All The Water Go??

Water Buffaloes, Egregious Mismanagement and Better Water Policies
??

Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Governor Jerry Brown's Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the peripheral tunnels, will hold a teleconference on Monday, Feb. 10 at 10 am to answer the question of "Where Did All the Water Go?"

Experts will release new information and charts showing where California?s water went, how the State of California contributed to the current water scarcity through "egregious mismanagement," and offer better policies for a sustainable water future. ?
?

?Who took all the water over the past decade, and for what?? asked Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of RTD. ?Californians need to know where our water is going in order to decide whether to continue feeding water buffaloes or to change direction. Some use the current water scarcity to push the Peripheral Tunnels, but that is the wrong answer.?
?

The featured speakers are Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director, Restore the Delta; Adam Scow, California Campaigns Director, Food & Water Watch; Bill Jennings, Executive Director, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance; and Lloyd Carter, investigative reporter, expert on Westlands Water District

Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; steve at hopcraft.com; Twitter: @shopcraft; @MrSandHillCrane; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 barbara at restorethedelta.org; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta?

For more information, go to: www.restorethedelta.org

Last summer, high water releases down the Sacramento, Feather and American rivers left Shasta, Oroville and Folsom reservoirs at dangerously low levels. Shasta is at 36 percent of capacity and 53 percent of average; Oroville, 36 percent of capacity and 54 percent of average; and Folsom, 17 percent of capacity and 32 percent of average.?

Yet Pyramid Lake in Southern California is at 96 percent of capacity and 101 percent of average, while Castaic Reservoir is 86 percent of capacity and 102 percent of average.?

The state and federal governments shipped massive quantities of water to corporate agribusiness interests on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, the Kern Water Bank, oil companies conducting fracking and steam injection operations in Kern County and Southern California water agencies. The massive diversions of water during a drought are now imperiling northern California water supplies and struggling Central Valley salmon and Delta fish populations.?

For more information, go to: http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/the-emptying-of-northern-california-reservoirs/
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Feb 10 07:13:49 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2014 07:13:49 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] San Diego UT: Will SoCal water rescue the north?
Message-ID: <1392045229.68459.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/feb/09/will-socal-water-rescue-the-north/?

Will SoCal water rescue the north?
By?Michael Gardner5 p.m.Feb. 9, 2014
In this photo taken Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014, a warning buoy sits on the dry, cracked bed of Lake Mendocino near Ukiah, Calif. Despite recent spot rains The reservoir, located in Mendocino County is currently only about 37 percent full. California remans in the midst of an historic drought causing Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)?The Associated Press
The Metropolitan Water District finds itself in the politically awkward position of being flush with reserves while the rest of California faces economy-crippling water shortages.
The looming choice posed to the Los Angeles-based wholesaler is this: Gamble the drought will break and agree to share its vast backup supply or play it safe, guard those stockpiles and risk public and political backlash.
Thus far, no formal requests for water have been made and Metropolitan?s board is not expected to tackle the issue publicly for a couple of months. Until then, pressure will mount on Metropolitan if the drought?s grip fails to weaken in these closing weeks of winter.
Meanwhile, Metropolitan?s board on Tuesday is expected to affirm its earlier pledge to Gov. Jerry Brown to launch an aggressive, but voluntary, conservation program to save 20 percent and commit an extra $20 million to water-saving programs.
?We recognize how serious the situation is,? said Debra Man, Metropolitan?s assistant general manager. ?The first priority is to meet the needs of the this region.?
But after confirming the southland, including the San Diego region, is taken care of, Metropolitan intends to work with other agencies and the state on how to assist bone-dry regions, she said.
Metropolitan has an array of options but each one comes with its own plumbing and cost challenges:
? Withdraw water from its banks and ship supplies to parched regions. While the reserve account appears large, only smaller amounts can be taken due to contractual and delivery constraints.
? Forego any allocation from the state so that others can use it. However, right now the state has turned off the tap to most users for 2014.
? Strike a deal with some farmers along the Feather River system near Oroville to use less and make that water available to other users throughout its system.
Which option, if any, will probably be determined after state and federal agencies announce final allocations to farms and cities, probably later in March. Those decisions will hinge on snowpack, which is now at 15 percent of normal but expected to increase slightly with the latest series of Sierra storms.
The tug of war is this: Metropolitan has invested billions raised from unpopular rate hikes to shore up its supplies, undoubtedly cementing some views that it should not be quick to ship off southland water. On the other hand, Metropolitan draws large amounts of water from the north during most years and in past droughts bought supplemental supplies.
There also could be longer term consequences for Metropolitan. The agency supports Brown?s polarizing $25 billion ?twin tunnel? project to deliver Northern California water south and restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The governor and state lawmakers are also reworking an $11 billion water bond for the November ballot. If Metropolitan is seen as hoarding that could further intensify the perennial north-south water feuds.
?They want the state to understand their needs for facilities and maybe it would be good for them to understand the rest of the state?s needs for water,? suggested Lester Snow, once California?s top water czar and at one time the general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority.
Metropolitan, Snow indicated, has an obligation in times of crisis. ?We are one state. Our economy functions interactively. It?s really important to lessen burden, share burden and do it voluntarily,? he said.
Keith Lewinger, a San Diego County Water Authority director who sits on the Metropolitan board, is wary of committing too early.
?We don?t know when the drought is going to end. We are receiving zero allocation from the State Water Project,? he said. ?We are not in as dire straits as some other localities, but that?s not to say in two years we won?t be in the same position as they are in now.?
A proposal to transfer reserves ?would be greeted with vigorous debate in the board room ? Metropolitan has helped in the past. I am not saying we won?t in the future,? added Lewinger, who represents Carlsbad on the county water authority board.
Metropolitan has close to 2.4 million acre feet scattered across the state and in Lake Mead, Nevada. While water certainly will not flow south to north, 772,000 acre feet sits beyond the Tehachapis and can reach the hard-pressed Central Valley. An acre foot is enough to serve two average homes for a year, although water transfers could be targeted for farms.
Metropolitan?s stash has been developed for years so it is not subject to the recent decision by the Department of Water Resources to put a clamp on deliveries.
Metropolitan has not sold surplus water out of its service area, content to cut outside deals that involve borrowing water from one year to the next or exchanging it in one location for water elsewhere.
A price signal was sent by the tiny Kern County-based Buena Vista Water Storage District earlier this month, going out to bid on 12,000 acre feet. It drew 20 bids of more than $1,000 per acre foot, a according to the Bakersfield Californian. Paramount Farming offered $1,100 per acre foot for the entire amount, or $11 million. The well-known Harris Ranch wants 300 acre feet at $1,350 per acre foot, or $405,000 according to the newspaper. In contrast, Metropolitan charges the San Diego County Water Authority $593 for an acre-foot of untreated supply.
Buena Vista is now reviewing which bids to accept.
Today, in the north, Metropolitan has 214,000 acre feet tucked away in San Luis Reservoir. Metropolitan also has water below ground as well as above ground. In the Central Valley, Metropolitan responded to more recent dry spells by paying to keep reserves in three groundwater banks near Bakersfield in Kern County, Combined, it has 558,000 acre feet. However, under agreements in can take only 119,000 acre feet a year. Still, that would be enough for 238,000 homes, or provide irrigation for hundreds of acres of crops.
More recently, Metropolitan struck a favorable deal with Westlands Water District, ironically as the result of the giant agricultural irrigation district having too much water. Westlands stood to lose water in San Luis Reservoir west of Los Banos that was scheduled to be released for flood protection in 2010. Westlands had no place to store it, so Metropolitan offered to take the water in exchange for the rights to keep some of it. Metropolitan netted 100,000 acre feet out of the deal without paying a dime.
Metropolitan has stepped forward in the past. In 1977, then the tail end of what was at the time the worst drought on record, Metropolitan gave up 400,000 acre feet of its state water supplies and instead tapped the Colorado River. That decision doubled the amount of water to Central Valley farmers.
At the same time Metropolitan?s transfers rescued Marin County, which was quickly running out of water. Metropolitan drew more from the Colorado River by installing temporary side boards to increase the capacity of its main aqueduct connected to the Colorado River system.
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Feb 10 07:07:12 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2014 07:07:12 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Redding.com opinion-Tom Stokely: Trinity restoration
	has lost its way
Message-ID: <1392044832.52355.YahooMailNeo@web125405.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.redding.com/news/2014/feb/08/tom-stokely-trinity-restoration-has-lost-its-way/?

Tom Stokely: Trinity restoration has lost its way
Staff Reports
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Sometimes the best of intentions go awry. That?s understandable. But when things fall apart, rational people don?t forge ahead with the game plan that got them into trouble. They stop, reconsider, and devise a new strategy. Unfortunately, our government agencies don?t always conform to rational processes ? and that?s why a tragedy is unfolding on the Trinity River.

The Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) is an inter-agency and tribal partnership dedicated to improving salmon and steelhead runs on the Trinity River. When former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and the Hoopa Valley Tribe approved the Trinity Record of Decision (ROD) for an ambitious river channel rehabilitation and increased flow program 13 years ago, fisheries advocates were heartened. After all, habitat restoration is second only to increased flows in importance to the fish.

But the ?rehabilitation? projects are not creating new habitat for juvenile fish as expected. To date, the work has consisted of bulldozing vegetation and berms along the banks of the main stem river. This is supposed to create juvenile salmon habitat ? niches where young fish can rest, feed and hide from predators. More accurately it is a riparian clear-cut, the kind of devastation you would?ve seen in the 1960s and 1970s, before logging rules tightened.

This isn?t just the opinion of fishing guides, environmental groups and locals. It?s the conclusion of an embargoed draft report by the TRRP?s own science advisory board. It found that the accomplishments of channel rehabilitation have been insignificant and that the program has veered dramatically from the tenets of the 2000 Trinity Record of Decision (ROD).

While the upside of all the excavation has been minimal ? if that ? there have been profound negative impacts, including the destruction of adult steelhead holding habitat, increased river turbidity, the spread of noxious weeds, reduction of public access, heavy truck traffic, noise, and damage to an agricultural water system.

Further, the higher flows authorized by the program have undermined the foundations on the Bucktail Bridge on Browns Mountain Road. A new bridge is sorely needed, but the TRRP has directed Trinity County to look elsewhere for funding, even though it covered replacement of four other Trinity River bridges and a large culvert at Bucktail.

The 2000 Trinity River ROD called for a hiatus in these projects to determine their efficacy, but the work proceeds full bore. Tens of millions of public dollars already have been spent, and the money keeps flowing. Clearly, we should halt all channel rehabilitation projects on the Trinity immediately and evaluate the progress to date. It is likely that any objective analysis will find the benefits are not commensurate with the investment.

That doesn?t mean we should forgo habitat restoration on the Trinity River ? but our efforts should go where they will do the most good. The main stem may or may not be suitable for ambitious restoration work, but it?s obvious that clear-cutting riparian vegetation has been an unproductive approach so far.

A rigorous evaluation of efforts to date will provide some guidance on what is possible with the main stem. We do know, however, that stabilizing the Trinity?s watersheds and tributaries will yield real benefits to salmon, steelhead and people, and that?s where our efforts should be focused.

There?s also a larger issue at play here: the inexorable progression of government programs once they?re initiated, whether they?re achieving their goals or not. The channel rehabilitation projects are a runaway train. Their failure is obvious, so blatant that the TRRP?s own science advisory board felt compelled to comment. And yet, they haven?t been stopped.

But stop them we must. Our salmon and steelhead are too precious to squander on unproductive initiatives. And the same can be said about public dollars. The TRRP has a fiduciary responsibility to the American public. It?s time the partnership?s members acknowledge this, and divert funding for channel rehabilitation into productive and proven programs to restore the Trinity River?s fisheries.
Tom Stokely is water policy analyst for the California Water Impact Network and a former Trinity County planner. He lives in Mount Shasta.
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Mon Feb 10 08:35:17 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2014 08:35:17 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Stewart Resnick, the Environmentalist?
In-Reply-To: <1392045229.68459.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1392045229.68459.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <AE2C0ECF-5097-4D53-98B4-56B1A4E79162@fishsniffer.com>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/10/1276455/-Stewart-Resnick-the- 
Environmentalist

Stewart Resnick, the Environmentalist?

Conservation International features Rob Walton and Resnick on board

by Dan Bacher

The Center for Investigative Reporting describes Stewart Resnick, the  
Beverly Hills billionaire owner of Paramount Farms in Kern County, as  
a "one-man environmental wrecking crew.?

The powerful agribusiness tycoon has been instrumental in campaigns  
to eviscerate Endangered Species Act protections for Central Valley  
Chinook salmon and Delta smelt, to eradicate striped bass in  
California, and to build the fish-killing peripheral tunnels.

Yet the wealthy agribusinessman also wears another hat -  
"environmental leader." Yes, Resnick serves on the board of directors  
of Conservation International, a corporate "environmental" NGO, noted  
for its top-down approach to conservation and involvement with  
corporate greenwashing throughout the world.

Conservation International was the top recipient of Walton Family  
Foundation money in 2012, receiving $22,650,774, including $5,725,000  
for the Bird?s Head Seascape, $4,214,881 for the Eastern Tropical  
Pacific Seascape and 12,718,763 for ?Other Environmental Grants.?

While serving on the board of Conservation International, Resnick  
become notorious for buying subsidized Delta water and then selling  
it back to the public for a big profit, as revealed in an article by  
the late Mike Taugher in the Contra Costa Times on May 23, 2009.  
(http://www.revivethesanjoaquin.org/content/pumping-water-and-cash- 
delta)

?As the West Coast?s largest estuary plunged to the brink of collapse  
from 2000 to 2007, state water officials pumped unprecedented amounts  
of water out of the Delta only to effectively buy some of it back at  
taxpayer expense for a failed environmental protection plan, a  
MediaNews investigation has found,? said Taugher.

Taugher said the ?environmental water account? set up in 2000 to  
?improve? the Delta ecosystem spent nearly $200 million mostly to  
benefit water users while also creating a ?cash stream for private  
landowners and water agencies in the Bakersfield area.?

?No one appears to have benefited more than companies owned or  
controlled by Stewart Resnick, a Beverly Hills billionaire,  
philanthropist and major political donor whose companies, including  
Paramount Farms, own more than 115,000 acres in Kern County,? Taugher  
stated. ?Resnick?s water and farm companies collected about 20 cents  
of every dollar spent by the program.?

Resnick and his wife, Lynda, own Roll International, Paramount Farms  
and Paramount Citrus Companies, making them the nation's largest  
farmers of tree crops, as well as the floral service Teleflora.  
Dubbed the "POM Queen," Lynda is behind the marketing success of POM  
Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice.

Roll International, one of the largest private water brokers in the  
U.S., makes millions of dollars in profits off marketing subsidized  
public water back to the public, confirmed reporter Yasha Levine.

?Through a series of subsidiary companies and organizations, Roll  
International is able to convert California?s water from a public,  
shared resource into a private asset that can be sold on the market  
to the highest bidder,? said Yasha Levine in ?How Limousine Liberals,  
Water Oligarchs and Even Sean Hannity are Hijacking Our Water? on  
alternet.org. (http://www.alternet.org/story/144020/ 
how_limousine_liberals,_water_oligarchs_and_even_sean_hannity_are_hijack 
ing_our_water_supply)

The Resnicks are known for the influence they have exerted over  
California politicians from both the Democratic and Republican  
parties, including former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor  
Jerry Brown, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senate President Pro Tem  
Darrell Steinberg and others, through campaign contributions. (http:// 
www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/02/15/18637867.php)

The Resnicks contributed $99,000 to Jerry Brown?s 2010 campaign  
(http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/brown-and-whitmans- 
contributions-glance-5779?appSession=772187602630348).

The Resnicks exert their influence over California politics in other  
ways besides direct contributions to political campaigns. For  
example, the executives of Paramount Farms have also set up an  
Astroturf group, the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta, that engages  
in green washing campaigns such as one blaming striped bass, rather  
than water exports, for salmon and other fish declines.

Stewart Resnick's position on the board of an "environmental" NGO  
while he and wife promote policies that are devastating fish, rivers,  
the Delta and California's environment provides a glimpse of the  
larger picture of corporate greenwashing that occurs with groups that  
receive grants from the Walton Family Foundation, the organization  
set up by the owners of Walmart.

Walmart, the country?s largest retailer and employer, makes more than  
$17 billion in profits annually, so it has a lot of money to dump  
into ?environmental? groups such as Conservation International that  
serve its agenda of privatization of the public trust. The wealth of  
the Walton family totals over $144.7 billion ? equal to that of 42%  
of Americans.

The Walton Family Foundation reported ?investments? totaling more  
than $91.4 million in ?environmental initiatives? in 2012, including  
contributions to corporate ?environmental? NGOs pushing ocean  
privatization through the ?catch shares? programs and so-called  
?marine protected areas? like those created under Arnold  
Schwarzenegger?s Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative, as  
well as to groups supporting the Bay Delta Conservation Plan to build  
the peripheral tunnels.

According to a press release from the Walmart Headquarters in  
Bentonville Arkansas, ?the foundation awarded grants of more than $91  
million to groups and programs that create benefits for local  
economies and communities through lasting conservation solutions for  
oceans and rivers.?

The foundation directed an overwhelming majority of the grants toward  
its two core environmental initiatives ? ?Freshwater Conservation?  
and Marine Conservation.?

?Our work is rooted in our belief that the conservation solutions  
that last are the ones that make economic sense,? gushed Scott Burns,  
director of the foundation?s Environment Focus Area. ?The foundation  
and our grantees embrace ?conservationomics? ? the idea that  
conservation efforts can and should bring economic prosperity to  
local communities.?

The foundation donated $38,648,952 to ?Marine Conservation,?  
$29,367,340 to ?Freshwater Conservation? and $23,683,286 for ?Other  
Environment Grants? in 2012.

The Environmental Defense Fund, the second largest recipient,  
received a total of $12,943,017, including $7,800,000 for catch  
shares, $1,881,652 for the Colorado River, $3,032,300 for the  
Mississippi River, $20,000 for the Gulf Of Mexico and $209,065 for  
the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Environmental Defense Fund  is known for its market-based approach to  
conservation and its push for ?catch shares? that essentially  
privatize the oceans. The relationship between the group and the  
retail giant is so close that it operates an office in Bentonville,  
Arkansas, where Walmart is headquartered.

Ocean Conservancy, a strong supporter of the privately funded Marine  
Life Protection Act Initiative to create ?marine protected areas? in  
California, received the third largest chunk of money from the  
foundation in 2012, $5,447,354, including $2,112,500 for ?Marine  
Conservation? in the Gulf of Mexico and $3,334,854 for the oil spill  
in the Gulf.

Nature Conservancy, Inc. received $4,509,616, the fourth largest  
amount of money, including $1,700,000 for the Colorado River,  
$725,557 for the Mississippi River, $553,148 for the Bird?s Head  
Seascape, $21,000 for Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape, $350,000 for  
Gulf of Mexico projects, $400,825 for catch shares and $759,086 for  
?other conservation grants.?

The Nature Conservancy is known for its strong support of the Bay  
Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the peripheral tunnels that  
Resnick and other corporate agribusiness interests so avidly support.

Other recipients of Walton Foundation money in 2012 include American  
Rivers, the Center for American Progress, Environmental Working  
Group, Marine Stewardship Council, National Audubon Society, National  
Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Geographic Society, Oxfam  
America, Inc., Resources Legacy Fund, World Wildlife Fund and many  
other NGOs.

A complete list of Walton Family Foundation recipients is available  
at: http://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/about/2012-grant- 
report#environment.

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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Feb 11 09:09:53 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2014 09:09:53 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] CV Biz Times: Retire westside farmlands,
	environmentalists say
Message-ID: <1392138593.46637.YahooMailNeo@web125404.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=25188#drilldown?

Retire westside farmlands, environmentalists say?

STOCKTON?
February 10, 2014 12:26pm
????

?? Would ease current water emergency
?? ?There is only so much water in California during normal periods?
California?s water woes could be eased if some of the farms on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley were fallowed, say environmental groups Monday.
The farms grow permanent crops, such as almonds and pistachios, on land that cannot be properly drained and for which there is not adequate ground water or senior water rights, the groups say.
Restore the Delta says there has been a virtual explosion of permanent crops being grown on the west side of the Valley, sucking up large quantities of water exported from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
?There is only so much water in California during normal periods. Much less in dry periods, which we experience about 40 percent of the time,? says Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta. Her group is among those opposing Gov. Jerry Brown?s plan to build massive water tunnels to export water from the Sacramento River to the state and federal irrigation systems.
?During this current drought, Californians once again are being presented with a false dichotomy that California?s water problems are all about fish versus people,? she says. ?The facts show that the unsustainable business practices of Westlands [Water District] and Kern [County Water Agency], planting permanent crops like almonds in areas that are only to receive extra water in wet years, that?s the real source behind the emergency that this drought has evolved into.?
She says instead of spending an estimated $67 billion on the governor?s tunnels, a much smaller amount of money should be spent on buying up impaired land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and taking it out of growing thousands of almond and pistachio trees and miles of grape vines.
But it?s not just the growth of permanent crops on the west side of the valley that has helped put the state into a water emergency, says Bill Jennings, executive director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.
?The absence of a drought response plan, egregious mismanagement and unsustainable expectations? are also responsible for the current water emergency, he says.
?Water crises will continue until California eliminates ?paper? water, and bring water demand into balance with actual water,? Mr. Jennings says.
He says that over the years, roughly five times as much water has been promised as the state actually has during a normal year.
They spoke along with others in a Monday teleconference. Listen to the conference by clicking on the link below.
Drilldown

Click here to listen now or to download the MP3 audio file?(water presser.mp3, 34.07 MB)?
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Feb 12 18:07:00 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2014 18:07:00 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Former marine protected area science co-chair pleads
	guilty to embezzlement charge
In-Reply-To: <018B268D-1A27-476A-94B9-03210B0C08A9@fishsniffer.com>
References: <43838982.12909.0@wordpress.com>
	<018B268D-1A27-476A-94B9-03210B0C08A9@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <1392257220.76458.YahooMailNeo@web125404.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



From: Dan Bacher <danielbacher at fishsniffer.com>
To: 
Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2014 6:01 PM
Subject: Former marine protected area science co-chair pleads guilty to embezzlement charge 
 


?http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/former-marine-protected-area-science-co-chair-pleads-guilty-to-embezzlement/




800_ncmpas.jpg
original image ( 1000x1294)

Former marine protected area science co-chair pleads guilty to embezzlement charge?

by Dan Bacher?

On June 6, 2012, the California Fish and Game Commission adopted regulations for alleged "marine protected areas" on the North Coast, completing a controversial network of MPAs in California?s open coastal waters from Mexico to the Oregon state line created under the privately funded Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative.?

State officials and representatives of corporate "environmental" NGOs engaged in a campaign of boasting about these so-called "science-based" "Yosemites of the Sea" and "underwater parks."?

?This is a great day for California?s ocean and coastal resources,? gushed Secretary for Natural Resources John Laird, a strong supporter of the MLPA Initiative, as well as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the peripheral tunnels. ?As promised, we have completed the nation?s first statewide open coast system of marine protected areas, strengthening California?s ongoing commitment to conserve marine life for future generations."?

The news release from the Department of Fish and Wildlife touted the network of so-called "marine protected areas" created under the MLPA Initiative as "the first in the United States to be designed from the ground up as a science-based network, rather than a patchwork of independent protected areas without specific goals and objectives."?

Unfortunately, Laird, the Department and corporate "environmentalists" failed to mention the alarming fact that Del Norte District Attorney Jon Alexander on February 23, 2012 had arrested Ron LeValley, the Co-Chair of the MLPA Initiative "Science Advisory Team" for the North Coast that created the alleged "science-based" marine protected areas, ?on a $1 million warrant. The warrant accused him of burglary and embezzlement of Yurok Tribe money and conspiracy to commit a crime in collaboration with Roland Raymond, Yurok Tribe Forestry Chair.?

The District Attorney later dropped the charges to allow federal authorities to pursue the charges against Raymond and LeValley. Then U.S. Attorney on October 11, 2013 formally charged Ron LeValley of Eureka with ?conspiracy to commit embezzlement and theft from an Indian Tribal Organization" in a scheme with Roland Raymond, Yurok Tribe Forestry Director.?

Yesterday, this case moved one step closer to resolution when LeValley, of Mad River Biologists, pled guilty to a single federal charge of conspiring to embezzle nearly $1 million in federal funds from the Yurok Tribe.?

Court documents reveal that LeValley conspired with Roland Raymond to embezzle the funds through a complex scheme of fake and inflated invoices and payments for spotted owl surveys that LeValley and his organization never performed.?

Matt Mais, spokesman for the Yurok Tribe, the largest Indian Tribe in California, confirmed LeValley?s guilty plea in the scheme that proceeded between 2007 and 2010. The Tribe declined comment on the case at this time.?

In January, a judge sentenced Raymond to serve 36 months in federal prison for his role in the embezzlement scheme. Raymond pleaded guilty to the single conspiracy charge.?

LeValley is scheduled for sentencing on May 20, 2014. ?The terms of his plea agreement had not been made public as of yesterday afternoon,? according to the North Coast Journal. (http://www.northcoastjournal.com/Blogthing/archives/2014/02/11/biologist-pleads-guilty-in-yurok-embezzlement-case)?

For details on the complex embezzlement scheme, go to my article: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/10/27/18745508.php.?

The link to the indictment is available at: http://noyonews.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/U.S._v._Ron_LeValley_As_Filed.pdf?

Yurok Tribe, fishermen outraged by embezzlement scam?

The Yurok Tribe, fishing groups and grassroots environmentalists were outraged by the embezzlement scheme from the moment it was uncovered.?

On February 14, 2012, the Yurok Tribal Council, in a letter to Tribal Members expressed "great disappointment and outrage" over "serious allegations of theft of Tribal resources" by two biologists and the former Yurok Forestry Department Director after the embezzlement was discovered. (http://extras.times-standard.com/multimedia/pdfs/YrkTrb_ltr2.pdf)?

The letter informed Tribal members that, as part of the internal investigation, the Tribe would institute a series of measures including the hiring of a Controller and Auditor General; the hiring of an Accounting Fraud Examiner; and the implementation of an independent review of its fiscal and associated procedures.?

"The Tribal Council understands the outrage that we all may feel as the victims of these alleged crimes,? said Thomas O?Rourke, Chairman of the Yurok Tribe, in the letter. ?The Tribe will provide more information shortly and will continue to insure that these alleged crimes that are subject to the fullest prosecution under the law.??

Many North Coast residents believe the charges against LeValley call into question the legitimacy of the "science" used to close vast areas of the North Coast to fishing and gathering under the MLPA Initiative ? while doing nothing to stop pollution, fracking, oil drilling, wind and wave energy projects and all human impacts on the ocean other than fishing and gathering.?

?I would like to know how the state of California is going to revise the science advice LeValley provided for the North Coast MLPA Initiative process, based on him filing false documents,? said Jim Martin, West Coast Regional Director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA).?

He suggested forming a ?truth and reconciliation commission? to unravel "what really happened" in the MLPA Initiative.?

MLPA Initiative science is 'incomplete and terminally flawed,' according to Tribes?

The validity of the science employed by the MLPA Initiative Science Advisory Team under LeValley?s leadership becomes even more suspect when one considers that LeValley and the Team repeatedly and inexplicably refused to allow the Yurok Tribe to present their scientific studies regarding "marine protected areas." The Tribe exposed the questionable science of the MLPA Initiative in a statement on June 6, 2012. (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/06/17/18715613.php)?

"Under the MLPA each marine species is assigned a certain level of protection," according the Tribe. "Species like mussels are given a low level of protection, which in MLPA-speak, translates to more regulation.?

"To date, there has been no scientific data submitted suggesting that mussels on the North Coast are in any sort of danger or are overharvested. In fact, it's just the opposite. The readily available quantitative survey data collected over decades by North Coast experts shows there is quite an abundance of mussels in this sparsely populated study region," the Tribe continued.?

"Fish like Pacific eulachon, also known as candle fish, are given a high level of protection, or in other words, their harvest is not limited by the proposed regulations. Eulachon are near extinction and listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act," the Tribe stated.?

"Both of these marine species are essential and critical to the cultural survival of northern California tribes," said Thomas O'Rourke, Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. "However, under the proposed regulations they would be summarily mismanaged. It's examples like these that compel our concerns."?

The Tribe said it attempted on numerous occasions to address the scientific inadequacies with the MLPA science developed under the Schwarzenegger administration by adding "more robust protocols" into the equation, but was denied every time.?

For example, the MLPA Science Advisory Team Co-Chaired by LeValley in August 2010 turned down a request by the Tribe to make a presentation to the panel. Among other data, the Tribe was going to present data of test results from other marine reserves regarding mussels?

The Northern California Tribal Chairman's Association, including the Chairs of the Elk Valley Rancheria, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Karuk Tribe, Smith River Rancheria, Trinidad Rancheria, and Yurok Tribe, documented in a letter how the science behind the MLPA Initiative developed by Schwarzenegger's Science Advisory Team is "incomplete and terminally flawed." (http://yubanet.com/california/Dan-Bacher-MLPA-Initiative-based-on-incomplete-and-terminally-flawed-science.php)?

On the day of the historic direct action protest by a coalition of over 50 Tribes and their allies in Fort Bragg in July 2010, Frankie Joe Myers, Yurok Tribal member and Coastal Justice Coalition activist, exposed the refusal to incorporate Tribal science that underlies the "science" of the MLPA process.?

?The whole process is inherently flawed by institutionalized racism," said Myers. "It doesn't recognize Tribes as political entities, or Tribal biologists as legitimate scientists." (http://klamathjustice.blogspot.com/2010/07/july-21st-2010.html)?

Wouldn't it have been prudent for the Natural Resources Agency and Department of Fish and Wildlife to have postponed the implementation of the alleged North Coast "marine protected areas? until this case had been resolved in the courts - and when the legitimacy of the "science" of the MLPA Initiative was already facing severe criticism from respected Tribal scientists??

MLPA Initiative Background:?

The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) is a law, signed by Governor Gray Davis in 1999, designed to create a network of marine protected areas off the California Coast. However, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004 created the privately-funded MLPA ?Initiative? to ?implement? the law, effectively eviscerating the MLPA.?

The ?marine protected areas? created under the MLPA Initiative fail to protect the ocean from oil spills and drilling, water pollution, military testing, seismic testing, wave and wind energy projects, corporate aquaculture and all other uses of the ocean other than fishing and gathering.?

The MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Forces that oversaw the implementation of ?marine protected areas? included a big oil lobbyist, marina developer, real estate executive and other individuals with numerous conflicts of interest. Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the president of the Western States Petroleum Association, served on the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force for the North Coast and North Central Coast.?

Reheis-Boyd, a relentless advocate for offshore oil drilling, hydraulic fracturing (fracking), the Keystone XL Pipeline and the weakening of environmental laws, also chaired the South Coast MLPA Blue Ribbon Task that developed the MPAs that went into effect in Southern California waters on January 1, 2012.?

The MLPA Initiative operated through a controversial private/public partnership funded by the shadowy Resources Legacy Fund Foundation. The Schwarzenegger administration, under intense criticism by grassroots environmentalists, fishermen and Tribal members, authorized the implementation of marine protected areas under the initiative through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the foundation and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Feb 13 09:35:04 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:35:04 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] latimes: Politics cloud water debate
Message-ID: <1392312904.16926.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



latimes.com/business/la-fi-hiltzik-20140207,0,1425489.column
latimes.com
Politics cloud water debate
Fixing California's water crisis requires finding a way to reallocate supply among the state's three major user groups ? and avoiding the political posturing and bickering that have surfaced.
Michael Hiltzik
5:00 AM PST, February 9, 2014
advertisement  
There are two possible policy outcomes to a severe drought like the one California is experiencing now.

One is that the drought focuses the minds of political leaders and water users, prompting them to come together to craft a broad, comprehensive solution to a problem that won't be going away.

The other is that the community of water users will fragment and turn on one another, with farmers lining up against environmentalists, suburbanites against farmers, and so on.

Which way would you guess things are going?

Here's a clue: Last week a clutch of Republican members of Congress from California agricultural counties arranged (with the connivance of House Speaker John Boehner) to pass?a bill overriding mandates?to keep water flowing in the state's rivers in favor of increasing supplies to farmers. They sounded the tired old cry about "putting families over fish," as though there aren't families in California dependent on healthy fisheries, too, and as though the water transfer in question would relieve what is shaping up as a record drought year.

The measure is?opposed by Gov. Jerry Brown,?state water officials and Democrats in both houses of Congress. It's nothing but a sop to credulous farm voters in the districts of Reps. David Valadao, Kevin McCarthy and Devin Nunes, its sponsors. It doesn't create a single drop of water, despite ridiculous claims that it will?"solve California's water crisis" (Nunes),?and abrogates jealously guarded states' rights over water allocations to boot.

Yet while this posturing was going on in Washington, the drought in California was growing worse and solutions more elusive. Even if it's relieved by the wet spell we've seen in recent days continuing through the rest of the wet season, it's a harbinger of more extremes to come, thanks to climate change.

No one thinks a fix will be simple. The supply of water from within and outside the state is becoming oversubscribed, and the allocations and promises made to growers and residential developments out of step with reality. More dams won't solve the problem, nor will technological innovations like desalination.
Even conservation has its limits. As Ellen Hanak and her colleagues at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California have documented, per capita consumption in semi-arid Southern California is?among the lowest in the state. But incremental gains may be getting harder to come by.
The Central Valley congressmen who introduced the "Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Emergency Water Delivery Act" talk as though the farmers' problems would be solved if only they got their hands on 800,000 acre-feet of water that must legally flow through the Sacramento delta to save the delta smelt, an endangered species, but that's a self-interested simplification.

At its core, California water policy is about allocating supply among the state's three major user groups ? agriculture (the largest consumer), residents and the environment. That's not simple.

The state's legal and regulatory framework for allocating water is complex ? some of it is antique, some of recent vintage and some laboring under a legal cloud. For example, it's legally unclear whether diverting water from agricultural users for environmental protection is a "taking" under the U.S. Constitution and therefore requires financial compensation, which would complicate such diversions enormously.

The last appellate judges who considered the matter said no, but the issue hasn't come before the Supreme Court and won't for years at least. "Until the U.S. Supremes rule, it'll be a live wire," says Antonio Rossmann, a veteran water rights attorney in Berkeley.

Another constraint dates from the so-called Monterey Amendments,?a backroom deal?reached in 1994 between the State Water Project and several water contractors, including the Metropolitan Water District and private Paramount Farms. Paramount is owned by Roll Global, the corporate arm of?Beverly Hills billionaires Stewart and Lynda Resnick,?who are better known as the purveyors of Fiji Water and Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice. Paramount also is the largest grower and processor of almonds and pistachios in the world, in part because the Monterey deal gave it access to a permanent supply of water. That's necessary for the cultivation of nut trees, which can't survive interruptions in water.

Critics say the Monterey Amendments turned over too much control over water allocations from the SWP to private interests. "They cut the natural resource aspect out of the SWP water and made it just about its economic value," says Adam Keats, senior counsel for the Center for Biological Diversity, which is suing to overturn the deal. "They eliminated the state as manager of public resource. When you do that, the rich guys benefit." (The Sacramento Superior Court judge hearing the case has hinted that he might uphold the deal, but his decision is almost certainly destined for appeal no matter which side prevails.)

The amendments' effect was to make it easier for Paramount to keep its water flowing to its nut trees, and also for farmers to sell their water to land developers. "That hardened demand," says attorney Rossmann ? farmers growing beans and alfalfa can fallow their land for a year or two in a dry period; nut growers and residential developments can't. And that leaves the state with less flexibility than it had even during the long, severe drought of 1987-92 to reallocate supply to where it's most needed.

Inevitably, the solution to the state's water crisis must lie in finding a way to reallocate supply among the Big Three users. Playing the people-versus-fish card is utterly pointless, because even canceling all the environmental allocations wouldn't solve the essential supply problem.
Already, observes Hanak of the Public Policy Institute of California, supplies are so low that all categories of users are going to have to absorb cuts. "If it doesn't rain," she says, "they'll have to balance the water between different fish species."

Hanak advocates freeing the state's water trading system so that the guardians of fish and wildlife can buy and sell environmental water allocations the way urban and agricultural users do now. What's troubling about that idea is that the environment doesn't have legal water rights like other users: fish, wildlife and rivers are protected through regulatory actions, not through contracts. "The environment should not have to participate in a market with consumptive users," says Rossmann, the Berkeley water attorney. State and federal fish and wildlife officials would face "major institutional hurdles" in water trading, "because they're not used to doing that." He argues that environmental water, which serves not only ecological needs but the fishery and resort industries, should be allocated first, with farmers and urban dwellers free to trade the rest.
The most important factor in meeting the crisis is a recognition that California has made some bad choices in the past that would not be made today, knowing what we know about the likely trajectory of statewide water supply. We would plant fewer permanent crops like nut trees, and make fewer commitments of firm water to housing project developers.

Some of these decisions will have to be undone in the near term, some will be undone by the implacable economics of residential development and agriculture, and some we will have to live with for decades more. Fatuous political posturing to give some groups of users priority over others is a waste of time, and one thing we have less of every dry day is time.

Michael Hiltzik's column appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Read his blog, the Economy Hub, at latimes.com/business/hiltzik, reach him at?mhiltzik at latimes.com, check out facebook.com/hiltzik and follow @hiltzikm on Twitter.
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Feb 13 10:08:54 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 10:08:54 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Felice Pace- Transformation of Restoration
Message-ID: <1392314934.70828.YahooMailNeo@web125402.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

See the attached article from Felice Pace. ?Are there other perspectives?
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Feb 13 13:58:41 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 21:58:41 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary JWeek 6
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C11B488@057-SN2MPN1-041.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Please see attachments for the JWeek  6 (Feb 5 - Feb 11) Trinity River trapping summary update.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Feb 13 13:39:47 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 13:39:47 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Chico News & Review: The big squeeze: North State
	water supplies under pressure as drought parches California
In-Reply-To: <52FD0AB5.4020203@aqualliance.net>
References: <52FD09CF.3070801@aqualliance.net>
	<52FD0AB5.4020203@aqualliance.net>
Message-ID: <1392327587.4544.YahooMailNeo@web125406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



 This article was printed from the Local Stories 
section of the Chico News & Review, originally published February 13, 2014. 
This article may be read online at: 
? http://www.newsreview.com/chico/content?oid=12742766 
? Copyright ?2014 Chico Community Publishing, Inc. 
? Printed on 2014-02-13. 


The big squeeze
North State water supplies under pressure as drought parches California
By Alastair Bland 

Water officials say Lake Oroville is at 38 percent of capacity.
?PHOTO COURTESY OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES 
 
 
A thousand feet beneath the city of Chico, in the pitch-black waters of the Tuscan Aquifer, time has proceeded for ages without sound or sunlight, mostly unaffected by the world above. But in recent years, an increasing tug of upward force has been moving the Tuscan Aquifer?s water toward the surface of the Earth?drawn, ultimately, by the thirst of fruit trees and vegetable fields hundreds of miles away.
And in 2014, there simply is not enough water to go around. The driest year in California?s history ended just six weeks ago, and a second dry winter is underway. Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency on Jan. 17, and state and federal water agencies have warned farmers and cities that there will be virtually no allocations this year unless a great deal of rain should soon fall.
Recent weekend storms did little to dent the huge water deficit. Shasta Lake and Lake Oroville are up to 37 percent and 38 percent of capacity, respectively, whereas both were at 36 percent the week before. Folsom Lake is at just 26 percent. In the San Joaquin Valley, San Luis Reservoir?a major agricultural supplier filled with Delta water?is just 30 percent full, and streams and rivers that usually become wintertime torrents of mud-brown water have dwindled into quietly trickling brooks. Sierra Nevada snowpack?usually relied upon for late-summer water?is a fraction of its normal amount. As of last week, Black Butte Lake had entirely dried up.
To meet the needs of the parched state, water managers are increasingly relying upon the groundwater reserves of the Tuscan Aquifer, a trend that critics say is already proving unsustainable. The aquifer?s volume has apparently been diminishing through the years as farmers are forced to drill deeper and deeper to tap the reservoir, according to Christina Buck, water-resources scientist with the Butte County Department of Water and Resource Conservation. This not only threatens Chico?s municipal water supply but also could eventually cause measurable shrinkage of surface rivers and lakes.
?Officials know that we could be looking at longer droughts in the future, and they?re looking for another source of water as a life-extender,? said Jim Brobeck, water-policy analyst with Chico-based AquAlliance. ?So they want to integrate our groundwater into the state water supply.?
Brobeck says the chief threat to the region?s underground water stores is an increasingly common practice called groundwater substitutions, or transfers, whereby landowners sell their own surface water to others in need?often making a healthy profit?and replace it with well water from the public supply.
This wasn?t a problem years ago, when there was less demand for the state?s water. During the previous worst-ever drought in California?s history in the late 1970s, only 22 million people lived in the state. Today, almost 40 million people populate California, and more farmland than ever before is under intensive cultivation. Salmon and steelhead numbers are dropping as their spawning streams are increasingly diverted for human use. The governor now wants to build a pair of giant tunnels that could divert most of the already heavily used Sacramento River to the San Joaquin Valley?a project that critics argue will not solve the state?s water shortage.
Forecasters expect a dry winter. Should March, April and May come and go with little to no rain, the likelihood that any will fall before September is virtually zero. With growers in the Sacramento and the San Joaquin valleys already banking on reduced production, and salmon unable to spawn under current conditions, no one knows how California and its environment will cope should a second year pass with almost no rain.
Several miles south of Chico, straddling the line between Butte and Glenn counties, is the large property owned by John Thompson. The rice grower works 1,400 acres on land that his grandfather worked in the 1940s. Thompson produces several varieties of rice, mostly for table use but also for an Oregon sake brewery. His water comes from the Feather River and is provided on a contractual basis by the state?s Department of Water Resources.
This year, though, there may be very little?even none?available.
?We still have a chance for some rain in February and March, but it?s looking almost certain that our production will be cut by 50 percent,? Thompson said. If the state allots him no water at all from the Feather River, he will still have his wells?though Thompson estimated that he could keep only 300 to 400 acres of his land in production using groundwater.
He noted that even the drought of 37 years ago did not reduce Lake Oroville as much as the current conditions have. ?We?re really in uncharted waters here,? he said. ?In ?77, we had more water in the lake and less people in the state.?


The receding of the lake has revealed all sorts of junky treasures, including this old car entangled with fallen tree branches.
?PHOTO BY MELANIE MACTAVISH 
 
While the Sacramento Valley?s farmers will feel the strain caused by the drought, the severe absence of rainfall will devastate few agricultural areas as severely as it will the Westlands Water District, on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. The region receives just six or seven inches of rainfall in an average year and relies almost entirely on water from the Sacramento Valley, transported south from the Delta via two canals. This year, hundreds of thousands of acres of Westland?s farmland will almost certainly receive no water at all.
?We?re bracing our farmers for possibly no allocation this year,? said Jason Peltier, Westlands? deputy general manager. ?If that happens, farmers will let their fields go dry and use what water they get to keep their orchards alive.?
Peltier said his region?s 600 farmers may need to fallow as much as a third of their land this summer?roughly 200,000 acres left to bake in the sun.
But many water-policy analysts say that Westlands? farmers are largely to blame for any drought-related grievances they may suffer. The region is a relatively young farming district whose contract with the federal government stipulates that other farming areas as well as environmental needs must come first in dry years. Chinook salmon, for example, must have enough water to spawn in and enough flowing downstream to the sea to carry juveniles safely past the two major pumps that serve the San Joaquin Valley.
Nonetheless, farmers in Westlands have been shifting en masse from annual field crops to fruit trees?especially almond orchards. Critics say this is a bad strategy in arid regions.
?Those trees need water every year,? said Mike Hudson, a water activist and commercial salmon fisherman in Oakland. ?You can?t fallow them during drought. This is creating a constant demand for water in a state without a constant supply of water. It takes away all flexibility in management.?
In years when vegetable farmers may have once simply fallowed their fields due to shortages in the state and federal supplies, nut and tree-fruit farmers now pay large amounts of money to irrigation districts in the Sacramento Valley for deliveries of water.
This trend, critics like Brobeck say, is driving the rise in groundwater substitutions. Not only is this process denting the Chico region?s supply, it may also be driving a decline in salmon populations.
That?s because transferring water from north to south requires using two giant pumps in the Delta that can actually reverse the seaward flow of the river system. This causes young fish migrating toward the sea to swim toward the pumps instead. Millions of baby salmon have died through the years in this way. If more water continues to be removed for the benefit of farmers, some fish species likely will go extinct, critics say.
In 2013, the Yuba County Water Agency sold away 72,000 acre-feet of groundwater and replaced it with well water, according to a report last year from the Bureau of Reclamation. The same document predicted that other districts along the Sacramento River would make more than 37,000 acre-feet of groundwater transfers, including 5,000 from the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District, in the same year.
Local groups, including AquAlliance and the Butte Environmental Council, believe these groundwater transfers have the potential to create a water deficit in what is currently one of the last water-secure regions in the state.
And the transfers could be ramped up in coming years. In 2010, the Bureau of Reclamation and the state?s San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority submitted a proposal to make up to 600,000 acre-feet of annual groundwater transfers from Northern California to users south of the Delta. The proposal, which intends to supplement the federal water-delivery system with a new water source, requires an environmental impact report before it can be initiated?a mandate of the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA.
However, the government has bypassed this potentially costly step by edging through a legal loophole, according to critics.


Jim Brobeck, a water-policy analyst with AquAlliance, says the selling of surface water and subsequent groundwater pumping by farmers is a threat to the Tuscan Aquifer.
?PHOTO BY MELANIE MACTAVISH 
 
?They?re calling it a one-year water transfer, instead of a long-term project, and that allows them to skip the CEQA guidelines,? explained Robyn DiFalco, executive director of the Butte Environmental Council. ?Now, we?re seeing multiple one-year transfers, year after year, without environmental review.?
Brobeck at AquAlliance confirms the same?that the federal and state applicants are skirting environmental laws and essentially stealing Northern California?s water.
?They just keep delaying the environmental review, which allows them to operate on a year-by-year basis,? Brobeck said.
On Feb. 3, the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District announced it would be activating five wells this winter to draw up groundwater from the Tuscan Aquifer and transfer it to orchards in Glenn and Colusa counties. The measure is an emergency action never taken before, since these trees normally would receive surface water from the Sacramento River.
Thaddeus Bettner, general manager of the irrigation district, says roughly 10,000 acres of almond and walnut trees have woken from winter dormancy several weeks early and are now budding. Without water on their roots, the trees could suffer damage?not only for this year but for successive seasons, as well.
?We?re faced this season with a situation that we?ve never seen before,? Bettner said. ?We?ve had to decide whether we allow damage to occur to the season?s yield and maybe the trees themselves, or use groundwater and try and protect the trees and the area?s economy.? Bettner guesses his district will use about 3,000 acre-feet of groundwater on the area?s orchards this winter?a fraction, he points out, of the 700,000 acre-feet of water used in the region per year.
But this one-time emergency strategy could become a long-term one. Bettner said the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District will soon begin the CEQA environmental review process with the aim of making these transfers any time allocations of river water are reduced.
Brobeck said the area?s canal system was initially built to alleviate pressure on groundwater reserves.
?So, using them to distribute groundwater represents a huge shift,? he said.
About 10 percent of California?s land surface area is cropland, most of it irrigated?and there are critics who believe the state?s agriculture industry has exceeded its sustainable level.
?Agriculture needs to be using half the water it is now,? said David Zetland, a water-law blogger and author of the forthcoming book Living with Water Scarcity. Zetland calls the San Joaquin Valley ?the No. 1 hotspot of unsustainable agriculture? and believes one way to curb farm growth and sustainably manage the industry would be to prohibit agricultural districts from importing water from other drainages. He said the perception that Northern California has a surplus of water is false.
The governor?s drought emergency brought Californians quickly to attention in January, spurring action, including issuing rationing measures or enforcing those already in place, among urban and rural water districts.
But Brobeck at AquAlliance isn?t convinced, and he even takes issue with the notion that there is an emergency. We know, Brobeck says, that California is a dry region. We know that droughts occur here. Farmers who settled land that receives only six inches of rain per year took a gamble?and he feels they are now dragging down the rest of the state.


Frank Gehrke, chief of snow surveys for the California Department of Water Resources, measures the snowpack near Echo Summit on Jan. 3, finding levels at one-fifth of what is typical for early January.
?PHOTO COURTESY OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES 
 
?The emergency is not the fact that we?re having a drought,? he said. ?The emergency is the fact that people are planting thousands of acres of permanent crops in areas with an unreliable water supply.?
West Coast salmon numbers have declined all the way north to Alaska, but only in California are their troubles so directly related to water shortages. In the Central Valley, federal laws protect salmon by guaranteeing that enough water will always be left in the Delta to support their populations. However, these laws are failing, and even in nondrought years, salmon seem to come up short when farming districts want the same water. The Central Valley chinook runs have declined through the years, while agriculture acreage has steadily grown.
Already, the current drought has heavily impacted Central Valley fish populations. In November, the Bureau of Reclamation began reducing the outflow from Shasta Dam as an emergency effort to conserve water in Lake Shasta. But the drastic measure left thousands of nests?or redds?full of fertilized chinook salmon eggs high and dry. Biologists believe that as much as 40 percent of the fall-run chinook spawn was lost.
A similar loss of more than 10 percent of chinook salmon redds occurred in the American River after officials reduced the outflow from Folsom Lake in January.
Even in times of drought, endangered fish species are supposed to be protected by the Endangered Species Act. Additionally, a 1992 law called the Central Valley Project Improvement Act requires that a minimum of 800,000 acre-feet of water be reserved every year for the benefit of fish and wildlife. The intent of that law was to protect chinook salmon and, in fact, double their population.
But the law has so far failed.
Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations, explained that the Bureau of Reclamation regularly ?games the system? by releasing water from Folsom or Shasta lakes and officially logging the releases as part of the required 800,000 acre feet intended to support wildlife and migrating fish. This meets the obligations of the 1992 Improvement Act.
?But then, when the water reaches the Delta, they pump it south,? Grader said. ?They?re double accounting with the water.?
The drought has stoked up the debate surrounding the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, the state?s proposed water conveyance project that would divert much of the Sacramento River via two giant tunnels into the San Joaquin Valley.
Peltier, of Westlands, like many in the agriculture industry, supports the plan. He thinks the proposed 35-mile-long twin tunnels would increase reliability for farmers by allowing sufficient transfer of water, even in dry years, without compromising the health of the Delta. The existing water pumps near Stockton, operating at full force, can reverse the seaward flow of the Sacramento River, confusing migrating fish and disrupting their natural life cycles.
But opponents of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, including salmon fishermen and environmental groups, say the project likely would destroy struggling fish populations by simply removing too much water, too consistently. One of the plan?s main drawbacks, they say, is that the twin tunnels would not produce any new water, as desalination and water-recycling systems would do.
Many farmers in the San Joaquin Valley have lamented what appears to them to be a waste?river water flowing past the Delta and out to sea.
?In years when there is a surplus, the Bureau of Reclamation should allow us to capture that water,? said Joe Del Bosque, who farms mostly almonds and melons on 2,000 acres in the Westlands Water District. Del Bosque said he might have enough water stored in San Luis Reservoir to last him through the year?but 2015, he says, could destroy him.


Chico farmer and winemaker Berton Bertagna is worried about water allocations for his 600 acres of orchards.
?PHOTO BY MELANIE MACTAVISH 
 
But environmentalists say that, to support the Sacramento River?s fisheries, a substantial portion of its water must be allowed to flow undisturbed to the sea.
?It really gets me when people say that the water flowing into the Bay is wasted,? said Jerry Cadagan, a longtime water activist in Sonora. ?It?s not wasted. It?s essential to keep alive a valuable fishery. Salmon is a food source, healthy just like pomegranates and almonds.?
Earlier this week, Northern Californians were reminded what it feels like when water falls from the sky. Umbrellas came out, and clusters of people assembled under awnings and bus shelters. The roads grew slick and fishtails of spray erupted from passing cars in the streets. It was pouring.
But it wasn?t nearly enough.
The culprit for the ongoing drought is a massive ridge of high pressure that remains anchored over the North Pacific Ocean. It has hardly shifted for 14 months and is creating a massive atmospheric rain shadow on the West Coast. Storms that would normally float eastward over California with the jet stream are being deflected northward by the ridge, which is roughly the size of the Andes Mountains. When this devastating barrier will dissipate is unclear.
Randall Osterhuber, the lead researcher at the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory near Donner Pass, said if this ridge breaks down, another large storm or two could still swoop in over California, soaking the valleys and cloaking the mountains.
?But every day that it?s clear and dry,? he said, ?the statistical chances that we?ll have an average or almost-average water year decline significantly.?
Cadagan, who has lived through at least two severe droughts in California, says this one takes things to a new level. He is confident the state?s residential water supplies will last the rest of 2014.
?But if we don?t get rain this winter, and if next fall is dry, too, we?re going to see people leaving the state,? he said.
Ed George, a farmer near Davis, believes he may survive the year. He uses water from wells, which he suspects to be part of a subterranean water system fed and recharged by the perennial supply of Lake Berryessa?rather than the drainage of the dwindling Cache Creek?and George believes his water supply will hold out. He hopes so, anyway. Other growers, he is certain, will produce little to nothing in 2014.
?Food is going to be really expensive,? he predicted.
George expects that ranchers will have to cull their herds of cattle when the dry spring provides no ample pasture.
And in fact, that?s happening locally already, according to Orland-based cattle rancher Shannon Douglass. Last week, Douglass began selling some black Angus steers from the 50-head herd she and her husband, Kelly, have built up over the last decade.
?I just announced to customers this week that we will be out of beef very shortly, as we are forced to sell livestock that we would have kept for finishing,? she told the CN&R.
Berton Bertagna, a fourth-generation farmer in Butte County, has more than 600 acres of orchards that could go dry this year if his water supply is cut off. Worse, his groundwater supply is dwindling?evidence, perhaps, that we are overdrafting the Tuscan Aquifer.
?I had to lower three different wells last year,? he said, adding that many other area farmers will be tapping the aquifer if they receive no allocation from their irrigation districts.
?We?re all really worried about the groundwater supply,? Bertagna said. ?Those of us who have orchards need to water those trees every year. But we might not get rain, and we might not get snowpack, so we?re just hoping we can get our trees through the year with our wells.?   
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Feb 13 14:02:25 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 22:02:25 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] re-send with attachments: Trinty River Trapping
 Summary Udate JWeek 6
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C11B507@057-SN2MPN1-041.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Please see attachments for the JWeek  6 (Feb 5 - Feb 11) Trinity River trapping summary update.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From victoria7 at snowcrest.net  Thu Feb 13 09:57:04 2014
From: victoria7 at snowcrest.net (Vicki Gold)
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:57:04 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] latimes: Politics cloud water debate
In-Reply-To: <1392312904.16926.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1392312904.16926.YahooMailNeo@web125403.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <92FCCB58-BB7F-45FC-8059-BFFBE4FFC998@snowcrest.net>

Great article. Thank you. Off to meet photographer from the Chron @ 12 today. Hope he gets lucky with this weather for photos.
Vicki
On Feb 13, 2014, at 9:35 AM, Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net> wrote:

> 
> latimes.com/business/la-fi-hiltzik-20140207,0,1425489.column
> latimes.com
> 
> Politics cloud water debate
> 
> Fixing California's water crisis requires finding a way to reallocate supply among the state's three major user groups ? and avoiding the political posturing and bickering that have surfaced.
> 
> Michael Hiltzik
> 5:00 AM PST, February 9, 2014
> advertisement
> There are two possible policy outcomes to a severe drought like the one California is experiencing now.
> 
> One is that the drought focuses the minds of political leaders and water users, prompting them to come together to craft a broad, comprehensive solution to a problem that won't be going away.
> 
> The other is that the community of water users will fragment and turn on one another, with farmers lining up against environmentalists, suburbanites against farmers, and so on.
> 
> Which way would you guess things are going?
> 
> Here's a clue: Last week a clutch of Republican members of Congress from California agricultural counties arranged (with the connivance of House Speaker John Boehner) to pass a bill overriding mandates to keep water flowing in the state's rivers in favor of increasing supplies to farmers. They sounded the tired old cry about "putting families over fish," as though there aren't families in California dependent on healthy fisheries, too, and as though the water transfer in question would relieve what is shaping up as a record drought year.
> 
> The measure is opposed by Gov. Jerry Brown, state water officials and Democrats in both houses of Congress. It's nothing but a sop to credulous farm voters in the districts of Reps. David Valadao, Kevin McCarthy and Devin Nunes, its sponsors. It doesn't create a single drop of water, despite ridiculous claims that it will "solve California's water crisis" (Nunes), and abrogates jealously guarded states' rights over water allocations to boot.
> 
> Yet while this posturing was going on in Washington, the drought in California was growing worse and solutions more elusive. Even if it's relieved by the wet spell we've seen in recent days continuing through the rest of the wet season, it's a harbinger of more extremes to come, thanks to climate change.
> 
> No one thinks a fix will be simple. The supply of water from within and outside the state is becoming oversubscribed, and the allocations and promises made to growers and residential developments out of step with reality. More dams won't solve the problem, nor will technological innovations like desalination.
> Even conservation has its limits. As Ellen Hanak and her colleagues at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California have documented, per capita consumption in semi-arid Southern California is among the lowest in the state. But incremental gains may be getting harder to come by.
> The Central Valley congressmen who introduced the "Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Emergency Water Delivery Act" talk as though the farmers' problems would be solved if only they got their hands on 800,000 acre-feet of water that must legally flow through the Sacramento delta to save the delta smelt, an endangered species, but that's a self-interested simplification.
> 
> At its core, California water policy is about allocating supply among the state's three major user groups ? agriculture (the largest consumer), residents and the environment. That's not simple.
> 
> The state's legal and regulatory framework for allocating water is complex ? some of it is antique, some of recent vintage and some laboring under a legal cloud. For example, it's legally unclear whether diverting water from agricultural users for environmental protection is a "taking" under the U.S. Constitution and therefore requires financial compensation, which would complicate such diversions enormously.
> 
> The last appellate judges who considered the matter said no, but the issue hasn't come before the Supreme Court and won't for years at least. "Until the U.S. Supremes rule, it'll be a live wire," says Antonio Rossmann, a veteran water rights attorney in Berkeley.
> 
> Another constraint dates from the so-called Monterey Amendments, a backroom deal reached in 1994 between the State Water Project and several water contractors, including the Metropolitan Water District and private Paramount Farms. Paramount is owned by Roll Global, the corporate arm of Beverly Hills billionaires Stewart and Lynda Resnick, who are better known as the purveyors of Fiji Water and Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice. Paramount also is the largest grower and processor of almonds and pistachios in the world, in part because the Monterey deal gave it access to a permanent supply of water. That's necessary for the cultivation of nut trees, which can't survive interruptions in water.
> 
> Critics say the Monterey Amendments turned over too much control over water allocations from the SWP to private interests. "They cut the natural resource aspect out of the SWP water and made it just about its economic value," says Adam Keats, senior counsel for the Center for Biological Diversity, which is suing to overturn the deal. "They eliminated the state as manager of public resource. When you do that, the rich guys benefit." (The Sacramento Superior Court judge hearing the case has hinted that he might uphold the deal, but his decision is almost certainly destined for appeal no matter which side prevails.)
> 
> The amendments' effect was to make it easier for Paramount to keep its water flowing to its nut trees, and also for farmers to sell their water to land developers. "That hardened demand," says attorney Rossmann ? farmers growing beans and alfalfa can fallow their land for a year or two in a dry period; nut growers and residential developments can't. And that leaves the state with less flexibility than it had even during the long, severe drought of 1987-92 to reallocate supply to where it's most needed.
> 
> Inevitably, the solution to the state's water crisis must lie in finding a way to reallocate supply among the Big Three users. Playing the people-versus-fish card is utterly pointless, because even canceling all the environmental allocations wouldn't solve the essential supply problem.
> Already, observes Hanak of the Public Policy Institute of California, supplies are so low that all categories of users are going to have to absorb cuts. "If it doesn't rain," she says, "they'll have to balance the water between different fish species."
> 
> Hanak advocates freeing the state's water trading system so that the guardians of fish and wildlife can buy and sell environmental water allocations the way urban and agricultural users do now. What's troubling about that idea is that the environment doesn't have legal water rights like other users: fish, wildlife and rivers are protected through regulatory actions, not through contracts. "The environment should not have to participate in a market with consumptive users," says Rossmann, the Berkeley water attorney. State and federal fish and wildlife officials would face "major institutional hurdles" in water trading, "because they're not used to doing that." He argues that environmental water, which serves not only ecological needs but the fishery and resort industries, should be allocated first, with farmers and urban dwellers free to trade the rest.
> The most important factor in meeting the crisis is a recognition that California has made some bad choices in the past that would not be made today, knowing what we know about the likely trajectory of statewide water supply. We would plant fewer permanent crops like nut trees, and make fewer commitments of firm water to housing project developers.
> 
> Some of these decisions will have to be undone in the near term, some will be undone by the implacable economics of residential development and agriculture, and some we will have to live with for decades more. Fatuous political posturing to give some groups of users priority over others is a waste of time, and one thing we have less of every dry day is time.
> 
> Michael Hiltzik's column appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Read his blog, the Economy Hub, at latimes.com/business/hiltzik, reach him at mhiltzik at latimes.com, check out facebook.com/hiltzik and follow @hiltzikm on Twitter.
> 
> _______________________________________________
> env-trinity mailing list
> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Feb 14 09:15:23 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2014 09:15:23 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] (no subject)
Message-ID: <1392398123.48192.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Feds? marijuana policy confusion exacerbating Calif. water crisis
Douglas Ernst, Washington Times
The federal government?s schizophrenic approach to enforcement of marijuana laws is destroying California?s water supply. The state?s ?Emerald Triangle? of Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity counties, for example, is having its water supply drained by illegal pot growers because the federal government won?t allow local officials to craft public policy addressing the issue
?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/13/feds-marijuana-policy-confusion-exacerbating-calif/print/?
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From ema.berol at yahoo.com  Fri Feb 14 19:24:56 2014
From: ema.berol at yahoo.com (Emelia Berol)
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2014 19:24:56 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] (no subject)
In-Reply-To: <1392398123.48192.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1392434696.10067.YahooMailIosMobile@web122004.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

whata bunch of bullshit ...<a href="http://overview.mail.yahoo.com?.src=iOS"><br/><br/>Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad</a>
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Feb 17 11:42:39 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 11:42:39 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Maven's Notebook: Reclamation notifies San Joaquin
	River Exchange Contractors Authority that they will only
	receive 40% of their entitlement,
	far below their contractual 75% critical year entitlement
Message-ID: <1392666159.91643.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

For those of you who follow water in California, this story is historic. ?The San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors normally get cut no more than 25%. ?This year it's a 60% cut. ?

Read more at:

http://mavensnotebook.com/2014/02/17/this-just-in-reclamation-notifies-san-joaquin-river-exchange-contractors-authority-that-they-will-only-receive-40-of-their-entitlement-far-below-their-contractual-75-critical-year-entitlement/ ?
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Feb 17 22:00:43 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 22:00:43 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fwd: Join the Ecology Center on Feb. 21: Volcanoes &
	Hydrology
In-Reply-To: <14A205EA-D07C-4529-B3B5-37F43D3DCCB1@shastavisions.com>
References: <61fd4d6c0df764094a12b3192552742bc2a.20140217210039@mail120.us2.mcsv.net>
	<14A205EA-D07C-4529-B3B5-37F43D3DCCB1@shastavisions.com>
Message-ID: <1392703243.48420.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Richard Lucas <richard at shastavisions.com>
To: 
Sent: Monday, February 17, 2014 9:41 PM
Subject: Fwd: Join the Ecology Center on Feb. 21:  Volcanoes & Hydrology
 



>
> 
>View this email in your browser    
> 
>Peggy Risch photo taken from Little Mount Hoffman on the rim of the Medicine Lake Highlands - showing?Little Glass Mountain and Pumice Stone Mountain, with Mount Shasta on the horizon.?    
>  
>Dear Friends,
>
>M. Lee Davisson,?Noted Scientist, to Present on Local Volcanic Hydrology at Sisson Museum February 21??
>
>The spring systems of three Southern Cascade Volcanoes?Mount Shasta, Medicine Lake Volcano, and Mount Lassen?will be the topic of a presentation by M. Lee Davisson, a research geochemist with the firm M.L. Davisson and Associates in Livermore, California. The event will take place at Sisson Museum in Mount Shasta on Friday, February 21,?from 3 to 5:30 PM.
>?
>Davisson will discuss pathways of recharge and flow on the volcanoes that contribute to our local and state water supply. He will speak generally about the Mount Shasta and Mount Lassen stratovolcanoes, and more specifically about his recent peer-reviewed isotopic study of Medicine Lake shield volcano and the Fall River Springs. The study, which he co-authored with Dr. Tim Rose of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, will be published in the Journal of Environmental Forensics this coming March.
>?
>The presentation will reveal the scientific techniques that contribute to conclusions about the interconnection of Medicine Lake Volcano as the primary recharge area for the significant outflow at the Fall River Springs, the largest spring system in California. The groundwater storage capacity of the three aquifers will be treated, as well as risks to future water supplies. The discussion will also touch on identifying the western boundary between Medicine Lake Volcano and the eastern boundary of Mount Shasta, which are not well defined, and assessing whether a connection also exists between the Medicine Lake Volcano aquifer and the McCloud River.
>?
>?In this year of severe drought, understanding these pristine, abundant, reliable volcanic headwaters is more vital than ever,? said Michelle Berditschevsky, Senior Conservation Consultant for?the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center. The Ecology Center and Medicine Lake Citizens for Quality Environment are co-sponsoring the presentation.
>?
>This event is free and open to the public, and will be of special interest to natural resource professionals, hydrologists, government agencies, environmental nonprofits, landowners, fishermen, and anyone who wants to know more about the intricacies of volcanic hydrology and the high-volume spring flows that issue from our local volcanoes.
>?
>For more information, please contact the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center at 926-5655 or email?michelle at mountshastaecology.org.
>?      
>  
> 
>Facebook 
> 
>Twitter 
> 
>Website    
>Copyright ? 2014 Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center, All rights reserved.?
>You are receiving this email because you opted to receive electronic news and updates from the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center.?
>
>Our mailing address is:?
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Feb 19 08:02:22 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2014 08:02:22 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal LTE- James Lee: TRRP putting out
	sincere effort to restore river
Message-ID: <1392825742.39927.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_f46622da-9910-11e3-a560-0017a43b2370.html?_dc=644238072913.14?

?
TRRP putting out sincere effort to restore river
Posted: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 6:15 am
From James Lee
Lewiston
This letter is in response to Tom Stokely?s recent guest column, ?Trinity River Restoration Program has lost its way.? I?d like to disclose the fact that I am the TRRP?s resident riparian ecologist and riparian workgroup coordinator, but I?m not writing on behalf of the program. I?m writing as a public citizen, resident and landowner in Trinity County.
Stokely uses unabashed hyperbole when he speaks of channel rehabilitation as, ?More accurately it is a riparian clear-cut, the kind of devastation you would?ve seen in the 1960s and 1970s, before logging rules tightened.? He uses language like this at least twice in his essay. This really bothers me, because I know how hard the TRRP is working to improve salmon and steelhead habitat while minimizing short-term negative impacts to riparia.
In fact, the TRRP has invested countless dollars and hours of staff time in improving the long-term health of the riparian corridor.
What upsets me even more is the fact that, in the two years since there has been a riparian ecologist in residence at the TRRP, Stokely hasn?t made any attempt at all to make personal contact with him to voice these concerns or to offer his suggestions for improvement. There is no excuse for this. Mr. Stokely is a member of the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group, which is commensurate with the status of the highest ranking full-time employee in the organization, and he has had an incredible opportunity to affect change from within the organization, instead of throwing stones at it from the outside.
I think that Mr. Stokely is an intelligent and influential person, and many of the things that he says I personally agree with.
So it breaks my heart that while TRRP staff is voluntarily working unpaid overtime hours, putting out sincere efforts to recover the Trinity River fishery by applying the ?best available science? while still being considerate of public opinion, budgets and the boundaries established by the Trinity Record of Decision, he is launching this political assault without even bothering to work with the guys on the ground, like me, first.
This really makes me question his motivations for publishing his essay. If I were you, I?d question them, too.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Feb 19 08:04:28 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2014 08:04:28 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Yurok Tribe says river projects must
	move forward
Message-ID: <1392825868.69163.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_ce543bfa-9919-11e3-a51d-001a4bcf6878.html?

Yurok Tribe says river projects must move forward
Amy Gittelsohn The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 6:15 am
There has been some pushback to a formal request that two pending Trinity River channel rehabilitation projects be stopped short until fuller environmental studies are done.
Yurok Tribal Chairman Thomas O'Rourke responded to the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and Trinity River Restoration Program regarding comments from a coalition of environmental groups, fishing guides and landowners along the Trinity River about the Bucktail and Lower Junction City projects.
The projects are to include in-river work to increase salmon and steelhead habitat by creating slow-water refuge areas and work to allow the river to spread onto its floodplain. The project at Bucktail in Lewiston would include a side channel and placement of habitat features including logjams.
The Lower Junction City project is proposed for construction in 2014, while the Bucktail project could be scheduled for 2015.
O'Rourke expressed concern that river restoration to restore the fishery is being undermined in an effort to direct more money to work in the watersheds.
But from the California Water Impact Network that signed the coalition letter, Tom Stokely noted that the Trinity River Record of Decision called for $1.8 million a year to be spent on watershed restoration.
"Best they've ever gotten is $600,000," he said.
O'Rourke noted that the Yurok Tribe is the single largest harvester of Klamath River fish, including fish from the Klamath's largest tributary, the Trinity River.
Full implementation of the Trinity River Record of Decision in 2000 was delayed until 2005 because of legal challenges, O'Rourke stated.
He takes aim at a number of statements in the coalition letter, particularly those referencing a Science Advisory Board's draft review of the first phase of Trinity River projects. The draft report contains inaccuracies, has not undergone technical review and should not have been cited in the coalition letter, O'Rourke stated.
Furthermore, he said, "the coalition letter used information from the report inaccurately and out of context, to portray a biased view regarding the success of ongoing TRRP activities."
"The authors of the coalition letter focus solely on creation of new baseflow rearing habitat; this indicates a poor understanding of the role of habitat in fish production," O'Rourke said. "Total rearing habitat at baseflow is but one small aspect in the role of habitat in fish production."
He also objected to the coalition's argument comparing a program goal of a 400 percent increase in juvenile rearing habitat to the Science Advisory Board draft report findings of an annual increase of only 1.2 to 1.6 percent a year in rearing habitat.
"This number has been vastly misused and is not a goal of the TRRP," O'Rourke said, adding that the comparison using baseflow does not provide context in regard to how the program is progressing toward meeting goals.
To much of this, Stokely responded that the environmental analysis documents released in December for the projects should be withdrawn and reworked when the Science Advisory Board's final report is finished, possibly at the end of March.
If further information is needed for habitat created at higher river flows, "that's fine," Stokely said. "Let's get the final report and clarify that."
O'Rourke asked that there be a finding of no significant impact for the projects.
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Feb 20 11:32:44 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 11:32:44 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: What's New From CalTrout? The February
	Newsletter...
In-Reply-To: <28ecbd88a1a8b6ca927b578b85a471450ef.20140220184954@mail25.us2.mcsv.net>
References: <28ecbd88a1a8b6ca927b578b85a471450ef.20140220184954@mail25.us2.mcsv.net>
Message-ID: <1392924764.53713.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

See page 2 of the Streamkeeper's log for an article about the Trinity River Restoration Program.?


----- Forwarded Message -----
From: California Trout <info at caltrout.org>
To: tstokely at att.net 
Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2014 10:51 AM
Subject: What's New From CalTrout? The February Newsletter...
 


What's New From CalTrout? The February Newsletter...  
To protect and restore wild trout, steelhead and salmon
?| Home | Donate | Gear | Forward | News |
  Facebook?  Twitter   
  
Hot Off the PressThe winter installment of our quarterly newsletter, Streamkeeper?s Log, is out. For an update on projects around the state including the Trinity, Fall and McCloud River, Golden Trout efforts and our Southern California Steelhead Coalitions, please read on?(Flipbook) |?Download (PDF) 

? 
Also In This Issue:


Smith River Alliance Update
The Smith River is one of California?s premier ?Salmon Strongholds.?? The Smith is home to coastal cutthroat trout, steelhead, and coho and Chinook salmon.? CalTrout has been a trusted partner with the Smith River Alliance (SRA) on decades of conservation projects in the watershed.? For updates on these projects CLICK HERE
? 
Drought Relief Bills
HR 3964, the House drought relief bill known as ?Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Emergency Water Delivery Act? was passed on February 5th. In response, Senators Feinstein and Boxer of California?and Wyden and Merkley of Oregon?introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate, the California Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2014. While the House bill ultimately passed, CalTrout joined others in the conservation community in releasing a joint statement in opposition of that bill. READ MORE
? 
California Drought POV
California?s history is punctuated by droughts. Each drought reveals problems and becomes an opportunity to focus on improving water management and expanding smaller-scale innovations. For UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences view on the issue READ MORE
? 
Emergency Fish Closures
With the state facing the worst drought in over 100 years, earlier this month the California Fish and Game Commission adopted emergency regulations to close some waters to angling as recommended by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. READ MORE 

?   
 
Humboldt County Fails to Protect Salmon Stream (more)

2014 Membership
It?s not too late to renew your membership.??Renew today!
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Questions or Comments About The Streamkeeper's Log or CalTrout?

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?
The Streamkeeper's Log is California Trout's regularly published newsletter for CalTrout members, stakeholders, and interested parties.
 
 


Sacramento Next Stop on CalTrout?s F3T tour

? Sacramento, Feb.?26th
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Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show 2/21-23 
Stop by our table for the chance to win some CalTrout schwag. And be sure to catch the IF4 screening Friday night featuring Swing North produced by CalTrout?s Mike Wier.? 
 
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Forty years later, CalTrout is still protecting California's trout, salmon and steelhead -- protecting them when necessary, and fighting to restore them wherever possible. 
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Feb 20 11:38:08 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 11:38:08 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: TPUD cancels plans to upgrade
	Lewiston Dam generator
Message-ID: <1392925088.26752.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_f32bc634-9917-11e3-bd61-001a4bcf6878.html?

TPUD cancels plans to upgrade Lewiston Dam generator
Amy Gittelsohn The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 6:15 am
A long-anticipated project of the Trinity Public Utilities District to upgrade the small generator at Lewiston Dam was canceled last week due to escalating costs and failed negotiations with the federal Bureau of Reclamation.
Currently, the generator at Lewiston Dam only powers the fish hatchery.
There was an agreement that the city of Redding would buy the additional power from the Lewiston Project from the TPUD to allow Redding to meet renewable energy requirements mandated by the state. The TPUD is currently exempt from such requirements, but the project was conceived partly as a hedge in case the county loses that exemption. Energy from large hydroelectric facilities such as Trinity Dam upstream is not considered renewable by the state.
In October 2010 the TPUD borrowed money to free up reserves for use on the project.
However, estimated costs of the project increased from $10.8 million to $16 million. Reclamation was to pay $4 million of that amount but the TPUD would still have needed to borrow additional money, increasing the time needed for the project to pay for itself to 28 years, "assuming no construction surprises," General Manager Paul Hauser said at Thursday's meeting of the TPUD board.
"It's my belief the Bureau still wants to see this project go forward," Hauser said.
In an interview, Hauser said the existing unit at Lewiston has reached the end of its life. He said the project was also going to fix some environmental issues by reworking an area where salmonid fry are stranded after high flows subside and by taking water from lower in Lewiston Lake so that cooler water is released to the Trinity River for fish.
However, he said Reclamation is unwilling to provide protections the TPUD has been requesting for the financially tenuous project.
Reclamation wanted to insert language stating that the TPUD must reimburse Reclamation for any actions the district takes that costs Reclamation money. The TPUD wanted reciprocal language.
Hauser explained, "If we started construction and they showed up and said, 'We forgot this. You need to make this change,' I wanted language in there saying they had to pay for that."
"Even if they came back to us tomorrow we'd still miss the construction season?" board member Keith Groves asked.
Hauser said that is true, and another issue is the project was anticipated to be done by now with revenue coming in from Redding.
If it were ordered now it would take a year to get the turbine.
Asked by board member Richard Morris for the Redding perspective on this, Hauser responded, "I would say they're mildly pleased we're canceling the project."
Because of subsidies Redding can get solar power to meet the renewable energy mandate from only 6.5 cents per kilowatt hour compared to the 8.2 cents the city would have been paying the TPUD, he said.
The TPUD could also purchase solar power if required to meet a renewable energy mandate, Hauser said, but he added that the district would fight legislation requiring that.
The board voted 5-0 to cancel the project and send notice to the Bureau of Reclamation.
"I feel badly about this but it's not our fault," board member Tom Ludden said.
The district has begun the process to repay $5.8 million of its debt related to the Lewiston Project this year. Otherwise, debt service on that amount would be $700,000 a year.
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Feb 20 11:40:56 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 11:40:56 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal August LTE: Restoration wasting
	millions
Message-ID: <1392925256.13374.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

I missed this one from the August Trinity Journal.

TS

http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_1be2a3da-0f80-11e3-8524-001a4bcf6878.html?
Restoration wasting millions
From G.R. Archerd Weaverville | Posted: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 6:15 am
I have been an avid outdoorsman all my life, and at my current age of 55 I have become baffled at some of the so-called Trinity River ?Restoration Projects,? aka TRRP, taking place here on the Trinity River. It should be called, ?Restriction Projects.?
Before the TRRP, river access along Steiner Flat Road was numerous, and there were true primitive camping areas, but after their restoration efforts, it is all designated now, looking more like a picnic area. At first it was deceptive in nature, with them having us believe it was all for the fish and wildlife, but as one who has followed behind all of their restoration projects, they have done nothing but eliminated great fishing spots, filled the river up with even more silt and have limited river access even more than they ever have. They have polluted the woods with surveying tape, stakes, and have even used ? inch steel rebar to stake the so-called native plants they replanted to cover the destruction that was created in their restoration projects in the first place.
In the name of restoration they have taken away the primitive campground on Steiner Flat Road. They wiped out river trails, cut channels everywhere there was access, and now you have to wade across these so-called channels just to reach the actual river. They have left behind more garbage than there was in the first place. At one particular location they wouldn?t even pick up the old tires and a refrigerator that some fool had dumped four years ago. They have left behind old cables and broken equipment parts, caused even more erosion than before, blocked roads with boulders and put up locked gates on our public lands. Not to mention changing the course of waterways; this is against the law if you or I were to do it. ?
They have outlawed suction dredging, all for the safety of the fish, but look at how many yards of rocks and gravel they injected into the river. One should visit downstream when they are doing their ?injections? like I have, and you will see firsthand how much silt and debris floats downstream, filling in prime spawning areas. If anything they should be removing the rocks and silt, not adding to it.
Before they killed most of the salmon in 2008, I was able to consistently catch fish, landing salmon in the 30-pound range and all sizes and species of trout. Not since then though, for the river is all but sterile these days. You don?t see the small fry and fingerlings like there used to be in the shallows and it seems to have gotten worse year after year. You don?t see the eagles and osprey that flew up and down the river every morning. Why? No fish to be found. In fact if one wants to see these birds of prey, you have to go to the lakes where there still is a food source available for them.
I will conclude as it has become apparent to me that this is just more of our freedom we keep losing on a daily basis. On a positive note, at least some of these restoration employees have a job for now and it should add to our local economy, as long as ?THEY? have something left to restore, as long as our federal government continues to waste millions of our tax dollars in new and creative ways. Thank you.
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From FISH1IFR at aol.com  Thu Feb 20 13:29:48 2014
From: FISH1IFR at aol.com (FISH1IFR at aol.com)
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 16:29:48 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [env-trinity] DWR Response to Coalition Letter (1/13/14) re:
	Trinity Restoration issues
Message-ID: <d929e.27984340.4037cdcc@aol.com>

Dear Trinity River Restoration Colleagues....
 
Attached is the response, for your information and so we all have a  
complete record, of the CA Department of Water Resources' (DWR) recent response  
to the Coalition letter of January 23, 2014, in which we and other groups  
expressed criticism of some of the current mainstem Trinity restoration  
efforts.  
 
It is generally a healthy debate, and will hopefully assure a better  
restoration program -- a goal we all share.  Looking at these  complex issues 
from all sides can only help in that understanding and  achieving that 
underlying goal.
 
 
======================================
Glen H. Spain, Northwest  Regional Director
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations  (PCFFA)
PO Box 11170, Eugene, OR 97440-3370
Office: (541)689-2000 Fax:  (541)689-2500
Web Home Page: _www.pcffa.org_ (http://www.pcffa.org/) 
Email:  fish1ifr at aol.com

 
 
 
 
 
From: Connor, Teresa at DWR [mailto:Teresa.Connor at water.ca.gov]  
Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 3:32 PM
To: (list omitted  for brevity)
Subject: DWR's response to Coalition Letter regarding EA  for TRRP projects

All, 
Attached is DWR?s  response memo to the NCRWQCB regarding the coalition 
letter sent to them about  the EA for the TRRP rehabilitation sites. Our letter 
should be mailed out to Mr.  St. John later today. 
Teresa  Connor 
530-529-7360 


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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Feb 21 07:55:26 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2014 07:55:26 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Redding.com: Redding,
	water purveyors want a sit-down with feds on water cutbacks
Message-ID: <1392998126.83642.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.redding.com/news/2014/feb/19/redding-water-purveyors-want-a-sit-down-with-on/?

Redding, water purveyors want a sit-down with feds on water cutbacks
By Jenny Espino
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Redding and other senior water rights holders say they will challenge a federal agency?s decision to slash water deliveries by as much as 60 percent for the year.
Allocations from the Sacramento River provide nearly half of Redding?s water, meaning the city will have to rely on groundwater and voluntary conservation efforts to meet demands to the levels of those from three years ago.
The decision to push back on the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation?s supply reductions spurred by the state?s drought came today during a late afternoon conference call among some 30 water purveyors, many of whom are ranchers. Redding is a fringe member of the group.
Brian Crane, the city?s public works director, said the group disagrees with the math the bureau is using for the allotments and wants a sit-down discussion with the federal agency.
?The bottom line is that they received letters similar to ours,? Crane said of the notice the city received on Tuesday from the bureau. ?They have key players in preparing the response to the bureau.?
A bureau spokesman for the Mid-Pacific Region today declined to comment on the letters, saying the agency still has to release its water allotment plan on Friday.
Water services contractors, such as the Bella Vista Water District, which serves about 6,000 customers in Redding, are bracing for bad water news.
The district on its website is expecting zero allocations for agricultural irrigation and only a minimal quantity available for all other purposes.
Redding receives about 6,000 acre-feet from the Spring Creek Conduit under its Buckeye contract with the bureau.
Crane said it's possible the cut to be announced by the bureau on Friday could be as severe as allocating the city only 600 to 800 acre-feet. And yet the city should have enough water to meet its customers' demands for the year.
Water scarcity in the state is nothing new. But conditions are far worse than they were during the historic drought of 1976-77, when all but 11 counties declared drought emergencies.
David Coxey, general manager for the Bella Vista district noted the North State is home to permanent crops. It has become more urbanized, and like the rest of California, it is grappling with stricter water quality standards. Since the mid-1970s, Shasta County?s population alone has nearly doubled.
Long before the bureau?s notifications of sharp cutbacks were delivered to water purveyors this week, the federal agency had given warnings about potential changes in water supply.
It considered the cutbacks in 2012-13. That season ended with 44.3 inches of precipitation.
Louise Moore, the bureau spokesperson, said the state is dealing with three dry years in a row. The last 13 have been among the driest.
The water system that hit the region earlier this month pushed levels at the Shasta Dam only by about a foot, not enough to make a significant impact.
Stan Wangberg, Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District general manager, the 60 percent cut in water may mean a shorter irrigation season for pasturelands of hay and alfalfa.
?It?s a tough situation,? he said. ?I try to remain optimistic. But it?s very dry.?
The district uses some 100,000 acre-feet annually. The bureau proposes to cut the water supply to 50,000 acre-feet.
How the bureau responds to the purveyors? letter remains to be seen.
?I?m more hopeful that there will be more rainfall in the next six weeks to take off some of the pressure from these decisions (by the bureau),? Wangberg said.
??? 2014 Scripps Newspaper Group ? Online
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Feb 21 08:51:53 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2014 08:51:53 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] : REMINDER - Free CA Hydromod Webinar: Compensatory
	Mitigation for Streams Under the Clean Water Act?
In-Reply-To: <CAFstxeiqXdYaAFA3NveVatRj_Lj4-Gk8xUGaxWckMD2zKFWCqw@mail.gmail.com>
References: <LYRIS-118271-1029984-2014.02.20-16.34.59--peteybrucker#gmail.com@swrcb18.waterboards.ca.gov>
	<CAFstxeiqXdYaAFA3NveVatRj_Lj4-Gk8xUGaxWckMD2zKFWCqw@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1393001513.4205.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:  <lyris at swrcb18.waterboards.ca.gov>
Date: Thu, Feb 20, 2014 at 3:35 PM
Subject: REMINDER - Free CA Hydromod Webinar: Compensatory Mitigation for Streams Under the Clean Water Act?
To: <



This is a message from the State Water Resources Control Board.
The California Water Board Academy?s College of Storm Water is proud to sponsor a special Hydromodification Seminar (http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/stormwater/hydromodification.shtml).
?
Compensatory Mitigation for Streams Under the Clean Water Act: Reassessing Science and Redirecting Policy
?
Martin W. Doyle and F. Douglas Shields
?
February 27, 2014
1:00pm ? 2:30pm
Byron Sher Auditorium(capacity 250)
Cal EPA Building
1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Webcast:? http://www.calepa.ca.gov/broadcast/
?
ABSTRACT:? Current stream restoration science is not adequate to assume high rates of success in recovering ecosystem functional integrity. The physical scale of most stream restoration projects is insufficient because watershed land use controls ambient water quality and hydrology, and land use surrounding many restoration projects at the time of their construction, or in the future, do not provide sufficient conditions for functional integrity recovery.Reach scale channel restoration or modification has limited benefits within the broader landscape context. Physical habitat variables are often the basis for indicating success, but are now increasingly seen as poor surrogates for actual biological function; the assumption ??if you build it they will come?? lacks support of empirical studies. If stream restoration is to play a continued role in compensatory mitigation under the United States Clean Water Act, then significant policy changes are
 needed to adapt to the limitations of restoration science and the social environment under which most projects are constructed. When used for compensatory mitigation, stream restoration should be held to effectiveness standards for actual and measurable physical, chemical, or biological functional improvement. To achieve improved mitigation results, greater flexibility may be required for the location and funding of restoration projects, the size of projects, and the restoration process itself.
?
Martin Doyleis Professor of River Science and Policy, with training? in hydrology, geomorphology, and engineering. His research is at the interface of science, economics and policy of environmental management and restoration. His background is in hydraulics and sediment transport in rivers, but he also works on river infrastructure, including decommissioning dams and levees, as well as research on emerging ecosystem service markets. He holds a PhD in Earth Science from Purdue University, and a Masters in Environmental Engineering from Ole Miss. His research has resulted in several awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship (2009), a National Science Foundation Early Career Award (2005), and the Chorafas Prize from the Chorafas Foundation in Switzerland (2002). For his work in bridging environmental science and policy, in 2009 he was named the inaugural Frederick J Clarke Scholar by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
?
Doug Shields, Jr. is a consulting hydraulic engineer who is employed by cbec eco engineering part time. He currently serves as the chair of the American Society of Civil Engineers Technical Committee on River Restoration and previously conducted research for the Corps of Engineers (1980-1990) and the National Sedimentation Laboratory (USDA-ARS, 1990-2012). His research focused on response of fluvial systems to human influences and development of environmental design criteria for all types of channel stabilization and modification projects, including stream bank erosion controls, levees, and management of riverine backwaters. Shields holds a Ph.D. from Colorado State and an M.S. from Vanderbilt. He has authored or co-authored more than 280 technical publications and is a registered Professional Engineer, a Diplomate of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers and a fellow of the ASCE.
?
?
REGISTRATION NOT REQUIRED? The auditorium is very large (capacity 250) if you show up in person and there is no limit to the number of web connections.? To participate in the webinar just click on the webcast link (http://www.calepa.ca.gov/broadcast/) on the morning of the event for a streaming, webcast experience.? For more information please visit our Hydromod Series webpage, here: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/stormwater/hydromodification.shtml
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Feb 21 10:38:18 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2014 10:38:18 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] FDraft BDCP and Associated Draft EIR/EIS Comment
	Period Extended to June 13, 2014
In-Reply-To: <1116612987975.1102938290075.3519.0.201313JL.1002@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
References: <1116612987975.1102938290075.3519.0.201313JL.1002@scheduler.constantcontact.com>
Message-ID: <1393007898.69539.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: The Bay Delta Conservation Plan <info at baydeltaconservationplan.com>
To: tstokely at att.net 
Sent: Friday, February 21, 2014 10:13 AM
Subject: Draft BDCP and Associated Draft EIR/EIS Comment Period Extended to June 13, 2014
 


 
??? 



??News Alert
February 21, 2014        
Draft BDCP and Associated Draft EIR/EIS Comment Period Extended to June 13, 2014 
?
Lead state and federal agencies have extended the public comment period for the Draft BDCP and associated Draft EIR/EIS by 60 days, for a total 180-day review period. The comment period began on December 13, 2013, and will now conclude on June 13, 2014. This extension will allow the public more time to review and comment on the public draft documents.
?
The Draft BDCP and Draft EIR/EIS are being made available to the public in accordance with the California Natural Community Conservation Planning Act (NCCPA), Section 10 of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA,) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 
??????????????? 
Written comments may be submitted via:???????????
??????????????? 
	* Mail or hand delivery to Ryan Wulff, National Marine Fisheries Service, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 5-100, Sacramento, CA 95814
	* Email to BDCP.comments at noaa.gov

Comments must be received electronically or postmarked on or before June 13, 2014.
?
No final decisions have been made regarding going forward with the BDCP or in selecting an alternative; those decisions will only occur after completion of the CEQA and NEPA processes.
? 
Copies of the Draft BDCP and Draft EIR/EIS? 
?
The Draft documents are available electronically on the project website?and electronically at libraries throughout the state. Visit www.BayDeltaConservationPlan.comto find a location near you.
?
Hard copies of the Draft documents are available at the following locations:? ? 
	* Department of Water Resources: 3500 Industrial Blvd., Room 117, West Sacramento, CA 95691 
	* National Marine Fisheries Service, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 5-100, Sacramento, CA 95814
Copies of the documents referenced in the Draft EIR/EIS will be available at the DWR Office at 3500 Industrial Blvd., Room 117, West Sacramento, CA 95691.

If you would like to request a DVD copy of the documents, please send an email request to?BDCP.comments at noaa.gov.?
?  
??????? 
?
? 
??
?(916) 653-5656?
(916) 653-8102 fax    
Forward email
    
This email was sent to tstokely at att.net by info at baydeltaconservationplan.com |  ? 
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California Natural Resources Agency| 1416 Ninth Street, Suite 1311| Sacramento| CA| 95814 
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Feb 21 10:43:43 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2014 10:43:43 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Reclamation Announces Initial 2014 Central Valley
	Project Water Supply Allocation
In-Reply-To: <b4ec47ab45574850975c0e69d0a57ea6@usbr.gov>
References: <b4ec47ab45574850975c0e69d0a57ea6@usbr.gov>
Message-ID: <1393008223.35528.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Wow!

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Janet Sierzputowski <jsierzputowski at usbr.gov>
To: tstokely at att.net 
Sent: Friday, February 21, 2014 10:07 AM
Subject: Reclamation Announces Initial 2014 Central Valley Project Water Supply Allocation
 


Reclamation Announces Initial 2014 Central Valley Project Water Supply Allocation
Mid-Pacific Region
Sacramento, Calif.
MP-14-026
Media Contact: Louis Moore, 916-978-5100, wmoore at usbr.gov
For Release On: Feb 21, 2014
Reclamation Announces Initial 2014 Central Valley Project Water Supply Allocation
SACRAMENTO, Calif. ? The Bureau of Reclamation today announced the initial 2014 water supply allocation for Central Valley Project agricultural contractors, municipal and industrial contractors and federal refuges. The California Department of Water Resources reports that snowpack and precipitation in the Sierra Nevada are historically low and the snow-water content statewide stands at 29 percent of average for this time of year. The February Runoff Forecast by the California Department of Water Resources indicates a critical water year for both the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys.
?This low allocation is yet another indicator of the impacts the severe drought is having on California communities, agriculture, businesses, power, and the environment,? said Michael L. Connor, Reclamation Commissioner. ?We will monitor the hydrology as the water year progresses and continue to look for opportunities to exercise operational flexibility in future allocations. Reclamation is working with our federal partners through the National Drought Resilience Partnership, and we are continuing our efforts with the state to find a long-term, comprehensive solution to achieve the dual goals of a reliable water supply for California and a healthy Bay Delta ecosystem that supports the state?s economy.?
Reclamation began Water Year 2014 (Oct. 1, 2013, to Sept. 30, 2014) with 5.1 million acre-feet of carryover storage in six key CVP reservoirs, which was 43 percent of capacity and 75 percent of the 15-year average for October 1. Since that time, however, the state has continued to experience record dry conditions. On January 17, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. proclaimed a Drought State of Emergency.
Reclamation determines the allocation of CVP water for agricultural, environmental, and municipal and industrial purposes based upon many factors. Reclamation underscores that the following initial allocation, based on a conservative runoff forecast, is driven by critically dry hydrologic conditions, water quality requirements, flow objectives, relative priority of water rights, and endangered species protection measures.
Actual deliveries of water will be subject to the State Water Resources Control Board order of January 31, including any subsequent modifications and clarifications to the order. To view the January 31 order, please visit: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/drought/docs/tucp/bd_change_order.pdf
As drought conditions continue putting further stress on limited water supplies, Reclamation will work with the SWRCB, DWR and all contractors to effectively carry out project operations consistent with all applicable laws.
Earlier this month, Reclamation and the Natural Resources Conservation Service announced they are leveraging federal funds for water delivery agencies and agricultural producers and will provide up to $14 million in funding for water districts and associated growers to conserve water and improve water management. The projects funded through this partnership will help communities build resilience to drought, including modernizing their water infrastructure and efficiently using scarce water resources, while continuing to support the agricultural economy.
Reclamation also recently released the 2014 CVP Water Plan that outlines numerous actions to help water users better manage their water supplies during drought conditions, such as expanding operational flexibility and streamlining the water transfer process.
North-of-Delta Contractors
Sacramento River
	* Agricultural water service contractors North-of-Delta are allocated 0 percent of their contract supply of 443,000 acre-feet.
	* M&I water service contractors North-of-Delta who are serviced by Shasta Reservoir on the Sacramento River are allocated 50 percent of their historic use.
	* Sacramento River Settlement Contractors, whose water supply is based upon senior water rights and is subject to pre-established Shasta Reservoir inflow criteria, are allocated 40 percent of their contract supply of 2.2 million acre-feet.
American River
	* M&I water service contractors North-of-Delta who are serviced by Folsom Reservoir on the American River are allocated 50 percent of their historic use.
In-Delta
	* The Contra Costa Water District, which receives water directly from the Delta, is allocated 50 percent of its historic use amount of 170,000 acre-feet.
South-of-Delta Contractors
	* Agricultural water service contractors South-of-Delta are allocated 0 percent of their contract supply of 1.965 million acre-feet.
	* M&I water service contractors South-of-Delta are allocated 50 percent of their historic use.
	* San Joaquin River Exchange and Settlement Contractors, whose CVP water supply allocation is subject to pre-established Shasta Reservoir inflow criteria, are allocated 40 percent of their contract supply of 875,000 acre-feet.
Wildlife Refuges
	* Wildlife refuges (Level 2) North- and South-of-Delta, which also have allocations subject to pre-established Shasta inflow criteria, are allocated 40 percent of their contract supply of 422,000 acre-feet.
Friant Division Contractors
	* Friant Division contractors? water supply is delivered from Millerton Reservoir on the upper San Joaquin River. The first 800,000 acre-feet of water supply is considered Class 1, and the next 1.4 million acre-feet is considered Class 2. Based upon DWR?s February WY 2014 Runoff Forecast, the Friant Division water supply allocation is 0 percent of Class 1 and 0 percent of Class 2.
Eastside Water Service Contractors
	* Eastside water service contractors (Central San Joaquin Water Conservation District and Stockton East Water District), whose water supplies are delivered from New Melones Reservoir on the Stanislaus River, are allocated 55 percent of their contract supply of 155,000 acre-feet.
As the water year progresses, changes to hydrology and opportunities to exercise operational flexibility of the CVP are factors and conditions that will influence future allocations. Water supply updates will be made as appropriate and posted on Reclamation?s website at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/pa/water.
For additional information, please contact the Public Affairs Office at 916-978-5100 (TTY 800-877-8339) or email mppublicaffairs at usbr.gov.
###
Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 western states. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov.


If you would rather not receive future communications from Bureau of Reclamation, let us know by clicking here.
Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825 United States
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Feb 22 10:32:50 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2014 10:32:50 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Redding.com: Drought prompts zero water allocations
	to farmers
Message-ID: <1393093970.17514.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

This year is a tragedy unfolding.?

TS

UPDATED: Drought prompts zero water allocations to farmers
By Jenny Espino
Originally published 06:00 p.m., February 21, 2014?
Updated 07:34 p.m., February 21, 2014
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials announced on Friday California farmers may not receive federal water supplies if rain or snow doesn?t break the dry spell.
Households, meanwhile, may want to consider consider replacing their lush green lawns with drought-resistant or native plants or maybe even decorative rocks because the water shortages could get bad.
Reclamation?s initial outlook for the year cuts allocations by half for urban water contractors. The zero allocations for agriculture are a first for the state, only making an exception for deliveries for public health and safety.
The federal agency will continue to monitor weather patterns and issue updated allocations. But the grim levels so far prove that the state is in the throes of one of its driest periods in recorded history.
?I have put a couple of notices in our newsletters, telling people it?s dry outside and be prepared for cutbacks,? said Kurt Born, Clear Creek Community Services District general manager. About 15 percent of the district?s connections are agriculture accounts. ?Pray for a miracle.?
North State customers served by Clear Creek and Bella Vista Water District could face among the most strict conservation measures. Clear Creek is looking to shop with the McConnell Foundation for a portion of some 3,600 acre-feet that appear to be getting cut. Bella Vista still is calculating how much water it stands to receive. It does not have the option of buying water from outside sources.
?There is no one with surplus water,? said David Coxey, Bella Vista?s general manager. ?When settlement contractors are so severely cut back ... they?re certainly not willing to transfer any water.?
The state?s snowpack is at 29 percent of average for this time of year, which means that for farmers it?s going to be a hard year. Irrigation seasons will have to be cut back.
Gov. Jerry Brown last month declared a drought emergency, and both state and federal officials have pledged millions of dollars to help with water conservation and food banks for those put out of work by the drought.
The city of Shasta Lake, anticipating a severe cutback, formed an ad hoc committee earlier this year.
City Manager John Duckett said plans are in place to buy enough water supply from the McConnell Foundation to replace the 1,300 acre-feet it may lose. Water conservation charges have been adopted to pay for added costs. Additionally, residents have been following Brown?s call to reduce water consumption by 20 percent, Duckett said.
?We?ll move forward and modify that if the weather pattern changes,? he said.
Also talking to the McConnell Foundation is the Centerville Community Services District, which serves the western edge of Redding. It?s board late last month approved buying 350 acre-feet of water.
The Shasta County Water Agency also is looking to the open market to buy 200 acre-feet but declined to identify its sources.
There?s still time for the situation to improve. By late Wednesday, the National Weather Service predicts a storm may sweep through the region bringing significant showers. The weather is expected to break Thursday with rain continuing Friday and Saturday.
Coxey of Bella Vista said a special board meeting is planned Thursday to determine reduction measures.
?These are entirely new off-the-chart considerations that we are contemplating,? Coxey said of drought conditions.
City of Anderson customers are sitting in one of the North State?s small oasis. All their deliveries come from groundwater.
But that doesn?t mean they are not talking about the parched region.
?We?re very stable in our water,? City Manager Jeff Kiser said. ?There?s been a little discussion to the effect that we need to be conscious and conserve with our water use.?
Wildlife refuges that need water flows in rivers to protect endangered fish will receive 40 percent of their contracted supply.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Click here for water rationing map and tips for reading your water bill.
??? 2014 Scripps Newspaper Group ? Online
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Feb 22 10:48:40 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2014 10:48:40 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Crystal Geyser Plant in Mt. Shasta: Chronicle article
	and Redding.com editorial
Message-ID: <1393094920.84606.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

There are lots of pictures and over 100 comments on this article.

TS

************************************
Crystal Geyser, small town locked in bitter water fight
Peter Fimrite
Updated 12:33?pm, Wednesday, February 19, 2014
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Crystal-Geyser-small-town-locked-in-bitter-water-5246469.php ?


MOUNT SHASTA, Siskiyou County - The clean freshwater that squeezes out of the crags and burbles up into springs and creeks around Mount Shasta is cherished far and wide as a curative natural serum for every ailment short of hurt?feelings.
That may explain why the mineral-rich water is now a source of so much pain in the picturesque city of Mount Shasta, at the base of the Siskiyou County?volcano.
To the dismay of residents, Crystal Geyser recently came to town hoping to turn a profit. The Calistoga-based purveyor of water and juice wants to tap a local aquifer known as Big Spring, bottle the water and sell?it.
The move has infuriated environmentalists, local American Indian tribes and residents of this city of 3,394, whose interest in the resource borders on the?spiritual.
Opponents claim the bottling operation could suck wells dry and deplete the aquifer, which fills Siskiyou County rivers and streams and feeds the headwaters of the Sacramento River. Huge quantities of chemicals, juice and other runoff could overwhelm the wastewater treatment plant, which is barely big enough now for the locals, according to?opponents.
Citizens group's?fears
"It's serious, even more serious than we originally thought," said?Vicki Gold, a member of the citizens group We Advocate?Through Environmental Review, or?WATER.
Gold's group says county officials are rubber-stamping an environmentally risky project without requiring an environmental impact report or getting assurances from Crystal Geyser that it won't ramp up water usage over time. This, she said, at a time when California is facing a potentially historic?drought.
"This is the same aquifer that the homeowners who live nearby share," Gold said. "There is no environmental impact review, no restrictions on groundwater extraction and Crystal Geyser has carte blanche in terms of traffic and to build as many buildings as they?want."
Doug MacLean, the chief executive officer for Crystal Geyser, said the WATER concerns are overblown. The plant the company will use, he said, was built by Coca-Cola to bottle water for Dannon and was vetted and permitted before the soft drink giant closed it four years?ago.
"Our usage will be roughly half of what the Coke/Dannon plant was using, and they had no problems," MacLean said. "This is a very, very abundant water source. The amount we use will be very insignificant relative to the amount?available."
The water fight is important because the area around 14,179-foot Mount Shasta is the source of much of California's drinking water. Melted glacier water and runoff from storms flows into a labyrinth of lava tubes and underground channels snaking through the mountainous?region.
The cold, mineral-rich water filters through the porous soil and burbles up into numerous creeks, springs and tributaries of the Sacramento, McCloud and Klamath rivers. Much of it is captured behind 602-foot-tall Shasta Dam, which is part of the Central Valley Project, a huge federal system that provides water for fish, irrigation, drinking water and?hydropower.
Crystal Geyser paid $5 million in October for the 145,000-square-foot bottling plant, which was once the site of a cedar lumber mill and is zoned for heavy industrial use. The operation, which is on 266 acres, was abandoned by Coca-Cola in 2010 when the soda company stopped selling spring?water.
Company's?plans
The facility, which is under county jurisdiction but would have to use city services, must do approximately $10 million in waste disposal system upgrades before it can open in 2015. Crystal Geyser has obtained a $3 million federal grant for the work, which it is matching, MacLean?said.


(Page 2 of 2)
He said the initial plan is to have a single bottling line, which would use an average of 115,000 gallons of water a day to make mineral water, juice, flavored tea and mint drinks. A second line would be opened in five to seven years, bumping up water use to an average of 217,000 gallons, with a maximum of 365,000 gallons a day. Coca-Cola used 250,000 to 300,000 gallons a day, he?said.
MacLean said the company will eventually phase out its Calistoga and Bakersfield plants and move its entire operation to Siskiyou?County.
Greg Plucker, the Siskiyou community development director, said Crystal Geyser did not need county approval because bottling is a permitted use and his department does not have the authority to require an environmental review because an EIR was done when the facility was?built.
Economic?impact
The bottling plant could do wonders for the economy of the former lumber region, which now relies mostly on tourism, said?Michael Kobseff, chairman of the Board of?Supervisors.
"It will help the county and city, it will put people to work and it may bring people in to add to the workforce," Kobseff said. "Siskiyou County is the 14th most economically stressed county in the nation. We need family-wage-paying jobs year round, not unlike we had when we had mills in operation, but we lost that some time ago and never?recovered."
Opponents, including the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, are skeptical given previous battles over water use. Residents of the nearby town of McCloud waged a bitter battle with Nestle Waters several years ago after the company proposed a 1 million-square-foot bottling facility. The plan then was to siphon 1,250 gallons per minute from tributaries feeding into the McCloud River, also an important feeder for Shasta?Reservoir.
Nestle was forced to pull out in 2008 after sustained community resistance and a threat by then-Attorney General?Jerry Brown?to sue unless the county first evaluated the effects of global warming on the future water?supply.
Environmental review?push
Gold and her cohorts say county officials can require an environmental review of truck traffic and electrical, water and wastewater usage. Instead, she said, county officials are relying on "best-case scenario" estimates that can easily be flouted once the plant is up and?running.
The lack of oversight is a reflection of a county overseen by supervisors who recently voted 4-1 to pursue secession because they don't like state regulations, particularly the California Environmental Quality Act, critics?said.
"You have a resource-rich county and you have no regulation ... during a drought," Gold said. "It's all about jobs. What the county is saying, essentially, is that any dirty industry can come to the most pristine area that everyone in the state is dependent?on."
http://www.redding.com/news/2014/feb/20/editorial-latest-siskiyou-bottler-proposal-8212/?


Editorial: Latest Siskiyou bottler proposal ? it's not Nestle
Staff Reports
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Is it Nestle all over again?
A brewing Siskiyou County dispute over a Crystal Geyser bottling plant just outside the city of Mount Shasta is threatening to turn, at least in the public eye, into a rerun of the bitterly fought battle over the kiboshed Nestle plant in McCloud.
The rhetorical lines ? big corporation wants to plunder pristine resource, environmentalists versus job growth ? are so well-practiced they flow with little effort, or thought. Sorry, but the people of Siskiyou County deserve better.
Even those who concluded Nestle was the wrong project in the wrong place ought to recognize the important differences between that proposal and Crystal Geyser, which will produce teas and flavored drinks.
Most critical: While Nestle would have diverted a healthy share, especially in summer, of the springs that feed one of the wildest and most beloved trout streams in Northern California ? Squaw Valley Creek and the state-protected section of the McCloud River ? the Crystal Geyser plant would tap ... an old bottling plant. Coca Cola bottled water for years on the same site from the same sources. That plant was subject both to thorough environmental review before it opened and to the rigors of real-world operations once its lines started running. If there are questions about a bottling plant?s effects on the aquifer, they?ve been answered by now, right?
There?s a drought. Water?s scarce and important. Any major new user?s downstream effects ? on fisheries, wells and farmers? irrigation water ? need reasonable scrutiny. In that vein, even as the county is saying it has no authority, let alone duty, to order a full-scale environmental impact report for the plant as some neighbors are demanding, it makes sense for the company, the county and critics to come up with a monitoring plan that offers assurances in case anything should go sideways. Such a proactive agreement would certainly beat years of shouting and litigation.
But the bottom line is Siskiyou County?s jobless rate remains devastatingly high ? 12.5 percent in December, and that?s an improvement from recent years. New investment and job growth are critical to basic social stability. And if you can?t say yes to a bottling plant on the site of a long-operating bottling plant, is there anything you can say yes to?
??? 2014 Scripps Newspaper Group ? Online
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Feb 23 10:01:59 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2014 10:01:59 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] James Famiglietti: Just How Bad Is California's Epic
	Drought?
In-Reply-To: <24607CD3-D14F-4E2F-B35B-4C5EEC671A53@gmail.com>
References: <1393142354.62973.YahooMailNeo@web141606.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
	<24607CD3-D14F-4E2F-B35B-4C5EEC671A53@gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1393178519.45515.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/02/22/epic-california-drought-and-groundwater-how-far-have-we-come?
Op-Ed:?
>By James Famiglietti | Takepart.com 16 hours ago
>Takepart.com
>	* 
>	* 
>	* 
>	* 
>	* 
>	* 
>	* 
>Four years ago, during an interview for the world water crisis documentary?Last Call at the Oasis, I was blunt in my analysis of California?s water future. ?Let me be abundantly clear about this,? I told the filmmakers. ?California faces a water crisis of potentially epic proportions. How we respond today will define who we are tomorrow.?
>At the time, the Golden State was at the tail end of a multiyear drought. Beginning in 2006 and continuing through 2010,the Sacramento and the San Joaquin river basins lost more than 30 cubic kilometers of freshwater?nearly equivalent to the volume of Lake Mead at capacity. Two-thirds of this loss resulted frompumping groundwater from beneath the Central Valley?to irrigate the crops that supply our state and our nation with food.
>So, how far has the state come since 2010? Let?s just say this: My?Last Call?interview could have been recorded only yesterday.
>Fresh off one of the driest years in its history, California is?poised to enter its next great epoch of groundwater depletion. The state?s drought is worse than most if not all past ones. State Water Project and Central Valley Project surface water allocations have been slashed to nothing. Farmers are digging more wells. We could?easily drive our groundwater levels to historic new lows, with little long-term chance for recovery.
>Even if the state legislature passes a?$700 million drought relief package?proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this week, the state?as evidenced by new monitoring from NASA?s GRACE satellites?still has a long way to go to mitigate the worst effects of its prolonged drought.
>Using the satellites to monitor monthly water levels (snow, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, water in soils, and groundwater) in the Sacramento and San Joaquin river basins from March 2002 through December 2013, my colleagues and I at the?University of California Center for Hydrologic Modeling?have discovered three alarming trends.
>First, total?water storage is at?its lowest point?since the GRACE satellites began collecting data in 2002. ?
>Second, in the last few years, total water storage has declined by more than 25 cubic kilometers. On an annual basis, that is more water than all Californians use for domestic, municipal, and industrial needs (or all the water that is not used to grow food or to maintain environmental health).
>Third, California is arguably in the midst of a long-term dry spell that stretches at least as long as the 12-year life span of the GRACE mission. It has been punctuated by a few wet years, such as 2006 and 2011, but are we really looking at a long, steady decline in freshwater availability?
>For California to make true progress toward securing its water future, it must act today to actively manage groundwater. The $700 million emergency plan proposed by Governor Brown is a much needed step in the right direction, and the state legislature should enact it as soon as possible. Medium- to long-term legislation, however, must be proactive and include significant provision for drought research, including enhanced monitoring and forecasting tools.
>It will be easy to become distracted by the good fortune of the next big snowstorm, or even by the occasional wet year.
>We need, however, to get something done now, so that in another four years, we don?t look back and question just how far have we come.
>
>
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Feb 23 09:59:33 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2014 09:59:33 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Goodbye/hello Bruce Ross
Message-ID: <1393178373.35114.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Redding.com editor Bruce Ross is moving on to work for Assemblyman Brian Dahle as his Redding district rep. ?Nadine Bailey, who had that job, is moving on to head the Family Water Alliance.

Best wishes to both!

Tom

Bruce Ross: Don't let the conversation stop
Staff Reports
Saturday, February 22, 2014
The pay?s not impressive, as anyone who?s seen my car would guess, but I?ve never cared. As a job, journalism is hard to beat.
And my particular beat the past decade, editing the Opinion page of the Record Searchlight, has been an astonishing privilege ? but not for the reason you might think.
Yeah, it?s been a great run. I?ve met governors and pioneer ranchers, business tycoons and preachers who lift up the least among us. I?ve had access to a powerful community megaphone to illuminate neglected truths, heckle the powerful, and rally the community. Time and experience have certainly given me cause to rethink various daily rushes to judgment. But I hope that, with the guidance of a couple of smart editors and brave publishers, I?ve managed a record at least as good as a decent baseball hitter?s over the past decade. Or at least given readers something to think about every morning.
But the best part of this job the past decade? It?s the astonishing array of friendships I?ve made with people who would otherwise be complete strangers ? but who are part of my tribe. They?re members of the rag-tag army of people curious enough about the world to pay attention, and angry (or thrilled, or amused, or befuddled) enough to share their thoughts with the world. Yes, the letter writers.
You read the thoughts of your friends and neighbors, and you learn about them. Some are wry and philosophical. Some are full of heated passion. Some write with precision and polish. Some never quite absorbed the lessons of their high school English teachers? red ink. Some want to share a word of Gospel or nutrition advice. Some have a decades-old grudge to get off their chest.
All of them care. And all of them contribute to making this space ? the Opinion page ? as well as the much-maligned (yet much-read) Redding.com comment boards the lively latter-day town squares that they are. Liberals and conservatives, loggers and tree huggers, hunters and PETA members, cat people and dog people ? they have their disagreements. If they didn?t, there?d not be much to talk about.
But the zest for argument and the itch to be in the arena of discussion ? they all share that. And by having those arguments, by hammering down the falsehoods and fallacies, they help themselves and everyone else inch a little closer to wisdom. None of us, after all, has a monopoly on the truth ? not on this earth. At least, that?s what I think. I might be wrong about that.
I?m moving on to new challenges ? going to work for Assemblyman Brian Dahle. I hope to be able to solve at least a few of the problems I?ve spent my career pointing out.
But as I write these, what might be the last words of mine that appear in the Record Searchlight after nearly 17 years working on Twin View Boulevard, I want to thank the dumb plumber and the good doctor, the cranky old conservatives and the earnest liberals, the Christians and the atheists, the tax fighters and union activists. Even the vaccine skeptics and Jefferson advocates, though I really wish we could have coffee and I could get one last chance to lay out the facts for y?all.
The best treat of my career has been accidentally meeting in ?real life? the writers whose names I know so well I feel they?re like family. I?ve shed real tears when correspondents? names have turned up tragically on the front page.
The media business is changing. The ways people trade thoughts have evolved and accelerated. But hashing out our differences peacefully will never be any less essential to the health of our democracy. I can?t say how grateful I am to have played the role of steward and moderator of that conversation for the North State, and to have gotten to know so many of its participants. Please carry on without me, because I?ll be reading as avidly as ever.
Bruce Ross left the Record Searchlight last week after serving as editorial page editor since 2003. He already misses it.
??? 2014 Scripps Newspaper Group ? Online
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Mon Feb 24 11:22:55 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2014 19:22:55 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity river Trapping summary Update JWeek 7
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C12ACA1@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Please see attachments for the JWeek  7 (Feb 12 - Feb 18) Trinity River trapping summary update.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From vina_frye at fws.gov  Tue Feb 25 15:02:19 2014
From: vina_frye at fws.gov (Frye, Vina)
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2014 15:02:19 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Federal Register
Message-ID: <CANiLmTLRT4n+K_dq5+1RMUPOyOrsGG+ewuiBw5tnJcakPmz36Q@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Folks,

The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group is scheduled to meet on March
17-18, 2014.  You may participate in person or teleconference.  If you have
further questions, please feel free to call me or Joe Polos at (707)
822-7201.


DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-FHC-2014-N024;
FXFR1334088TWG0W4-123-FF08EACT00]
Trinity Adaptive Management Working
Group; Public Meeting and
Teleconference
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, announce a public
meeting and teleconference of the
Trinity Adaptive Management Working
Group (TAMWG). The TAMWG is a
Federal advisory committee that affords
stakeholders the opportunity to give
policy, management, and technical
input concerning Trinity River
(California) restoration efforts to the
Trinity Management Council (TMC).
The TMC interprets and recommends
policy, coordinates and reviews
management actions, and provides
organizational budget oversight.
DATES: Public meeting, and
Teleconference: TAMWG will meet
from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time
on Monday, March 17, 2014, and from
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time on
Tuesday, March 18, 2014.
Deadlines: For deadlines and directions
on registering to listen to the meeting by
phone, and submitting written material,
please see ''Public Input'' under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
ADDRESSES: The in-person meeting will
be held at the Weaverville Fire District,
125 Bremer Street, Weaverville, CA
96093. You may participate in person or
by teleconference.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Elizabeth W. Hadley, Redding Electric
Utility, 777 Cypress Avenue, Redding,
CA 96001; telephone: 530-339-7327;
email: ehadley at reupower.com.
Individuals with a disability may
request an accommodation by sending
an email to the point of contact, and
those accommodations will be provided.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with the requirements of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5
U.S.C. App., we announce that the
Trinity Adaptive Management Working
Group (TAMWG) will hold a meeting.
Background
The TAMWG affords stakeholders the
opportunity to give policy, management,
and technical input concerning Trinity
River (California) restoration efforts to
the Trinity Management Council (TMC).
The TMC interprets and recommends
VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:08 Feb 19, 2014 Jkt 232001 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt
4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\20FEN1.SGM 20FEN1 mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD
with NOTICES
Federal Register /Vol. 79, No. 34 /Thursday, February 20, 2014 /Notices 9761
policy, coordinates and reviews
management actions, and provides
organizational budget oversight.
Meeting Agenda
* Designated Federal Officer (DFO)
updates,
* Election of Chair and Vice-chair,
* TMC Chair report,
* Executive Director's report,
* TRRP workgroups update,
* BLM Land Acquisition on the
Trinity River,
* Decision Support System demo,
* Design update,
* Flow recommendations,
* Trinity River Hatchery update,
* Klamath Fall Flows,
* Reservoir Operations and
Temperature Control,
* Panel discussion of 2014 projects,
* Program outreach, and
* Public Comment.
The final agenda will be posted on the
Internet at http://www.fws.gov/arcata.
PUBLIC INPUT
If you wish to
You must contact
Elizabeth Hadley
(FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT)
no later than
Listen to the teleconference
meeting
via telephone or
Internet.
March 10, 2014.
Submit written information
or questions
for the TAMWG to
consider during the
teleconference.
March 10, 2014.
Submitting Written Information or
Questions
Interested members of the public may
submit relevant information or
questions for the TAMWG to consider
during the meeting. Written statements
must be received by the date listed in
''Public Input,'' so that the information
may be available to the TAMWG for
their consideration prior to this
teleconference. Written statements must
be supplied to Elizabeth Hadley in one
of the following formats: One hard copy
with original signature, one electronic
copy with original signature, and one
electronic copy via email (acceptable
file formats are Adobe Acrobat PDF, MS
Word, PowerPoint, or rich text file).
Registered speakers who wish to
expand on their oral statements, or
those who wished to speak but could
not be accommodated on the agenda,
may submit written statements to
Elizabeth Hadley up to 7 days after the
meeting.
Meeting Minutes
Summary minutes of the meeting will
be maintained by Elizabeth Hadley (see
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). The
minutes will be available for public
inspection within 90 days after the
meeting, and will be posted on the
TAMWG Web site at http://
www.fws.gov/arcata.
Dated: February 12, 2014.
Joseph C. Polos,
Supervisory Fish Biologist, Arcata Fish and
Wildlife Office, Arcata, California.

Vina Frye
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Arcata FWO
1655 Heindon Road
Arcata, CA  95521
Telephone: (707) 822-7201
Fax: (707) 822-8411
vina_frye at fws.gov
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Feb 26 08:47:35 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2014 08:47:35 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal LTE- Aaron Martin: TRRP equals water
	and fish
Message-ID: <1393433255.42697.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_56626710-9e92-11e3-b4b6-0017a43b2370.html?

TRRP equals water and fish
Posted: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 6:15 am
From Aaron Martin
Big Bar
In his letter to the editor titled ?Trinity River Restoration Program has lost its way? (Feb. 12), Tom Stokely sure knows how to bluster on about doom and gloom and government bogeymen. However, his claim that restoration isn?t working is simply wrong. Monitoring on the river is showing that restoration is improving fish habitat. Does anyone remember trying to catch at steelhead on the Trinity in the 1970s or ?80s. Not likely, not many people were. It would be a triumph to just hook a fish back in those days. ?
The Web site of the Redding Fly Shop says ?The Trinity River is arguably one of the finest steelhead streams in the West ? recent restoration efforts along the river (Trinity River Restoration Program) have brought the steelhead back by the thousands, and recent years on the Trinity have boasted some of the finest runs and greatest steelheading in decades.? Many people are developing short-term memories, ?what have you done for me lately?? Did Mr. Stokely forget? We had the one of the biggest salmon returns on record last year.
Mainstem restoration with increased flows is the way to get more salmon in the river. Working in the tributaries will help, and no one argues that, but it represents smaller gains. If we want to help our creeks, let?s get the pot growers out of here and get some water flowing for the critters and fish. With the current state of drought in California and our reluctant ties to the 30 million people living south of here (represented by the two 13-foot wide tunnels that connect the Trinity to Southern California), water in the river now and into the future is the most important detail we all need to worry about. The water in the river flows through the TRRP and its actions. We must support the TRRP and recognize how much the water and dollars flowing through here mean for the people and fish of Trinity County.
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Feb 27 09:33:08 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2014 09:33:08 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Maven's Notebook: Letter: Advisory Committee
	recommends Bonham deny the incidental take permit for the BDCP
Message-ID: <1393522388.86918.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://mavensnotebook.com/2014/02/27/letter-advisory-committee-recommends-bonham-deny-the-incidental-take-permit-for-the-bdcp/?


Letter: Advisory Committee recommends Bonham deny the incidental take permit for the BDCP
Sliderbox Posts,?Water
by?Maven
An advisory committee has recommended that Director of Fish & Wildlife Chuck Bonham deny the?incidental take permit?for the BDCP?s Alternative 4, saying that the plan does not meet the requirements of a Natural Communities Conservation Plan and therefore cannot be approved because it will contribute to the further decline of salmon.
The California Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout is a public committee authorized by the Legislature in 1970 to advise the Director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife on matters relating salmon and steelhead trout.
In a letter dated February 26, the Committee cites several reasons why Director Bonham should not issue a permit for the BDCP, including reduced smolt survival through the Delta, the concept that habitat restoration can make up for increased exports is not supported by science, and that funding and water supplies for habitat restoration is far from? assured.
And furthermore:
?None of the alternatives considered in the BDCP Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Report would lead to the recovery of Sacramento River Winter Run and Spring Run Chinook salmon.? None of the alternatives analyzed reduces the amount of water diverted upstream of or within the Delta.? None of the alternatives analyzed considers meeting or moving toward meeting the State Water Resources? Control Board?s Delta Outflow Criteria of 2010 that was specifically required by the legislature in 2009 ?to inform planning decisions for the Delta Plan and the BDCP.?
	* Read the full letter here:??CACSST to Bonham CDFW on BDCP NCCP_022614
	* For more information on the California Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout,?click here.
116?total views, 116?views today
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?Chris Austin
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Feb 27 12:07:59 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2014 12:07:59 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Feds challenged on proposed water cuts in Sacramento
	Valley
Message-ID: <1393531679.77717.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Feds challenged on proposed water cuts in Sacramento Valley

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/02/26/6192485/feds-challenged-on-proposed-water.html?

By Matt Weiser
mweiser at sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014 - 12:00 am
Last Modified: Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014 - 8:32 am
The strain on water supplies in this serious drought year was evident this week, as major landowners in the Sacramento Valley protested the federal government?s forecast that it will deliver only 40?percent of usual water supplies.
That 40 percent allotment for the so-called Sacramento River settlement contractors is only a forecast by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, based on drought conditions that are expected to deplete snowmelt. Such a low allocation has never been made before, and it is well below the 75 percent that the settlement contractors say is the minimum they should receive under any conditions.
The protests are coming from a range of interests: the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District, which distributes water to farmers in the Sacramento Valley; the Conaway Preservation Group, which owns farmland in the Yolo Bypass; and the city of Redding.
?This 40 percent allocation flies in the face of what our contracts say,? said Stuart Somach, the Sacramento attorney representing the three groups. ?I think protest is a weak term for what we?re doing. We do consider this to be serious.?
The Bureau of Reclamation operates the Central Valley Project, the federal system of dams, canals and pumps that moves water from Shasta and Folsom reservoirs, through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and on to farm and urban areas as far south as Mendota in Fresno County.
Somach said he suspects Reclamation is planning to reduce deliveries to his clients to ensure water can be diverted south of the Delta to the urban areas and wildlife refuges that the agency also is obligated to serve, but which have legally inferior access to water.
Reclamation spokesman Louis Moore said his agency is merely trying to juggle a lot of demand for very limited water this year.
?We know this is unprecedented,? Moore said. ?We know that it is difficult. But we really just don?t have the resource available.?
The conflict highlights important differences between water rights and water contracts in California.
Somach?s clients hold water rights that predate construction of Shasta Dam. These rights represent a legal entitlement to divert water from a stream. His clients are called ?settlement contractors? because, when the dam was completed in 1945, it effectively blocked their access to water that once flowed freely in the river. They agreed to ?settle? their objections to this blockage so Reclamation could operate the dam. In return, Reclamation promised to serve their water rights in perpetuity using water stored at the dam.
Their contracts with Reclamation, Somach said, require the agency to provide a minimum of 75 percent of their usual contract deliveries, even in the driest of years.
Water contractors, on the other hand, generally have no water rights. Instead, a water contract represents an opportunity to buy water from Reclamation when it is available. The range of availability under these contracts is generally much greater than the terms governing the settlement contracts.
?We?re senior water rights holders, and quite frankly have the ability to pump whatever we want to pump out of the river if we believe Reclamation has breached its relationship with us,? Somach said.
Reclamation has a variety of other obligations to meet, however. Although it primarily serves agricultural interests, its contractors include some urban agencies and wildlife refuges, including cities such as Coalinga and Avenal and refuges such as the Mendota Wildlife Area in Fresno County. In severe droughts, these usually are considered a priority over agriculture, because many farm fields can be left unplanted in a drought.
In its allocation forecast on Feb. 21, Reclamation warned all its agricultural contractors they could receive zero water deliveries this year, except settlement contractors, which would get 40 percent. Farm groups say that scenario would result in thousands of acres of farmland being taken out of production this year.
Urban contractors and wildlife refuges, meanwhile, would get 50 percent and 40?percent of their contract allocations, respectively.
?We are not unmindful of the fact that this is an extreme drought situation,? Somach said. ?But those uses of water are junior to our contracts. They are junior to our underlying water rights.?
Somach and his clients met with Reclamation officials Tuesday to ask why the allocation appears to conflict with their contracts. He said Reclamation promised some answers within a week.
Moore also said Reclamation will strive to update its water allocation forecast on a weekly basis, if possible, based on weather conditions, rather than waiting for the usual monthly cycle.
?We are trying to operate for now, but also think about what (would happen) if we don?t receive any additional precipitation for the rest of the year,? Moore said. ?It would become even more of a strain.?

Call The Bee?s Matt Weiser at (916) 321-1264. Follow him on Twitter @matt_weiser.
? Read more articles by Matt Weiser"/>

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/02/26/6192485/feds-challenged-on-proposed-water.html#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Feb 27 15:51:24 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2014 15:51:24 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: California ocean salmon season looks
	promising/California family farmers band together to fight fracking
In-Reply-To: <94F9D220-B11A-4474-B788-DAE1D895DE19@fishsniffer.com>
References: <CAJFpXWzYU_btORDic795wH=71Rzxm-+yG5eUJti-qtnJP0_47w@mail.gmail.com>
	<CAOPObborwosXf09FaQn9YeDC86cd-+K7qLzUAu-ivcKhZ7KyRA@mail.gmail.com>
	<CAOPObbpquaRKdfjXwzA1=GW5v0WOcfTtXrgfkxUnAiHb-_9idA@mail.gmail.com>
	<94F9D220-B11A-4474-B788-DAE1D895DE19@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <1393545084.69000.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Dan Bacher <danielbacher at fishsniffer.com>
To: 
Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2014 3:24 PM
Subject: California ocean salmon season looks promising/California family farmers band together to fight fracking
 


http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/california-ocean-salmon-season-looks-promising/

Marci Yaremko, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) representative on the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) answers a question about the upcoming salmon season as Dan Wolford, PFMC chair, listens at the CDFW meeting in Santa Rosa on February 26. Photo by Dan Bacher.



800_img_5763.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

California ocean salmon season looks promising?

Sacramento River fall Chinook abundance forecast is large?

by Dan Bacher?

In spite of the record drought, the forecast for recreational and commercial salmon fishing year on the California coast from Horse Mountain in Humboldt County to below Monterey looks relatively good, according to data released at a California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) meeting in Santa Rosa on Wednesday.?

The majority of the fish caught in this region are Sacramento River fall-run Chinook salmon stocks, the driver of West Coast salmon fisheries. The ocean abundance forecast is 634,650 Chinook salmon, less than last year?s forecast of 865,525, but still a promising number.?

?The abundance forecast is large,? said Michael O?Farrell of the National Marine Fisheries Service. ?Our preliminary prediction is 328,567 spawners that would return to the Sacramento River and tributaries if the 2013 regulations were in place this year.??

O?Farrell said that number is well over their target of at least 190,395 salmon returning to Central Valley rivers to spawn, so this target is ?unlikely to constrain 2014 fisheries.??

In 2013, a total of 424,914 combined hatchery and naturally spawinng fall run Chinooks, including 404,666 adults and 20,248 jacks (two-year-olds) returned to the Sacramento River. This total included 164,213 salmon from the Upper Sacramento River, 193,391 from the Feather River Basin and 64,310 from the American River Basin.?

The other factor constraining the recreational and commercial seasons is protections for Sacramento River winter-run Chinook. The maximum allowable age 3-impact rate is 15.4 percent.?

If the same regulations as 2013 were implemented, the preliminary prediction of age 3 salmon impact rate would be 13.2 percent. ?This is likely to constrain fisheries south of Point of Arena,? he said.?

Last year angling impacts to the winter run Chinook, an endangered species that plummeted from 117,000 fish in 1969 to only hundreds in the early 1990s, were protected from potential impacts by anglers through a combination of days off the water during the summer and a size limit of 24 inches. This season is expected to see similar measures taken.?

In 2013, federal and state fisheries managers documented a total of 6,122 winter run Chinooks, including 5,653 adults and 469 jacks (two-year-olds), the best run since 2006, said Alex Letvin, CDFW environmental scientist.?

The recreational salmon season from Horse Mountain to the U.S./Mexico border is set to begin on April 5, while the commercial season is expected to start May 1.?

While the prospects for this season look good, this will be no means a record year for salmon ? and low water conditions on the Central Valley rivers and poor management of rivers and rivers by the state and federal governments are expected to impact the salmon runs in upcoming years, particularly the winter run.?

?The problem isn?t in the ocean ? it?s in the rivers,? said Dick Pool, administrator of Water for Fish and board member of the Golden Gate Salmon Association (GGSA). "The problem is getting the young fish down to the ocean. Some of us have dedicated our lives to solving this problem.??

Likewise, Bob Boucke, owner of Johnson?s Bait and Tackle in Yuba City and also a board member of the GGSA, commented, ?There are no big changes expected to the ocean seasons that target the Sacramento River fall run Chinooks. A decent quantity of fish is expected this year.??

He emphasized, ?The problem is that water diversions from the Sacramento River into the Delta Cross Channel take a percentage of fish corresponding with the percentage of water diverted for export. If 75 percent of the water is diverted, you can expect 75 percent of the smolts (young salmon) to be diverted in the wrong direction rather than towards the ocean. Once in the channel, there?s no hope for the fish.??

While relatively full salmon seasons are expected south of Horse Mountain, increased restrictions are expected in the Klamath Management Zone in California from Horse Mountain to the Oregon border.?

The 2014 Klamath River forecast is only 299,282, including 219,840 age 3 fish, 67,367 age 4 fish and 21,075 age 5 fish. The potential spawner abundance forecast is 76,952 fish and all of ocean and river fisheries must target an escapement of at least 40,700 fish.?

The forecast is a far cry from the ocean abundance estimate of 1,651,800 in 2012, a record year for Klamath River fall Chinook stocks.?

If the liberal regulations of 2013 for Tribal, recreational and commercial fisheries were in effect this year, only an estimated 19,218 fish would return to spawn, less than half of the 40,700 natural spawner target. So a reduction in the seasons, bag limits and catch quotas for Klamath Management Zone salmon is expected this year.?

The 2013 Klamath Basin fall chinook run estimate ranked 11th out of 36 years. A total of 18,806 fish, ages 2 to 5, returned to the Iron Gate Fish Hatchery on the Klamath River and the Trinity River Fish Hatchery combined. The total of natural spawners, ages 2 to 5, was 69,986 fish.?

Based on the preliminary data released on Wednesday and other scientific information, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) will craft three options for ocean salmon seasons in its upcoming meeting at the Double Tree Hotel in Sacramento March 7-13. The Council will then make a final decision on the seasons at its April meeting.?

For more information, go to: http://www.pcouncil.org/?

The season crafting process takes place as Governor Jerry Brown continues to fast-track the construction of the peripheral tunnels under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). The construction of the tunnels would hasten the extinction of Central Valley Chinook salmon, steelhead, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species, as well as imperil salmon and steelhead populations on the Klamath and Trinity rivers.?






http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/02/27/18751649.php?

Photo courtesy of Food and Water Watch and Center for Biological Diversity.?


800_2014-02-26_02.59.02.jpg
original image ( 2496x1664)

California family farmers band together to fight fracking?

by Dan Bacher?

California family farmers, struggling with a record drought that?s parching their fields and livelihoods, are calling on Governor Jerry Brown to place a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a water-intensive extreme oil and gas extraction process.?

Governor Brown currently supports the expansion of environmentally destructive fracking operations in California, as well as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the fish-killing peripheral tunnels.?

On the afternoon of February 26, Shafter almond farmer Tom Frantz, California State Grange President Bob McFarland and Monterey County vintner Paula Getzelman of Tre Gatti Vineyards delivered a petition to Governor Brown?s office signed by 145 California farmers calling for a moratorium on fracking, according to a news release from Food and Water Watch and the Center for Biological Diversity, members of Californians Against Fracking.?

?Water is the lifeblood of a farm ? without clean, affordable water we cannot grow food,? said the Shafter almond farmer Tom Frantz, who caught on video the illegal dumping of fracking wastewater in an unlined pit next to an almond orchard. ?This drought has already put many of California?s small and midsized farms on the brink. To allow fracking on some of California?s most fertile agricultural land will further devastate California?s bucolic heritage. I don?t think this is the legacy that Governor Brown wants to leave behind.??

The farmers were joined by Jerome Waag, head chef of the legendary Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, to deliver a fracking moratorium petition signed by 171 chefs, restaurateurs, brewers, purveyors, retailers and winemakers from across California, including some of the most celebrated chefs in the world such as Alice Waters, Stuart Brioza, Chris Cosentino, Dominique Crenn, Suzanne Goin, Joyce Goldstein, Daniel Patterson and Annie Somerville, according to the two groups.?

The groups said California?s drought is particularly devastating to the state?s farmers who grow the bulk of America?s fruits, vegetables and nuts, especially those in the primarily agricultural Central Valley. The State Water Project recently announced that it would be cutting off water deliveries for the first time in its 54-year history, and the federal government announced last week that farmers should expect to receive no water from the Central Valley Project. Additionally, the price for water has increased tenfold, from $135 an acre-foot last year to $1,350 an acre-foot in the second week of February.?

?When farmers cannot irrigate their land, their workers lose their jobs and local economies suffer. Some never recover,? said California State Grange President Bob McFarland. ?Much of the world relies on the excellent produce and nuts grown in California, and our water should be used to grow this food and feed people, not wasted in a toxic extraction process to produce oil to be shipped overseas.??

Two weeks ago, President Obama, with Governor Brown by his side, visited the Central Valley to pledge $183 million in existing federal funds and to ask Congress for $1 billion in additional funds, linking the drought to climate change.?

Meanwhile, Governor Brown continues to stand behind Senator Fran Pavley's SB 4, the legislation he signed into law last fall that paves the way for expanded fracking and other forms of extreme oil extraction from the Monterey Shale, believed to hold as much as 13 billion barrels of crude oil.?

The Monterey Shale sits beneath some of California?s most prized farmland. Extracting the estimated 13 billion barrels of oil would release about 7.7 billion more metric tons of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere, further destabilizing our climate and exacerbating droughts, according to the release.?

?In the short term, fracking makes competition for California?s water even more fierce, which could have a significant negative effect on farmers, ranchers and vintners,? said Paula Getzelman, owner of Tre Gatti Vineyards in Monterey County. ?But the long-term consequences of fracking are even more devastating. California needs to be investing in the people who cultivate the land and feed people, not the oil companies that threaten to pollute our land, water and communities.??

In addition to making the threat of climate change worse, fracking, along with related drilling, wastewater disposal and other extreme extraction methods like acidizing, has raised serious environmental and public health concerns across the country.?

Wastewater from fracking and drilling operations is regularly dumped or leaked into waterways, putting Central Valley salmon, Delta fish populations and ocean fisheries in danger. And a recent study in the United Kingdom found that pollution, such as diesel exhaust common in fracking operations, can harm bees. Tom Frantz recently captured video of bees pollinating almond trees adjacent to drilling operations, the groups stated.?

"With more than 80,000 farms producing about $45 billion in annual profits, California is the nation?s largest farm state, and agriculture is California?s leading industry. In states like Pennsylvania, Colorado and Ohio, grazing animals have gotten sick and died after drinking fracking runoff and water from farm wells near fracking operations. In Kern County, one farmer lost millions of dollars worth of almond and pistachio crops from groundwater contamination from a nearby oil and gas operation," the groups said.?

?Farmers are vital to a healthy food system and a healthy economy and they must be protected,? said Adam Scow, California campaigns director for Food & Water Watch. ?We call on Governor Brown to place a moratorium on fracking to protect California farmers from the severe threat of fracking.??

?California needs an immediate halt to fracking to protect our state?s precious water from this toxic technique,? said Brian Nowicki of the Center for Biological Diversity. ?To safeguard our farmers and others affected by our state?s crippling drought, Governor Brown should halt fracking in our state to protect the air we breathe and the water we so desperately need.??

The petition was organized in conjunction with Food & Water Watch, the Center for Biological Diversity and other members of the statewide coalition Californians Against Fracking. Californians Against Fracking and other organizations will hold a massive rally in Sacramento on March 15 to press for a halt to fracking in the state.?

Polls show that the majority of Californians are opposed to fracking. Since the launch of Californians Against Fracking in May 2013, more than 200,000 petitions have been signed urging Governor Brown to ban fracking in California. Farmers, environmental justice groups, public health advocates, local elected officials, students, celebrities and many others are calling on Governor Brown to halt fracking in California. More information can be found at californiansagainstfracking.org.?

Californians Against Fracking is a coalition of environmental, business, health, agriculture, labor, political and environmental justice organizations working to win a statewide ban on fracking in California.?

The farmer petition and list of farmers who have signed can be found at http://fwwat.ch/CAfarmersagainstfrack.?

The chef petition and list of chefs who have signed can be found at http://fwwat.ch/CAChefsFightingFracking.?

Photos from yesterday?s meeting and letter delivery to Governor Brown can be found at http://fwwat.ch/1eqgOIO.?

Background on fracking?

For those not familiar with the practice, fracking blasts massive amounts of chemical-laced water into the ground to crack rock formations in order to extract oil and natural gas. according to the Center for Biological Diversity. The process routinely employs numerous toxic chemicals, including methanol, benzene and trimethylbenzene. Fracking has been documented in 10 California counties.?

Oil companies have also fracked offshore wells over 200 times in the ocean near California?s coast, from Seal Beach to the Santa Barbara Channel, according to a Freedom of Information Act Request and media investigation by the Associated Press and truthout.org last year. WSPA President Catherine Reheis-Boyd served on the MLPA Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Forces during much of the time that this fracking of our marine waters was taking place.?

The Center cited two studies documenting the harm fracking poses to human health. Birth defects are more common in babies born to mothers living near fracked wells, according to a new study by researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health. In California, a recent Center report found that oil companies used 12 dangerous ?air toxic? chemicals more than 300 times in the Los Angeles Basin over a period of a few months.?

Besides posing a big threat to human health, the pollution to California groundwater supplies, rivers and the Delta that will result from fracking and acidization will devastate already imperiled populations of Central Valley Chinook salmon, steelhead, Delta smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species.?

The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), the most powerful corporate lobbying organization in Sacramento, spent over $4.67 million, more than any other interest group, while lobbying state government in 2013, according to data released by the Secretary State's Office and compiled by the Capitol Morning Report.?

Another oil company giant, Chevron Corporation and its subsidiaries, spent $3.95 million, the third most spent by any group on lobbying state government in 2013. Chevron also spent much of its money on lobbying against bills that would ban or regulate fracking in California.?

Since it is the most powerful corporate lobby in Sacramento, the oil industry is able to wield enormous influence over state and federal regulators and environmental processes. The result of this inordinate money and influence is the effective evisceration of the Marine Life Protection Act of 1999 during the MLPA Initiative process and the signing of Senator Fran Pavley's Senate Bill 4.?

A report recently released by the American Lung Association revealed that the oil industry lobby spent $45.4 million in the state between January 1 2009 and June 30, 2013. The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) alone has spent over $20 million since 2009 to lobby legislators. (http://blog.center4tobaccopolicy.org/oil-lobbying-in-california)?

For more information on oil industry power and money, go to: http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/11/08/sacramento-a-capital-awash-in-oil-money/?

Background on fracking?

For those not familiar with the practice, fracking blasts massive amounts of chemical-laced water into the ground to crack rock formations in order to extract oil and natural gas. according to the Center for Biological Diversity. The process routinely employs numerous toxic chemicals, including methanol, benzene and trimethylbenzene. Fracking has been documented in 10 California counties.?

Oil companies have also fracked offshore wells over 200 times in the ocean near California?s coast, from Seal Beach to the Santa Barbara Channel, according to a Freedom of Information Act Request and media investigation by the Associated Press and truthout.org last year. WSPA President Catherine Reheis-Boyd served on the MLPA Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Forces during much of the time that this fracking of our marine waters was taking place.?

The Center cited two studies documenting the harm fracking poses to human health. Birth defects are more common in babies born to mothers living near fracked wells, according to a new study by researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health. In California, a recent Center report found that oil companies used 12 dangerous ?air toxic? chemicals more than 300 times in the Los Angeles Basin over a period of a few months.?

Besides posing a big threat to human health, the pollution to California groundwater supplies, rivers and the Delta that will result from fracking and acidization will devastate already imperiled populations of Central Valley Chinook salmon, steelhead, Delta smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species.?

The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), the most powerful corporate lobbying organization in Sacramento, spent over $4.67 million, more than any other interest group, while lobbying state government in 2013, according to data released by the Secretary State's Office and compiled by the Capitol Morning Report.?

Another oil company giant, Chevron Corporation and its subsidiaries, spent $3.95 million, the third most spent by any group on lobbying state government in 2013. Chevron also spent much of its money on lobbying against bills that would ban or regulate fracking in California.?

Since it is the most powerful corporate lobby in Sacramento, the oil industry is able to wield enormous influence over state and federal regulators and environmental processes. The result of this inordinate money and influence is the effective evisceration of the Marine Life Protection Act of 1999 during the MLPA Initiative process and the signing of Senator Fran Pavley's Senate Bill 4.?

A report recently released by the American Lung Association revealed that the oil industry lobby spent $45.4 million in the state between January 1 2009 and June 30, 2013. The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) alone has spent over $20 million since 2009 to lobby legislators. (http://blog.center4tobaccopolicy.org/oil-lobbying-in-california)?

For more information on oil industry power and money, go to: http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/11/08/sacramento-a-capital-awash-in-oil-money/?
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Feb 28 10:54:36 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 10:54:36 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Final agenda for March 17-18 TAMWG meeting
In-Reply-To: <8AAAA7EAE2249D4B95F2A2C92B61C98E0C6305DE@COREXCHG6.ci.redding.ca.us>
References: <8AAAA7EAE2249D4B95F2A2C92B61C98E0C6305DE@COREXCHG6.ci.redding.ca.us>
Message-ID: <1393613676.56279.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "Hadley, Elizabeth" <hadleye at ci.redding.ca.us>
To:
Sent: Friday, February 28, 2014 8:36 AM
Subject: Final agenda for March 17-18 TAMWG meeting
 


 
TAMWG ?
?
Attached is the final agenda for our next TAMWG meeting on March 17-18.? Please note that there are different webex links and call-in numbers for each day.
?
Thanks!
?
Elizabeth W. Hadley
Legislative & Regulatory Program Supervisor
Redding Electric Utility
City of Redding
Office (530) 339-7327
Cell (530) 722-7518
ehadley at reupower.com
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Feb 28 13:55:12 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 13:55:12 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] CDFW to Host Public Meeting on Klamath River Salmon
	Sport Fishery
In-Reply-To: <B6F868082B7B1748B5294553CFCF94A204302453@057-SN2MPN1-041.057d.mgd.msft.net>
References: <F7DFE12199485448B62C640B44B5257797C113@057-SN2MPN1-061.057d.mgd.msft.net>
	<B6F868082B7B1748B5294553CFCF94A204302453@057-SN2MPN1-041.057d.mgd.msft.net>
Message-ID: <1393624512.27304.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

?

From:Wildlife CDFWNews 
Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 1:29 PM
To: Wildlife CDFWNews
Subject: CDFW to Host Public Meeting on Klamath River Salmon Sport Fishery 
?
(This email is being sent to all CDFW employees)
?
California Department of Fish and Wildlife News Release
?
Feb. 26, 2014
?
Media Contacts:
Wade Sinnen, Senior Environmental Scientist, (707) 822-5119
Harry Morse, CDFW Communications, (916) 323-1478
?
CDFW to Host Public Meeting on Klamath River Salmon Sport Fishery? 
?
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) invites the public to attend an informational meeting to review regulatory options for the 2014 fall Chinook Klamath River sport fishing seasons, areas closures and bag limits. Information used to formulate current fisheries management options will be discussed along with the 2013 Klamath fall Chinook run estimates.
?
The meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center, rooms 211-212, 921 Waterfront Drive, in Eureka.
?
The 2014 lower Klamath regulation options range from status quo to complete closure of the spit (mouth of the river).The public is encouraged to provide input on potential fishing season options at the meeting. 
?
The California Fish and Game Commission will be represented at the meeting. Consideration of adoption of Klamath River fishing regulations is scheduled to occur at the April 16 Commission meeting.
?
?
###
?
Please do not reply to this e-mail. CDFWNews at wildlife.ca.govis for outgoing messages only and is not checked for incoming mail. For questions about this News Release, contact the individual(s) listed above. 
?
Subscribe to CDFW News via e-mail or RSS feed. Go to www.dfg.ca.gov/news.? 
Like CDFW on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CaliforniaDFWand Twitter @CaliforniaDFW.
?
When you file your California income tax return, please consider making a voluntary contribution to the California Sea Otter Fund (line 410) or the Rare and Endangered Species Fund (line 403). Thank you!
?
Persons with disabilities needing reasonable accommodation to participate in public meetings or other CDFW activities are invited to contact the Department?s Reasonable Accommodation Coordinator Melissa Carlin at (916) 651-1214 or Melissa.Carlin at wildlife.ca.gov.? Reasonable Accommodation requests for facility and/or meeting accessibility should be received at least 21 days prior to the event.? Requests for American Sign Language Interpreters should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the event, and requests for Real-Time Captioning at least four weeks prior to the event. These timeframes are to help ensure that the requested accommodation is met.? If a request for an accommodation has been submitted but due to circumstances is no longer needed, please contact the Reasonable Accommodation Coordinator immediately.
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Feb 28 14:01:09 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 14:01:09 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Daily Kos/Dan Bacher- Peripheral Tunnels Opponents to
	Release New Map
Message-ID: <1393624869.73515.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/28/1281144/-Peripheral-Tunnels-Opponents-to-Release-New-Map#

FRI FEB 28, 2014 AT 10:03 AM PST
Peripheral Tunnels Opponents to Release New Map
byDan BacherFollow
	* ?
	* ?
	* Email?
	* 4 Comments / 4 New
Map will include largest agricultural water users, selenium-damaged land, oil deposits for fracking
Restore the Delta (RTD) and Food and Water Watch, opponents of Governor Brown?s Bay Delta Conservation to build the Peripheral Tunnels, announced today they will hold a teleconference on Tuesday, March 4, to release a new map depicting the overlap between the largest agricultural users of Bay-Delta water exports, land impaired by selenium concentrations that make farming unsustainable, and oil and gas basins that could be fracked.
?This map will show a remarkable overlay of where our water is going, how the public subsidizes unsustainable crops on drainage-impaired lands, selenium concentrations that pose a threat to the public, and underlying oil deposits that could be fracked with water from the governor?s tunnels,? said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of RTD. "Unsustainable farming has damaged these lands. And the taxpayers have been subsidizing it. Fracking is another water intensive industry in the San Joaquin Valley that will further contaminate groundwater supplies."
"The governor's plan describes water for fracking via the proposed peripheral tunnels as a beneficial use. Beneficial for whom? The peripheral tunnels would benefit unsustainable corporate agribusiness in one region and potentially the energy industry ? at the expense of everyday Californians," concluded Barrigan-Parrilla.
The teleconference will take place as California reels from an unprecedented drought. We can't spare one single drop of water on fracking when family farmers, cities and fish don't have enough water for their needs.
Governor Jerry Brown is fast-tracking the Bay Delta Conservation Plan to build the build the peripheral tunnels in order to export Delta water to corporate agribusiness interests, oil companies and Southern California water agencies. The construction of the tunnels will hasten the extinction of Central Valley salmon, steelhead, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species, as well as imperiling salmon and steelhead populations on the Klamath and Trinity rivers.
WHAT: ?Restore the Delta Map Release: Largest Water Users, Selenium-Damaged Land & Oil Fracking
WHEN: ?2:00 pm, Tuesday, March 4, 2014
WHO: ?Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Ex. Dir., Restore the Delta, Adam Scow, California Campaigns Director, Food & Water Watch
Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; steve at hopcraft.com; Twitter: @shopcraft; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 barbara at restorethedelta.org; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta
Restore the Delta is a 15,000-member grassroots organization committed to making the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta fishable, swimmable, drinkable, and farmable to benefit all of California. Restore the Delta works to improve water quality so that fisheries and farming can thrive together again in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
www.restorethedelta.org
ORIGINALLY POSTED TO?DAN BACHER?ON FRI FEB 28, 2014 AT 10:03 AM PST.
ALSO REPUBLISHED BY?CALIFORNIA POLITICS.
TAGS
	* California	* Drought	* Environment	* Food & Water Watch	* Hydraulic Fracturing	* Jerry Brown	* Klamath river	* Restore the Delta	* San Joaquin Valley	* Water
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From indiancreeklodge at wildblue.net  Mon Mar  3 15:04:52 2014
From: indiancreeklodge at wildblue.net (Indian Creek Lodge)
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2014 18:04:52 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [env-trinity] 2014 Pleasanton Raffle Winner and Fishing Report
Message-ID: <1116699300664.1108984582140.4554.0.261804JL.1002@scheduler.constantcontact.com>

Having trouble viewing this email?
Click here
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=b83911b6-063b-406d-8bfa-0fc1ad90d1cb&c=6751e380-7baf-11e3-b85c-d4ae52754db0&ch=67efd130-7baf-11e3-b8d2-d4ae52754db0
Hi, just a reminder that you're receiving this email because you have expressed 
an interest in Indian Creek Lodge. Don't forget to add indiancreeklodge at wildblue.net
to your address book so we'll be sure to land in your inbox! You may unsubscribe
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if you no longer wish to receive our emails.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

March 3,  2014
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THANKS, and CONGRATULATIONS TO JEFF!

Thanks to those of you who stopped by our booth at the Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show
to chat and enter our raffle. Hauling our road show down to Pleasanton has become
a nice annual tradition every February, but it interrupts some of the best steelhead
fishing of the year --read more below. First, however, we are pleased to announce
that the winner of our raffle is Jeff Watson of Oakdale, CA.

Jeff won a full day for two anglers in a guided drift boat, a nights's lodging for
two, and $50 in vouchers for dinners at LaGrange Cafe -- a combined value of about
$600.  Congratulations, Jeff.  Just let us know when you want to come up to cash
 in on the Trinity River.

IT'S STILL WINTER STEELHEAD TIME

As usual lots of folks at the Pleasanton show asked if the steelhead are still running.
Yes, there are plenty of fresh steelhead arriving after the rains, almost all of
 them wild, and warmer weather is producing some March brown surface action in the
afternoons.Here's my son Ben with a 30" wild hen about a week ago. (Fish caught 
by me, btw, and if this old geezer can land fish, you can land more!)

We are now in the middle of a week long wet weather pattern, and the hook up numbers
have been good--I'd say average of 5 to 10 per day per two anglers, with a number
of double digit days interspersed. Most recent result from yesterday: single average
angler in drift boat landed six chrome bright wild steelhead and a brown.

Where? The guide yesterday started his drift here, but there are fish throughout
 the river--one day is better below "the canyon", and then the next day is better
above the canyon. The stretch behind the Lodge continues to be very dependable. 
I was watching fish roll out there about 30 minutes ago.

Personally I think March was the best overall month for steelhead fishing in both
2012 and 2013, and March 2014 looks to be the same. As said before, the entire cycle
is running later in the year because of the dry December and January. However, in
making your plans be aware of the release of yearling steelhead and coho from the
Lewiston hatchery scheduled for March 15. Those little guys are great for novices
to catch, but veteran steelheaders may want to time their trip to dodge them.

OUR GREAT DRIFT, DINE, & STAY PACKAGE FOR TWO STILL FOR ONLY $950

For two anglers: two nights' lodging, two fine dinners at LaGrange Cafe in nearby
Weaverville ($100 in Dinner Passport vouchers), and two full days drift boat fishing
(weekdays only) with an experienced professional guide on the Trinity River--$950.
You can't find this value anywhere else.  Just give us a call.*

AN EVEN LESS EXPENSIVE "LEARN to FISH" PACKAGE

Between March 20 and April 25 only--two full drift boat days for two anglers with
a local guide (Ron Purl or Todd Leboeuf) and two nights' lodging for only $650*.
 That's not a typo--$650!*  This package is specifically for kids and newer anglers
to fish for the first time or brush up on skills.  March 15 thousands of juvenile
steelhead and coho (6" to 10") are released into the Trinity River, making the big
German Brown trout very aggressive. Beginners can easily catch the little ones, 
and there's always a chance of hooking up with big browns and steelhead.

LODGING & DINING PACKAGE

Same as Drift, Dine & Stay Package without the guide and the drift boat: two nights'
lodging and $100 toward dinners at LaGrange for $225*-what a deal!
FLY FISHING SCHOOLS

March 28-30 and April 25-27.  See right column for more information.

*Payments by check or cash only.  Based on double occupancy, subject to availability,
tax on lodging included, shuttles and gratuities not included. These prices available
only through Indian Creek lodge.  Call 530 623 6294 or write to info at indiancreeklodge.net
[mailto:indiancreeklodge at wildblue.net] for details.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Indian Creek Lodge

59741 Highway 299 West

Post Office Box 100

Douglas City, CA. 96024

Phone (530) 623-6294
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upcoming Events

March 19, 2014,

Shasta Trinity Fly Fishers

hold their annual fly fishing outing for vets in conjunction with the WoundedWarriors
program--a great event for a great cause. Vets are taught the basics of fly fishing
followed by socializing, dinner, and an overnight at the Lodge.

March 22-23, 2014, Helping Hands.  Teams of local 8th and 9th graders assemble artificial
hands to be sent to amputee victims of war injuries worldwide. Kids learn team building,
the rewards of giving, and make friends on other continents.

March 28-30, 2014

Cliff Sullivan Fly Fishing School. An all inclusive fly fishing school Friday afternoon
to Sunday afternoon with small classes and lots of time on the water.

$650 per person and only $175 more for a tag-along roommate who just wants to enjoy
the good food and camaraderie. Available only through Indian Creek Lodge. Limited
availability. Call for details and reservations.

April 10, 2014, Indian Creek Lodge will present a program for Granite Bay Fly Casters
in Folsom, CA, on Fly Fishing the Trinity.

April 11-13, 2014

The Fly Shop's signature Two Day Fly Fishing School at the Lodge. Click [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001L7yGM8Xxrw1q2LudGu91oIGIED3fXt7jcIKJzkVsotvqhaOh2W9dnQ8IipFE0OFdY3dJ1_QS60ks7lHp3X2bYXHCguF34hJoMQ2CLCpbcPnC75Q9-8Uq_KFlZ-wOAjgojDTFCGtc3EO1E8dFjXMDg1ZnmkKCm8h2EivasdsEBIJElnaM18FenwmpqlE1Y_iKtdwYbQdnYXL9B3DQyr1kBMIhwBpR_GqundYLiV80CsUyU4IqNblgzyEoBNkjcPuoWAtO2iVpTixWY8vcTxZUUjhkDqYCRyZlJyVow2oHzKKwdIHZbf7jK_lqtR912quWkBn7tyYzGKC8adthCRs4_X018a65yDS6VAuSaopo9RQ=&c=hOOaePdGyhClbhTuxxSk4wYKJVmzu68OoJx9UcbhOPo6t1FcUpmVsw==&ch=le6tNcrpt878SHPfyyO3lt-M3s_i4wqEvS7sZgutztSo__7q7pC7Gg==]
here [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001L7yGM8Xxrw1q2LudGu91oIGIED3fXt7jcIKJzkVsotvqhaOh2W9dnQ8IipFE0OFdY3dJ1_QS60ks7lHp3X2bYXHCguF34hJoMQ2CLCpbcPnC75Q9-8Uq_KFlZ-wOAjgojDTFCGtc3EO1E8dFjXMDg1ZnmkKCm8h2EivasdsEBIJElnaM18FenwmpqlE1Y_iKtdwYbQdnYXL9B3DQyr1kBMIhwBpR_GqundYLiV80CsUyU4IqNblgzyEoBNkjcPuoWAtO2iVpTixWY8vcTxZUUjhkDqYCRyZlJyVow2oHzKKwdIHZbf7jK_lqtR912quWkBn7tyYzGKC8adthCRs4_X018a65yDS6VAuSaopo9RQ=&c=hOOaePdGyhClbhTuxxSk4wYKJVmzu68OoJx9UcbhOPo6t1FcUpmVsw==&ch=le6tNcrpt878SHPfyyO3lt-M3s_i4wqEvS7sZgutztSo__7q7pC7Gg==]
for details and to enroll.

April 25-27, 2014

Casting For Recovery Retreat, teaching breast cancer patients and survivors the 
art of fly fishing in a therapeutic and supportive atmosphere. This is CFR's third
annual retreat at Indian Creek Lodge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quick Links

Indian Creek Lodge Website [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001L7yGM8Xxrw1q2LudGu91oIGIED3fXt7jcIKJzkVsotvqhaOh2W9dnQ8IipFE0OFdicN-qYAsNZV0UGT1jnDKHu8_1JcE7vaRgESy7hVC1h0a6sxkDzEZHK7a23HoymgI11bwEJh7bPIgJ7An5v6OJjAvidftNmD68aO5rwX8s_I-rEHmeb0D5aVxnPzbvaEuoU5hobS_cpUmNcGHWAGDLlef4Ylr5GqekZqbt9kmRTZ4f2r14FEro8Hu7lO6wGNH5U8bEIyGoAZzpylCYwDbKVI8qVnh_aF8ogqAnXAu5PSbiLg8druG4pRV8f0apZyb&c=hOOaePdGyhClbhTuxxSk4wYKJVmzu68OoJx9UcbhOPo6t1FcUpmVsw==&ch=le6tNcrpt878SHPfyyO3lt-M3s_i4wqEvS7sZgutztSo__7q7pC7Gg==]
How to find us [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001L7yGM8Xxrw1q2LudGu91oIGIED3fXt7jcIKJzkVsotvqhaOh2W9dnQ8IipFE0OFdAUKtb-WaP5ctsswpZov2LzklngDwD7tRq18KJDW2krvwK9gt3X5bn-1QUxMoKerHyudQR1vAYcV0pHIve9ShO6MqYkHHwDHOtjG_3EAx2gNZudhBS0ejGd6Ir61gj6lmmPjCKuocBTYNdn0Uz9WjiDrIXgGkdjEpqBBdq-j9IXUu5OA91cybM9zXwX5fD7-r9ApW_dLdeKxvURCERHdyIeFs-tuF7gosGF9BIG4Rk9xUeKfEyloH0FCEa8Tw7YjprgrZUWMJkT-GZbvl9OFyYg==&c=hOOaePdGyhClbhTuxxSk4wYKJVmzu68OoJx9UcbhOPo6t1FcUpmVsw==&ch=le6tNcrpt878SHPfyyO3lt-M3s_i4wqEvS7sZgutztSo__7q7pC7Gg==]
Weddings and Special Events [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001L7yGM8Xxrw1q2LudGu91oIGIED3fXt7jcIKJzkVsotvqhaOh2W9dnQ8IipFE0OFdXwVpsjOfMNTqiP5Z38-9QU2V40eAKHJMLw2EyBMiZ6ridQvnQvI0rHbeO4AEGia2rKK-t89BCZqm37wQQzIhvnQPEO-M_-8OXGXWtbkq90jASNDgQ9XNHcTi3C2-QkX2LWSfCwDaz3vcI25kGRKnbWX8-lVIckxfWFxl1uIN01p4kstUE-aKZDtTcoF4cOeuej7APV81PqMAMbRCeIFQ7_hiQV3KEzS7U48PA9SvXSvRiti5zIfFXubMWcVGxaC08ka_L6DPvqD-v2aUKlqsOyecFb65qiZAQlA6bIrBVv1TX7iJCShSkw==&c=hOOaePdGyhClbhTuxxSk4wYKJVmzu68OoJx9UcbhOPo6t1FcUpmVsw==&ch=le6tNcrpt878SHPfyyO3lt-M3s_i4wqEvS7sZgutztSo__7q7pC7Gg==]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Indian Creek Lodge is a great place for weddings or family gatherings

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forward email
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Indian Creek Lodge | 59741 Hwy 299 West | Douglas City | CA | 96024
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Mar  4 10:08:35 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2014 10:08:35 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Salmon Committee Slams Peripheral Tunnel Plan
In-Reply-To: <A442EB54-AD98-4763-A3E1-956FAC5E08AE@fishsniffer.com>
References: <ZUB71n01l5ARmgH01UCnLG> <02bc01cf37ce$786e7810$694b6830$@cox.net>
	<A442EB54-AD98-4763-A3E1-956FAC5E08AE@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <1393956515.48937.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Dan Bacher <danielbacher at fishsniffer.com>
To: 
Sent: Tuesday, March 4, 2014 9:33 AM
Subject: Salmon Committee Slams Peripheral Tunnel Plan 
 


https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/03/04/18751887.php?
Salmon Committee Slams Peripheral Tunnel Plan?

by Dan Bacher?

A state advisory panel including scientists, Tribal leaders, commercial fishermen and recreational anglers on February 26 blasted the Bay Delta Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the peripheral tunnels for leading to the decline of imperiled stocks of Central Valley salmon.?

The California Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout(?CACSST)has recommended that Director of Fish and Wildlife Chuck Bonham deny the incidental take permit for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan Alternative 4, claiming that the plan does not meet the requirements of a Natural Communities Conservation Plan and therefore cannot be approved because it will contribute to the further decline of Sacramento River winter run and spring run Chinook salmon.?

In a letter dated February 26, the Committee cites a number of reasons why Bonham should not issue a permit for the BDCP. These include reduced salmon smolt (juvenile) survival through the Delta, the concept that habitat restoration can make up for increased exports is not supported by science, and that funding and water supplies for habitat restoration is far from assured, according to Maven's Notebook.?

The Committee takes strong issue with the substitution of so-called "habitat restoration" in the plan for adequate flows for salmon and steelhead. The BDCP proposes taking vast tracts of Delta farmland, some of the most fertile on the planet, out of agricultural production in order to provide massive quantities of water to irrigate drainage impaired, toxic land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and to oil companies planning to expand fracking acidizing and steam injection operations in Kern County and coastal areas.?

The letter states, "BDCP promotes the unscientific scientific hypothesis that habitat restoration can substitute for flows. However, the State Water Resources Control Board has already indicated that Delta inflows and outflows are presently insufficient to help listed species recover their former abundance. BDCP would reduce Delta outlow, which contributes to the decreases in salmon smolt survival rates modeled by BDCP."?

The letter concludes, ?None of the alternatives considered in the BDCP Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Report would lead to the recovery of Sacramento River Winter Run and Spring Run Chinook salmon. None of the alternatives analyzed reduces the amount of water diverted upstream of or within the Delta. None of the alternatives analyzed considers meeting or moving toward meeting the State Water Resources? Control Board?s Delta Outflow Criteria of 2010 that was specifically required by the legislature in 2009 'to inform planning decisions for the Delta Plan and the BDCP.'"?

The California Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout (CACSST) was originally created in 1970 as an advisory body to the California Legislature and the Department of Fish and Wildlife.?

"The CAC was expected to operate autonomously, helping ensure the political will needed to restore California's declining salmon runs," explained Barbara Stickel in ?The California Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout: An Epic of Stymied Good Intentions? (2008). "However, since the early 1990s the CAC has been neither funded nor staffed to conduct the studies and other activities necessary to fully comply with their directive to oversee California's salmon restoration program. Likewise, although annual reporting, accompanied by proposed legislative changes, as needed, was originally anticipated, it has been twenty years since the last full CAC report to the Joint Legislative Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture was prepared."??

To read the full letter, go to: http://mavensnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CACSST-to-Bonham-CDFW-on-BDCP-NCCP_022614.pdf?

For more information on the (CACSST), go to: http://library.ucr.edu/?view=wrca/collections/cacsst/index.html?
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Tue Mar  4 10:44:12 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2014 18:44:12 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek 8
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C12D751@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Please see attachments for the Trinity River trapping summary update for Jweek 8 (Feb. 19 - 25)

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Mar  5 07:56:46 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2014 07:56:46 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal LTE- Travis Michel: TRRP,
	tribe audit overdue
Message-ID: <1394035006.29042.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_6572ad6e-a40f-11e3-965b-0017a43b2370.html?

TRRP, tribe audit overdue
From Travis Michel Weaverville | Posted: Wednesday, March 5, 2014 6:15 am
I?m a local fishing guide, board member of the guides association and also a five-year alternate on the Trinity River Restoration Program advisory committee (TAMWG) representing upriver locals and guides. I am representing only myself in this letter.
Aaron Martin is a Yurok tribal fisheries employee and I feel that should have been mentioned in his letter (the Yurok tribe recieves millions from the TRRP annually). Our coalition letter opposing more mainstem projects at this time is not a personal attack on any individual, but on program managers who ignore the public and are out of control. What gets done is not decided by Martin, Lee, or even their bosses.
We are spending our energy where it will do the best, opposing the deceptive environmental document that didn?t mention the Independent Science Advisory Board report that says their expensive projects are doing very little if any good. The TAMWG has largely been ignored by the Trinity Management Council for more than 10 years, often due to tribal influence.
I agree with Martin that the higher ROD flows have made a difference in steelhead populations and fishing. If the TRRP is responsible for the large run last year then they must be responsible for the terrible runs this year. It was one of the lowest fall salmon redd counts in many years. The TRRP is focused mainly on hatchery chinook and massive mainstem channel manipulation, and does little if anything to help wild steelhead, coho or wild salmon by funding habitat work in the tributaries.
As a member of the taxpaying public my main concern is whether our money is being spent wisely and are the projects working? I feel an audit of the program and the money the tribes get is long overdue.
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From pcatanese at dhscott.com  Wed Mar  5 10:08:00 2014
From: pcatanese at dhscott.com (Paul Catanese)
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2014 18:08:00 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal LTE- Travis Michel: TRRP,
 tribe audit overdue
In-Reply-To: <1394035006.29042.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1394035006.29042.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <4b8e00a1f50f45aebd41a23b4a7ae7f1@CO1PR04MB329.namprd04.prod.outlook.com>

As an income taxpayer, a trinity county property taxpayer,a trinity county utility rate payer and a fishing guide I couldn?t agree with Travis Michel s position more. An audit of the program is long overdue and was originally to be part of the ROD. The annual financial audit provision was arbitrarily yanked from the ROD allegedly due to influence by some members of the TMC.

It was odd that the program director stated in a public meeting in December that the 100 million dollars, more or less, that has been spent on restoration was not from the taxpayers. Ignorance abound to say the least.

I, like Travis, believe there are many good well intentioned  folks involved in TRRP but still does not excuse the lack of efficacy of the program.  Its time to reign it in and examine the progress or lack thereof.

In addition to sit on draft report that does not  paint a favorable light on the programs achievements makes one question the ethics of the parties involved whether merited or not. Sunlight and transparency is always the best disinfectant.

Think about all the money that has been spent without oversight, no bid contracts etc. while achieving  little measurable success. The white elephant in the room is the cumbersome and structurally ineffective design of the TMC and our Trinity County supervisors who seem to be more concerned about how much payroll stays in town rather than what the river needs.

Water in the main stem and restoration of the tributaries is the answer and we all know that. Bulldozing of the main stem and no bid contracts are not the  answer.

The time to financially audit the program is long overdue.

Paul Catanese

From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Tom Stokely
Sent: Wednesday, March 5, 2014 7:57 AM
To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal LTE- Travis Michel: TRRP, tribe audit overdue

http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_6572ad6e-a40f-11e3-965b-0017a43b2370.html
TRRP, tribe audit overdue
From Travis Michel Weaverville | Posted: Wednesday, March 5, 2014 6:15 am
I?m a local fishing guide, board member of the guides association and also a five-year alternate on the Trinity River Restoration Program advisory committee (TAMWG) representing upriver locals and guides. I am representing only myself in this letter.
Aaron Martin is a Yurok tribal fisheries employee and I feel that should have been mentioned in his letter (the Yurok tribe recieves millions from the TRRP annually). Our coalition letter opposing more mainstem projects at this time is not a personal attack on any individual, but on program managers who ignore the public and are out of control. What gets done is not decided by Martin, Lee, or even their bosses.
We are spending our energy where it will do the best, opposing the deceptive environmental document that didn?t mention the Independent Science Advisory Board report that says their expensive projects are doing very little if any good. The TAMWG has largely been ignored by the Trinity Management Council for more than 10 years, often due to tribal influence.
I agree with Martin that the higher ROD flows have made a difference in steelhead populations and fishing. If the TRRP is responsible for the large run last year then they must be responsible for the terrible runs this year. It was one of the lowest fall salmon redd counts in many years. The TRRP is focused mainly on hatchery chinook and massive mainstem channel manipulation, and does little if anything to help wild steelhead, coho or wild salmon by funding habitat work in the tributaries.
As a member of the taxpaying public my main concern is whether our money is being spent wisely and are the projects working? I feel an audit of the program and the money the tribes get is long overdue.
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Mar  6 11:16:00 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2014 11:16:00 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] AP: Ranchers, tribes reach deal on Klamath water
Message-ID: <1394133360.28167.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/05/6210993/ranchers-tribes-reach-deal-on.html?

?Ranchers, tribes reach deal on Klamath water

By JEFF BARNARD
Associated Press
Published: Wednesday, Mar. 5, 2014 - 9:40 am
Last Modified: Wednesday, Mar. 5, 2014 - 4:07 pm
GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- A deal to share scarce water between ranchers and the Klamath Tribes has cleared another hurdle on its way toward becoming part of a bill in Congress to overcome a century of fighting over water in the Klamath Basin.
Parties announced Wednesday they have finished negotiations to overcome last summer's irrigation shut-off to cattle ranches in the upper Klamath Basin after the Klamath Tribes exercised newly awarded senior water rights to protect fish.
The deal still must be voted on by the tribes and ranchers. If approved, it becomes part of Oregon Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden's effort to pass legislation authorizing removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River to help struggling salmon, and another that gives farmers on a federal irrigation project greater assurances of water during drought. That legislation has been stalled by House Republicans.
"This agreement is nothing short of historic," Gov. John Kitzhaber said in a statement. "On one of the more complex issues facing the state, people committed their time, energy and expertise to come up with solutions that support a stable agricultural economy and healthy fisheries and riparian areas."
The parties came together after 30 years of a process known as adjudication to settle water rights in the Sycan, Wood and Williamson rivers, which flow through the former reservation lands of the Klamath Tribes into Upper Klamath Lake, ended with the tribes gaining water rights to time immemorial. The agreement addresses some outstanding issues from that process.
When drought hit last year, the tribes and the Klamath Reclamation Project called their senior water rights, forcing watermasters to go to each ranch drawing water from the rivers and telling them they had to stop, turning green pastures to brown.
The negotiations could not have been possible without the shut-off, which forced ranchers to sell of their herds or move them, said rancher Becky Hyde.
Ranchers face an even tougher year this year, because with drought continuing and another irrigation shut-off likely, many no longer have any cattle to sell, added rancher Andrea Rabe.
With a federal drought declaration in place in neighboring California, Klamath County ranchers qualify for federal grants to help them through the hard times, said Richard Whitman, natural resources adviser to the governor. If the deal becomes law, it includes further federal payments to ranchers who fence their stock out of the rivers, and plant trees to help keep water temperatures cool for fish.
Reduced water withdrawals by ranchers under the agreement will increase flows into Upper Klamath Lake by 30,000 acre feet, where they will benefit endangered sucker fish that are sacred to the tribes. The water will also be available to the Klamath Reclamation Project, a federal irrigation project straddling the Oregon-California border that has seen irrigation cutbacks during drought to protect suckers and salmon in the Klamath River.
Klamath Tribes Chairman Don Gentry said the agreement provides a balance that will benefit the entire region economically. It also offers help for the tribes' efforts to regain control over timberlands they hope will restore an economic foundation for the tribes lost along with their reservation in the 1950s.
The cost of the combined agreements goes from a 2007 estimate of $970 million, to $550 million, due in part to increased pledges of funding from Oregon and California, said John Bezdek, special assistant to the secretary of Interior.
Jim McCarthy, a spokesman for the conservation group WaterWatch, said the extra water going into the lake was welcome, but not enough to overcome water problems throughout the basin, particularly on the national wildlife refuges that depend on the leftovers from the Klamath Reclamation Project. He added that cost reductions relied on accounting "gimmicks," and remained close to $1 billion for taxpayers.
? Read more articles by JEFF BARNARD
Order ReprintRead more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/05/6210993/ranchers-tribes-reach-deal-on.html#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Mar  6 13:48:32 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2014 13:48:32 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] LA Times: State failed to analyze effects of water
	bank, judge rules
Message-ID: <1394142512.22495.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

The rulings by Judge Frawley and other information on the case can be found at C-WIN's Monterey Plus Lawsuit Press Room at:?
http://www.c-win.org/press-room-monterey-plus-amendments.html ?

latimes.com/science/la-me-kern-water-20140306,0,7037459.story
latimes.com
State failed to analyze effects of water bank, judge rules
The findings are the latest development in a long legal fight over a facility that has helped Stewart Resnick, owner of Fiji Water and POM Wonderful.
By Bettina Boxall
10:02 PM PST, March 5, 2014
advertisement  
A court ruling issued Wednesday could throw up obstacles to operation of a Kern County groundwater bank that has helped billionaire Stewart Resnick build a nut empire in the southern San Joaquin Valley.
In the latest development in a two-decade legal fight, a Sacramento County Superior Court judge found that the state Department of Water Resources didn't properly analyze the environmental impacts of the Kern Water Bank, which is partly controlled by Resnick's Paramount Farms enterprise.
Judge Timothy Frawley will hold a hearing to determine the next step in the case. Environmental groups intend to argue that the water bank should be shut down while the state prepares a new environmental report.
"These guys have spent 16 years avoiding this moment. It's always been a possibility that a court would come in and shut it down," said Adam Keats, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, which represented plaintiffs in one of two related lawsuits that Frawley decided.
Representatives of Resnick and his wife, Lynda, who also own Fiji Water and POM Wonderful pomegranate juice, referred requests for comment to the water bank, whose attorney could not be reached.
The legal challenges sought to undo changes to the State Water Project that were made as part of a 1994 deal, known as the Monterey Agreement, between the Department of Water Resources and agencies supplied by the project. An earlier round of lawsuits forced the state to issue a new environmental review of the pact, which opponents argued was again insufficient.
Frawley ruled against them on all but one issue involving the water bank. On that count, the judge concluded that the state's environmental report failed to adequately assess the effects of the bank's operation, particularly on groundwater and water quality.
Some neighboring water districts and environmental groups contend that the bank ? originally developed by the state but later ceded to private control ? is harming the aquifer. They also argue that because the groundwater bank is replenished with supplies from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the operation is increasing demand for water from the environmentally fragile delta.
The Monterey Agreements, made behind closed doors, were intended to settle disputes between contractors of the State Water Project, which supplies Southern California cities and some irrigation districts in the southern San Joaquin Valley. The deal has been controversial since its inception and opponents have spent years trying to overturn its provisions.
In his decision, Frawley rejected most of their most recent claims, finding that except for the water bank, the state's review met legal requirements.
Next, he has to decide what happens to the bank while the state launches yet another environmental evaluation. "That's the big question we're all going to be fighting over," Keats said.
bettina.boxall at latimes.com
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Mar  7 09:58:28 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2014 09:58:28 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [env-trinity] (no subject)
Message-ID: <1394215108.13159.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Here is a different perspective on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan from the other end of the state:

http://www.sddt.com/News/article.cfm?SourceCode=20140305czh&_t=Drought+brings+attention+to+Bay+Delta+Conservation+Plan#.UxoHGiixq0t?

Drought brings attention to Bay Delta Conservation Plan
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6
By?JAMES PALEN, The Daily TranscriptThursday, March 6, 2014

San Diego's success in diversifying its water supply is muddying the waters of Northern California's Bay Delta Conservation Plan.
In 1991, the San Diego County Water Authority relied on the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for 95 percent of its water, including both Colorado River water and the State Water Project in the north. The remaining 5 percent was from local surface water.
Today, the Water Authority gets just 46 percent from MWD. The rest is from the Imperial Irrigation District transfer agreement, American Canal lining project, conservation efforts, recycled water and groundwater.
These changing statistics became a major point of discussion last week between Dennis Cushman, the San Diego County Water Authority's assistant general manager, and Andrew Poat, a consultant to the state-run California Resources Agency.
"San Diego has been a real leader in the implementation of these sorts of plans," Poat said. "To get ahead of the issues, not simply wait for a species to become listed as endangered."
There were 15 alternatives considered before the comprehensive Bay Delta Conservation Plan now in public comment was chosen, Poat said. The plan would consist partly of about 145,000 acres of restored and protected habitat ? contributing to the conservation of 57 species of fish, plants and wildlife ? and new water supply infrastructure. Three water intakes and two 30-mile gravity-flow tunnels are planned, which would give a combined capacity of 9,000 cubic feet per second.
Land use lawyer Cary Lowe moderated last week's discussion, hosted at the Wyndham San Diego Bayfront by the advocacy group Citizens Coordinate for Century 3.
A recent addition to the C-3 board of directors and a former chair of the San Diego City Council?s Water Policy Task Force, Lowe framed the event not as a debate, but an informational dialogue. The goal was to bring attention to possible work in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region, which, although 500 miles away, affects San Diego.
San Diegans have a stake in the Bay Delta Conservation Plan both as partial financers of the project and recipients of some of its water. Lowe said that recent attention to the state's water situation is overdue.
A strong contrast was clear from Poat?s and Cushman?s presentations.
"We are less reliant on the Bay Delta and the State Water Project than the rest of Southern California, at least urban Southern California," Lowe said, making the same comparisons to the Bay Area and Central Valley. "We look more to the Colorado River and to locally generated water than we do to the State Water Project. That wasn't true historically, but it is true today."
The 2020 projection has the Water Authority relying on MWD for only 30 percent of its supply, with new seawater desalination and additional Imperial Irrigation District transfer water making up the projected difference.
Still, Poat said, with the Water Authority relying on the Bay Delta for roughly 20 to 25 percent of its water, the region has to care about the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.
"All of this started a long time ago," Poat said, adding that in 2009 the state Legislature began sending proposals that would protect the Bay Delta region's watershed and its species, rather than reacting to situations.
"The Bay Delta Conservation Plan is part of a new strategy, which is not to sit back and wait and see what happens and then deal with problems as they come," Poat said. "It's to take a look into the future, make whatever investments are necessary to ensure that we don't just get water, we don't just get habitat ? that we get both."
Cushman said the region's changing reliance on MWD makes it not as cut and dry, though.
"This is an important part of the discussion about the Bay Delta," Cushman said, since the Water Authority is not only one of the 26 agencies served by MWD, but the largest.
The second-largest, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, recently announced plans to slash its MWD purchases in half. While most of the other MWD member agencies are, as Cushman said, "very small agencies with not a lot of stake, financially, in the discussions," most are making similar plans.
That makes the Water Authority ask who will end up paying for the Bay Delta plan and who would receive its greatest benefits. MWD has pledged to be the foundation of the plan's financing, with a minimum investment of 25 percent.
"Metropolitan, in turn, gets more than 85 percent of all of its revenues from the sale of water," Cushman said. "Metropolitan has very, very few fixed sources of revenue. If the largest agency, the second-largest agency and all of the agencies are reducing their purchases ? who's going to be left to pay for this project?"
Cushman showed the 2013 vision of the BDCP program's budget breakdown for the proposed $24.7 billion project, and compared it to a recently updated one with an increased reliance on public water agencies for cost coverage.
The 2013 estimate had public water agencies paying for roughly $16 billion, while the new breakdown had them also chipping in on parts that had earlier been covered solely by state and federal funding.
Cushman said the impact to San Diego ratepayers could be from $1.1 billion to $2.2 billion, while the region might see a water supply benefit of about 54,000 to 78,000 acre-feet of water.
The evaluation of those effects on San Diego ratepayers is one of many points of inquiry that Cushman said the Water Authority has raised with the BDCP program during the public comment period open through June 14. The Water Authority also questions the transparency of the program because the BDCP website doesn't show four letters from the Water Authority.
"The Water Authority is being called upon to pay the second-largest share of the BDCP in the state," Cushman said. ?Our ratepayers are being counted on to pay the bill, but the Water Authority has been ignored."
Cushman said the Water Authority has also never received a response to the letters, which date back as far as summer 2012.
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From seth.naman at noaa.gov  Fri Mar  7 10:11:59 2014
From: seth.naman at noaa.gov (Seth Naman - NOAA Federal)
Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2014 10:11:59 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] NMFS response to coalition letter
Message-ID: <CANHfRYxG7mLE-LCospRzj6_A8aDqDHkP5gDruG5vNL7YfeYgSA@mail.gmail.com>

All,

NMFS's response to the coalition letter is attached. Best regards,

Seth

-- 
Seth Naman
Fisheries Biologist
National Marine Fisheries Service
1655 Heindon Rd
Arcata, CA 95521
Voice: 707-825-5180
Fax: 707-825-4840
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Mar  9 18:56:24 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2014 18:56:24 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Lloyd Carter in Redding April 5-6: 40 Years of
	Covering California's Water Wars!
Message-ID: <1394416584.62781.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

This should be a good show for water wonks.
TS
**********************************
40 Years of Covering

California's Water Wars!
Don't miss this timely talk and slide presentation
A Two Day Event coming in April presenting information about your water rights!
Featuring Guest Speaker
LLOYD CARTER, a retired reporter and water law educator
When: Saturday, April 5th at 2:00 PM
VFW Hall
3210 West Center St
Anderson, CA
When: Sunday, April 6th at 2:00 PM
Redding Library
1100 Parkview Ave
Redding, CA
Q & A Period
Potluck
Socializing
Lloyd Carter was a reporter for United Press International and the Fresno Bee from 1969 to
1990. He covered water and agriculture issues in the San Joaquin Valley.
Lloyd Carter graduated from San Joaquin College of Law in 1994 and later taught water law at
his own Alma Mater.
Currently, Lloyd Carter is President of the California Save Our Streams Council. He is also a
board member of the Underground Gardens Conservancy.
Lloyd Carter hosts a monthly radio show on KFCF, 88.1 FM in Fresno.
Lloyd's blog at http://www.llovdgcarter.com/
information: 530.223.0197 or 530.242.0309
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Mon Mar 10 15:09:45 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 15:09:45 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Environmental Water Caucus Unveils Real-Time Drought
	Response
In-Reply-To: <CAOc8YxJBpntzaMU0Ppx5xYAefMTs5Ks3T1JRaiUn-SPuq6asjA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAOc8YxJBpntzaMU0Ppx5xYAefMTs5Ks3T1JRaiUn-SPuq6asjA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <0E95EA16-032C-4E62-9158-C33602D9A224@fishsniffer.com>

?


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/10/1283581/-Environmental-Water- 
Caucus-Unveils-Drought-Response

Environmental Water Caucus Unveils Real-Time Drought Response

by Dan Bacher

As the drought continues, Governor Jerry Brown and other politicians  
continue to promote the Bay Day Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to  
build the peripheral tunnels as the "solution" to solving  
California's water problems.

Others in Congress, such as Representatives David Valadao and Devin  
Nunes and House Majority Leader John Boehner, are using the drought  
as an opportunity to promote legislation that will eviscerate  
protections for Central Valley salmon, in order to ship Delta water  
to corporate agribusiness interests and oil companies, and to build  
more dams throughout the state.

On the other hand, the Environmental Water Caucus, a broad coalition  
of fishing groups, Indian Tribes, conservation groups and  
environmental justice organizations, has released a response to the  
drought pointing to ways that permanently use less water and better  
manage the hundreds of existing dams and reservoirs that already exist.

"With a history of recurring drought in California- 40% of recent  
years have been drought level years -California ought to be well  
prepared for these conditions.  Instead we have another of the usual  
'emergency drought proclamations' from the Governor," said Nick Di  
Croce, Co-Facilitator of the Environmental Water Caucus.
	
Di Croce cited the kinds of actions that are "really needed to get us  
out of this recurring cycle," as recommended by the member  
organizations of the Environmental Water Caucus. These include:

?	Provide funding of mandatory programs for urban and agricultural  
efficiencies and conservation.  This would include measures such as  
incentives to purchase high efficiency toilets, clothes washers and  
dishwashers, storm water capture, urban landscape replacement,  
groundwater cleanup, waste water treatment and recycling, green water  
infrastructure, and higher technology farm irrigation practices and  
equipment.  All of these actions have proven successful in the recent  
past, especially compared to the costs of water from new dams.

?	Develop water pricing guidelines to incentivize reduced use of  
urban and agricultural water with local baselines and steep upward  
price escalation for usage above the baselines.

?	Develop enforceable regional per capita water usage targets based  
on the efficiency and conservation measures adopted.

?	Report and monitor groundwater usage in order to minimize  
groundwater overdraft.  California is the only major state that does  
not monitor or control its groundwater.

?	Retire impaired farmlands in the San Joaquin Valley which now  
pollute our groundwater and rivers and use excessive amounts of  
irrigation water; these lands could be repurposed as solar farms.

?	Develop water pricing incentives for planting crops which directly  
contribute to the nation?s food supply.  As we reach the limits of  
our water supply, we need to question the use of that valuable  
resource in order to ensure the best use of our water.

?	Reduce exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta to a  
sustainable level aimed at protecting our water supplies as well as  
fish and habitat.

?	Operate major dams with a larger reserve held back for the 40% of  
low water years that can be anticipated.  The major orientation of  
dam operations should be to protect water quality, drinking water,  
fisheries, and habitats.

?	Reduce water district contract amounts to a more reasonable level  
in keeping with future reduced water supplies and to eliminate the  
current ?paper water. ?The state has promised 5-1/2 times more  
water rights than the water that actually exists," said Carolee  
Krieger, Executive Director of the California Water Impact Network (C- 
WIN), a member organization of the Environmental Water Caucus.

?	Restrict the use of water for fracking oil and natural gas.  The  
limitations of our water supply require that we not use that resource  
for a completely new water polluting industry.

?	Assure that adequate water supplies are provided to disadvantaged  
communities and that the water quality for poorer communities meets  
healthy standards.

"These are the kinds of actions that will be a real and permanent  
drought response," emphasized Di Croce.

I agree. There is no need to build the twin tunnels or new dams when  
all of these much better options for restoring the Bay Delta Estuary,  
California rivers and coastal waters while providing water for the  
needs of Californians are available.

Likewise, we must ban the environmentally destructive practice of  
hydraulic fracturing that uses precious water needed for drinking  
water supplies, family farmers and fish at at a time when California  
reels from the impacts of a record drought. We cannot allow one  
single drop of water to be used to expand fracking in California.

The member organizations of the Environmental Water Caucus include  
the AquAlliance, Butte Environmental Council, California Coastkeeper  
Alliance, California Save Our Streams Council, California  
Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Striped Bass  
Association, California Water Impact Network, Clean Water Action,  
Citizens Water Watch, Desal Response Group, Environmental Justice  
Coalition for Water, Environmental Protection Information Center,  
Earth Law Center, Fish Sniffer Magazine, Foothill Conservancy,  
Friends of the River, Food & Water Watch, Granite Bay Flycasters,  
Institute for Fisheries Resources, The Karuk Tribe, North Coast  
Environmental Center, Northern California Council, Federation of Fly  
Fishers, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations,  
Planning & Conservation League, Restore the Delta, Sacramento River  
Preservation Trust, Sierra Club California, Sierra Nevada Alliance,  
Southern California Watershed Alliance and Winnemem Wintu Tribe.

For more information, go to: www.ewccalifornia.org

Contacts:
Nick Di Croce, Co-Facilitator, Environmental Water Caucus
troutnk at aol.com, 805-688-7813
Conner Everts, Southern California Watershed Alliance
connere at west.net, (310) 804-6615
Eric Wesselman, Executive Director, Friends of the River
eric at friendsoftheriver.org, (510) 775-3797
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From rdileo53 at gmail.com  Tue Mar 11 16:56:32 2014
From: rdileo53 at gmail.com (rdileo53 at gmail.com)
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 16:56:32 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Please add me
Message-ID: <3B199D96-C59A-4A09-812E-95AEFEBC41C6@gmail.com>


Thanks!
Sent from my iPhone


From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Wed Mar 12 17:23:25 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 00:23:25 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Trapping Summary Update Jweek 9-11
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C12E34B@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Please see attachments for the JWeek  9-11 (Feb 26 - March 12) Trinity River trapping summary update.
This is the final trapping summary update for the 2013-14 season.
We will send out results from the 2014-15 season beginning with the Junction City spring-run Chinook trapping after the weir is installed in mid-June to early July.
Have a great spring.
Steve


Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Mar 14 08:38:07 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 08:38:07 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] SacBee: Appellate court ruling new hurdle for Delta
	tunnel plans
Message-ID: <1394811487.13306.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Appellate court ruling new hurdle for Delta tunnel plans

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh at sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Mar. 13, 2014 - 11:54 pm
Last Modified: Friday, Mar. 14, 2014 - 12:33 am
A state appellate court dropped a bomb late Thursday on the early stages of the state?s plan to divert fresh Northern California water under or around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta on its way to Central and Southern California.
On a 2-1 decision, a three-justice appeal panel in Sacramento ruled the California Constitution bars the state from entering private properties to do preliminary soil testing and environmental studies unless it wants to condemn affected sections of the parcels through its power of eminent domain.
The ruling on soil testing affirms a 2011 decision by a retired Superior Court judge sitting in San Joaquin County. The ruling on environmental studies reverses a separate 2011 ruling by the same judge.
Judge John P. Farrell, retired from the Los Angeles Superior Court, was appointed by the chief justice of the California Supreme Court to handle the issue.
The state does not want to condemn, acquire and pay for property that it has not yet decided will be used for a tunnel or canal diversion project. But the two-justice majority of the 3rd District Court of Appeal panel said in a 44-page opinion that drilling to test the soil and tramping around to survey the environment are legal ?takings? of property and must be done in accord with procedures spelled out in California?s Eminent Domain Law.
The ?land-entry statutes? relied on by the state Department of Water Resources do not apply to those activities because they fail to ?provide for a condemnation suit in which the landowners receive all of their constitutional rights against the state?s exercise of its eminent domain authority, including the right to a jury determination of just compensation for a direct and permanent taking,? said the majority.
The state wants to enter private land and drill for soil samples, as deep as 200 feet, to find the best route for a canal or tunnel to divert a portion of the Sacramento River?s flow out of the environmentally sensitive estuary and directly into state and federal Delta water diversion pumps near Tracy. The drilled holes would be left filled with concrete.
Water authorities also want to enter the properties to determine each parcel?s botany and hydrology; the presence of sensitive plant and animal species; the existence of vernal pools, wetlands and other animal habitat; the extent of cultural resources and utilities; and potential for recreational uses.
The majority noted the environmental crews would take minor soil samples, observe and trap certain animals and access the properties by motor vehicle, on foot, and by boat when necessary. If the state wants to ?perform actions that will result in the acquisition of a property interest, permanent or temporary, large or small, it must directly condemn those interests and pay for them,? the majority opinion declared.
The litigation involves more than 150 owners of more than 240 parcels in Sacramento, San Joaquin, Yolo, Solano and Contra Costa counties. The properties total tens of thousands of acres used primarily for commercial agriculture, cattle ranching and recreation.
There is a strong possibility that the state will seek review of Thursday?s opinion at the California Supreme Court, and the opinion is likely to cause a substantial delay of the project. The majority opinion was authored by Associate Justice George Nicholson, who was joined by Associate Justice Andrea Lynn Hoch.
In a dissent two pages longer than the majority opinion, Acting Presiding Justice Cole Blease took strong exception to the reasoning of his colleagues. Blease quotes the land-entry statutes as allowing an entity with eminent domain power to go on property ?to make photographs, studies, surveys, examinations, tests, soundings, borings, samplings, or appraisals ... reasonably related to (possible) acquisition or use of the property.?
The majority?s ruling ?clearly was not the purpose of the Legislature in enacting a procedure for preliminary (study), which provides notice and payment to the owner and a procedure for ensuring that the testing is reasonably necessary, without obligating the (public entity) to file a traditional condemnation proceeding,? Blease wrote.
?We should construe the entry statutes as constituting an eminent domain proceeding,? he wrote. ?This is a logical and reasonable construction, and one that comports with the legislative history of the statutes.?
Such an outcome, Blease added, would result in a proper interpretation of the entry statutes and the state constitcution and avoid the erroneous conclusion that the statutes ?are entirely void.?

Call The Bee?s Denny Walsh, (916) 321-1189.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/13/6236482/appellate-court-ruling-new-hurdle.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/13/6236482/appellate-court-ruling-new-hurdle.html#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Mar 14 08:43:47 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 08:43:47 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] SacBee: Court approves California Delta smelt
	protections
Message-ID: <1394811827.11029.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Court approves California Delta smelt protections

By SCOTT SMITH
Associated Press
Published: Thursday, Mar. 13, 2014 - 3:17 pm
Last Modified: Thursday, Mar. 13, 2014 - 4:49 pm
FRESNO, Calif. -- A federal appeals court on Thursday largely upheld a 2008 plan that called for restrictions on water deliveries from California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect a tiny, threatened fish.
In a 2-1 ruling, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel said that much of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2008 biological opinion about the Delta smelt was not arbitrary and capricious as a lower court judge had ruled.
The decision won't have any practical effect on water flows since protections for the smelt were kept in place while the lower court ruling was appealed.
Farmers and water districts had objected to the biological opinion and said Thursday that they were disappointed by the ruling. Restrictions on water deliveries have spelled major losses for growers in the state's farm belt who rely on the Delta to irrigate crops.
"The ruling gives judicial blessing to regulations that impose real punishment on people with only speculative benefits for a declining fish species," said Damien Schiff, an attorney for Pacific Legal Foundation representing farmers in the case. "Under these draconian regulations, water is withheld from farms, businesses and communities from the Central Valley to San Diego based on sloppy science and ideological agendas."
Thomas Birmingham, general manager of the Fresno-based Westlands Water District, said he is considering options for further judicial review. Westlands is the nation's largest supplier of irrigation water, serving about 600 family-owned farms in California's Central Valley. The farmers they serve are already grappling with the harsh drought conditions, he said.
Birmingham supports efforts in the U.S. Congress to change how federal laws protecting endangered wildlife are applied to two vast water delivery systems operated by the state and federal governments ? the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project.
"It is particularly frustrating that water dedicated to protecting the Delta Smelt has not provided any protection to the species," Birmingham said. "The population of the species continues to decline."
Environmentalists praised the ruling.
"At the core of this decision, the 9th Circuit says this (study) is fine, and that at the time that it was finalized the agency had considered the best available science of the Delta smelt," said Trent Orr, an attorney at Earthjustice, a group that challenged the lower court's dismissal of fish and wildlife's study.
Kate Poole, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, refuted the theory that water regulations haven't helped the endangered smelt.
"It's not as though a lot of water is being devoted to fish and wildlife in the drought," she said. "They're not getting sufficient supplies either."
Thursday's decision was the latest in a legal battle over the lower court's 2010 decision invalidating the fish and wildlife study. Fish and wildlife officials found that, to protect the smelt, restrictions were needed on the use of massive pumps that move water from the North through the state's system of canals that delivers the precious resource to farms and thirsty cities in central and southern California.
Agriculture and urban water districts sued to overturn the study and found support in the district court's Judge Oliver Wanger. The judge invalidated the study, but allowed its protections to go into effect while the case was fought on appeal by environmental groups.
The water districts can now either ask the 9th Circuit to rehear the case, or appeal directly to the Supreme Court.

Associated Press writer Jason Dearen in San Francisco contributed to this story.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/13/6235395/court-approves-california-delta.html#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Mar 14 11:38:17 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 11:38:17 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Joint river project benefits fish,
	water district customers
Message-ID: <1394822297.7980.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_249de63a-a98e-11e3-ab0a-0017a43b2370.html?

Joint river project benefits fish, water district customers
Contributed | Posted: Wednesday, March 12, 2014 6:15 am
The Trinity River Restoration Program partnered with the Weaverville Community Services District this past summer to develop a joint project to meet the objectives of creating more juvenile fish habitat and reducing the water district?s dependence on Weaver Creek water.
The restoration program supports conservation of Weaver Creek water to maintain dynamic alluvial properties within the Weaver Creek delta, and to enhance habitat for coho salmon and steelhead, the restoration program said in a news release.
Most of the community?s water comes from Weaver Creek but the community also uses Trinity River water during the summer when Weaver Creek is low. Reducing the reliance on Weaver Creek water gives the district the flexibility to conserve water from Weaver Creek when necessary, without disrupting service to consumers, and at the same time benefiting local fish populations.
Together the restoration program and water district reconfigured the existing infiltration gallery along the Trinity River to provide a more efficient and fish-friendly gallery during construction of the restoration program?s channel rehabilitation project at Douglas City. The rehabilitation project created new juvenile fish habitat features and also placement of boulders for adult fish holding.
The water project involved removal of existing infrastructure along the Trinity River and reconfiguring it to improve the district?s ability to deliver water from the Trinity mainstem to Weaverville and surrounding communities.
?Tests showed that the existing infiltration system installed in 1996 and consisting of 367 feet of infiltration pipe was not effective in collecting the amount of water it was designed to convey,? said Wes Scribner, general manager for the water district. ?This jeopardized the district?s ability to pump enough water to meet demand when the flows in Weaver Creek are too low to service the gravity flow system. This work was completed just in time for this year?s drought.?
The benefits to the coho and steelhead populations of Weaver Creek and the Trinity River will take longer to realize.
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Mar 17 12:27:00 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 12:27:00 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Panel discussion of 2014 Trinity mainstem projects
	Tues 3/18 Wvvl Fire Hall
Message-ID: <1395084420.50182.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

There will be a panel discussion on Tuesday March 18 about the proposed 2014 Trinity River mainstem projects at the Weaverville Fire Hall on Bremer St. starting at 1:30. ?The meeting is the federal advisory committee for the Trinity River Restoration Program, the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group.

I encourage all stakeholders, agencies, tribes and other interested persons to attend and speak your mind. I will certainly be speaking my mind. ??

Sincerely,
?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Mar 18 21:17:01 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 21:17:01 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Draft Agenda for 3/26-27 Trinity Management Council
	Meeting @ USFS/Redding
Message-ID: <1395202621.51307.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

All,

Regrettably, I will be unable to attend this important Trinity Management Council (TMC) meeting due to a prior commitment, so I STRONGLY encourage others (particularly TAMWG members and coalition members) to attend in order to learn and express your opinion during the public comment times and other agenda items where/if allowed by the TMC Chair. ?

I expect to send a letter to the TMC from members of our coalition prior to the meeting updating the TMC and regulatory agencies on what we would like to see in order to implement a cease fire. ?

I am hopeful. ?I felt that this week's Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group meeting was extremely productive to help us all work toward the mutual goal of restoring the Trinity River's fisheries.

Respectfully,?
?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org

http://odp.trrp.net/Data/Meetings/MeetingDetails.aspx?meeting=1495?


TRINITY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
US Forest Service, 3644 Avtech Parkway
Redding, CA 96002
Draft Agenda for March 26-27, 2014
?
?
Wednesday, March 26, 2014 
?
Time????????????? Topic,
Purpose and/or Decision to be Made??????????  ?????????????????????? Discussion
Leader
? 
Regular
Business:
?
10:00?????????????? Introductions: 
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????? ??????????????????????????????????? Brian
Person, Chair
?? Welcome 
?? Approval of Agenda
?? Approval of December ?2013 Minutes
?
10:15?????????????? Open Forum:? Comments from the public????????????????????????????? Brian Person
?
10:45?????????????? Report from TMC Chair? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? Brian
Person
?
?? Federal/Regional ?updates 
o?? TMC action items
o?? TAMWG items
?? Program discussion 
?
11:45?????????????? Report from
TAMWG Chair??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Elizabeth
Hadley 
?
12:15?????????????? Lunch
?
1:15???? ??????????? Report from Executive Director????????????????????????????? ??????????? Robin Schrock
?
?? TRRP 2015 budget strategy
?? Organizational Updates
?? Work Group updates
o?? Quarterly summery
(handout) 
?
Information / Decision Items:
?
1:45???????????????? Implementation
Update?????????????????????????????????????????????????????? DJ
Bandrowski
?
?? 2014 Rehabilitation projects updates
?? 2014/2015? Rehabilitation projects updates
?? Phase 2 Strategic planning
?
?
2:45???? ??????????? Regulatory Updates????????????? ??????? ??????????????????????????????????????? Brandt
Gutermuth
?
3:15???????????????? Watershed Work
Group Update???????????????????????????????????????? Sean
Ledwin
??????????????????????? ??????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????? 
3:45???????????????? Gravel
Augmentation Work Group Update????????????????????? ??????? ??? Robert
Franklin
?
4:15??????????????? Open Forum????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Brian
Person
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 
4:45???????????????? Adjourn
?
?
-------------------------------------------------------?


Wednesday, March 26, 2014 TMC Meeting WebEx access
?
Date: Wednesday, March 26, 2014 
Time: 9:30 am, Pacific Daylight Time (San Francisco,
GMT-07:00) 
Meeting Number: 578 213 962 
Meeting Password: Abc at 123! 
------------------------------------------------------- 
To join the online meeting (Now from mobile devices!) 
------------------------------------------------------- 
1. Go to
https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=m5447caa6be476be11168741e1120aa6f 
2. If requested, enter your name and email address. 
3. If a password is required, enter the meeting
password: Abc at 123! 
4. Click "Join". 
?
To view in other time zones or languages, please click
the link: 
https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=m2970431bec3a4095378fc839895daba8 
------------------------------------------------------- 
To join the audio conference only 
------------------------------------------------------- 
Call-in toll number (US/Canada): 1-408-792-6300 
?
Access code:578 213 962 
------------------------------------------------------- 
For assistance 
------------------------------------------------------- 
1. Go to https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/mc 
2. On the left navigation bar, click
"Support". 
?
You can contact me at: 
dljackson at usbr.gov 
1-530-623-1800 
?
To add this meeting to your calendar program (for
example Microsoft Outlook), click this link: 
https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=ma73873251347e55dadb3e19f34937d2d
?
 
?
?
Thursday, March 27, 2014 
?
?
Time????????????? Topic,
Purpose and/or Decision to be Made??????????  ?????????????????????? Discussion
Leader
?
9:00???????????????? USGS DSS
Demonstration? ??????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????? Chris
Holmquist-Johnson
?
10:30?????????????? Phase 1 Review
Implementation??????????????????????????? ?????? ???? Robin
Schrock
?
10:45?????????????? Fish Production
Model Update??????????????????????????????? ?????? ???? Joe
Polos 
?
11:45 ????????????? Science
Update????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Ernie
Clarke
?
?? 2015 AWP timeline
?
?
12:00?????????????? Lunch???????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????? 
?
1:00??? ???????????? Riparian vegetation approaches/ESA species??????????????????? ??????? ??? James
Lee
?
1:30???????????????? Flow Work
Group Update??????????????????????????????????????? ???????? ?? Rod
Wittler
?
2:30???????????????? Open Forum
?
3:00???????????????? TMC Chair
Meeting Summary of Action Items
?
3:30 ??????????????? Adjourn
?
 
?
?
??????????? 
Thursday, March 27, 2014 TMC? Meeting WebEx access
?
Date:?Thursday, March 27,
2014?
Time:?9:00 am, Pacific Daylight Time (San Francisco, GMT-07:00)?
Meeting Number: 578 894 934?
Meeting Password:?Abc at 123!?
-------------------------------------------------------?
To join the online meeting (Now from mobile
devices!)?
-------------------------------------------------------?
1. Go to?https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=m97e4522b88e9661440746a569b7c6993?
2. If requested, enter your name and email
address.?
3. If a password is required, enter the meeting
password:?Abc at 123!?
4. Click "Join".?

To view in other time zones or languages, please
click the link:?
https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=me8b52624a79ed29b504389fd90018b15?

-------------------------------------------------------?
To join the audio conference only?
-------------------------------------------------------?
Call-in toll number (US/Canada): 1-408-792-6300?

Access code:578 894 934?
-------------------------------------------------------?
For assistance?
-------------------------------------------------------?
1. Go to?https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/mc?
2. On the left navigation bar, click
"Support".?

You can contact me at:?
dljackson at usbr.gov?
1-530-623-1800?

To add this meeting to your calendar program
(for example Microsoft Outlook), click this link:?
https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=mba6baf5ca99dbd2bc4b974bc1c2fa236?
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Mar 19 09:50:22 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 09:50:22 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] North Valley farmers may sue for more water
Message-ID: <1395247822.69748.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.kcra.com/news/north-valley-farmers-may-sue-for-more-water/25025922?

By?David Bienick
BIO
North Valley farmers may sue for more water
Growers say feds have violated contract
UPDATED?7:09 PM PDT Mar 17, 2014
	* 
	* 
	* 
	* 10NEXT STORY
Teens tried as adults for alleged 'heinous' Marysville kidnapping
Brian Fong/KCRA
VIEW LARGE
WILLOWS, Calif. (KCRA) ?Farmers in the northern Central Valley said Monday they may sue the federal government for failing to provide the minimum amount of water they said a 50-year-old contract requires
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The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced last month it planned to provide farmers along the Sacramento River with 40 percent of the water they normally receive.
"It came as a surprise," said Larry Maben, who owns an 800-acre rice farm near Willows.
Maben said a contract signed in 1964 guarantees that farmers in this part of the state will never receive less than 75 percent of their normal supply.
"I think those contracts should be honored. I mean, they wrote the contract. They knew what they were doing when they signed it," said Maben.
The Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District provides water to Maben and about 1,300 more growers in a stretch along Interstate 5 between Williams and Willows.
Thad Bettner, general manager of the district, said his members began pumping water from the Sacramento River long before 1945 when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation completed Shasta Dam.
For years after the dam was built, farmers and federal officials argued about how to apply the farmers' long-standing water rights.
In 1964, the two sides settled the case with a contract and the North Valley farmers became known settlement contract users.
Because of that contract, Bettner said the North Valley farmers' water allotment cannot be lowered below 75 percent, even though South Valley farmers have been told not to expect any federal water this year.
"Those junior water rights users know that in years like this when water is tight, they're likely not going to get any water. So the system works," said Bettner.
"Our 40 percent allocation to the Sac River contractors was based on current conditions and availability. We sincerely hope things improve for all Californians," wrote Margaret Gidding, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Reclamation, in an email to KCRA 3.
Reservoir water has been so dependable in the Sacramento Valley that few farmers have sufficient groundwater wells to serve as backup.
Maben said he planned to use two groundwater wells on his property for the first time since the 1992 drought but would still likely have to leave hundreds of acres fallow.
Bettner also pointed out that California's rice fields serve as habitat for migrating water fowl and that if the birds are forced to share fewer fields they are more at risk for disease.
He said he planned to meet this week with Reclamation officials and to ask for proof that they truly can provide no more than 40 percent.
If not, he said, he will discuss the situation with the region's congressional representatives and will consider filing a lawsuit.
"It could be an issue that we raise legally, but that's a much longer road to go down. I mean, obviously this year we're looking for some short-term relief. We have to get this issue resolved quickly," said Bettner.
Rice planting typically occurs during last March and early April.

Read more:?http://www.kcra.com/news/north-valley-farmers-may-sue-for-more-water/25025922#ixzz2wQbp7E5R
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Mar 19 11:20:38 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 11:20:38 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Al Jazeera: Drought hits harder in already parched
	Indian Country
Message-ID: <1395253238.70422.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/3/19/drought-is-nothingnewinindiancountry.html?

Drought hits harder in already parched Indian Country
by?Kevin Taylor?March 19, 2014?5:00AM ET
Concerns rise over failing fish populations, meaningless water rights and pushback from other governments
Topics:?Drought USA?Indian Country?Weather       
Trinity Lake is one of the largest reservoirs in California, and much of its water goes to the Central Valley and its agriculture. Reservations are often left dry.Tim Reed/USGS
Editor?s note: This is the first in a three-part series examining how drought affects Native Americans and their communities.
Drought maps this winter have shaded swaths of the American West in oranges and reds to signify severe, extreme and even exceptional levels of drought.
And exceptional drought gets attention, especially when it hits America?s vegetable basket, California?s Central Valley.
Speaker of the House John Boehner in January stood in his shirtsleeves in a dusty, bare field in Bakersfield. He supported a state bill that would quash salmon restoration in the San Joaquin River delta, joining the cry that scarce water should go to farms, not fish.
President Barack Obama, a month later, stood in his shirtsleeves in a dusty, bare field in nearby Fresno, offering $183 million in aid and announced an initiative on climate change to address larger issues affecting the three-year drought.
But living in the dry is nothing new for Native Americans in the West. Nor is being overlooked.
In wet years as well as dry, many American Indians live in chronic droughtlike conditions, thanks to decades? worth of dams that hold water back or divert it from reservations which were usually sited on already marginal land.
?We are definitely one of the overlooked groups of people in the U.S.,? said Margaret Hiza Redsteer from her office in Flagstaff, Ariz. A?member of the?Crow Nation, Redsteer is a geologist with theU.S. Geological Survey?and has been monitoring 18 consecutive years of drought conditions in the Southwest, primarily on Hopi and Navajo lands.
?The California drought is getting a lot of attention right now, and I keep thinking ?You know, we?ve been facing this problem for a while now? ? [but] we don?t supply the food to the rest of the country, so people haven?t noticed,? she said.
The dry side of reservoirs
Her concerns are echoed in the Great Plains ? where reservoirs behind federal dams have displaced Indians ? and in Northern California, where once teeming salmon streams shrink as water is diverted south.
During the last century, the California constructed a massive system of dams, reservoirs, tunnels and canals to funnel water to the Central Valley, which has become an industrial agriculture wonderland. According to the?USGS California Water Science Center, Central Valley agriculture is a $17 billion per year industry that supplies a quarter of America?s food, including 40 percent of its fruits and nuts.
Lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and fruit take tremendous quantities of water, and the dry fields where Obama and Boehner were standing during their media events are often irrigated with water that comes from far away.
In fact, 557 miles to the north, amid the forested ridges that outline the sinuous?Trinity River, Rod Mendez reflected about being on the dry side of the Central Valley Project dams.
People need to keep in mind, as [drought] legislation is drafted, that farms can be bailed out but fish populations can?t.
Dave Hillemeier
fisheries manager, Yurok Tribe
?For the most part, the Hoopa Indian Reservation is kind of in a drought situation all the time anyway,? said Mendez, who is writing an emergency drought plan for the?tribe. ?We have a lot of dams in the area. They control the flow of the river whether we?re in a drought year or not. We?re not getting the flows we were getting before the dams.?
A half-century of lesser flows has reduced coho salmon runs to the point they are on federal and state endangered species lists. Officials with both the Hoopa and?Yurok tribes?say they are concerned that California?s declaration of a drought emergency in January will make things worse by loosening environmental protections known as CEQA,?California Environmental Quality Assurance.
?We?re concerned because during the process the tribes really haven?t been consulted with,? said Hoopa Valley tribal chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten. ?All this legislation that?s getting put through really fast. They have legislation to increase water flows into the Shasta Reservoir. They have other bills to do with the Trinity River. We have to constantly go online and look and try to understand what the information is that we are reading. We have our attorneys on it.?
?People need to keep in mind, as [emergency drought] legislation is drafted, that farms can be bailed out but fish populations can?t,? said Dave Hillemeier, fisheries manager for the Yurok Tribe. ?Once you lose the genetics that make up your fish population, they?re gone.?
Salmon returning from the ocean last year faced such obstacles as low flows in the Trinity and Klamath rivers, higher water temperatures, algae blooms from agricultural runoff and even dewatering ? stretches that were sucked dry by irrigation or consumption.
"Too much water has been allocated to too many people,? said Konrad Fisher, executive director ofKlamath Riverkeeper. Along the Scott River, an important tributary of the Klamath, Fisher said, ?an 18-mile stretch ? was completely dry,? because of overappropriation of water rights.
Dry stretches strand returning salmon, keeping them from reaching spawning grounds.
Talking to the elders
Pressure on Northern California water may be especially dire this year. According to the California Water Science Center, ?2013 was the driest calendar year for California in 119 years of recorded history.?
Foreshadowing?a bone-dry 2014, snowpack in the north ranged from 22 percent to 25 percent of normal by late February. Snowpack provides about one-third of the water used by California?s cities and farms, the center says.
In the Southwest, ?It?s a year without a winter here,? Redsteer said from her USGS office in Flagstaff. She has chronicled the worsening scarcity of water by setting up her own weather stations and interviewing up to 100 tribal elders about changes they observed?during their lifetimes, which included winters without snow, summers without monsoons and vanishing streams, plants and animals.
One of the ways USGS geologist Margaret Hiza Redsteer tracks climate change is by talking to Navajo and Hopi elders.U.S. Geological Survey
Streams on the Navajo reservation have dried up one after another. Without moisture in the ground, perennial grasses don?t grow. Without grass cover, sand dunes begin to migrate and advance on dwellings, roads and grazing land. Dry riverbeds release fine sediment to the winds, and the airborne dust settles on the snowpack of the southern Rockies. Dust absorbs more heat from the sun and melts the snow more quickly.
Is it climate change? ?That?s the $10 million question, and frankly it?s a question I don?t think you?ll ever be able to answer. It?d be like trying to claim which cigarette gave the person lung cancer,? Redsteer said.
What can be said, she added, is that drought conditions are intensified by warmer temperatures. Plants don?t remain dormant in winter anymore. They germinate and use up scant moisture. Higher temperatures increase aridity, which steals water from plants through evapotranspiration.
Use it or lose it
But haven?t indigenous cultures in the Southwest long adapted to arid climates?
?First of all, the traditional way of adapting to dry seasons was to move,? Redsteer said. These days, ?If you have a reservation, and the reservation is established where there are the most limited water resources in the region, the odds of you being able to make it through dry seasons are stacked against you.?
Indeed, she said, census data shows the reservation population in decline even as there are more Navajo. ?There is a notable emigration from the reservation and mostly it?s young people who are leaving because they can get jobs in cities,? she said. This is due in part from the limited, land-based economies on the reservation.
?There?s not a lot of alternatives out there,? Redsteer said.
When it comes to drought planning, she praised the Navajo and Hopi tribes but added, ?What is it that we do after the first 10 years?? Redsteer asked. ?People on the reservation use one-tenth of the water that people in Phoenix use every day. How do you conserve when you are already using so little? They don?t have lawns, they don?t wash their cars on a regular basis. It?s hard to say, ?Well, we really need to conserve now,?? she said with a laugh.
And Phoenix, a desert city that glimmers with emerald golf courses and backyard swimming pools when seen from the air, highlights the archaic nature of water laws.
?One of the real ironies is that western water law is ?use it or lose it?. Phoenix ? to keep its Colorado River allocation, has to use that allocation or it will lose its rights to it. So in some ways there?s a disincentive to conserve,? Redsteer said.
The aftershocks of dam building resonate throughout Indian Country, even on the Great Plains.
?It is no coincidence that the major dams on the Missouri are on Indian reservations,? added Gary Collins. Collins is a member of the?Northern Arapaho Tribe?who has spent much of his career in natural resource and water issues.
?Actually, the tribes on the Missouri didn?t get the dams, they got the reservoirs,? said Bob Gough, secretary of the Intertribal Council on Utility Policy,?based in Rosebud, S.D. ?When the dams were built for flood control, it actually means the tribes were permanently flooded and someone else is in control. That?s what ?flood control? means if you are an Indian.?
An ugly history
Collins and Gough recently attended a drought-planning conference in Nebraska sponsored by theNational Integrated Drought Information System.
Collaboration among tribes and federal and state agencies is welcome but is fraught with ugly history such as Indians being flooded out by dams. ?It was forced displacement, and that provides the mistrust tribes have with the government,? Collins said.
Some tribes, such as those on Wyoming?s Wind River Reservation, have fought for more control by having their water rights adjudicated ? which clarifies how much water a user has a right to use and who has priority during times of scarcity.
?It was 37 years in the courts,? Collins said. ?We are constantly having pushback from non-Indian society wanting more of the tribes? assets.?
Tribes are first affected and most affected. They are the ones on the ground who sustain themselves with subsistence hunting and fishing and gardening.
Gary Collins
Northern Arapaho tribe
With drought, Collins said, ?Tribes are first affected and most affected. They are the ones on the ground who sustain themselves with subsistence hunting and fishing and gardening.?
Gough is among the lead authors of a chapter on the effects of climate change on indigenous people ? the first time they have their own chapter ? in the forthcoming third edition of theNational Climate Assessment.
Among the observations: ?A significant decrease in water quality and quantity caused by a variety of factors, including climate change, is affecting Native Americans? and Alaska Natives? drinking water supplies, food, cultures, ceremonies and traditional ways of life. Native communities? vulnerabilities and lack of capacity to adapt to climate change are exacerbated by land-use policies, political marginalization, legal issues associated with tribal water rights and poor socioeconomic conditions.?
It often comes down to poverty, Gough said. ?When you get to Indian Country, you see that these reservations have already been beset upon with with all sorts of vulnerabilities.?
Poverty often means that even if tribes have senior water rights, ?they don?t have a lot of money for infrastructure to actually get the benefits of those water rights,? Redsteer said. It?s not uncommon for tribes to bargain away some of their rights to have water returned via someone else?s pipes.
?It doesn?t do any good to have water rights on paper,? she said.
Meanwhile, as they prepared for the predicted dry summer, people enjoyed the few days of late-winter rain that spattered Northern California.
?I love the rain. I went out and took a walk in the rain,? Yurok chairman O?Rourke said.
?I love the smell of rain,? Hoopa chairwoman Vigil-Masten said. ?It seems that when it rains, we are all happy, really. Because you can see the water in the river start to increase.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Mar 19 12:23:32 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 12:23:32 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Trinity County preps for water woes
Message-ID: <1395257012.3439.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_0743f74a-af07-11e3-b610-001a4bcf6878.html?

?
County preps for water woes
By Sally Morris The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, March 19, 2014 6:15 am
Despite some relief from recent rainfall totals in Trinity County, local weather watchers, water districts and the county?s office of emergency services are monitoring and preparing for potential drought-induced water shortages, competition and conflict among water users and extreme fire danger.
Asking for a status report on local drought preparedness, the Trinity County Board of Supervisors last week first heard the results of a local climate assessment initiated in 2009 by the Five Counties Salmonid Conservation Program to chart and compare precipitation trends over the past 120 years of recorded measurement.
Program Director Mark Lancaster concluded that Trinity County?s weather patterns saw small fluctuations over the first hundred years, punctuated by a few very wet or very dry years, but in the past 33 years, the extremes have become more frequent.
?The way our weather runs has changed dramatically. We see a swing of extremes with few average years in between. For a water planner that is very difficult when you need the water all the time,? he said, adding that catastrophic fires also tend to coincide with the extremely dry years.
He said in the past 33 years, there were nine periods that were either very wet or very dry and six of those periods occurred in the past 15 years alone ?so even in the last 15 years the pattern of extremes seems to have accelerated along with acceleration of stand-replacing, catastrophic fires.?
Lancaster reported that although precipitation in February and March were about average, the total for the water year beginning last October is only about 40 percent of average, making it one of the driest on record, ?and before you say we?re getting better, remember there is no snowpack. If we?re going to have this climatic fluctuation, the solutions have to be local.?
He cited a number of water saving remedies that can be installed or promoted, including one of the most important which is to detect and repair any leaks, but also gray water reclamation systems and rooftop rain water capture systems that property owners and industries may consider. Four have been installed as demonstration projects in Weaverville alone.
The Five Counties Program was formed in 1997 to proactively address conditions that resulted in a federal listing of coho salmon as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act and work collaboratively across political boundaries to head off the potential of a more restrictive endangered listing.
Early priorities were projects across the five county region of Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Siskiyou and Trinity to remove salmon migration barriers from streams, then water quality improvement and training programs.
After completing a $600,000 grant-funded salmon habitat improvement project on private property in 2007, the stream above the work dried up ?so we started focusing on water quantity as well,? Lancaster said.
In Trinity County, the 2009 study concluded that 56 percent of residents get their water from community service districts, primarily in Weaverville and Hayfork. The rest rely on surface water diversions and a few wells, creating a lot of competition for groundwater.
Lancaster related his experience in 1987 of standing in a Weaverville Basin creek one day during that very hot summer and seeing the creek completely dry up in the space of just 20 minutes. He later attributed it to the impact of several users pumping water out of the creek all at the same time.
?Thousands and thousands of fish died. I tried to save some by moving them into pools, but gave up and ran to get my camera instead. I believe it happens a lot and the chances of actually being there to see it are just very rare,? he said.
The past five to 10 years have seen a large increase in water diverters, Lancaster said, placing Weaver Creek, and to a lesser degree Hayfork Creek and the Lewiston area at risk of failing to provide reliable community water supply.
?I don?t want to vilify the whole group, but suddenly there are a lot of pot growers in the system and the way they remove water and conduct operations makes them hard to contact or talk to about setting up standards,? he said.
?Why do we care? Because landowners, especially timberland owners, are being heavily regulated under the Endangered Species Act and if the coho listing goes from threatened to endangered, the options at the local level become much more difficult, so we have incentive to work on this and not let the fish die,? Lancaster said, adding that ?pumping water illegally from creeks, killing fish, is going to be very detrimental to everybody.?
From another perspective, the Weaverville Community Services District General Manager Wes Scribner said the district doesn?t know what its fate will be this summer, ?and we have to play it by ear, but we are preparing a contingency plan that begins with voluntary conservation triggered by whenever we do start pulling water from the (Trinity) river.?
In an average year, the district draws about 30 percent of its supply from the river in the summer and the rest from Weaver Creek. If 100 percent of the supply has to be pumped from the river, it creates a serious financial impact on the district, at which point an emergency drought surcharge could be imposed on district customers and that contingency is being prepared for in the event it is needed.
?But for now it is business as usual. If we get everyone conserving right now, we lose revenue and I don?t have a big reservoir to store the water in, so it?s a fine line,? Scribner said.
While the Ewing Reservoir that serves the Hayfork Waterworks District #1 is reportedly full with an estimated three-year supply, both water districts are concerned about theft of water.
Scribner said it?s an issue every year, and when people open a hydrant to steal water and slam it shut, there?s a massive pressure surge ?that can be catastrophic, touching miles and miles of system and costing thousands of dollars to repair, placing the whole system in jeopardy. We have hundreds of hydrants and it?s hard to put cameras on all of them so I want all of our customers to be aware and if they see something suspicious, call us.?
People whose wells and storage tanks run dry can pay to fill up at district facilities installed for that purpose to avoid theft and system damage.
From the Trinity County Sheriff?s Office of Emergency Services, Deputy Director Eric Palmer said he is not aware of any actual agricultural losses in the county at this time so there is no benefit to be gained from declaring a local state of emergency right now, but the office is monitoring the drought situation.
Regarding fire threat, he said ?we?d be foolish not to anticipate a bad fire season every fire season. After 40 years of living in Trinity County, I?ve learned you can?t predict arson or lightning and if it?s going to happen, we have to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. If 2008 hits us again, we are prepared.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Mar 19 12:35:33 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 12:35:33 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: FEMA rolls out new Trinity River maps
Message-ID: <1395257733.84244.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

This is a June 2013 article that I think I missed, but is still relevant.
TS
http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_746125be-d87f-11e2-a595-0019bb30f31a.html?

FEMA rolls out new Trinity River maps
Sally Morris The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, June 19, 2013 6:15 am
??? New Trinity River floodplain maps are in the process of being adopted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, having the potential to affect insurance rates and construction permits for numerous private property owners along the river from Lewiston down.
?? ?Public workshops were conducted last week in Douglas City and Junction City and with the Trinity County Board of Supervisors to share the proposed FEMA maps that are based on recent studies conducted by the California Department of Water Resources based in Red Bluff.
?? ?Trinity County Director of Transportation and Planning Rick Tippett said that updating the federal maps is a FEMA project, and the county?s only role is to help present the new information to the public.
?? ?The new maps will ultimately replace the existing floodplain maps created in 1976 using the flow calculations and engineering methods available at that time to survey the river corridor every 2,000 feet.
?? ?Noting that huge advancements in technology have occurred since then, Tippett said the ability now exists to survey large areas and produce much more accurate, high resolution pictures and data.
?? ??FEMA is not adding or taking anyone out of the floodplain. They are updating the maps with today?s technology, now looking at segments every couple hundred feet so the accuracy is much greater than before,? he said.
?? ?Some property owners are finding out they are in the floodplain where the old studies indicated they weren?t. Tippett said it is still possible to obtain a building permit for existing parcels in the floodplain, but they can?t be subdivided.
?? ?Once adopted, the maps will result in changes to flood risk classification for many property owners and show some properties in the Special Flood Hazard Area that are not included now, resulting in insurance premium changes for some residents. Any new flood zone residents will be required to purchase flood insurance if they have a federally backed home loan.
?????? An exact number of affected parcels was not available, but impacted areas include Coopers Bar, Junction City, Steiner Flat, Douglas City/Indian Creek, Poker Bar, Steel Bridge Road, Bucktail and Salt Flat.
?? ?The draft maps depict where the river will rise in the event of a 100-year storm event and a 500-year event. There is a one percent chance of a hundred-year flood in any given year.
?? ?Contracted by FEMA to perform the newest studies in 2009, DWR project manager Todd Hillaire emphasized that the draft maps are based on local conditions of topography and hydrology.
????? He said studying the area from Lewiston to the North Fork Trinity River confluence included an exhaustive review of all rainfall and gauging data in the river, calculations of tributary runoff, reservoir operation data for Lewiston Dam releases and Trinity River Record of Decision flow releases.
????? ?We take the worst case of all those flows occurring during that given 100-year event, coupled with topography, and we develop a hydraulic model that we use to generate new water surface elevations for 40 river miles,? he said.
?? ?In some areas, the new maps follow the old ones pretty closely, but in many cases the picture of potential inundation is very different, Hillaire said, adding ?we believe this is the best representation we can give you of the river.?
?? ?FEMA regional engineer for Region 9 Kathleen Schaeffer, from Oakland, presented some history on the National Flood Insurance Program, created in 1965 to make insurance available to all while charging people in high risk flood zones more for insurance than those in low risk areas.
????? Over time the program has been revised and stiffer penalties added for non-compliance in the wake of devastating hurricanes and floods that placed the federal government on the hook for billions of dollars in damage to cover homeowners who lacked insurance and walked away from their mortgages.
?? ?Stiffer mapping requirements have also evolved to provide local communities with better information on which to base planning and building decisions. The 2009 study of the Trinity River was prompted by a need to convert old paper maps into digital format.
?? ?Schaeffer said the hydraulic model and resulting draft maps have been subject to rigorous, independent quality assurance review. The draft maps available for public review now will be rolled out in the fall as official preliminary maps that will be subject to a 90-day review and appeal period, followed by a six-month period before a final determination is made.
?? ?She said her concern about the Trinity study is the high velocities predicted in a flood, creating more of a threat to life and public safety issue.
????? ?It will be like several thousand Ford F150 trucks coming past people?s homes. We often get dialogue about insurance, but my hope here is that you will also be engaging emergency service providers because of these high velocities coming by people?s homes,? she said.?? ?
?? ? Several comments were offered by homeowners in some of the affected areas.
?? ?Jim Smith of Douglas City argued that the only mapping changes appear to be where the homes are.
?? ??The old line might have come to the edge of houses, and now it goes right through them,? he said, challenging some of the data as potentially biased, especially any provided by the Trinity River Restoration Program. He requested that at least a manual survey be conducted where the margins are within just a few feet in or outside of the floodplain.
?? ?Others questioned how restoration program activities in the river such as injecting gravel and transporting it with high flows may have altered the riverbed and raised the base flood elevation.
?? ?Clark Tuthill said his home at Poker Bar was 100 feet out of the floodplain when he bought it ?and now it?s right at the edge. There?s been so much done to the river with manmade mitigation changing the river bottom. We can see where fishing holes have filled in. It seems there should be some sort of stopgap for awhile to let nature take its course.?
?? ?Sup. Debra Chapman noted that a naturally flowing river ?is very dynamic. It moves around a lot, every year.? She added it is always surprising to see where some homes have been built in areas she remembers seeing underwater as a child growing up here.
?? ??I?d rather see it go back to a natural river than a bunch of bulldozers and the flows set up in the ROD (Record of Decision),? Tuthill said.
?? ?Paul Catanese of Poker Bar also objected to the gravel injections upstream he blamed for raising the floodplain.
?? ??We have fought that every year, but our river guides? association has been run over by the federal government. We built here in 1988 based on the floodplain maps then and a lot of things have changed. This will cost Trinity County millions and millions of dollars in property value,? he said, urging a break in restoration program activities ?because every drop of gravel being put in is raising that floodplain.?
?? ?The draft work maps can be found at three locations: a FEMA Web site,?www.r9map.org, a FEMA link on the county Web site at?www.trinitycounty.org, or by visiting the Trinity County Department of Transportation office in Weaverville. Formal Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps are anticipated to come out in October for public review and comment.
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Mar 20 15:19:41 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 15:19:41 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Flow Presentation
In-Reply-To: <8AAAA7EAE2249D4B95F2A2C92B61C98E0C64F3CA@COREXCHG6.ci.redding.ca.us>
References: <8AAAA7EAE2249D4B95F2A2C92B61C98E0C64F3CA@COREXCHG6.ci.redding.ca.us>
Message-ID: <1395353981.99495.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Attached is the flow presentation by Rod Wittler from theTAMWG meeting Tuesday.

?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From truman at jeffnet.org  Mon Mar 24 10:59:47 2014
From: truman at jeffnet.org (Patrick Truman)
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 10:59:47 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] California drought: Central Valley farmland on its
	last legs
Message-ID: <75E13668953F4056B07E4395FADE6669@Bertha>

http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/California-drought-Central-Valley-farmland-on-5342892.php
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Mar 25 19:55:14 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 19:55:14 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Coalition Letter to TMC on Lower Junction
	City/Bucktail Projects
In-Reply-To: <1395802485.71599.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <8AAAA7EAE2249D4B95F2A2C92B61C98E0C9B4DC5@COREXCHG6.ci.redding.ca.us>
	<CAP2g7jhWzpfx=7Zr7vqk1VXTj0qReL9qBvQ5Ch=jvWCagpFp0Q@mail.gmail.com>
	<1395802485.71599.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1395802514.88415.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net>
To: "PERSON, BRIAN" <bperson at usbr.gov> 
Cc: Ann Garrett <Ann.Garrett at noaa.gov>; Bruce Bingham <bruce_bingham at fws.gov>; "Chapman, Debra" <dchapman at trinitycounty.org>; "Connor, Teresa" <connor at water.ca.gov>; Dave Hillemeier <dhillemeier at yuroktribe.nsn.us>; David Myers <dmyers01 at fs.fed.us>; "Flueger, Judy P." <jpflueger at trinitycounty.org>; "Hadley, Elizabeth" <ehadley at ci.redding.ca.us>; George Kautsky <hupafish at hoopa-nsn.gov>; Joe Polos <joe_polos at fws.gov>; Mike Orcutt <director at hoopa-nsn.gov>; "Milliron, Curtis" <Curtis.Milliron at wildlife.ca.gov>; "Naman, Seth" <Seth.Naman at noaa.gov>; "Reck, Donald R." <DReck at usbr.gov>; Tim Hayden <thayden at yuroktribe.nsn.us>; William Brock <wbrock at fs.fed.us>; "LaBanca, Tony at Wildlife" <Tony.LaBanca at wildlife.ca.gov>; "Schrock, Robin" <rschrock at usbr.gov>; "Carrie Nicolls (carrie.nicolls at ca.usda.gov)" <carrie.nicolls at ca.usda.gov>; Darren Mierau <DMierau at caltrout.org>; "David Steinhauser (splash at trinityriverrafting.com)" <splash at trinityriverrafting.com>; "Edgar Duggan
 (yen2fish at netzero.net)" <yen2fish at netzero.net>; "Emelia Berol (ema.berol at yahoo.com)" <ema.berol at yahoo.com>; "Gilbert Saliba (gilsaliba at aol.com)" <gilsaliba at aol.com>; "Joseph McCarthy (joewmccarthy at comcast.net)" <joewmccarthy at comcast.net>; "jsutton at tccanal.com" <jsutton at tccanal.com>; "Kelli Gant (trla at northtrinitylake.com)" <trla at northtrinitylake.com>; "krista at trinityriveroutfitters.com" <krista at trinityriveroutfitters.com>; "Paul Hauser (phauser at trinitypud.com)" <phauser at trinitypud.com>; "Richard Lorenz (rlorenz at snowcrest.net)" <rlorenz at snowcrest.net>; "snowgoose at pulsarco.com" <snowgoose at pulsarco.com>; "Matt.St.John at waterboards.ca.gov" <Matt.St.John at waterboards.ca.gov>; "Samantha.Olson at waterboards.ca.gov" <Samantha.Olson at waterboards.ca.gov>; "David.Leland at waterboards.ca.gov" <David.Leland at waterboards.ca.gov>; "Falcone Gil at Waterboards" <Gil.Falcone at waterboards.ca.gov>; "Bargsten Stephen at Waterboards" <Stephen.Bargsten at waterboards.ca.gov>; Herb Burton
 <trinflyguy at shasta.com>; "Gary Graham Hughes (gary at wildcalifornia.org)" <gary at wildcalifornia.org>; SCOTT STRATTON <scott at trinityriveradventures.com>; Bill Dickens <webefshn at com-pair.net>; Barbara Vlamis <barbarav at aqualliance.net>; Clark Tuthill <cltuts at att.net>; Larry Glass <larryglass71 at gmail.com>; "ginny.rice46 at gmail.com" <ginny.rice46 at gmail.com>; kristi bevard <kbevard at gmail.com>; "Troutnk at aol.com" <Troutnk at aol.com> 
Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2014 7:54 PM
Subject: Coalition Letter to TMC on Lower Junction City/Bucktail Projects
 


Brian and Members of the Trinity Management Council,

Attached is a letter from our coalition regarding the Bucktail and Lower Junction City projects. ?We sincerely hope that the Trinity Management Council will respond favorably to this offer from us. ?

Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend the TMC meeting this week because I have a previous commitment. However, other members of the coalition will be present at the meeting to provide input.
?
Sincerely,

Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Wed Mar 26 18:01:29 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 18:01:29 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Article Submission: Sacramento River Salmon Trucking
	Program Begins
In-Reply-To: <257D44FE-B9F3-4F26-B425-352347F8E571@fishsniffer.com>
References: <4F91A5389317554B89A2A1F671F5866B15A00FEA@HEOC-HRM03.US.House.gov>
	<257D44FE-B9F3-4F26-B425-352347F8E571@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <8E7F5D44-7023-45FA-8B43-545D32B79983@fishsniffer.com>



http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/sacramento-river-salmon- 
trucking-program-begins/

SACRAMENTO RIVER SALMON TRUCKING PROGRAM BEGINS
Written By: Dan Bacher, March 26, 2014


?


Federal and state officials and fishing group representatives  
yesterday greeted the beginning of a trucking program designed to  
transport juvenile salmon from a federal fish hatchery in Anderson,  
California to the Delta in order to improve their chances of survival  
in drought conditions.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Coleman National Fish Hatchery  
began transporting fall Chinook salmon smolts (juveniles) from the  
hatchery to a release site near Rio Vista on the morning of Tuesday,  
March 25, carrying out details of a special drought contingency plan  
announced by federal and state agencies earlier this month.

The event marked the start of a more than two-month drought-response  
effort by federal and state hatcheries to transport roughly 30.4  
million Chinook salmon to downriver locations to improve the fish?s  
chances for survival during their migration to the ocean.

The Chinook smolts, 3 inches in length, have been raised at the  
Coleman hatchery as part of the federal hatchery?s role in partially  
mitigating for Shasta and Keswick dams on the upper Sacramento River,  
according to a news release from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Coleman NFH transported the Chinook salmon smolts from the hatchery  
over approximately 180 miles to a site on the lower Sacramento River  
near Rio Vista, the first time that site has been used.

?This is the first time USFWS has trucked smolts from Coleman since  
2011. While it's a 180-mile trip for the trucks, the salmon will have  
their typical migration from the hatchery to the ocean shortened by  
260 to 300 river miles,? according to Steve Martarano, Public  
Affairs Specialist, Bay-Delta Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The smolts were placed in net pens operated by the Fishery Foundation  
of California, a non-profit organization, for acclimatization and  
then released.

Martarano said Coleman NFH smolts are typically released on-site into  
Battle Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River, so that they  
complete the imprinting cycle during their outmigration to the ocean.

"A continuing severe drought in the Central Valley of California,  
however, has produced conditions in the Sacramento River and Delta  
detrimental to the survival of juvenile salmon," said Martarano. "To  
avoid unacceptably high levels of juvenile fish mortality that may  
result in 2014, this one-time release strategy should produce  
substantial increases in ocean harvest opportunity."

The operation will be one of coordination and collaboration between  
the USFWS, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, National  
Marine Fisheries Service, and the Fishery Foundation of California.

If triggers are met in the coming months and all 12 million salmon  
are trucked from Coleman, the effort will take 22 non-consecutive  
days, using between four and seven USFWS and CDFW trucks each day,  
noted Martarano. Each truck holds up to 2,800 gallons of water and  
each can carry up to 130,000 smolts at water temperatures between  
55-60 degrees.

In addition to Coleman NFH, an estimated 18.4 million salmon smolts  
are scheduled to be transported until early June to San Pablo Bay  
from four state hatcheries operated by the CDFW: Feather River  
Hatchery in Oroville, Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery in Clements,  
Nimbus Hatchery in Gold River, and Merced River Fish Hatchery in  
Snelling.

If USFWS continues trucking into April and May, the San Pablo Bay  
site will also be used for Coleman hatchery releases.

However, Martarano also said this release strategy "increases the  
levels of straying."

?Salmon tend to return to the point of release when planted from the  
hatchery to a river, and this release strategy is likely to  
compromise some of the hatchery objectives, including contributions  
to harvest in the upper Sacramento River and the ability to collect  
adequate broodstock at the Coleman NFH in future years ?  
particularly 2016," Martarano explained. "This one-time strategy,  
however, represents the best possible option when faced with the  
possibility of losing the entire 2013 production year.?

?In future years, under less extreme conditions, the standard  
protocol for releasing Chinook from the Coleman NFH will continue to  
be on-site releases into Battle Creek,? he concluded.

Golden Gate Salmon Association (GGSA) representatives were on hand to  
greet the arrival of tanker trucks bringing millions of juvenile  
salmon to the Delta.

?The fish are being trucked from the Coleman National Fish Hatchery,  
located hundreds of miles up the Sacramento River, because drought  
conditions have made the river virtually impassable to baby salmon,?  
according to a GGSA news release. ?The trucks are carrying them  
around the deadly drought zone to safe release sites in the Delta and  
bay. After a short acclimation period, the fish are being released to  
migrate to the ocean. In 2016 they?ll be adults contributing to the  
ocean and inland fisheries.?

GGSA chairman Roger Thomas emphasized, ?Our 2016 fishing season may  
be riding on the survival of the fish in these trucks. We know that  
fish trucked around dangers lurking in the rivers and Delta survive  
at much higher rates than those released at the hatcheries. They are  
being trucked this year because they?d likely die in the low, clear,  
hot river conditions created by drought.?

Coleman hatchery raises approximately 12 million baby fall run salmon  
annually to help mitigate for the destruction of habitat by Shasta  
Dam and federal water operations in the Upper Sacramento River.  
Before the construction of Shasta and other dams, millions of salmon  
once migrated into the Sacramento, McCloud and Pit rivers and their  
tributaries to spawn.

?GGSA worked with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to move and save  
these salmon,? said GGSA executive director John McManus. ?What  
this means is we?ll likely have a much better salmon fishing season  
in 2016, when these fish reach adulthood, than we would have  
otherwise gotten. This could mean the difference between a shutdown  
of the fishery in 2016 and a decent year.?

McManus said California?s state-operated hatcheries truck much of  
their production annually for release in the Delta or Bay and this  
year the state took a leading role to truck even more due to the  
drought. State and federally raised hatchery fish could make up much  
of 2016?s adult salmon harvest and spawning adults.

With no significant rain in sight, trucking the rest of the Coleman  
baby salmon is expected to continue through June, according to McManus.

?Although transporting the baby salmon in tanker trucks and  
releasing them into the bay or western Delta will greatly increase  
their chances of survival, it?s not our preferred option,? said  
GGSA treasurer Victor Gonella. ?We?d all rather see a functioning,  
healthy river and Delta that support natural and hatchery salmon.?

Baby salmon this year face the added risk of being pulled to their  
deaths through the Delta Cross Channel, a manmade canal built to  
divert water to huge pumps that send it to corporate agribusiness  
interests on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. Normally the  
Cross Channel Gates would be closed at this time of year to allow  
salmon passage. However, they are now being opened to dilute salt  
water accumulation in the interior Delta caused by the drought.

?In addition, pumping of Delta water south in recent weeks was  
increased even as wildlife managers warned water agencies that many  
wild federally protected winter and spring run baby salmon were  
threatened by the pumping. Low numbers of winter run Chinooks could  
adversely affect the 2016 fishing season,? said Gonella.

The winter-run Chinook salmon, a robust fish that formerly migrated  
into the McCloud River before Shasta Dam was built, is listed as  
"endangered" under both state and federal law.

GGSA secretary Dick Pool, said, "The Fish and Wildlife Service  
developed criteria for this year dictating when it should transport  
salmon rather than release them into hostile drought conditions. We  
think hatchery fish should be trucked in the future whenever these  
criteria are triggered by low water conditions.

?As more and more fresh water is extracted from the Sacramento River  
and Delta for delivery to San Joaquin Valley agribusiness, the  
salmon?s migration corridor downstream and through the Bay-Delta  
estuary has become a deadly gauntlet,? said GGSA vice chairman Zeke  
Grader who is also the executive director of the Pacific Coast  
Federation of Fishermen?s Associations. ?Add drought, and the  
Central Valley rivers and Delta become virtually impassable for  
salmon.?

GGSA was joined by member fishing groups in working to get the  
Coleman fish trucked. Members of Congress, including Representatives  
Mike Thompson, John Garamendi, Jared Huffman, Anna Eshoo, Jackie  
Speier, George Miller and Mike Honda, also supported the efforts.

The Sacramento River is the driver of West Coast salmon fisheries.  
California?s salmon industry is currently valued at $1.4 billion in  
economic activity annually about half that much in economic activity  
again in Oregon. The industry employs tens of thousands of people  
from Santa Barbara to northern Oregon.

This is a huge economic bloc made up of commercial fishing men and  
women, ocean and river recreational anglers, fish processors,  
marinas, coastal communities, fishing guides, equipment  
manufacturers, the hotel and food industry, Indian Tribes, and the  
salmon fishing industry at large.

It must be noted that the drought conditions were greatly exacerbated  
by poor management of northern California reservoirs and rivers by  
the state and federal water agencies throughout 2013, a record  
drought year. The water managers systematically drained Shasta,  
Oroville, Folsom and other reservoirs in 2013 to ship water to  
corporate agribusiness interests, oil companies and Southern  
California water agencies.

The draining of the reservoirs last year spurred Restore the Delta,  
at a Congressional field hearing in Fresno last week, to call for  
drought relief for Delta farming and fishing communities and for a  
Congressional investigation of the mismanagement of water resources  
in California.

?Unfortunately, at the Hearing on Immediate and Long-Term Relief for  
Drought-Impacted San Joaquin Valley, no discussion is focused on the  
needs of Delta farming and fishing communities, coastal fishing  
communities, or the health of the SF Bay-Delta estuary," said Barbara  
Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director of Restore the Delta. "No  
discussion is intended to focus on gross mismanagement by the  
Department of Water Resources and the Bureau of Reclamation that has  
helped bring us to the precipice during this water crisis."

?There is no focus on how upstream reservoirs at the beginning of  
2013 were over 100% of historical average storage, and how by the  
beginning of 2014 they were at dangerously low levels," she stated.  
"This Committee should investigate how the State has promised 5 times  
more in water rights than there is water available in the system  
during years of average rainfall. This Committee should investigate  
how water officials have failed to plan for drought management, even  
though droughts occur 40% of the time in California.?

Barrigan-Parrilla also urged the Committee to examine how, even in  
2013, the Westlands Water District continued to plant almond trees,  
bringing their total almond acreage to 79,000 acres, despite knowing  
they are only guaranteed surplus water in the system.

You can read my investigative piece on the mismanagement of Central  
Valley reservoirs and rivers in 2013 here:http://www.dailykos.com/ 
story/2014/02/07/1275862/-The-Emptying-of-Northern-California-Reservoirs

Meanwhile, the Brown and Obama administrations are fast-tracking a  
twin tunnel plan that will make prospects for salmon survival even  
worse than they are now. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to  
build the peripheral tunnels will hasten the extinction of Sacramento  
River Chinook salmon, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, green sturgeon and  
other fish species, as well as imperil the salmon and steelhead  
populations on the Trinity and Klamath rivers.

The so-called "habitat restoration" proposed under the widely-opposed  
plan will take vast tracts of Delta farmland, some of the most  
fertile soil on the planet, out of agricultural production in order  
to continue irrigating mega-farms located on toxic, drainage-impaired  
land on the west side of the Joaquin Valley. The water destined for  
the proposed tunnels will also be used by the oil industry for steam  
injection and fracking operations to extract oil from Monterey Shale  
deposits in Kern County.

For more information, check out the following:
? Golden Gate Salmon Association (GGSA): http:// 
goldengatesalmonassociation.com
? Restore the Delta: http://www.restorethedelta.org
? Media Advisory regarding March 25 media events:
http://www.fws.gov/sfbaydelta/documents/ 
media_advisory_contingency_strategy_release_3-21-2014.pdf
? Map of State/Federal Hatcheries and release sites:
http://www.fws.gov/sfbaydelta/maps/ 
chinook_salmon_relocation_20140321_Final.pdf
? The USFWS Contingency Plan released March 10:
http://www.fws.gov/sfbaydelta/documents/ 
contingency_release_strategies_for_coleman_national
_fish_hatchery_3_7_14_draft.pdf
? The CDFW Contingency Plan released March 10:
http://www.fws.gov/sfbaydelta/documents/CDFW-Spring-Run-Drought- 
Contingency-Plan.pdf Federal Hatchery Salmon Avoid Drought, Get Ride  
to Delta

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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Apr  2 09:10:45 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2014 09:10:45 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] BDCP/Shasta Dam Raise Community Forum Sat 4/5 Shasta
	Lake City
Message-ID: <1396455045.78129.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

I'll be there at 2 pm in Shasta Lake City with Caleen Sisk of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Barbara Barrigan-Parilla of Restore the Delta and Steve Evans with Friends of the River to talk about the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan (Twin Tunnels) and the enlargement of Shasta Dam.
?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Apr  2 11:13:45 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2014 11:13:45 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] State of California Amicus Brief in Lower Klamath
	flow augmentation litigation
Message-ID: <1396462425.5273.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Attached is the California Attorney General's Amicus Brief on behalf of the California Dept of Fish and Wildlife in support of the Bureau of Reclamation's water releases from Trinity and Lewiston Dams to prevent another lower Klamath fish kill in 2013. ?If you will recall, there was litigation challenging this action by the San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority and Westlands Water District. ?The litigation is ongoing.
?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Apr  7 09:06:27 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2014 09:06:27 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] LOIS HENRY: Water crisis looks a lot like last one,
	only worse
Message-ID: <1396886787.66720.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/columnists/lois-henry/x2027873058/LOIS-HENRY-Water-crisis-looks-a-lot-like-last-one-only-worse?

Wednesday, Apr 02 2014 08:27 AM
LOIS HENRY: Water crisis looks a lot like last one, only worse
	1. 1 of 1
Californian columnist Lois Henry
By Lois Henry
Groundwater has officially become the "new black" in California. As the drought drags on, it is this season's "must have."
Wells are being dropped like mad, people are worried about subsidence and now the state is talking about ginning up legislation to finally gain some oversight of the wild west that is the world of groundwater.It's enough to make your head spin.But like almost every fashion craze, this one's just another retread.
Oh, yeah -- we've been here before, almost exactly.
After the then-historic drought of 1975-77, water experts and politicians took stock of the situation and decided the state couldn't afford to rely on groundwater to save us again in the next big drought.
An article in the Natural Resources Journal from the early 1980s noted that more than 10,000 wells had been drilled during the '75-77 drought. Even after the drought, the article states, 2.5 million acre-feet a year of groundwater was being withdrawn and not replaced.
So much groundwater was being pulled it was leading to problems with saltwater intrusion in coastal areas, higher pumping costs for farmers and increasing water quality problems.
Not to mention "land subsidence, resulting from drastically lowered groundwater tables, has become a major problem in some regions of the state, notably the San Joaquin and Santa Clara Valleys," the article states.
Sound familiar?
Proposals to create state regulation found their way to the Legislature in 1980, only to fail.
The article states that San Joaquin Valley farmers (who it says were responsible for 1.5 million acre-feet of overdrafting per year) put up the biggest opposition.
The article quotes a San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Commission from 1979:
"The existence of overdraft in the southern San Joaquin Valley does not indicate an 'unmanaged' situation, but on the absence of an adequate supply of supplemental water to integrate into the conjunctive use operations."
That part about needing more supplemental water is especially fascinating from today's perspective since the State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project were both flowing at near 100 percent of their allocations back then.
This year, the state and federal projects will deliver zero water to contractors. But even in normal years, the projects have reduced allocations for environmental concerns.
Where are we now? Exactly where we were then, only slightly worse.
Farmers are dropping wells like mad, everyone's worried about subsidence and, oh, yes, there is legislation afoot to try and get a handle on groundwater regulation.
This time, though, local growers and others are no longer denying we have a big problem. In fact, they've been working to hammer out a local Groundwater Management Committee that could eventually have some authority over groundwater use.
I've written about the committee, which has been in the works since 2010, several times. It's now in the process of getting support to become a joint powers authority. If a bill being introduced by Sen. Fran Pavley is passed, the committee could have a great deal of authority over groundwater use locally.
Don't freak out. Other areas, Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside, etc., have had similar committees for years with pretty good results. At least those areas aren't overdrafting their basins by an average of 780,000 acre-feet per year, as rough estimates show Kern is. Repeat: 780,000 acre-feet a year (give or take) are being taken out of Kern's groundwater basin and not being replaced. Think about it.
The details of Pavley's bill are still being worked out. But the framework includes defining what it means for a groundwater basin to be "sustainable," explained Eric Averett, who's heading up the local Groundwater Management Committee.
The bill would allow local management entities to find ways to meet that definition and provide resources and technical assistance from the Department of Water Resources. (Those are the carrots.)
If locals don't, or won't, take charge of their own basins, the bill would empower the State Water Resources Control Board to do it for them. (That's the stick.)
Another likely tenet of the bill, which I found very interesting, would create a connection between land-use planning agencies and the groundwater management committee, Averett said. Meaning, possibly, that a city or county would have to get some kind of "will serve" approval from the groundwater committee in their basin before new developments that relied on groundwater could be approved.
Oooo. I see a bruiser of a fight over that.
Anyhow, other bills addressing groundwater will likely to pop up this summer. But Pavley's is coming from the governor's office, so I'm betting it's the one to watch.
I'm no fan of California's brand of overregulation. But, clearly, something needs to be done. We have to face up to the facts. The state and federal projects bringing water south were built decades ago to shore up the valley's already depleted groundwater. We took that water and sprawled, grew entirely new towns, developed even more farmland and now we've planted vast stretches of permanent crops that need more water year-round.
And we're still doing it, even as water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has dried up. I see new orchards and vineyards going in all over the valley. It simply cannot be sustained. With every drought, our foolhardy water ways are revealed. Then the rains come and wash away our resolve.
How totally California of us.
Contact Californian columnist?Lois Henry?at 395-7373 or lhenry@?bakersfield.com. Her work appears on Sundays and Wednesdays; the views expressed are her own.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Apr  9 16:49:51 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2014 16:49:51 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Drought Bills threaten Indian water and fishing
	rights- HVT letter
In-Reply-To: <BLU0-SMTP244995C4E0A54C8B6FFD77DC46A0@phx.gbl>
References: <BLU0-SMTP244995C4E0A54C8B6FFD77DC46A0@phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <1397087391.7642.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

The Hoopa Valley Tribe sent the attached letter objecting to four drought bills:?


S 2016
S 2198
HR 4039
HR 4239


Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From ewiseman at fs.fed.us  Thu Apr 10 10:46:48 2014
From: ewiseman at fs.fed.us (Wiseman, Eric R -FS)
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2014 17:46:48 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Drought Bills threaten Indian water and
	fishing	rights- HVT letter
In-Reply-To: <1397087391.7642.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <BLU0-SMTP244995C4E0A54C8B6FFD77DC46A0@phx.gbl>
	<1397087391.7642.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <012E1DFD116B0941BC2875462D4CE1E51118CA28@001FSN2MPN2-091.001f.mgd2.msft.net>

Just wanted to say thanks to the Hoopa tribe for continuing to advocate for the wise and responsible use of Trinity River water. Kindest Regards, Eric Wiseman

From: env-trinity-bounces+ewiseman=fs.fed.us at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces+ewiseman=fs.fed.us at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Tom Stokely
Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2014 4:50 PM
To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
Subject: [env-trinity] Drought Bills threaten Indian water and fishing rights- HVT letter

The Hoopa Valley Tribe sent the attached letter objecting to four drought bills:

S 2016
S 2198
HR 4039
HR 4239


Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net<mailto:tstokely at att.net>
http://www.c-win.org





This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.
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From ema.berol at yahoo.com  Fri Apr 11 03:09:34 2014
From: ema.berol at yahoo.com (Emelia Berol)
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2014 03:09:34 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Drought Bills threaten Indian water and
	fishing	rights- HVT letter
In-Reply-To: <012E1DFD116B0941BC2875462D4CE1E51118CA28@001FSN2MPN2-091.001f.mgd2.msft.net>
References: <BLU0-SMTP244995C4E0A54C8B6FFD77DC46A0@phx.gbl>
	<1397087391.7642.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
	<012E1DFD116B0941BC2875462D4CE1E51118CA28@001FSN2MPN2-091.001f.mgd2.msft.net>
Message-ID: <77FD26F4-F961-4308-B665-8C3ADCCC2285@yahoo.com>

Yes, and we must all be writing letters to President Obama and our Senators and Congressmen supporting the Hoopa Valley Tribe, and emphasizing the fact that many people reside in and depend on the waters of these watersheds? 

Sent from my iPad

> On Apr 10, 2014, at 10:46 AM, "Wiseman, Eric R -FS" <ewiseman at fs.fed.us> wrote:
> 
> Just wanted to say thanks to the Hoopa tribe for continuing to advocate for the wise and responsible use of Trinity River water. Kindest Regards, Eric Wiseman
>  
> From: env-trinity-bounces+ewiseman=fs.fed.us at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces+ewiseman=fs.fed.us at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Tom Stokely
> Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2014 4:50 PM
> To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
> Subject: [env-trinity] Drought Bills threaten Indian water and fishing rights- HVT letter
>  
> The Hoopa Valley Tribe sent the attached letter objecting to four drought bills: 
>  
> S 2016
> S 2198
> HR 4039
> HR 4239
>  
>  
> Tom Stokely
> Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
> California Water Impact Network
> V/FAX 530-926-9727
> Cell 530-524-0315
> tstokely at att.net
> http://www.c-win.org
>  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.
> _______________________________________________
> env-trinity mailing list
> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Apr 15 18:27:08 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2014 18:27:08 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Open Secrets: The Politics of Drought: California
	Water Interests Prime the Pump in Washington
Message-ID: <1397611628.74444.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2014/04/the-politics-of-drought-california-water-interests-prime-the-pump-in-washington.html

?
?The nation's largest agricultural water district, located in the Central Valley, spent?$600,000 on lobbying efforts, according to an analysis by KPCC in partnership with the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. That's by far Westlands' biggest annual expenditure for lobbying -- about six times what it spent in 2010.
?
As is true with many issues in Washington, money is part of the fight. As Bay Area Rep.?George Miller, a Democrat, says, "You can make water run uphill if you have enough money."
?
?
?
News & Analysis
?
The Politics of Drought: California Water Interests Prime the Pump in Washington
by Kitty Felde and Viveca Novak on April 10, 2014 8:00 AM
This story is the result of a collaboration between?Southern California Public Radio?and the Center for Responsive Politics.


Last year, as California endured one of its driest years on record, the Westlands Water District made it rain 3,000 miles away -- on Capitol Hill.

The nation's largest agricultural water district, located in the Central Valley, spent?$600,000 on lobbying efforts, according to an analysis by KPCC in partnership with the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. That's by far Westlands' biggest annual expenditure for lobbying -- about six times what it spent in 2010.

The lobbying comes as Congress and federal agencies consider how to respond to three years of drought conditions that have cut water supplies across the state and ratcheted up political pressure from the hard-hit agricultural sector, including many of Westlands' customers.
?
California farmers grow nearly half the nation's fruits, vegetables and nuts. The California Farm Water Coalition, an industry group, estimates farmers -- and the processors and truckers who get crops to market -- could lose $5 billion this year due to the drought.

How important is this issue? Well, in recent months it's brought President Obama, the House Speaker and the powerful House Natural Resources Committee to the Central Valley.
?
Congress is considering two major legislative packages -- one already passed by the House, authored by freshman Republican Rep.?David Valadao?of Hanford; and one introduced in the Senate by California Democrats?Dianne Feinstein, with?Barbara Boxer?as a co-sponsor.
?
The bills have the common goal of redistributing water to meet farmers' needs, but they differ on execution and the ramifications.???
?

The House bill, which was co-sponsored by the state's entire GOP delegation, would rewrite water contracts and in the process set aside protections, which has environmental groups up in arms.

The Senate bill would allow regulators to "provide the maximum quantity of water supplies possible" to where it's most needed and boost existing federal drought programs by $200 million.

As is true with many issues in Washington, money is part of the fight. As Bay Area Rep.?George Miller, a Democrat, says, "You can make water run uphill if you have enough money."

The DC bucket brigade

California water politics is mostly about geography -- Northern California's watershed versus the Central Valley, which relies on that water coming south to irrigate crops, versus Southern California, with its massive and thirsty urban population.

As the drought has worsened, those various interests have pushed harder for relief through campaign contributions to key members of Congress and by employing lobbyists.??

The two biggest spenders on water issues are Westlands, whose customers own 600,000 acres of farmland in Fresno and Kings counties, and the owners of Kern County-based Paramount Farms, the nation's largest grower of pistachios and almonds.?

Just how serious is the quest for water? Last year, Westlands hired four different lobbying firms -- even as the overall amount spent by all groups and corporations on federal lobbying has been going down since 2010.?All eight?of Westlands' officially registered lobbyists previously worked in government -- including a former Republican congressman from Minnesota.

And the $600,000 Westlands spent in 2013 is only what was reported on required disclosure forms. According to an internal document obtained by Southern California Public Radio, Westlands also paid $90,000 last year to former California Democratic Rep. Tony Coelho for "Washington representation," which was not included in Westlands' lobbying reports.

Coelho, who did not respond to requests for an interview, is related to one of Westlands' board members and they are partners in a dairy farm. Westlands also paid another firm nearly $1 million for an "outreach and awareness" campaign.?

Democratic lawmaker Miller, who has been on Capitol Hill for more than four decades, says lobbyists keep their "A-game" going all the time, rain or shine, "because you never know when the good Lord's going to turn off the water. So you'd better be ready."

Money is extremely helpful in obtaining access and influence, which is crucial whenever Congress gets involved. That's true whether the cash is in the form of spending on lobbying or campaign donations.

Paramount Farms is owned by Lynda and Stewart Resnick of Los Angeles. Their multi-billion dollar fortune comes from a diverse portfolio that includes Fiji bottled water. They have a controlling interest in the Kern Water Bank Authority, which stores underground supplies of water to irrigate Paramount's nut trees.

The Resnicks don't hire lobbyists at the federal level, but they're generous campaign contributors. They and people who work for their companies have given nearly $457,000 to candidates, political action and party committees since 2011. That includes nearly $321,000 from the Resnicks themselves. (See table at end of story.)

Setting the water table

You can't just read the House and Senate bills and point to paragraphs that directly help either Westlands or the Resnicks. But John Lawrence, a former Capitol Hill staffer who currently teaches at the University of California's DC Center, says water bills are "very often written specifically in a vague sort of way." Congressman Miller adds: "There's rarely any word in a piece of water legislation that's there accidentally."

The bill that passed in the House would mandate an increase in pumping from the Sacramento Delta. Doug Obegi, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, says that water would primarily go to Central Valley Project contractors, including the biggest -- the Westlands Water District.

The bill also extends for 40 years all existing federal water service contracts -- including the one for Westlands. Lawrence says that takes away any flexibility to make water decisions for a generation. He notes that once you've delivered a "signed, sealed contract, let alone been directed to do it by the Congress," you've taken away any chance at reviewing how future water should be allocated.

Feinstein's Senate bill includes several provisions that would allow Delta water to be sent farther south to Kern County. Patricia Schifferle of the environmental group Pacific Advocates says, because of previous legislative amendments, the water would be made available to the groundwater bank controlled by Feinstein's supporters -- the Resnicks.

(Neither Westlands nor the Resnicks' holding company, Roll International, responded to requests for interviews.)

Feinstein recently revised her bill. This latest version includes a provision to boost Colorado River storage in Nevada, home to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. This version could make it to the Senate floor for a vote without going through the committee process.

Horse trading on Capitol Hill isn't new. Some of the lobbying money goes to making sure everyone gets to wet their beak. Miller notes that deals get made -- trading something Midwest lawmakers want in the farm bill for something Central Valley interests need in the water bill. He says there are "a lot of chits out there that have been planted around the anticipation of a water bill coming to the floor of Congress."

If the House bill became law, Ron Stork of Friends of the River says not only would habitat restoration be hurt, but so would two other water consumers: farmers and residential users in the northern part of the state. Delta farmers, with some of the oldest water rights in California, and the city and county of Sacramento, which contract for drinking water, would find their supply "commandeered and delivered south."

The lobbying isn't limited to Capitol Hill. It also takes place at the agency level. John Lawrence says private meetings are held behind closed doors at places such as the Bureau of Reclamation or the Environmental Protection Agency, where there's "greater wiggle room" on how water policies are implemented. Those conversations are confidential, not debated openly in Congressional committee hearings.

Westlands' reports?show it lobbied the EPA, the Agriculture Department, the Interior Department (which includes the Bureau of Reclamation) and the Council on Environmental Quality, in addition to Congress and the White House. Three of the water district's lobbyists are former high-ranking officials of the Interior Department.

There's even a place lobbyists and campaign contributions collide: Schifferle from Pacific Advocates notes a 2012 breakfast fundraiser for Feinstein in the offices of one of Westlands' lobbying firms, held "right around the time" of a budget amendment that gave water agencies access to federal water.

In Washington, certain wells never run dry.
Top Resnick family campaign contribution recipients from 2011-2013
Recipient Amount 
Committee to Elect an Effective Valley Congressman (Henry Waxman) $100,000 
Democratic National Committee Services Corp $30,800 
Republican National Committee $30,800 
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee $21,700 
Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) $17,900 
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee $13,000 
Rep. Jim Costa (D-Fresno) $12,300 
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) $11,400 
Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Fresno) $11,300 
Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) $10,400 
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) $10,000 
Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Brookline) $10,000 
LA Political Action Committee $10,000 
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) $10,000 
Peak Political Action Committee $10,000 
To Organize a Majority Political Action Committee $10,000 
Sen, Dianne Feinstein (D-California) $9,800 
Data source: Federal Election Commission?via?OpenSecrets.org.

________________________________

Westlands Water District board members' campaign contributions from 2011-2013
Board Member Democratic Republican Total 
James Anderson $2,500 $1,000 $3,500 
Thomas Birmingham $10,500 $17,500 $28,000 
Frank Coelho Jr. $2,600 $4,750 $7,350 
Larry Enos 0 $1,000 $1,000 
Daniel Errotabere $875 $5,525 $6,400 
Georgianne Errotabere $875 $875 $1,750 
Jean Errotabere $875 $4,300 $5,175 
Gary Esajian $1,000 $8,500 $9,500 
Bridget Neves 0 $2,500 $2,500 
Todd Neves 0 $18,850 $18,850 
Donald Peracchi $13,600 $45,500 $59,100 
Judith Peracchi $5,000 $2,500 $7,500 
Alan Sano $2,500 $1,000 $3,500 
Christopher Woolf $2,000 $9,374 $11,374 
Sarah Woolf $3,000 $3,500 $6,500 
TOTALS $45,325 $126,674 $171,999 
Data source: Federal Election Commission?via?OpenSecrets.org.
Center for Responsive Politics senior researchers Dan Auble and Doug Weber contributed to this story.
?
Images: President Obama in February with California Gov. Jerry Brown and farmowners Joe Del Bosque and Maria Gloria Del Bosque near Los Banos. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin); U.S. Drought Monitor, California (National Drought Mitigation Center); Lynda and Stewart Resnick in 2011 (David Crotty/PatrickMcMullan.com/Sipa Press/pompmcsipa.022/1104220054 Sipa via AP Images)
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Apr 16 08:53:19 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2014 08:53:19 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Maven's Notebook: Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
	expresses concerns over unresolved <BDCP> financing and
	taxpayer issues:
Message-ID: <1397663599.2242.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://mavensnotebook.com/2014/04/16/news-worth-noting-report-highlights-technological-solutions-for-water-problems-restore-the-delta-asks-wheres-the-bdcps-implementation-agreement-howard-jarvis-taxpayers-association-expresses-con/?


Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association expresses concerns over unresolved financing and taxpayer issues:? ? ??We do not contest the state's existing requirement that water users pay all costs associated with the construction of any new conveyance facility in the Delta.? However, there appear to be sufficient doubts among the participating water agencies so as to question whether the projected revenue stream will be sufficient to fund this project.? Moreover, even if the proposed twin tunnels provide adequate conveyance, what storage infrastructure will be developed for the water that is transferred south?? Are taxpayers benefitting from any additional water in exchange for this investment? What potential engineering problems exist because of the unknown characteristics of the Delta soil and could complications arise that could delay completion and increase costs to ratepayers?? These questions deserve greater discussion, and taxpayers should not
 be burdened with higher costs to fund the project because some agencies choose not to participate?? ?? Read the entire letter here:?HJTA Letter BDCP Impacts on CA Taxpayers 4-11-14-1
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Apr 17 12:03:48 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 12:03:48 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Editorial=3A_Dianne_Feinstein=E2=80=99s_w?=
 =?utf-8?q?ater_bill_is_an_overreach?=
Message-ID: <1397761428.64075.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/17/6330783/editorial-dianne-feinsteins-water.html?

Editorial: Dianne Feinstein?s water bill is an overreach
By?the Editorial Board

Published: Thursday, Apr. 17, 2014 - 12:00 am
Sen. Dianne Feinstein?s drought bill, introduced in February, was an improvement over the water grab bill that passed in the House.
A big plus in her original bill was $300 million for conservation and efficiency measures, aid to low-income farmworkers harmed by the drought, technological tools to help farmers get through this dry year and emergency projects to address drinking-water quality problems.
That $300?million, however, has been?stripped out in order to get Republican support for Feinstein?s bill.
What remains in the revised version are two troubling provisions that The Bee?s editorial board urged her to amend in February.
The effect of these two provisions would be to allow more water flow south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to benefit the Westlands Water District in Fresno and Kings counties and Paramount Farms in the southern San Joaquin Valley, owned by billionaires Lynda and Stewart Resnick of Los Angeles.
From 2011 to 2013, Westlands spent $600,000 on lobbying in Washington, D.C., and the Resnicks donated nearly $321,000 to federal candidates, political action and party committees, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics and Southern California Public Radio?reported last week.
The two provisions would lead to federal micromanagement of pump operations in the Delta, rather than letting experts in the water and fish agencies make real-time decisions balancing all state interests.
Laws already allow for flexibility in dry years. Agencies have drastically reduced flows through the Delta and into San Francisco Bay to increase water exports south of the Delta. The latest increased water diversion was announced by state and federal officials on April?1.
Feinstein could fix the flawed provisions easily enough.
One provision would lock in a specific inflow-export ratio to allow more water transfers to contractors south of the Delta from April?1 through May 31, regardless of water availability. This, of course, is the time that salmon and steelhead are migrating to the ocean. Feinstein should fix this provision by allowing agency experts to change the ratio depending on real-time water availability.
The other provision talks about complying with endangered species law for some fish, but not for salmon and steelhead, which are on their way to extinction. Feinstein has said her goal is to protect fisheries. She should make that clear in the legislation. People whose livelihoods depend on salmon fisheries have been hurt by drought as much as Westside growers.
In the past, Feinstein has said it is important to avoid seeking ?gains for certain water users at the expense of others? or abandoning ?fundamental state and federal environmental laws.? To make actions match words, she should fix the two provisions.
Otherwise, it just looks like she?s going to bat for Westlands and the Resnicks, which doesn?t bode well for the larger Bay-Delta process seeking to balance statewide water supply reliability with protection of a healthy Delta ecosystem.
??Read more articles by the Editorial Board

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/17/6330783/editorial-dianne-feinsteins-water.html#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Apr 18 12:51:21 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 12:51:21 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Fw=3A_This_just_in_=E2=80=A6_Late_storms_?=
 =?utf-8?q?allow_5=25_allocation_to_State_Water_Project_users=2C_Delta_bar?=
 =?utf-8?q?riers_avoided_=26_drought_relief_actions_for_fish_fast-tracked?=
In-Reply-To: <88af2b23c65f1c863838dd9a5ee51fcf060.20140418191511@mail64.atl51.rsgsv.net>
References: <88af2b23c65f1c863838dd9a5ee51fcf060.20140418191511@mail64.atl51.rsgsv.net>
Message-ID: <1397850681.59167.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

This is big news!

TS
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Maven <maven at mavensnotebook.com>
To: tstokely at att.net 
Sent: Friday, April 18, 2014 12:15 PM
Subject: This just in ? Late storms allow 5% allocation to State Water Project users, Delta barriers avoided & drought relief actions for fish fast-tracked
 


This just in ??Late storms allow 5% allocation to State Water Project users, Delta barriers avoided & drought relief actions for fish fast-tracked  
Breaking News from Maven's Notebook Is this email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser.   
   
Just posted at Maven's Notebook:

This just in ? Late storms allow 5% allocation to State Water Project users, means Delta barriers avoided and drought relief actions for fish fast-tracked; Additional action sought on water quality standards

Look for the media call and reactions to be posted later this afternoon.
I'll send you an additional email when posted.
?   
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Copyright ? 2014 Maven's Notebook, All rights reserved. 
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Apr 18 13:16:35 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 13:16:35 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Reclamation Announces Update to 2014 CVP Water
	Supply for Settlement Contractors and Refuges
In-Reply-To: <f9c600bc24454ea98f9c69575bb74f4d@usbr.gov>
References: <f9c600bc24454ea98f9c69575bb74f4d@usbr.gov>
Message-ID: <1397852195.48583.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

More big news.

TS

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Fernando Ponce <fponce at usbr.gov>
To: tstokely at att.net 
Sent: Friday, April 18, 2014 12:56 PM
Subject: Reclamation Announces Update to 2014 CVP Water Supply for Settlement Contractors and Refuges
 


Reclamation Announces Update to 2014 CVP Water Supply for Settlement Contractors and Refuges
Mid-Pacific Region
Sacramento, Calif. 
MP-14-071
Media Contact:? Margaret Gidding, 916-978-5100, mgidding at usbr.gov
For Release On: April 18, 2014
Reclamation Announces Update to 2014 CVP Water Supply for Settlement Contractors and Refuges
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Bureau of Reclamation today announced an update to the February 2014 Central Valley Project water supply for Sacramento River Settlement Contractors and wildlife refuges north-of-delta. This update reflects improved precipitation and runoff in Northern California to date.
Based on the California Department of Water Resources? April 1, Runoff Forecast, current hydrological conditions and actions taken to date to manage scarce supplies, the available contractual supply for North-of-Delta Settlement Contractor?s and wildlife refuges increased from 40 percent to 75 percent. Allocations for all other water contractors serviced by the CVP remain the same.
?In light of this year?s lower than average CVP water supply, Reclamation and its federal, state and local partners have been committed to ensuring our water resources are available, not just for today but for the future,? Reclamation?s Mid-Pacific Regional Director David Murillo said today.??The low initial allocation announced on Feb. 21, has been difficult for all CVP contractors, however, with the recent precipitation, it is with some optimism that we are able to increase the available supply for these two entities. We also continue to work toward stretching available water supplies as far as possible for all of our water contractors as we manage through the drought.?
?This type of water year reinforces the critical need for long-term solutions to drought management and improving California?s water supply reliability,? Murillo continued. ?While managing the existing water resources stored in reservoirs across the region, we remain committed to working with our partners to develop a firm water supply for the future.?
Reclamation will continue to monitor water supply data provided by the state and will make adjustments to the allocation as soon as they are indicated. Changes to hydrology and opportunities to exercise operational flexibility of the CVP are factors and conditions that will influence the water supply and allocations as the water year progresses. Water supply updates will be posted at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/PA/water.
For additional information, please visit http://www.usbr.gov/mp/pa/water or contact the Mid-Pacific Region?s Public Affairs Office at 916-978-5100 (TTY 800-877-8339) or email mppublicaffairs at usbr.gov.
# # #
Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov.


If you would rather not receive future communications from Bureau of Reclamation, let us know by clicking here.
Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Federal Center, Alameda & Kipling Street PO Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225 United States
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From t.schlosser at msaj.com  Fri Apr 18 13:20:06 2014
From: t.schlosser at msaj.com (Thomas P. Schlosser)
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 13:20:06 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Hoopa Valley Tribe oppose upper Klamath Basin
 Agreement because of its linkages to KBRA,
 and its degradation of Tribal water rights
Message-ID: <535188F6.6020802@msaj.com>

Hello,

Attached please find the Hoopa Valley Tribe's statement.

Best,

Tom Schlosser
Hoopa Valley Tribe attorney
206 386 5200

Hoopa Valley Tribe
Press Release

For immediate release:   April 18, 2014

Contacts:
Danielle Vigil-Masten, Chairwoman,  Hoopa Valley Tribe 530 784-8118
Ryan Jackson, Vice Chairman, Hoopa Valley Tribe  530 249-8653
Mike Orcutt, Fisheries Director, Hoopa Valley Tribe, 707 499-6143

Hoopa Valley Tribe oppose upper Klamath Basin Agreement because of its 
linkages to KBRA and its degradation of Tribal water rights

Hoopa, Ca. The Hoopa Valley Tribe opposes the Upper Klamath Basin Water 
Agreement (Agreement) because the Agreement threatens the long term 
survival of  Klamath-Trinity  River salmon fishery that the United 
States holds in trust for our Tribe under federal law. Here?s why:

1) In 2010, the Secretary of the Interior and California?s and Oregon?s 
governors held a signing ceremony for the Klamath Basin Restoration 
Agreement (KBRA) and the Klamath Hydro Settlement Agreement (KHSA). 
Those agreements call for $1 billion infusion of federal funds and have 
not been approved by Congress. Our Tribe objected to those agreements 
because they would damage our water and fishing rights. We will continue 
to oppose them until our rights are protected.

2) As a result of ongoing adverse water management policies and drought 
conditions California?s Klamath River salmon fishery faces critically 
low water supplies and severely degraded water quality for the third 
year in a row.

3) In the twelve years since the 2002 Lower Klamath River adult salmon 
die off--the worst ever recorded--the Departments of the Interior and 
Commerce have used Trinity River water to offset chronically low flow 
conditions on the lower Klamath River caused by water withdrawals in Oregon.

4) The Department of the Interior agreed to develop a long term Lower 
Klamath flow management plan in 2013. The Agreement does not account for 
the Department?s commitment to a long term flow plan. Instead, the 
Agreement reallocates 30,000 acre-feet of Upper Basin Klamath water 
among claimants in Oregon under terms that virtually assures that none 
of the water will reach the Klamath River in California.

5) The Department, along with our Tribe, the Yurok Tribe, and the 
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations, are in litigation 
with CVP contractors who dispute the usage of Trinity River water to 
compensate for lower Klamath River flows.

6) Representatives of the States of California and Oregon are pressing 
legislative agendas in the U.S. Congress (S. 2016, S. 2198, H.R. 3964, 
H.R. 4039, H.R. 4239) that have no regard for the laws that support the 
Klamath River basin?s tribal, sport and commercial salmon fishery in 
California.








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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Apr 18 13:52:56 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 13:52:56 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Reclamation Announces Final Schedule for Releases
	into Trinity River as Part of Restoration Program
In-Reply-To: <38760abfe00b4db48159e2e9a94978be@usbr.gov>
References: <38760abfe00b4db48159e2e9a94978be@usbr.gov>
Message-ID: <1397854376.15034.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Loredana Potter <lpotter at usbr.gov>
To: tstokely at att.net 
Sent: Friday, April 18, 2014 1:46 PM
Subject: Reclamation Announces Final Schedule for Releases into Trinity River as Part of Restoration Program
 


Reclamation Announces Final Schedule for Releases into Trinity River as Part of Restoration Program
Mid-Pacific Region
Sacramento, Calif.
MP-14-072
Media Contact: Margaret Gidding, 916-978-5100, mgidding at usbr.gov
For Release On: April 18, 2014
Reclamation Announces Final Schedule for Releases into Trinity River as Part of Restoration Program
REDDING, Calif. - The Bureau of Reclamation announced today that releases from Lewiston Dam into the Trinity River will increase to a peak flow of 1,500 cubic feet per second over a two-day period as part of the Trinity River Restoration Program.
Releases will begin increasing April 23 and remain at the peak of 1,500 cfs for a period of 36 days, extending from April 24 to May 29. Release rates will then be reduced to 1,200 cfs during June 3-5 and to 700 cfs during June 15-18. The summer base-flow rate of 450 cfs will begin on June 26. The total water allocation for Trinity River restoration flows in a ?critically dry? water year, such as this, is 369,000 acre-feet.
The public should take appropriate safety precautions whenever near or on the river. Landowners are advised to clear personal items and debris from the floodplain prior to the releases.
The December 2000, Trinity River Mainstem Fishery Restoration Record of Decision created a plan for the restoration of the Trinity River and its fish and wildlife populations. The Program?s restoration strategy includes four different restoration elements, one of which includes increased releases to the river, separate and apart from Central Valley Project water allocations. Flow regimes link two essential purposes deemed necessary to restore and maintain the Trinity River?s fishery resources: 1) flows to provide physical fish habitat (i.e., appropriate depths and velocities, and suitable temperature regimes for anadromous salmonids), and 2) flows to restore the riverine processes that create and maintain the structural integrity and spatial complexity of the fish habitats. More information on the Trinity River ROD can be found at www.trrp.net/background/rod/.
A daily schedule of flow releases is available at http://www.trrp.net/restore/flows/current/, and the public may subscribe to automated notifications (via phone or email) of Trinity River release changes. The flow release schedule is posted at the Trinity River Restoration Program office, located at 1313 South Main Street, Weaverville, CA.
For additional information, please call 530-623-1800 or email info at trrp.net.
# # #
Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov.
?


If you would rather not receive future communications from Bureau of Reclamation, let us know by clicking here.
Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Federal Center, Alameda & Kipling Street PO Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225 United States
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From bgutermuth at usbr.gov  Fri Apr 18 17:18:56 2014
From: bgutermuth at usbr.gov (GUTERMUTH, F.)
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 17:18:56 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Final Bucktail and Lower Junction City EA/IS
	w/Response to comment is available
Message-ID: <CAMnws3KrZ9Wv6zAg0WE288_6o=Sqmijm8E0rVYad99Dvb1RdzQ@mail.gmail.com>

*Dear Interested parties and Trinity River enthusiasts,*


The Final Environmental Assessment/Initial Study (EA/IS) for the Bucktail
(River Mile 105.3-106.4) and Lower Junction City (River Mile 78.8-79.8)
Trinity River Channel Rehabilitation sites, including response to comment,
is now available.


The Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP), with federal co-lead
agencies, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management, and with the California State lead agency, the North Coast
Regional Water Quality Control Board, have completed the Final Project
EA/IS that meets all National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), requirements. The document is
located at: http://www.trrp.net/2014/eais-bucktail-and-lower-junction-city/.


The Final EA/IS was updated to state the following:

   -
      - The TRRP will permit and construct the Lower Junction City Project
      in 2014 as designed
      - The Bucktail channel rehabilitation project will not be completed
      in 2014
      - The Bucktail channel rehabilitation project will not move the
      present boat ramp downstream of the Bucktail Bridge and will remove this
      design element from the project
      - The TRRP's intent is to implement the Bucktail channel
      rehabilitation project in coordination with construction of a
new Bucktail
      Bridge. The Bucktail channel rehabilitation project is currently being
      redesigned to address external public concerns and  internal design team
      technical recommendations
      - Once the Bucktail project is re-designed and analyzed,
      supplementary environmental review documents would be developed and
      circulated for review as needed


Have a great Easter-

Brandt



Brandt Gutermuth
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Restoration Program
PO Box 1300, 1313 S. Main ST.
Weaverville CA 96093
530.623.1806 Voice
http://www.trrp.net/
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From bgutermuth at usbr.gov  Fri Apr 18 17:18:56 2014
From: bgutermuth at usbr.gov (GUTERMUTH, F.)
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 17:18:56 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Final Bucktail and Lower Junction City EA/IS
	w/Response to comment is available
Message-ID: <CAMnws3KrZ9Wv6zAg0WE288_6o=Sqmijm8E0rVYad99Dvb1RdzQ@mail.gmail.com>

*Dear Interested parties and Trinity River enthusiasts,*


The Final Environmental Assessment/Initial Study (EA/IS) for the Bucktail
(River Mile 105.3-106.4) and Lower Junction City (River Mile 78.8-79.8)
Trinity River Channel Rehabilitation sites, including response to comment,
is now available.


The Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP), with federal co-lead
agencies, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management, and with the California State lead agency, the North Coast
Regional Water Quality Control Board, have completed the Final Project
EA/IS that meets all National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), requirements. The document is
located at: http://www.trrp.net/2014/eais-bucktail-and-lower-junction-city/.


The Final EA/IS was updated to state the following:

   -
      - The TRRP will permit and construct the Lower Junction City Project
      in 2014 as designed
      - The Bucktail channel rehabilitation project will not be completed
      in 2014
      - The Bucktail channel rehabilitation project will not move the
      present boat ramp downstream of the Bucktail Bridge and will remove this
      design element from the project
      - The TRRP's intent is to implement the Bucktail channel
      rehabilitation project in coordination with construction of a
new Bucktail
      Bridge. The Bucktail channel rehabilitation project is currently being
      redesigned to address external public concerns and  internal design team
      technical recommendations
      - Once the Bucktail project is re-designed and analyzed,
      supplementary environmental review documents would be developed and
      circulated for review as needed


Have a great Easter-

Brandt



Brandt Gutermuth
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Restoration Program
PO Box 1300, 1313 S. Main ST.
Weaverville CA 96093
530.623.1806 Voice
http://www.trrp.net/
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From bgutermuth at usbr.gov  Fri Apr 18 17:18:56 2014
From: bgutermuth at usbr.gov (GUTERMUTH, F.)
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 17:18:56 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Final Bucktail and Lower Junction City EA/IS
	w/Response to comment is available
Message-ID: <CAMnws3KrZ9Wv6zAg0WE288_6o=Sqmijm8E0rVYad99Dvb1RdzQ@mail.gmail.com>

*Dear Interested parties and Trinity River enthusiasts,*


The Final Environmental Assessment/Initial Study (EA/IS) for the Bucktail
(River Mile 105.3-106.4) and Lower Junction City (River Mile 78.8-79.8)
Trinity River Channel Rehabilitation sites, including response to comment,
is now available.


The Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP), with federal co-lead
agencies, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management, and with the California State lead agency, the North Coast
Regional Water Quality Control Board, have completed the Final Project
EA/IS that meets all National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), requirements. The document is
located at: http://www.trrp.net/2014/eais-bucktail-and-lower-junction-city/.


The Final EA/IS was updated to state the following:

   -
      - The TRRP will permit and construct the Lower Junction City Project
      in 2014 as designed
      - The Bucktail channel rehabilitation project will not be completed
      in 2014
      - The Bucktail channel rehabilitation project will not move the
      present boat ramp downstream of the Bucktail Bridge and will remove this
      design element from the project
      - The TRRP's intent is to implement the Bucktail channel
      rehabilitation project in coordination with construction of a
new Bucktail
      Bridge. The Bucktail channel rehabilitation project is currently being
      redesigned to address external public concerns and  internal design team
      technical recommendations
      - Once the Bucktail project is re-designed and analyzed,
      supplementary environmental review documents would be developed and
      circulated for review as needed


Have a great Easter-

Brandt



Brandt Gutermuth
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Restoration Program
PO Box 1300, 1313 S. Main ST.
Weaverville CA 96093
530.623.1806 Voice
http://www.trrp.net/
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Apr 19 09:08:01 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2014 09:08:01 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: Ranchers, Klamath tribes sign deal to
	share water; 
Message-ID: <1397923681.74729.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_25599064/ranchers-klamath-tribes-sign-deal-share-water-karuk#?

  Ranchers, Klamath tribes sign deal to share water; Karuk Tribe applauds agreement, Hoopa Valley Tribe says it damages water, fishing rights

Times-Standard
POSTED: ? 04/19/2014 02:39:13 AM PDT0 COMMENTS

Click photo to enlarge
Jeff Barnard/The Associated Press and
Will Houston/The Times-Standard
Cattle ranchers and American Indian tribes long at odds over scarce water in Oregon's Upper Klamath Basin signed an agreement Friday to share access to rivers and cooperate on restoring habitat for endangered fish the tribes hold sacred.
Joining representatives of the Klamath Tribes and the ranchers at the ceremony along the Williamson River outside Chiloquin, Ore., were Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Gov. John Kitzhaber, and Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley. The Hoopa Tribe is opposing the agreement ?because of its linkages to KBRA and its degradation of tribal water rights,? while the Karuk Tribe voiced support.
?The Klamath system is running on a razor's edge every year due to low flows,? Hoopa Valley Tribe's Fisheries Director Mike Orcutt said. ?Ask yourself, while they are discussing stability for farmers and sustainable economies, what about the people who depend on fish? Money needs to be available for fisheries restoration.?
After attending the signing, Karuk Tribe's Klamath Coordinator Craig Tucker said the event was ?very emotionally positive,? despite a small group of protesters.
?There were people there who have been involved in these adjudication proceedings for the last 42 years,? Tucker said. ?To see those people who had been fighting for 42 years shaking hands and giving hugs was a pretty amazing thing.?
Speakers talked emotionally about the agreement healing long-standing divisions within the basin over water.
Rancher Becky Hyde noted the group was gathered on the banks of a river where the Klamath Tribes had lived for thousands of years.
?You have chosen to share with your neighbors after enduring decades of hardship,? she said, referring to the hard times the tribes knew after the federal government dissolved their reservation in the 1950s. ?We are blessed to live in a community with your people.?
Don Gentry, chairman of the Klamath Tribes, said they could not rebuild their own prosperity and populations of the sucker fish and salmon they hold sacred, without sharing with their neighbors.
?We lost much, but we have an opportunity to move forward,? he said. ?We are not going away. We will be here forever.?
Wyden said he would introduce legislation in the Senate in May based on the agreement. Its fate in the House is uncertain.
House Republicans have blocked two other agreements to improve assurances of irrigation for farmers along the Oregon-California border and to remove dams on the Klamath River to help salmon. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., whose district includes the Klamath Basin, did not attend. His office had no comment on how Wyden's bill might fare in the House.
Tucker said he hopes that with tribes, ranchers and water rights holders coming to an agreement, federal legislators will come to one as well.
?This is politically agnostic,? he said. ?This is rural communities trying to survive. I hope folks back in D.C. don't insist on making this a partisan fight. We've set that stuff aside to solve a real problem, and I hope Congress will follow our lead.?
For the past 30 years, ranchers and the tribes were locked in a legal battle over who held senior water rights on rivers running through the former reservation. Last year, an administrative law judge determined the tribes held the most senior rights, dating to time immemorial, on the Wood, Williamson and Sprague and Sycan rivers.
When drought diminished flows last year, the tribes invoked those water rights to protect endangered sucker fish they once depended on for food, forcing ranchers to stop irrigating pasture that feeds cattle. Talks leading to the agreement started soon after, facilitated by the governor's office and Wyden's office.
Kitzhaber recalled how different times were from 2001, when water tensions reached their peak.
Federal marshals were called in to enforce the shut-off of irrigation to most of the Klamath Reclamation Project so suckers and threatened salmon could survive.?Some people angry over the shutoffs directed their ire at the tribes.
When irrigation was restored in 2002, tens of thousands of adult salmon died in the lower Klamath River of diseases spread by abnormally low and warm water.
?For me, this is a springboard to heal a people and a special place,? Kitzhaber said.  
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From twashburn at usbr.gov  Mon Apr 21 09:08:01 2014
From: twashburn at usbr.gov (WASHBURN, THUY)
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2014 09:08:01 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Change Order - Trinity River
Message-ID: <CAHdoJTNVzbvgFyFVeYh7knM9HoWAQcGydy=JLDyPfznJ=ryZjg@mail.gmail.com>

Please make the following release change to the Trinity River.

*    Date*              *Time*           *From (cfs)*          *To (cfs)*

4/23/2014           0600               300                    900

4/24/2014           0600               900                    1500

5/30/2014           0600               1500                   1450
5/31/2014           0600               1450                   1350
6/01/2014           0600               1350                   1275
6/02/2014           0600               1275                   1200

6/06/2014           0600               1200                   1150
6/07/2014           0600               1150                   1100
6/08/2014           0600               1100                   1050
6/09/2014           0600               1050                   1000
6/10/2014           0600               1000                   950
6/11/2014           0600                950                    900
6/12/2014           0600                900                    850
6/13/2014           0600                850                    800
6/14/2014           0600                800                    750
6/15/2014           0600                750                    700

6/19/2014           0600                700                    650
6/20/2014           0600                650                    600

6/22/2014           0600                600                    550
6/23/2014           0600                550                    500

6/25/2014           0600                500                    475
6/26/2014           0600                475                    450


Issued by:  Thuy Washburn
Comment:  Trinity Pulse Flow
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Apr 22 08:52:52 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 08:52:52 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Mercury News editorial: Feinstein bill risks further
	damage to Delta
Message-ID: <1398181972.56610.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>






http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_25608771/mercury-news-editorial-feinstein-bill-risks-further-damage#?
 
Mercury News editorial: Feinstein bill risks further damage to Delta
Mercury News Editorial
POSTED: ? 04/21/2014 01:13:26 PM PDT2 COMMENTS
UPDATED: ? 04/21/2014 02:50:50 PM PDT

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein's willingness to do Big Ag's bidding at the expense of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is increasingly alarming. Last week she released a revised drought bill that has environmentalists up and down the state fuming -- with good reason.
Feinstein stripped out the best part of her original legislation: $300 million for conservation and efficiency measures and aid to low-income farmworkers hurt by the drought. She admits she did it to attract Republican support. It raises the question of how far she is willing to go to maximize the amount of water sent from the Delta to Central Valley farmers, even if it causes catastrophic harm to the estuary.
House Republicans are demanding that any drought legislation roll back crucial environmental protections and end the San Joaquin River restoration project. They act as if these rules are all about helping fish, but keeping the river system healthy is critical for people who rely on its water.
That's particularly true in the Bay Area. The Delta supplies about half of Silicon Valley's water supply. But for major agricultural interests, this battle is all about money.
For example, billionaire Stewart Resnick of Los Angeles, who has considerable Central Valley farming interests, and his cohorts at Westlands Water District have spent $600,000 lobbying Congress in the past three years. The Sacramento Bee reported that Resnick and his wife have donated $321,000 to federal candidates and PACs over the same time period. They want to pump as much water as possible from the Delta to irrigate their crops.
The forces driving the Feinstein bill are also behind the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, the $25 billion project that's likely to result in the biggest water grab in California history. And that's saying something, considering Southern California's greedy past.
We sympathize with the Central Valley farmers who provide the vast majority of the state's fruits and vegetables. The state needs to find every drop of water available for them, as long as it doesn't permanently harm the Delta.
But Big Ag has a dirty little secret: Wealthy Central Valley farmers have doubled the area of profitable almond orchards in recent years to 800,000 acres, largely for export. Unlike crops such as tomatoes, orchards can't be allowed to go fallow in dry years, and they gulp twice as much water as vegetables.
On top of that, while Santa Clara County was responsibly restoring the groundwater it was pumping from wells, the Central Valley has been draining its aquifers while planting more crops than water supplies reasonably could sustain. The current shortage is largely Big Ag's own fault.
Feinstein has a choice. She can pander to corporate farming interests who are big donors, or she can stand up for reasonable protection for the Delta to ensure safe, adequate water supplies for future generations in California -- both on farms and in cities.
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Apr 22 08:56:38 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 08:56:38 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Ground water will be next big California fight
Message-ID: <1398182198.64355.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.davisenterprise.com/forum/opinion-columns/ground-water-will-be-next-big-california-fight/?

Ground water will be next big California fight
By?Tom Elias

From page A8?| April 22, 2014 |?Leave Comment
The next front in California?s long-running water wars has already opened, and the reasons for it will sometimes be hard to see ? but not always.
That next fight is over ground water, source of about 35 percent of the state?s fresh water in normal years and a much higher percentage in dry ones like 2014. This battle has the potential to become far more bitter than even the quarrels over how to distribute water from the delta of the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems.
For it?s all but certain that regulations of some kind will come soon to this only source of California fresh water that currently has virtually none.
?In the coming months, I will be working ? on strategies for more effective groundwater management,? wrote Democratic state Sen. Fran Pavley of Calabasas in her latest constituent newsletter. When Pavley broaches a subject like this, no one involved can afford to ignore her.
Only last year, she authored the state?s first regulations on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for oil and natural gas, and back in 2006, she was the force behind the AB 32 restrictions on greenhouse gases, progenitor of the state?s ever-controversial cap-and-trade program.
For sure, the long-running drought here is producing conditions that almost demand regulation.
As things get drier, especially for San Joaquin Valley farms now drawing just a small fraction of their normal water entitlements from both the state Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project, many of those farmers are pumping ground water furiously to keep their crops and businesses alive.
The long-standing presumption here has been that if there?s water under your land and you have a well, you can take as much as you want. That has sometimes ignored effects on other nearby property owners and the public.
One of those effects can be land subsidence, which in some Central Valley locales has topped 20 feet and can be spotted by passing motorists who see instruments and wellheads that once were on the surface perched on pipes reaching high above the current ground level.
Subsidence, in turn, can lead to problems moving surface water in canals, something water agencies cannot long tolerate. Over-pumping ground water also can spur intrusions of brackish salt water into fresh-water aquifers.
The reality is that some of California?s most significant environmental laws have been the direct results of crises. The Field Act, passed just after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, changed the way schools all over the state are built. Building standards for other structures changed immensely after the 1971 San Fernando earthquake severely damaged the Olive View Medical Center.
The drought of 1975-77 produced major water conservation changes, among them wide government distribution of low-flow toilets and shower heads, now standard in new homes and one reason today?s drought has not yet proved as disastrous as previous ones.
So far, drought has not produced great enthusiasm for Gov. Jerry Brown?s proposed twin tunnels water project to bring Sacramento River water under the delta to the state?s aqueduct. That?s partly because in return for more than $20 billion, the state would get no more water, even if the tunnels might assure more level supplies from year to year. So far, the main backers are water districts on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, whose member farmers are prone to major water allocation swings from year to year.
So that project won?t go anywhere for a while. Which could mean that legislators who want at least to purvey the image of doing something about the drought will become more likely to adopt ground water regulations.
If they try this, expect another loud and large fight to break out, as farmers and water districts with wells of their own can be expected to fight anyone trying to tell them what to do with water they?ve long viewed as their own property.
? Reach syndicated columnist Tom Elias at tdelias at aol.com
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Tue Apr 22 09:36:48 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 09:36:48 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Governor Brown celebrates John Muir Day as he pushes
	twin tunnels and fracking
In-Reply-To: <0F7AC2A2-7063-4508-BA12-20979717E1DB@fishsniffer.com>
References: <742.360675223.689@upbeat.quiteacclaimed.com>
	<0F7AC2A2-7063-4508-BA12-20979717E1DB@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <C4178482-863A-4BEC-96A0-A3ECA21A2509@fishsniffer.com>

  http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/22/1293749/-Governor-Brown-celebrates-John-Muir-Day-as-he-pushes-twin-tunnels-and-fracking

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/04/21/18754608.php
Photo of Jerry Brown courtesy of http://www.stmarys-ca.edu

jerry-brown-california-se...

Governor Brown celebrates John Muir Day as he pushes twin tunnels and  
fracking

by Dan Bacher

Governor Jerry Brown issued a proclamation on April 21 celebrating  
"John Muir Day" - at the same time he is fast-tracking the  
construction of the environmentally-destructive peripheral tunnels  
under the Sacramento -San Joaquin River Delta and promoting the  
expansion of fracking in California.

"John Muir (1838-1914) was a giant of a man," Brown proclaimed. "His  
vision of the pristine landscape as a source of spiritual renewal has  
become central to our understanding of the relationship between  
humanity and nature."

"In addition to his scientific discoveries, engineering innovations  
and writings that still inspire us today, Muir?s advocacy was  
instrumental in the creation of the National Park System, one of the  
world?s great ecological treasures," Brown continued.

"Today, as a way to honor Muir?s teachings and help keep his legacy  
alive, I suggest a visit to one of California?s public open spaces? 
national park, state park or any other unspoiled wilderness?which he  
strived so zealously to preserve," said Brown.

While Brown celebrated Muir's legacy, the record to date in his third  
term as governor is hardly one that Muir would approve. Brown has  
signed several good environmental bills, including a bill limiting the  
number of crab pots used by commercial fishermen and the Human Right  
to Water bill package, both bills that Arnold Schwarzenegger  
repeatedly vetoed.

However, on the biggest and most controversial issues regarding our  
oceans, estuaries and freshwater resources, including water exports,  
fish restoration, the peripheral tunnels, marine protection and  
fracking, Brown has been firmly on the side of corporate interests  
that seek to privatize and exploit public trust resources.

First, the Governor presided over record water exports out of the  
Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas, and a  
record fish kill at the state and federal pumps in 2011. The export  
total was 6,678,000 acre-feet of water in 2011, 208,000 acre-feet more  
than the previous record of 6,470,000 acre-feet set in 2005.

A record number of 8,989,639 native Sacramento splittail were  
"salvaged" in the Delta pumps in order to ship these record amounts of  
water to southern California and corporate agribusiness. The average  
annual splittail ?salvage? number is 1,201,585 fish, according to the  
Bay Institute?s report, Collateral Damage,http://bay.org/publications/collateral-damage

By comparison, the average salvage total for all species combined is  
9,237,444 fish, including splittail, striped bass, threadfin shad,  
largemouth bass, American shad and largemouth bass, as well as  
imperiled Sacramento River chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead,  
Delta smelt, green sturgeon, and longfin smelt.

?Salvage numbers drastically underestimate the actual impact,? the  
report emphasized. ?Although the exact numbers are uncertain, it is  
clear that tens of millions of fish are killed each year, and only a  
small fraction of this is reflected in the salvage numbers that are  
reported.? One study of ?pre-screen loss? estimated that as many as 19  
of every 20 fish perished before being counted (Castillo, 2010).

Brown has continued to pursue water export policies that resulted in  
the second lowest population levels of Delta smelt and American shad  
on record in the DFW?s 2013 fall midwater trawl survey, as well as the  
third lowest striped bass, eighth lowest longfin smelt, and fifth  
lowest threadfin shad indices.

Populations of Delta smelt are down 98.9%, striped bass 99.6%, longfin  
smelt 99.7%, American shad 89.1%, threadfin shad 98.1% and splittail  
99.4% from 1967, the first years that the survey was conducted,  
according to Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California  
Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA.) Steelhead and winter-run  
salmon are down 91.7% and 95.5%, respectively. (http://calsport.org/news/delta-fish-hammered-yet-again-fall-midwater-trawl-results-reveal-continued-biological-collapse/ 
)

These fish have declined dramatically because of massive water exports  
out of the Bay-Delta Estuary, combined with poor management of  
upstream dam operations, declining water quality and invasive species.

Killing record numbers of fish, exporting record amounts of water from  
the Delta, and driving steelhead, winter-run Chinook salmon and Delta  
and longfin smelt to the edge of extinction are actions that John Muir  
would vociferously condemn, not celebrate.

Second, the Governor has fast-tracked the Bay Delta Conservation Plan  
(BDCP) to build the peripheral tunnels to export more water to  
corporate agribusiness, oil companies conducting fracking and steam  
injection operations and Southern California water privateers. If  
built, this canal will likely result in the extinction of Central  
Valley steelhead, Sacramento River chinook salmon, Delta smelt,  
longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other imperiled fish species, as  
well as imperil salmon and steelhead populations on the Trinity and  
Klamath rivers.

The project will devastate the Bay-Delta Estuary, the most significant  
estuary on the West Coast, resulting in tremendous damage to coastal  
halibut, striped bass, leopard shark, anchovy, sardine, herring,  
halibut, leopard, rockfish, lingcod and other fish populations.

The construction of the tunnels will only spread the carnage of fish  
that takes place daily at the Delta pumps from the South Delta to the  
Sacramento River, the main migratory path for chinook salmon,  
steelhead, striped bass, American shad and other fish.

How can we expect the state water contractors, who have failed to fund  
the installation of state-of-the art fish screens on the current Delta  
pumps as required under the CalFed decision, to fund state-of-the-art  
fish screens for the new intakes for the canal/tunnel to reduce fish  
mortality?

And who is going to pay for the project, a pork barrel boondoggle that  
could cost over $67 billion?

Would Muir support the "Brown Water Plan," as Caleen Sisk, Chief and  
Spiritual Leader of Winnemem Wintu Tribe describes it? Would Muir, or  
any authentic environmental leader for that matter, back a budget- 
busting and Delta-draining project that would cause enormous  
environmental devastation? I don't think so!

Third, Brown has forged ahead with the privately funded Marine Life  
Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative to create so-called ?marine protected  
areas? in California. These ?marine protected areas? fail to protect  
the ocean from oil drilling and spills, military testing, pollution,  
corporate aquaculture, wind and wave energy projects and all human  
impacts on the ocean other than fishing and gathering.

The so-called "marine protected areas" that went into effect on the  
Southern California coast on January 1, 2012 and on the North Coast on  
December 19, 2012 were created under the helm of a big oil lobbyist.  
Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the President of the Western States Petroleum  
Association and a relentless advocate for new offshore drilling, the  
Keystone XL Pipeline and the weakening of California's environmental  
laws, served as the Chair of the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force for the  
South Coast that oversaw the implementation of these alleged  
"Yosemites of the Sea."

Again, you can bet that John Muir wouldn't support a privately funded  
greenwashing process, overseen by an oil industry lobbyist and other  
corporate operatives, that fails to provide comprehensive marine  
protection. Muir would undoubtedly be appalled by the use of the term  
"Yosemites of the Sea" to describe these "no fishing" zones.

Fourth, Governor Brown backs the expansion of fracking in California.  
On September 20, 2013, he signed Senator Fran Pavley?s ?green light  
for fracking? bill, Senate Billl 4.

Right after Governor Jerry Brown signed Senator Pavley's Senate Bill 4  
on September 20, 2013, the same Reheis-Boyd who oversaw fake ?marine  
protection? in Southern California praised the legislation for  
providing an "environmental platform" for the expansion of fracking in  
California (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/09/23/18743678.php)

"With the signing of Senate Bill 4, California has the toughest  
regulations of hydraulic fracturing and other energy production  
technologies in the country," said Reheis-Boyd. "While SB 4?s  
requirements went significantly farther than the petroleum industry  
felt was necessary, we now have an environmental platform on which  
California can look toward the opportunity to responsibly develop the  
enormous potential energy resource contained in the Monterey Shale  
formation." (http://www.wspa.org/blog/post/statement-wspa-president-catherine-reheis-boyd-signing-sb-4 
)

Governor Jerry Brown has become known as "Big Oil Brown" because of  
his subservience to the oil industry. Robert Gammon, East Bay Express  
reporter, revealed that before Governor Brown signed Senator Fran  
Pavley?s Senate Bill 4, Brown accepted at least $2.49 million in  
financial donations over the past several years from oil and natural  
gas interests, according to public records on file with the Secretary  
of State?s Office and the California Fair Political Practices  
Commission. (http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/fracking-jerry-brown/Content?oid=3726533 
)

And these aren?t the only abysmal environmental policies that Brown  
has pursued.

Brown has also backed the REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation  
and Forest Degradation+) that allows Northern Hemisphere polluters to  
buy forest carbon offset credits from the global South. Tom Goldtooth,  
Executive Director of the Indigenous Environmental Network, urged  
Brown to reject REDD+ carbon trading credits, which allow corporations  
to grab huge swaths of land in developing countries in order to keep  
polluting at home, usually in low income neighborhoods populated by  
people of color.

?Governor Brown is moving ahead with a policy that grabs land, clear- 
cuts forests, destroys biodiversity, abuses Mother Earth, pimps Father  
Sky and threatens the cultural survival of Indigenous Peoples,? said  
Goldtooth. ?The policy privatizes the air we breath. Commodifies the  
clouds. Buys and sells the atmosphere. Corrupts the sacred.? (http://www.ienearth.org/press-statement-tom-goldtooth-behind-the-backs-of-the-people-of-california/ 
)

Finally, Brown has is doing nothing to stop Sierra Pacific Industries  
from clear cutting forests, destroying wildlife habitat, and  
contributing to climate change.

For more information on Governor Jerry Brown's 10 worst environmental  
policies, including his administration's plan to bulldoze a section of  
the Ballona Wetlands in Southern California under the guise of  
"habitat restoration," go to: http://www.alternet.org/environment/governor-jerry-browns-10-worst-environmental-policies?page=0%2C1

Governor Jerry Brown is fast-tracking the peripheral tunnels,  
continues to drive salmon and Delta fish towards extinction, embraced  
Schwarzenegger's corrupt MLPA Initiative and is promoting many other  
environmentally destructive policies. Yet he hypocritically issues a  
proclamation honoring "John Muir Day."

Hey Jerry, why don't you really honor Muir's legacy by abandoning the  
Bay Delta Conservation Plan to build the peripheral tunnels - and by  
forcing the water contractors to pay for state of art fish screens on  
the Delta pumps that that were mandated by the CalFed process over 10  
years ago? And how about backing a ban on fracking in California?

A proclamation and visiting a state park is nice, but action on these  
and other issues is what we really need.

For the complete John Muir Day proclamation, go to: http://cert1.mail-west.com/c7rmtLyjgY/21tLgtmyuzjanm/rz8/vnqtLyemy3jl8ho/821tLq/m3cbz/xu5zkrcwbe?_c=d%7Cze7pzanwmhlzgt%7C128mop3zpexm5hk&_ce=1398127957.a0151c13ee2f9a025b0f4760613a0e84 
  
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Tue Apr 22 09:36:48 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 09:36:48 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Governor Brown celebrates John Muir Day as he pushes
	twin tunnels and fracking
In-Reply-To: <0F7AC2A2-7063-4508-BA12-20979717E1DB@fishsniffer.com>
References: <742.360675223.689@upbeat.quiteacclaimed.com>
	<0F7AC2A2-7063-4508-BA12-20979717E1DB@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <C4178482-863A-4BEC-96A0-A3ECA21A2509@fishsniffer.com>

  http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/22/1293749/-Governor-Brown-celebrates-John-Muir-Day-as-he-pushes-twin-tunnels-and-fracking

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/04/21/18754608.php
Photo of Jerry Brown courtesy of http://www.stmarys-ca.edu

jerry-brown-california-se...

Governor Brown celebrates John Muir Day as he pushes twin tunnels and  
fracking

by Dan Bacher

Governor Jerry Brown issued a proclamation on April 21 celebrating  
"John Muir Day" - at the same time he is fast-tracking the  
construction of the environmentally-destructive peripheral tunnels  
under the Sacramento -San Joaquin River Delta and promoting the  
expansion of fracking in California.

"John Muir (1838-1914) was a giant of a man," Brown proclaimed. "His  
vision of the pristine landscape as a source of spiritual renewal has  
become central to our understanding of the relationship between  
humanity and nature."

"In addition to his scientific discoveries, engineering innovations  
and writings that still inspire us today, Muir?s advocacy was  
instrumental in the creation of the National Park System, one of the  
world?s great ecological treasures," Brown continued.

"Today, as a way to honor Muir?s teachings and help keep his legacy  
alive, I suggest a visit to one of California?s public open spaces? 
national park, state park or any other unspoiled wilderness?which he  
strived so zealously to preserve," said Brown.

While Brown celebrated Muir's legacy, the record to date in his third  
term as governor is hardly one that Muir would approve. Brown has  
signed several good environmental bills, including a bill limiting the  
number of crab pots used by commercial fishermen and the Human Right  
to Water bill package, both bills that Arnold Schwarzenegger  
repeatedly vetoed.

However, on the biggest and most controversial issues regarding our  
oceans, estuaries and freshwater resources, including water exports,  
fish restoration, the peripheral tunnels, marine protection and  
fracking, Brown has been firmly on the side of corporate interests  
that seek to privatize and exploit public trust resources.

First, the Governor presided over record water exports out of the  
Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas, and a  
record fish kill at the state and federal pumps in 2011. The export  
total was 6,678,000 acre-feet of water in 2011, 208,000 acre-feet more  
than the previous record of 6,470,000 acre-feet set in 2005.

A record number of 8,989,639 native Sacramento splittail were  
"salvaged" in the Delta pumps in order to ship these record amounts of  
water to southern California and corporate agribusiness. The average  
annual splittail ?salvage? number is 1,201,585 fish, according to the  
Bay Institute?s report, Collateral Damage,http://bay.org/publications/collateral-damage

By comparison, the average salvage total for all species combined is  
9,237,444 fish, including splittail, striped bass, threadfin shad,  
largemouth bass, American shad and largemouth bass, as well as  
imperiled Sacramento River chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead,  
Delta smelt, green sturgeon, and longfin smelt.

?Salvage numbers drastically underestimate the actual impact,? the  
report emphasized. ?Although the exact numbers are uncertain, it is  
clear that tens of millions of fish are killed each year, and only a  
small fraction of this is reflected in the salvage numbers that are  
reported.? One study of ?pre-screen loss? estimated that as many as 19  
of every 20 fish perished before being counted (Castillo, 2010).

Brown has continued to pursue water export policies that resulted in  
the second lowest population levels of Delta smelt and American shad  
on record in the DFW?s 2013 fall midwater trawl survey, as well as the  
third lowest striped bass, eighth lowest longfin smelt, and fifth  
lowest threadfin shad indices.

Populations of Delta smelt are down 98.9%, striped bass 99.6%, longfin  
smelt 99.7%, American shad 89.1%, threadfin shad 98.1% and splittail  
99.4% from 1967, the first years that the survey was conducted,  
according to Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California  
Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA.) Steelhead and winter-run  
salmon are down 91.7% and 95.5%, respectively. (http://calsport.org/news/delta-fish-hammered-yet-again-fall-midwater-trawl-results-reveal-continued-biological-collapse/ 
)

These fish have declined dramatically because of massive water exports  
out of the Bay-Delta Estuary, combined with poor management of  
upstream dam operations, declining water quality and invasive species.

Killing record numbers of fish, exporting record amounts of water from  
the Delta, and driving steelhead, winter-run Chinook salmon and Delta  
and longfin smelt to the edge of extinction are actions that John Muir  
would vociferously condemn, not celebrate.

Second, the Governor has fast-tracked the Bay Delta Conservation Plan  
(BDCP) to build the peripheral tunnels to export more water to  
corporate agribusiness, oil companies conducting fracking and steam  
injection operations and Southern California water privateers. If  
built, this canal will likely result in the extinction of Central  
Valley steelhead, Sacramento River chinook salmon, Delta smelt,  
longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other imperiled fish species, as  
well as imperil salmon and steelhead populations on the Trinity and  
Klamath rivers.

The project will devastate the Bay-Delta Estuary, the most significant  
estuary on the West Coast, resulting in tremendous damage to coastal  
halibut, striped bass, leopard shark, anchovy, sardine, herring,  
halibut, leopard, rockfish, lingcod and other fish populations.

The construction of the tunnels will only spread the carnage of fish  
that takes place daily at the Delta pumps from the South Delta to the  
Sacramento River, the main migratory path for chinook salmon,  
steelhead, striped bass, American shad and other fish.

How can we expect the state water contractors, who have failed to fund  
the installation of state-of-the art fish screens on the current Delta  
pumps as required under the CalFed decision, to fund state-of-the-art  
fish screens for the new intakes for the canal/tunnel to reduce fish  
mortality?

And who is going to pay for the project, a pork barrel boondoggle that  
could cost over $67 billion?

Would Muir support the "Brown Water Plan," as Caleen Sisk, Chief and  
Spiritual Leader of Winnemem Wintu Tribe describes it? Would Muir, or  
any authentic environmental leader for that matter, back a budget- 
busting and Delta-draining project that would cause enormous  
environmental devastation? I don't think so!

Third, Brown has forged ahead with the privately funded Marine Life  
Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative to create so-called ?marine protected  
areas? in California. These ?marine protected areas? fail to protect  
the ocean from oil drilling and spills, military testing, pollution,  
corporate aquaculture, wind and wave energy projects and all human  
impacts on the ocean other than fishing and gathering.

The so-called "marine protected areas" that went into effect on the  
Southern California coast on January 1, 2012 and on the North Coast on  
December 19, 2012 were created under the helm of a big oil lobbyist.  
Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the President of the Western States Petroleum  
Association and a relentless advocate for new offshore drilling, the  
Keystone XL Pipeline and the weakening of California's environmental  
laws, served as the Chair of the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force for the  
South Coast that oversaw the implementation of these alleged  
"Yosemites of the Sea."

Again, you can bet that John Muir wouldn't support a privately funded  
greenwashing process, overseen by an oil industry lobbyist and other  
corporate operatives, that fails to provide comprehensive marine  
protection. Muir would undoubtedly be appalled by the use of the term  
"Yosemites of the Sea" to describe these "no fishing" zones.

Fourth, Governor Brown backs the expansion of fracking in California.  
On September 20, 2013, he signed Senator Fran Pavley?s ?green light  
for fracking? bill, Senate Billl 4.

Right after Governor Jerry Brown signed Senator Pavley's Senate Bill 4  
on September 20, 2013, the same Reheis-Boyd who oversaw fake ?marine  
protection? in Southern California praised the legislation for  
providing an "environmental platform" for the expansion of fracking in  
California (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/09/23/18743678.php)

"With the signing of Senate Bill 4, California has the toughest  
regulations of hydraulic fracturing and other energy production  
technologies in the country," said Reheis-Boyd. "While SB 4?s  
requirements went significantly farther than the petroleum industry  
felt was necessary, we now have an environmental platform on which  
California can look toward the opportunity to responsibly develop the  
enormous potential energy resource contained in the Monterey Shale  
formation." (http://www.wspa.org/blog/post/statement-wspa-president-catherine-reheis-boyd-signing-sb-4 
)

Governor Jerry Brown has become known as "Big Oil Brown" because of  
his subservience to the oil industry. Robert Gammon, East Bay Express  
reporter, revealed that before Governor Brown signed Senator Fran  
Pavley?s Senate Bill 4, Brown accepted at least $2.49 million in  
financial donations over the past several years from oil and natural  
gas interests, according to public records on file with the Secretary  
of State?s Office and the California Fair Political Practices  
Commission. (http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/fracking-jerry-brown/Content?oid=3726533 
)

And these aren?t the only abysmal environmental policies that Brown  
has pursued.

Brown has also backed the REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation  
and Forest Degradation+) that allows Northern Hemisphere polluters to  
buy forest carbon offset credits from the global South. Tom Goldtooth,  
Executive Director of the Indigenous Environmental Network, urged  
Brown to reject REDD+ carbon trading credits, which allow corporations  
to grab huge swaths of land in developing countries in order to keep  
polluting at home, usually in low income neighborhoods populated by  
people of color.

?Governor Brown is moving ahead with a policy that grabs land, clear- 
cuts forests, destroys biodiversity, abuses Mother Earth, pimps Father  
Sky and threatens the cultural survival of Indigenous Peoples,? said  
Goldtooth. ?The policy privatizes the air we breath. Commodifies the  
clouds. Buys and sells the atmosphere. Corrupts the sacred.? (http://www.ienearth.org/press-statement-tom-goldtooth-behind-the-backs-of-the-people-of-california/ 
)

Finally, Brown has is doing nothing to stop Sierra Pacific Industries  
from clear cutting forests, destroying wildlife habitat, and  
contributing to climate change.

For more information on Governor Jerry Brown's 10 worst environmental  
policies, including his administration's plan to bulldoze a section of  
the Ballona Wetlands in Southern California under the guise of  
"habitat restoration," go to: http://www.alternet.org/environment/governor-jerry-browns-10-worst-environmental-policies?page=0%2C1

Governor Jerry Brown is fast-tracking the peripheral tunnels,  
continues to drive salmon and Delta fish towards extinction, embraced  
Schwarzenegger's corrupt MLPA Initiative and is promoting many other  
environmentally destructive policies. Yet he hypocritically issues a  
proclamation honoring "John Muir Day."

Hey Jerry, why don't you really honor Muir's legacy by abandoning the  
Bay Delta Conservation Plan to build the peripheral tunnels - and by  
forcing the water contractors to pay for state of art fish screens on  
the Delta pumps that that were mandated by the CalFed process over 10  
years ago? And how about backing a ban on fracking in California?

A proclamation and visiting a state park is nice, but action on these  
and other issues is what we really need.

For the complete John Muir Day proclamation, go to: http://cert1.mail-west.com/c7rmtLyjgY/21tLgtmyuzjanm/rz8/vnqtLyemy3jl8ho/821tLq/m3cbz/xu5zkrcwbe?_c=d%7Cze7pzanwmhlzgt%7C128mop3zpexm5hk&_ce=1398127957.a0151c13ee2f9a025b0f4760613a0e84 
  
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From trinflyguy at shasta.com  Tue Apr 22 14:26:59 2014
From: trinflyguy at shasta.com (Herb Burton)
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 14:26:59 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Final Bucktail and Lower Junction City
	EA/ISw/Response to comment is available
In-Reply-To: <CAMnws3KrZ9Wv6zAg0WE288_6o=Sqmijm8E0rVYad99Dvb1RdzQ@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAMnws3KrZ9Wv6zAg0WE288_6o=Sqmijm8E0rVYad99Dvb1RdzQ@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <3EDD0625F0F348D39BB86103EE7A0A6B@HerbPC>

April 22, 2014
Trinity River Restoration Program
Attn: Brandt Gutermuth

We have repeatedly requested to be removed from your e-mail and postal mail yet we continue to receive both. We do not support or, in any way, have interest or care about the TRRP's costly, hypothetical guess work and in river muddling. What is it you don't understand? Herb Burton/Trinity Fly Shop


From: GUTERMUTH, F. 
Sent: Friday, April 18, 2014 5:18 PM
To: Trinity List serve 
Subject: [env-trinity] Final Bucktail and Lower Junction City EA/ISw/Response to comment is available


Dear Interested parties and Trinity River enthusiasts,




The Final Environmental Assessment/Initial Study (EA/IS) for the Bucktail (River Mile 105.3-106.4) and Lower Junction City (River Mile 78.8-79.8) Trinity River Channel Rehabilitation sites, including response to comment, is now available. 





The Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP), with federal co-lead agencies, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and with the California State lead agency, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, have completed the Final Project EA/IS that meets all National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), requirements. The document is located at: http://www.trrp.net/2014/eais-bucktail-and-lower-junction-city/ . 




The Final EA/IS was updated to state the following:

  a.. 
    a.. The TRRP will permit and construct the Lower Junction City Project in 2014 as designed

    b.. The Bucktail channel rehabilitation project will not be completed in 2014 
    c.. The Bucktail channel rehabilitation project will not move the present boat ramp downstream of the Bucktail Bridge and will remove this design element from the project 
    d.. The TRRP's intent is to implement the Bucktail channel rehabilitation project in coordination with construction of a new Bucktail Bridge. The Bucktail channel rehabilitation project is currently being redesigned to address external public concerns and  internal design team technical recommendations 
    e.. Once the Bucktail project is re-designed and analyzed, supplementary environmental review documents would be developed and circulated for review as needed


Have a great Easter-



Brandt








Brandt Gutermuth
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Restoration Program
PO Box 1300, 1313 S. Main ST.
Weaverville CA 96093
530.623.1806 Voice
http://www.trrp.net/



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


_______________________________________________
env-trinity mailing list
env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Apr 24 07:41:46 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2014 07:41:46 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Dam flows boost Trinity River for now;
	officials say dry conditions mean less water released into river
Message-ID: <1398350506.67397.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_25627718/dam-flows-boost-trinity-river-now-officials-say#?

Dam flows boost Trinity River for now; officials say dry conditions mean less water released into river
Lorna Rodriguez/The Times-Standard Eureka Times Standard
Posted: Times-Standard.com 
As Lewiston Dam waters are released into the Trinity River, officials are advising the public to use caution while visiting its banks, even though this year's flow into the river will be reduced on account of the statewide drought.
?It's a relatively rare event, but it's not outside the realm of possibility,? said Ernest Clarke, a science program coordinator for the Trinity River Restoration Program, a multi-agency program made up of organizations including the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service. ?We're making the appropriate flow release.?
The flows started increasing Wednesday, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation public affairs officer Louis Moore said. Up to 1,500 cubic feet of water per second -- the equivalent of 75,000 to 80,000 jugs of water or basketballs, according to Moore -- will be released each day until the end of May before being reduced. The rates are expected to drop to 1,200 cfs in early June, and will dip to the summer level of 450 cfs on June 26.
A total of 369,000 acre feet -- an acre foot is 326,000 gallons -- will be released during this ?critically dry? water year, according to the bureau. During ?extremely wet? years, 815,000 acre feet are let out.
?You need the entire suite,? Clarke said. ?You don't just need extremely wet years.?
Temperatures suitable for fish will still be maintained, and fine sediment will still be flushed through the system, he added.
The releases are designed to scour sediment in the river and undermine willows on gravel bars as part of a long-term restoration effort after the fish population was impacted by the construction of dams, Moore said.
?It's really to ... make the river a better environment. Not just for the species, but also for other wildlife and users of the river system,? he said.
As the river level rises, people are advised to take safety precautions, including being aware of the dam release schedule and taking note that the water temperature will hover around 55 degrees, officials said.
?The flows can dump pretty rapidly when they start the releases,? National Weather Service spokesman Troy Nicolini said. ?People often don't understand even if you're a very strong swimmer, the very cold water can diminish their ability to swim very rapidly.
?The process is called cold water paralysis,? he added. ?It sends all of the blood from the arms and legs into the torso to keep the organs warm.?
People are also encouraged to remember the river is always changing.
?The river people recreated on last summer is not the same as this summer,? Nicolini said. ?It's important not to assume a river is completely unchanged from one summer.
?I'm not trying to scare people away from the river. It's a great place to recreate. I'm just trying to make people aware,? he said.
At a glance:
A schedule of the flow releases can be found at usbr.gov/newsroom/newsrelease/detail.cfm?RecordID=46566
Lorna Rodriguez can be reached at 441-0506 or lrodriguez at times-standard.com. Follow her on Twitter @LornaARodriguez.
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Apr 25 08:58:40 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2014 08:58:40 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Klamath Herald and News: Lack of bird refuges plan
	spurs lawsuit
Message-ID: <1398441520.99355.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.heraldandnews.com/email_blast/article_dcf03722-cc40-11e3-a77a-0019bb2963f4.html

Lack of bird refuges plan spurs lawsuit
By LACEY JARRELL H&N Staff Reporter | Posted: Friday, April 25, 2014 12:00 am
Three conservation groups filed a lawsuit Thursday against the federal wildlife agency tasked with developing new management tools for Klamath Basin wildlife refuges.
According to a news release, the three groups ? the Audubon Society of Portland, Oregon Wild and WaterWatch of Oregon ? filed the suit to compel the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to release a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The Klamath Basin CCP is 18 months past deadline.
The plan is long overdue in area of such ?extraordinary ecological importance,? said Jim McCarthy, communications director and Southern Oregon program manager for WaterWatch of Oregon.
?The fact we don?t have a plan for these refuges 18 months out is just not right,? McCarthy said.
The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 requires the USFWS to develop and implement a plan for each unit within the national wildlife refuge system, according to the release.
Under the act, the Department of the Interior Secretary is required to prepare a plan for each refuge within 15 years after the date National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act was enacted.
The law set a deadline of Oct. 9, 2012 for the completion of all plans.
Matt Baun, a spokesman for the USFWS, said that the Basin refuges? plan is the largest and most complex ever undertaken in the region. He pointed out the Klamath Basin plan will encompass five refuges, while most plans are for only one refuge.
Baun said budget cuts and sequestration, which resulted in staff shortages, have slowed progress. However, finalizing the conservation plan has remained a top priority for Fish and Wildlife, he said. An internal USFWS draft is undergoing review now, he added.
?We are working to complete it as soon as possible,? Baun said.
McCarthy said he would like Fish and Wildlife to release a public draft soon.
?We understand there is draft; we don?t know what condition it?s in,? McCarthy said.
The Klamath Basin NWR complex hosts about 1 to 2 million migrating birds per year, McCarthy said.
More than 22,000 refuge acres are leased for commercial agriculture, the release said.
?We would like them to look at whether it make sense to have water delivered to agricultural lease lands when the rest of the refuge goes dry,? McCarthy said.
?We anticipate numerous comments on various aspects of the draft, including agriculture,? Baun said.
ljarrell at heraldandnews.com; @LMJatHandN
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Apr 26 09:56:26 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2014 09:56:26 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] C-WIN Groundwater oped
In-Reply-To: <1398526955.22543.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <46691EF9-0E8E-4BC8-B8A5-4B43930A1CF5@mcn.org>
	<1398301608.35573.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
	<1398526955.22543.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1398531386.45074.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Env-Trinity Subscribers,

Even though this isn't about the Trinity River specifically, groundwater is a hot topic in California water, so I thought you might be interested in C-WIN's take on groundwater regulation.
?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org

http://pasoroblesdailynews.com/op-ed-paso-robles-groundwater-basin/18687/?

Opinion on Paso Robles groundwater basin?
Posted:?8:05 am, April 24, 2014?by?Guest Contributor
California Water Impact Network?s Carolee Krieger shares insight
It?s a timeworn clich?, but California really does lead in the nation in everything from technology to culture. Still, there are exceptions to this general rule, and groundwater oversight is one of them. Forty-eight states comprehensively regulate their groundwater reserves. California and Texas are the outliers.
The California constitution keeps things relatively simple when it comes to groundwater ? overlying property owners have the right to pump reasonable amounts of water as long as it?s put to ?beneficial? uses. The courts have upheld this doctrine by ?adjudicating? groundwater basins: assigning specific rights to individual stakeholders. Local jurisdictions are therefore hobbled in their regulatory options when it comes to groundwater.
No big deal, you say? To the contrary. Groundwater is the most pressing public resource issue facing California. We have just endured the third-driest winter in our state?s history. We could be on the cusp of a devastating drought, one that would strain our water delivery infrastructure and economy, and enforce drastic changes in the way we live. Water ? including groundwater ? has never been more important.
Most of the developed water in California is derived from melting snowpack in the Sierra and Shasta-Trinity Mountains. This water pools in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta, where it is pumped to the vast agribusiness complexes of the western San Joaquin Valley and South State municipalities. But California also contains expansive aquifers that supply farms and cities. Indeed, up to 30 percent of the water consumed in the state is groundwater. And during droughts ? when surface water is scant or absent ? groundwater sustains us.
But groundwater is a finite resource. It already is exploited excessively, and water tables are falling in many places because recharge is not keeping up with withdrawals. Worse, efforts are underway to transfer control of our aquifers from local and regional stakeholders to centralized state and corporate interests by creating water districts that enable the export of groundwater beyond the boundaries of overlying lands. This has created largely unregulated water markets that operate solely for the benefit of a handful of wealthy privateers with no consideration for either the resource or the farms and cities reliant on groundwater.
A particularly contentious battle is shaping up in the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin (PRGB) in northern San Luis Obispo County and southern Monterey County. Underlying about 500,000 acres and containing up to 31 million acre feet of water, the PRGB is one of the largest aquifers west of the Rocky Mountains. It is the primary source of water for a burgeoning wine grape industry and thousands of Central Coast residents. It is also subject to excessive pumping. Between 1997 and 2013, the aquifer?s water table dropped by 70 feet in some locales.
But that?s just part of the problem. Indeed, the larger issue is just who or what will control the PRGB. The State Water Resources Control Board is angling to establish its ultimate authority over the Basin. The rationale, of course, is that groundwater is a resource of such overriding importance that a large public agency must determine its proper disposition. However, the state repeatedly has demonstrated its susceptibility to pressure by powerful private interests? especially when it comes to water. The State Water Project, for example is managed to appease Kern County corporate farmers, water speculators, and the large municipal water districts of the south State. The demands on the SWP have long exceeded its capacity, and ratepayers are given short shrift. We therefore must view overriding state control of our groundwater basins with great skepticism.
Carolee Krieger, co-founder and executive director of the California Water Impact Network.
Indeed, recent efforts by large water districts to impinge on the PRGWB already have begun. Both the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Eastern Municipal Water District have demonstrated great interest in storing ?excess? contracted state water in the PRGWB through the proxy of established water districts. Why would this be bad? By ?parking? their water in the Basin, large, powerful water districts and water privateers could then claim their rights to the aquifer?s water supersede the rights of overlying landowners. In effect, the PRGWB would become a resource managed jointly by Sacramento bureaucrats, the state?s largest water districts, and powerful water speculators. Once again, small property owners and ratepayers would be left high and dry.
So what can we do? The solution to our problem lies in a single word: adjudication. When numerous stakeholders withdraw water from a given aquifer, they can ask the courts to affirm the rights of the various consumers to the basin?s water. Adjudication involves detailed aquifer mapping, so the ?safe yield? of the basin can be determined and withdrawals adjusted accordingly. Typically, the courts appoint ?watermasters? to ensure their decisions are fully implemented.
Adjudication accommodates the needs of individual stakeholders within aquifer limits. It protects the rights of individual stakeholders and maintains the sustainability of our scant and precious groundwater resources. So, far 22 groundwater basins have been successfully adjudicated in California. We must ensure the PRGB benefits from the same process.
?Carolee Krieger is the co-founder and executive director of the California Water Impact Network, a group dedicated to the equitable and sustainable distribution of the state?s water resources.? For more information, call?(805) 969-0824 or visit?www.c-win.org.
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Apr 28 08:50:03 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 08:50:03 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] California drought putting fish,
	birds and tree species at risk, scientists say
Message-ID: <1398700203.74769.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/25/6355521/california-drought-putting-fish.html?

California drought putting fish, birds and tree species at risk, scientists say

By Edward Ortiz
eortiz at sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Apr. 25, 2014 - 10:50 pm
Last Modified: Sunday, Apr. 27, 2014 - 1:57 pm
California?s drought is imperiling tricolored blackbirds, large trees and native fish, with some of the affected species already on the state?s endangered list and others likely headed there because of rapidly declining numbers, scientists say.
?The problems created by the drought are just a harbinger of things to come,? said Peter Moyle, a professor at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences, which hosted a daylong Capitol summit Friday on economic and environmental costs of the drought.
?Native fishes and the ecosystems that support them are incredibly vulnerable to drought,? Moyle said. ?There are currently 37 species of fish on the endangered species list in California ? and there is every sign that that number will increase,? he said.
Eighty percent of those species face extinction by the year 2100 if present trends continue, Moyle said.
Native fish are able to weather natural drought years, but the development of the state?s water system has created the equivalent of perpetual drought conditions for many species, he said.
The state has 47 animal species on its endangered list, another 36 listed as ?threatened,? plus six that are candidates for inclusion on one of the lists, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
One species that could end up on the candidate list is the tricolored blackbird, said Robert Meese, of UC Davis? Department of Environmental Science and Policy.
?The tricolored blackbird may not be on the endangered list yet, but the drought is definitely having an effect,? Meese said. ?The birds have not been reproducing.?
Reproduction declines have been noticed since 2007, before the drought, Meese said, but recent counts have shown even steeper declines. A statewide survey of tricolored blackbirds, known for their red shoulder patch with a bright white stripe, was recently concluded and the results are due out in three weeks.
?I suspect that survey will be on the order of 120,000 birds,? Meese said. ?That is less than half of what was seen in 2011, and about 75?percent less than what was seen in 2008.?
At issue for the birds is a lack of insects since female birds require insects in their diet to form eggs. Also, young birds require insects during the first nine days of life, when they cannot digest plant material. Meese contends that the effects of the drought have created lower populations of insects, as well as less-extensive wetlands from which blackbirds can feed.
A perfect storm of pesticide use, drought and urban development is putting a lot of pressure on the tricolored blackbird, Meese said. Unlike the red-winged blackbird, the tricolored is a colonial species that tends to stay close to home when hunting for insects ? in most cases it will not fly farther than three miles.
Meese has seen colonies in the Central Valley this year that are only a quarter of the size recorded last year ? only 5,000 birds. Still, a shortage of the insects they feed on remains an issue in the bird?s territory.
?If you put that many mouths in a small area, that puts an intense pressure on the landscape to produce insects for that many birds,? he said.
It is not only fish and birds that are threatened by the drought, the scientists said. Large trees have been profoundly affected, especially in the West, a recent study found.
The study, conducted by researchers from the U.S. Geologic Survey and others, looked at tree mortality in the Sierra Nevada and found increased mortality as a result of drought and increased temperatures. The study established a link between tree mortality at low elevations and water deficits.
Andrew Fulks, who manages UC Davis? Putah Creek Riparian Reserve, has seen the drought affect a tree closer to home ? the foothill pine. The tree, native to California, prefers to grow in open woodlands in the 1,000- to 4,000-foot elevation range.
?We have seen more mortality in Yolo County due to drought stress,? he said. ?The tree has been unable to fend off the dwarf pine mistletoe, which weakens the tree enough to allow it to be killed by it and the bark beetle.?

Call The Bee?s Edward Ortiz, (916)?321-1071. Follow him on Twitter @edwardortiz.
? Read more articles by Edward Ortiz

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/25/6355521/california-drought-putting-fish.html#storylink=cpy
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From sari at sisqtel.net  Tue Apr 29 10:43:10 2014
From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom)
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 10:43:10 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] LA Times Op-Ed: The Myth of the Wild
Message-ID: <004a01cf63d2$7d256b40$777041c0$@sisqtel.net>

http://latimes.com/opinion/commentary/la-oe-goldberg-geoengineer-salmon-russ
-george-20140429,0,841306.column

latimes.com     Op-Ed   by  Jonah Goldberg     6:11 PM PDT, April 28, 2014

The myth of the wild

The notion that America was 'wild' when Europeans found it is more than a
little racist; it assumes Indians didn't act like humans everywhere else.


 

	

The pristine natural world is gone; get used to it.

Nearly all of the earthworms in New England and the upper Midwest were
inadvertently imported from Europe. The American earthworms were wiped out
by the last Ice Age. That's why when European colonists first got here, many
forest floors were covered in deep drifts of wet leaves. The wild horses of
the American West may be no less invasive than the Asian carp advancing on
the Great Lakes. Most species of the tumbleweed, icon of the Old West, are
actually from Russia or Asia.

The notion that America was "wild" when Europeans found it is more than a
little racist; it assumes Indians didn't act like humans everywhere else.
Native Americans weren't Ur-hippies taking only drawings and leaving only
footprints. They cultivated plants, cleared forests with extensive burning
to boost the population of desired animals, and otherwise altered the
landscape in ways that may have seemed natural to newcomers but were
nonetheless profound. As biologist Charles Kay observes, "Native Americans
were the ultimate keystone species, and their removal has completely altered
ecosystems . throughout North America."

Kay goes on to note that when we set aside a "wilderness" and then let
"nature take its course," we aren't preserving "some remnant of the past."
We are instead creating "conditions that have not existed for the last
10,000 years."

And even then, these supposedly wild places aren't truly wild. That's
because to the extent they are preserved in their seemingly natural state,
it is by humanity's will. Also, the remaining wild animals in those places
are often the ones we decided should live or didn't accidentally kill. And
the plants and animals that ate - or were eaten by - those creatures have
never been the same. Without humans, dogs, cows, pigs and chickens wouldn't
have evolved the way they have.

The wild environment isn't just about trees and bears and other forms of
charismatic mega flora and fauna. I heard Bill Gates on NPR the other day
talking about the great strides his foundation has made against malaria and
how we may be on the brink of actually eradicating polio forever. Diseases
play a huge part of any natural ecosystem, and we've been trying to drive
them to extinction for centuries.

Last year, the salmon catch in southeast Alaska was the largest ever
recorded. It may have been because controversial scientist-businessman Russ
George, under contract with the Haida tribe in British Columbia, dumped 120
tons of iron sulfate into the ocean. The idea was to create a phytoplankton
bloom that would in turn create feeding grounds for zooplankton, which in
turn provide food for salmon and, in turn, the critters that eat them.
Supporters believe George's experiment was a win-win-win all the way up the
food chain, for grizzly bears and lox-and-bagel aficionados alike. Skeptics
want more data, arguing - fairly - that the experiment needs more study.

Geoengineering proponents hope that such techniques might one day be used to
sequester large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere (though studies are
mixed on this score), thus diminishing the need for wealth-crushing fossil
fuel prohibitions while making food cheaper for humanity. In principle, this
is no more outrageous than draining swampland to eradicate malaria and
create farmland.

As Robert Zubrin recently wrote on National Review Online, George's efforts
have been condemned by U.N. bureaucrats, environmentalists and many
scientists. The scientists are understandably cautious; the bureaucrats
claim George may have violated some treaties.

But some of the ideological responses Zubrin cited are ridiculous. Naomi
Klein, writing in 2012, was excited to see so many killer whales when she
was in British Columbia on vacation. But when it dawned on her that the
orcas might be there to partake of George's "all you can eat seafood
buffet," she was horrified. In a world of geoengineering, she lamented, "all
natural events can begin to take on an unnatural tinge.. A presence that
felt like a miraculous gift suddenly feels sinister, as if all of nature
were being manipulated behind the scenes."

That ship sailed at least 10,000 years ago.

 <mailto:jgoldberg at latimescolumnists.com> jgoldberg at latimescolumnists.com

Copyright C 2014,  <http://www.latimes.com/> Los Angeles Times

 

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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Apr 28 19:14:40 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 19:14:40 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: EPIC Press Release: Historic Agreement Reforms
	Trinity River Fish Hatchery
In-Reply-To: <CANazcSYPwXuW1rV156=GazMe6qrJVE-TweYOXKTZVn05H08fgw@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CANazcSYPwXuW1rV156=GazMe6qrJVE-TweYOXKTZVn05H08fgw@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1398737680.10230.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Gary Graham Hughes <gary at wildcalifornia.org>
To: Gary Hughes <gary at wildcalifornia.org> 
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2014 3:27 PM
Subject: EPIC Press Release: Historic Agreement Reforms Trinity River Fish Hatchery
 


http://www.wildcalifornia.org/blog/historic-agreement-reforms-trinity-river-fish-hatchery/


April 28, 2014 ? For Immediate Release
?
Contacts:? ?????? Gary Graham Hughes, Executive Director, EPIC,
707-822-7711
??????????????????????? Pete
Frost, Attorney, Western Environmental Law Center, 541-359-3238
?
Historic Agreement Reforms Trinity River Fish
Hatchery
?
(EUREKA, Ca)? Today a federal court
approved the settlement
agreement in a lawsuit challenging operations at the Trinity River Fish
Hatchery. The agreement between EPIC, state agencies and Tribes allows the
hatchery to continue to operate, but with needed reforms to restore imperiled wild
coho salmon. 
?
The
suit alleged that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau) operated the hatchery illegally because it
lacked an approved plan from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The
suit also alleged that the millions of hatchery fish released into the Trinity
harm threatened wild salmon runs.
?
"This
settlement shows the commitment of a broad array of stakeholders in the Trinity
basin to insure that hatchery operations support recovery of wild salmon,"
said Gary Graham Hughes, executive director at EPIC. "There is still a
long road to travel," said Hughes, "yet this agreement is an historic
moment in the process of bringing back our wild salmon."
?
Represented
by the Western Environmental Law Center (WELC) in Eugene, Oregon, EPIC filed
suit last year to curb the number of hatchery fish released into the Trinity,
alleging that they harm naturally producing coho salmon, listed under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) as threatened with extinction.? On the eve of a motion to the court, the
parties ? EPIC, CDFW, the Bureau, and the Hoopa Valley and Yurok Tribes ?
reached agreement that the hatchery could continue to operate, but in 2015
would release fewer hatchery-bred coho salmon and steelhead trout, and release
the trout later in the season, so they do not prey on young coho.? The agreement also requires the Bureau to
submit to NMFS a new plan for hatchery operations by May 31, 2014.
?
?After
decades of saturating the Trinity with hatchery fish, this agreement is a first
step toward recovering wild coho runs that are so important in the system,?
said Pete Frost, attorney for EPIC.
?
Principle
amongst the terms of the settlement agreement is that the Bureau will consult
with NMFS to develop in a timely manner a long-overdue Hatchery Genetic
Management Plan (HGMP), which the agency must complete as a requirement of fish
hatchery management under the ESA. Genetic considerations are of great
importance in fish hatchery management. Hatchery coho salmon harm wild coho
salmon when the two populations interbreed. Hatchery coho salmon alter the
genetic composition, phenotypic traits, and behavior of wild coho salmon.
Genetic introgression?the transfer of genetics from stray hatchery fish to wild
populations?owers the fitness and genetic variability of wild coho salmon
populations, decreasing productivity and abundance.?The release of
hatchery-raised Chinook and coho salmon and steelhead trout can also have
harmful ecological effects on wild coho salmon and their habitat. Hatchery fish
prey on wild coho salmon.?Hatchery fish can introduce and transmit disease
to wild coho salmon. Hatchery fish compete with wild coho salmon for food and
spawning and rearing habitat. These ecological effects decrease the fitness and
abundance of listed wild coho salmon.
?
To
address these impacts the settlement agreement requires the timely development
of the HGMP, and also includes terms that address the timing and number of the
release of hatchery coho salmon and hatchery steelhead trout in order to best
manage the resultant ecological interactions between hatchery and wild fish in
a manner that promotes the recovery of wild Coho salmon.
?
Background on the Trinity River Fish Hatchery
The Trinity River flows north-northwest 165 miles from the California
Coast Range Mountains to its confluence with the Klamath River at Weitchpec,
approximately 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The South Fork Trinity River,
which enters the mainstem Trinity River below any impoundments, is the one of
the longest undammed stretches of river in California. Before reaching its
confluence with the South Fork, the mainstem Trinity River flows into Trinity
Lake, an impoundment created by the Trinity Dam, which stores water for the
Central Valley Project. Seven miles downstream of the Trinity Dam is Lewiston
Lake, an impoundment created by the Lewiston Dam, where stored water is
diverted into the Sacramento River basin.
The
Trinity hatchery is located at river mile 110 immediately downstream of the
Lewiston Dam.? It was built to mitigate
for the loss of salmon and steelhead habitat due to the construction of the
Trinity and Lewiston dams and the operation of the Central Valley Project. The
Bureau funds the hatchery and CDFW runs it.
?
The
Trinity River provides habitat for wild coho salmon. Wild coho salmon in the
Trinity River and its tributaries are part of the Southern Oregon/Northern
California Coast (SONCC) evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) and listed as
threatened with extinction under the ESA. Critical habitat for the SONCC coho
ESU includes all accessible reaches of the Klamath River and the Trinity River
and the tributaries to each.
?
Recently,
the California Fish Hatchery Review Project completed a comprehensive statewide review
of fish hatcheriesand found major problems in current operations throughout the state of
California.? The leading scientific experts in this project recommended
many important changes, of which several have been incorporated into the
settlement regarding the Trinity River fish hatchery.
?
The
consultation process for the HGMP for the Trinity fish hatchery under the ESA
will result in hatchery operations that promote restoring genetic viability of
wild fish.? This will further advance natural recovery of native fish
species to their historical abundance. EPIC and WELC will continue to be
engaged on crucial water and endangered species management issues on the
Trinity, Mad, and Klamath Rivers, as well as other rivers in our bioregion.



****
For more information:


http://www.wildcalifornia.org/blog/reforming-hatcheries-to-recover-wild-fish-populations/

http://www.wildcalifornia.org/blog/lawsuit-filed-to-protect-wild-coho-salmon-in-the-trinity-river-from-harmful-fish-hatchery-operations/

http://www.wildcalifornia.org/blog/epic-advocacy-secures-reforms-at-mad-river-hatchery/

****





-- 

Gary Graham Hughes
Executive Director
EPIC -- the Environmental Protection Information Center
Office: 145 G St., Suite A, Arcata, CA 95521
Tel: 707-822-7711
Skype: garygrahamhughes
Email: gary at wildcalifornia.org
Web: http://www.wildcalifornia.org

Like EPIC on Facebook
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From vina_frye at fws.gov  Tue Apr 29 14:40:05 2014
From: vina_frye at fws.gov (Frye, Vina)
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 14:40:05 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Federal Register
Message-ID: <CANiLmTJsr_L0MCpiO+kYvy0n2ou01bgG21-xSzZZ+9wELE_w2g@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Folks,

The Trinity Management Council and Trinity Adaptive Management Working
Group is scheduled to meet on May 15, 2014.

Best regards,
Vina

Vina Frye
Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Arcata FWO
1655 Heindon Road
Arcata, CA  95521
Telephone: (707) 822-7201
Fax: (707) 822-8411
vina_frye at fws.gov
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Apr 30 09:00:29 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 09:00:29 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Board supports minimum pool for
	Trinity Lake
Message-ID: <1398873629.27681.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Yesterday AB 1914 passed the Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee. ?For more information on the bill and the hearing, see?http://www.c-win.org/content/ab-1914-passes-assembly-water-parks-and-wildlife-committee-trinity-river-water-rights-confor?
?
http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_7ce2c604-d002-11e3-b084-0017a43b2370.html
Board supports minimum pool for Trinity Lake
By Sally Morris The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 6:15 am
Noting it is ?gravely concerned? about the prospect of an empty reservoir otherwise known as Trinity Lake, the?Trinity County Board of Supervisors on Monday endorsed a proposed Assembly bill that would establish a minimum cold-water storage level in the reservoir to ensure compliance with temperature objectives to protect salmon and steelhead survival in the Trinity River.
AB 1914 was authored by District 2 Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro as the Trinity River Water Rights Conformance Act and was scheduled to be heard this week in the state Capitol by the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.
Only learning of the bill late last week by one of its advocates, the California Water Impact Network, the board scheduled a special meeting on Monday, April 28, to consider taking a position on the proposed legislation prior to the hearing in Sacramento.
Just three members were present as one is away on vacation and Sup. John Fenley was already in Sacramento for other meetings. He will present the board?s position and letter of support for AB 1914 at the committee hearing.
The bill would require the State Water Resources Control Board to conform the Bureau of Reclamation?s water permits to the Trinity River Record of Decision and temperature objectives in the Water Quality Control Plan for the North Coast region, as well as establish minimum cold water storage carryover criteria to meet the temperature objectives.
In its letter of support, the Board of Supervisors notes it has been waiting to no avail for the State Water Resources Control Board to fulfill its commitment made to Trinity County 25 years ago to hold a water right hearing to implement Trinity River temperature objectives to protect salmon and steelhead.
The Bureau of Reclamation does not operate Trinity Reservoir in a manner to meet any particular cold water carryover storage requirements to ensure compliance with Trinity River temperature objectives contained in the Water Quality Control Plan for the North Coast region. For instance, the critically dry forecast for 2014 indicates that Trinity Reservoir may run out of cold water to meet temperature objectives or possibly even run dry by the end of this third year of drought.
The proposed bill would require the State Water Resources Control Board to determine adequate cold water carryover storage in Trinity Reservoir to meet the river?s temperature objectives and incorporate those requirements into the Bureau of Reclamation?s water right permits.
In 2012, the Bureau of Reclamation produced a report indicating that cold water carryover storage of less than 750,000 acre-feet in Trinity Lake is ?problematic? for meeting temperature objectives in the river. The National Marine Fisheries Service in 2000 issued a biological opinion indicating a minimum pool of 600,000 acre-feet by Sept. 30 is needed to meet Trinity River temperature objectives and the agency is currently in the process of producing a new biological opinion.
The latest critically dry forecast and operation models for the lake show it dropping from a current level of approximately 1.3 million acre-feet of water to 546,000 acre-feet of water by the end of September and running nearly dry by year?s end unless there is a wet fall.
During Monday?s special board meeting, County Administrative Officer Wendy Tyler said, ?I?ll be the first to tell you, it?s water so it?s a contentious issue, but the county has taken the position for years of fighting for a minimum cold water storage pool in the lake. I?m recommending approval of a letter in support because it?s consistent with the position taken by the county for several years.?
There is also strong opposition to the proposed legislation, primarily from the Trinity Public Utilities District as well as the Association of California Water Agencies.
The TPUD submitted a letter of opposition last week, saying AB 1914 would result in millions of dollars in additional power cost to the residents of Trinity County. It would do so by dramatically scaling back the amount of water that runs through the Trinity River Division hydropower units, thereby eliminating an inexpensive and abundant supply of clean power for the citizens of Trinity County.
?The consequence would be steep increases in the cost of power for these citizens,? it said, adding that not only would there be higher costs for residents of one of the poorest counties in the state, there are also potential employment impacts as higher electric rates would threaten the viability of Trinity River Lumber Company, the largest employer in the county.
The TPUD also believes it would be a mistake ?to enshrine current scientific opinion in state law at a time when the science of restoring the Trinity fishery is evolving. This could prevent more effective measures from being implemented in the future.?
Its letter suggested an alternative of exploring the use of Trinity River Record of Decision water to create a minimum cold water pool in Trinity Lake. It noted that in wet years, there is more water than needed to meet temperature targets and maintain fish health in the river and some of that water could be carried over to create a cold water pool.
In support of the bill, the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) wrote that adopting minimum cold water carryover storage criteria to ensure compliance with temperature objectives ?is just plain common sense. It will help ensure that there is enough water held over for dry periods such as the one we are experiencing to benefit all beneficial uses of water, not just the fishery.?
Furthermore, it noted that because of a lack of foresight by the Bureau of Reclamation, the current forecast shows no storage remaining in Trinity Reservoir by November as more water will be sent out of the Trinity River basin to the Sacramento River this year than reservoir inflow and instream releases combined, leaving the reservoir empty by fall.
?AB 1914 promotes saving water in storage to protect the fishery during multiple dry years, rather than waiting for a crisis like the one we are facing this year,? C-WIN said, noting the bill will also help to eliminate ?paper water that exists in documents and project plans, but not in the real world.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Apr 30 09:02:17 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 09:02:17 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Board supports minimum pool for
	Trinity Lake
Message-ID: <1398873737.88873.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Yesterday AB 1914 passed the Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee. ?For more information on the bill and the hearing, see?http://www.c-win.org/content/ab-1914-passes-assembly-water-parks-and-wildlife-committee-trinity-river-water-rights-confor?
?
http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_7ce2c604-d002-11e3-b084-0017a43b2370.html
Board supports minimum pool for Trinity Lake
By Sally Morris The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 6:15 am
Noting it is ?gravely concerned? about the prospect of an empty reservoir otherwise known as Trinity Lake, the?Trinity County Board of Supervisors on Monday endorsed a proposed Assembly bill that would establish a minimum cold-water storage level in the reservoir to ensure compliance with temperature objectives to protect salmon and steelhead survival in the Trinity River.
AB 1914 was authored by District 2 Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro as the Trinity River Water Rights Conformance Act and was scheduled to be heard this week in the state Capitol by the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.
Only learning of the bill late last week by one of its advocates, the California Water Impact Network, the board scheduled a special meeting on Monday, April 28, to consider taking a position on the proposed legislation prior to the hearing in Sacramento.
Just three members were present as one is away on vacation and Sup. John Fenley was already in Sacramento for other meetings. He will present the board?s position and letter of support for AB 1914 at the committee hearing.
The bill would require the State Water Resources Control Board to conform the Bureau of Reclamation?s water permits to the Trinity River Record of Decision and temperature objectives in the Water Quality Control Plan for the North Coast region, as well as establish minimum cold water storage carryover criteria to meet the temperature objectives.
In its letter of support, the Board of Supervisors notes it has been waiting to no avail for the State Water Resources Control Board to fulfill its commitment made to Trinity County 25 years ago to hold a water right hearing to implement Trinity River temperature objectives to protect salmon and steelhead.
The Bureau of Reclamation does not operate Trinity Reservoir in a manner to meet any particular cold water carryover storage requirements to ensure compliance with Trinity River temperature objectives contained in the Water Quality Control Plan for the North Coast region. For instance, the critically dry forecast for 2014 indicates that Trinity Reservoir may run out of cold water to meet temperature objectives or possibly even run dry by the end of this third year of drought.
The proposed bill would require the State Water Resources Control Board to determine adequate cold water carryover storage in Trinity Reservoir to meet the river?s temperature objectives and incorporate those requirements into the Bureau of Reclamation?s water right permits.
In 2012, the Bureau of Reclamation produced a report indicating that cold water carryover storage of less than 750,000 acre-feet in Trinity Lake is ?problematic? for meeting temperature objectives in the river. The National Marine Fisheries Service in 2000 issued a biological opinion indicating a minimum pool of 600,000 acre-feet by Sept. 30 is needed to meet Trinity River temperature objectives and the agency is currently in the process of producing a new biological opinion.
The latest critically dry forecast and operation models for the lake show it dropping from a current level of approximately 1.3 million acre-feet of water to 546,000 acre-feet of water by the end of September and running nearly dry by year?s end unless there is a wet fall.
During Monday?s special board meeting, County Administrative Officer Wendy Tyler said, ?I?ll be the first to tell you, it?s water so it?s a contentious issue, but the county has taken the position for years of fighting for a minimum cold water storage pool in the lake. I?m recommending approval of a letter in support because it?s consistent with the position taken by the county for several years.?
There is also strong opposition to the proposed legislation, primarily from the Trinity Public Utilities District as well as the Association of California Water Agencies.
The TPUD submitted a letter of opposition last week, saying AB 1914 would result in millions of dollars in additional power cost to the residents of Trinity County. It would do so by dramatically scaling back the amount of water that runs through the Trinity River Division hydropower units, thereby eliminating an inexpensive and abundant supply of clean power for the citizens of Trinity County.
?The consequence would be steep increases in the cost of power for these citizens,? it said, adding that not only would there be higher costs for residents of one of the poorest counties in the state, there are also potential employment impacts as higher electric rates would threaten the viability of Trinity River Lumber Company, the largest employer in the county.
The TPUD also believes it would be a mistake ?to enshrine current scientific opinion in state law at a time when the science of restoring the Trinity fishery is evolving. This could prevent more effective measures from being implemented in the future.?
Its letter suggested an alternative of exploring the use of Trinity River Record of Decision water to create a minimum cold water pool in Trinity Lake. It noted that in wet years, there is more water than needed to meet temperature targets and maintain fish health in the river and some of that water could be carried over to create a cold water pool.
In support of the bill, the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) wrote that adopting minimum cold water carryover storage criteria to ensure compliance with temperature objectives ?is just plain common sense. It will help ensure that there is enough water held over for dry periods such as the one we are experiencing to benefit all beneficial uses of water, not just the fishery.?
Furthermore, it noted that because of a lack of foresight by the Bureau of Reclamation, the current forecast shows no storage remaining in Trinity Reservoir by November as more water will be sent out of the Trinity River basin to the Sacramento River this year than reservoir inflow and instream releases combined, leaving the reservoir empty by fall.
?AB 1914 promotes saving water in storage to protect the fishery during multiple dry years, rather than waiting for a crisis like the one we are facing this year,? C-WIN said, noting the bill will also help to eliminate ?paper water that exists in documents and project plans, but not in the real world.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu May  1 12:33:28 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 1 May 2014 12:33:28 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Water cutbacks looming for California farmers,
	water agencies
Message-ID: <1398972808.84821.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>


http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/30/6368291/water-cutbacks-looming-for-california.html#storylink=cpy

Water cutbacks looming for California farmers, water agencies
By?Matt Weiser
mweiser at sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Apr. 30, 2014 - 7:22 pm


California water officials are on the verge of making an unusually drastic pronouncement in response to the ongoing drought: Ordering hundreds of water agencies, farmers and other?property owners?to stop diverting water from rivers in which they have longstanding?Water Rights News - The Sacramento Bee
 
   Water Rights News - The Sacramento Bee
Water Rights news, photos, video and other information from select sources organized by The Sacramento Bee  
View on?topics.sacbee.com Preview by Yahoo  


Within a matter of days, the State Water Resources Control Board is expected to issue curtailment orders to ?junior??water rights?holders, meaning they would be required to stop diverting water from streams and rivers, or reduce those diversions. The intent is to heed state law, which requires that available water, during times of scarcity, be reserved for those with ?senior??water rights?and for the environment.
The agency?recently posted data on its website?estimating when curtailments might be required in certain watersheds, depending on runoff conditions, water demand and the type of?water rights.?Such orders are now ?pending? for junior?water rights?? those issued after 1914 ? on nine rivers and their watersheds: the Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Merced, Yuba, Kern, Kings, Kaweah, Tule and Middle Fork Eel.
?Pending? means the order could come any day, said John O?Hagan, supervisor of?water rights?enforcement at the water board. Such widespread curtailments have not been ordered since the drought of 1977, he said, and are virtually a sure thing this year.
?Based on our analysis, I would think there will be curtailments of certain?water rights,? O?Hagan said. ?Because the snowmelt is not there, the precipitation is not there.?
The city of Sacramento, which draws its water from the Sacramento and American rivers, could be affected as soon as May 15. That?s when the state may order curtailments for other post-1914?water rights,?including the Russian River above Healdsburg and the entire watershed of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, the largest watershed in the state.
If that happens, the city may call for more severe water rationing than the 20 percent conservation order already imposed, said city spokeswoman Jessica Hess.
The city also has some pre-1914 ?senior??water rights?that would not be affected by initial curtailments, although conservation would be required to continue serving the whole city using these rights alone.
Many cities in the Sacramento region lack?water rights,?and buy their water from the state and federal governments. Those contracts could be affected as well, because the state and federal governments have?water rights?that also could be curtailed.
In most cases, the curtailment orders won?t mean the?water supply?is completely shut off. Like Sacramento, most water users have other supplies to fall back on if their primary water right is cut back. Some can pump groundwater or rely on water already held in reservoirs. Even so, curtailments will require sacrifice, particularly among some farming communities, said David Guy, president of the Northern California Water Association, which represents?property owners?and water agencies in the?Sacramento Valley.
?There?s definitely going to be some pockets where these curtailment notices will hit people hard,? said Guy. ?If they don?t have access to other types of water, then they?re going to be affected.?
The looming curtailments indicate how severe the drought has become. The statewide snowpack was just 20 percent of average as of Wednesday, meaning there won?t be a lot of runoff in streams over the long, hot summer months. The snowpack already is melting rapidly, thanks to early hot spells.
Stream flow gauges maintained by the?U.S. Geological Survey?also tell the tale. Out of 230 gauges in California, 69 percent on Wednesday reported ?below normal? flows, up from 46 percent a month ago.
Water rights?are held by a broad spectrum of California entities, from the individual rural homeowner to large users such as farmers, energy companies and state and federal agencies that deliver water to millions of urban residents. Normally, a water right represents a very secure supply because it generally allows pumping directly from a stream at will. No one else controls a valve or demands a fee. Although many rights include limitations on water volume and time of year, it is essentially a guaranteed supply ? except in very bad drought years.
The purpose of the first curtailments is to preserve water for ?senior? users, which have a legally superior right to access any water that might be available. But by June, the water board estimates, even these senior diverters could face curtailments. The goal at that point would be to preserve water for essential health and safety purposes, and for wildlife and habitat.
Curtailments occur so rarely that they fall outside the normal realm of water supply planning, said Curt Aikens, general manager of the Yuba County Water Agency, which could see its?water rights?in the?Yuba River?curtailed. A curtailment could halt all water diversions, or only a percentage, or only at certain times. The details remain unclear.
?Part of the problem is, we don?t know what the curtailment order will say,? said Aikens. ?You do all this planning and you try to get everything right, and it?s like the goalposts have changed. On the other hand, the state?s got a big issue to deal with.?
Water used for hydroelectric?power generation?would be exempt from curtailment, because that water merely passes through turbines and is returned to the stream. A curtailment also would not affect water already stored in reservoirs, although additional storage would not be allowed, O?Hagan said.
Under the order, anyone subject to a curtailment who has no other supply would still be allowed to divert as much as 50 gallons per day, per person, for ?public health and safety needs.?
Another category of water users known as ?contractors? already has been told to expect severe cutbacks. These entities are generally middlemen that have no?water rights.?Instead, they buy water from state and federal agencies, which hold?water rights,?and then sell that water to farmers or homeowners. This is how most Californians get their water.
Some contractors have already been told they will get zero deliveries, including some farm irrigation districts in the?San Joaquin Valley.?Others will get as little as 5 percent of normal deliveries, including major urban areas in Silicon Valley and Southern California that buy water from the State Water Project.
Montna Farms, a family rice-growing company in Yuba City, has decided to fallow about 42 percent of its rice-growing acreage this year, because it expects its water rights to be curtailed, said managing partner Nicole Van Vleck. That means it will probably hire fewer seasonal employees for planting and harvesting, or hire them for a shorter period of time.
Rice planting season is underway now. Van Vleck said it normally takes about a month to plant all of the company?s lands. This year it will be done in about two weeks, because about 1,600 acres farmed by the company in the Sutter Bypass are being left unplanted.
?We can?t plant rice and not have water for June, July and August and expect to get a crop,? she said. ?It?s unprecedented on our ranch. I?ve been here 20 years and I?ve never had any sort of curtailment before.?
Mike Jackson, an attorney with the California Water Impact Network, an environmental group, said there are no guarantees curtailments will increase water supply for anyone else, or for wildlife. In part, that is because many property owners have wells near streams that are actually tapping the stream?s subsurface flow. In effect, some will continue tapping the same water supply, only using a well instead.
?There are wells in the underflow of every stream in California,? Jackson said. ?I expect to see a lot of streams disappear underground this year.?
The state?s powers to actually enforce curtailment orders are limited. Recent legislation more than doubled potential fines for violating a curtailment order during the drought, but the water board has no ability to monitor individual water diversions in real-time. Curtailment orders would start with letters to affected water users that include a deadline to comply. The state would then attempt to assess compliance through monitoring of stream conditions and targeted field inspections.
?We are not peace officers, so we do not have the right to trespass,? O?Hagan said. ?We will be looking for people that were curtailed to make sure water is getting to the people that have senior rights. There will be a field presence and inspections.?
________________________________

Call The Bee?s Matt Weiser at (916) 321-1264. Follow him on Twitter?@matt_weiser.
Read more here:?Water cutbacks looming for California farmers, water agencies - The Sacramento Bee

 
   Water cutbacks looming for California farmers, water age...
Within days, California officials may order hundreds of property owners and water agencies to stop diverting water from rivers and streams, an effort to...  
View on?www.sacbee.com Preview by Yahoo  
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri May  2 09:11:17 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 2 May 2014 09:11:17 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Chronicle: California drought: Sierra snowpack is
	barely there Peter Fimrite
Message-ID: <1399047077.8341.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/California-drought-Sierra-snowpack-is-barely-5446649.php#photo-6246915?


California drought: Sierra snowpack is barely there
Peter Fimrite
Updated 7:16?am, Friday, May 2, 2014
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The heat is on, in more ways than one, as California staggers toward a third drought-plagued summer that will probably include rationing and lots of fighting about how the state should use its precious, dwindling supplies of?water.
The snow levels in the Sierra were only 18 percent of average on Thursday, when the last of the season's once-a-month measurements was taken by the?California Department of Water Resources. That's worse than last month, when the snowpack was 32 percent of normal for the?date.
With mountain temperatures rising into the 70s, it was small surprise that surveyors found no snow at several of the 120 measurement spots, including historic?Phillips Station?near Echo?Summit.
Conditions get worse the farther north one goes in the Sierra and Cascade ranges. The snowpack is a paltry 7 percent of average in the northern part of the state, according to the?measurements.
Historically?dry
The survey results, which are combined with electronic measurements taken from as many as 130 places around the Sierra, are used to calculate California's drinking water supply for the rest of the year. Water resources officials expect that when all the numbers are crunched in a couple of days, they will show this year to be among the six driest in the state's recorded?history.
"It's clearly not as bad as it could be ... but we'll be going into next year's rainy season with less water than we went into this year with," said?Frank Gehrke, the chief snow surveyor for Department of Water?Resources.
He noted that April's showers were the last precipitation most of California can expect until fall. "We're draining our bank account, and that?Social Security?check stopped coming in," he?said.
The snowpack in California usually peaks in April, so the latest survey was taken after the bulk of the so-called "frozen water supply" had begun to melt. That melted snow makes up 60 percent of the water that is captured in California's reservoirs. The water is used to irrigate 8 million acres of farmland and quench the thirst of most of the state's 38 million?people.
Conservation?calls
The lack of water prompted Gov.?Jerry Brown?to issue an executive order last week calling on Californians to redouble their efforts to conserve water. In January, the governor declared a drought emergency, several communities initiated voluntary rationing, and a few put in place mandatory?cutbacks.
Farmers have had to pull out thirsty almond trees and leave fields bare. Many are scrambling to dig wells, adding to concerns about groundwater depletion in the Central?Valley.
Battles have already begun over proposals to loosen water-pumping restrictions designed to help endangered and threatened fish. Politicians and conservationists are pushing everything from building more dams to increasing water recycling and storm-water recapture?programs.
Meanwhile, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection began hiring seasonal firefighters early in preparation for what is already a busy fire?season.
Glass half-empty
Jan Null, a meteorologist for?Golden Gate Weather Services, said rainfall totals paint a stark?picture.
San Francisco, with 12.5 inches of rain this season, is at 55 percent of normal. It is the 13th-driest year in the 165 years that records have been kept in the city, Null said. San Jose is at 44 percent and Santa Rosa is at 42 percent of?average.
It could be worse - during the 1975-76 season, the first year of a catastrophic two-year drought, barely 8 inches of rain fell in San?Francisco.
But "we have to put that in the context of how much water we are using now for agriculture, for industry and for humans," said Null, an adjunct professor of meteorology at?San Francisco State University?and a former lead forecaster for the?National Weather Service. "There is more demand for the amount of water we have than there was in the?1970s."
Some weather wonks are already looking ahead hopefully to next rainy season, because of indications that an especially strong El Ni?o weather pattern will develop and bring plenty of storms to the?state.
But El Ni?os can be fickle. Null said one was in place during the second year of that 1970s?drought.
"El Ni?o doesn't automatically mean we are going to get a lot of rain or a lot of storms," Null said. "On average we get more precipitation, but there are no?guarantees."
Reservoirs?low
As it is, Californians will have to make do with half-full?reservoirs.
Lake Oroville, the primary storage reservoir for the State Water Project, is at 53 percent of its capacity, which is 65 percent of average for this time. Shasta Lake, which is part of the?U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Central Valley Project and is the largest reservoir in the state, is at 53 percent of capacity, or 61 percent of?normal.
The San Luis Reservoir - an important summer supply pool for both the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project - is 47 percent full, which is 52 percent of its historical storage level for this time of?year.
Meanwhile, the Department of Water Resources and the?Association of California Water Agencies?announced the beginning of a campaign on Thursday to educate Californians on water-saving?techniques.
Online extra
-- The California Department of Water Resources electronic snowpack readings are available at?http://bit.ly/1auLeE3.
-- The electronic reservoir readings can be found at?http://bit.ly/1gIMQMG.
-- For more on California's water problems, go to?www.sfgate.com/drought.
Peter Fimrite is a?San Francisco Chronicle?staff writer. E-mail:pfimrite at sfchronicle.com?Twitter:?@pfimrite
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue May  6 15:34:44 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 6 May 2014 15:34:44 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Big Oil spokesman admits water use will rise with
	expanded fracking
In-Reply-To: <3D164001-0E9A-4473-AC4A-0987CB561CE9@fishsniffer.com>
References: <06887fa70084fef8e939fef63120d0c2b69.20140506212831@mail177.atl101.mcdlv.net>
	<3D164001-0E9A-4473-AC4A-0987CB561CE9@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <1399415684.21839.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

From: Dan Bacher <danielbacher at fishsniffer.com>

To: 
Sent: Tuesday, May 6, 2014 3:28 PM
Subject: Big Oil spokesman admits water use will rise with expanded fracking
 


?



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/06/1297364/-Big-Oil-spokesman-admits-water-use-will-rise-with-expanded-fracking?

Big Oil spokesman admits water use will rise with expanded fracking

by Dan Bacher

Oil and gas industry representatives constantly likes to talk about the ?small amounts? of water that they currently use in fracking and steam injection operations in Kern County and coastal areas of California. ?

However, on April 28, Tupper Hill, spokesman for the Western States Petroleum Association, admitted in an interview on National Public Radio (NPR) what the anti-fracking community has known for a long time: Once they figure out how to make the Monterey Shale economically viable, the water usage will ramp up significantly.?

Here is a partial transcript of Lauren Sommer?s interview with Hull, courtesy of the Stop Fracking California State facebook page:

TUPPER HULL: In California today, hydraulic fracturing uses very small amounts of water.

SOMMER: Tupper Hull is with the Western States Petroleum Association, an oil industry group. He points out, all together, fracking operations in California currently use the same amount of water each year as 650 homes do.

HULL: It is not a lot of water in the big picture. Companies are looking very diligently at ways to reduce that number.

SOMMER: But a drilling boom in the Monterey Shale could change that. Fracking there uses more water than anywhere else in the state, up to a million gallons per well.

HULL: I think it's fair to say that if this technology that has proved so successful in other parts of the country can be as successful here, that we will see water consumption for hydraulic fracturing going up.
?
Listen Here: http://www.npr.org/2014/04/28/307766319/between-farmers-and-frackers-calif-water-caught-in-tussle

Yes, there is no doubt that ?we will see water consumption for hydraulic fracturing going up? as the oil industry expands its fracking operations through the state?s land and coastal waters.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the controversial, environmentally destructive process of injecting millions of gallons of water, sand and toxic chemicals underground at high pressure in order to release and extract oil or gas. In California, the main target of fracking is the oil found in the Monterey Shale Formation.

Nobody really knows how much water is used for fracking in California. Although corporate agribusiness remains the biggest user of state and federal water project water exported from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the oil industry uses significant quantities of water and they will only increase with the expansion of fracking.

The oil industry?s allies in state government, like the industry representatives themselves, try to minimize the amount of water that is used for hydraulic fracturing operations.

In a post on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) website on March 20, 2013, Richard Stapler, Deputy Secretary for Communications of the California Natural Resources Agency, claimed that only 8 acre feet of water is used every year for hydraulic fracturing in California. (http://baydeltaconservationplan.com/blog/blog/13-03-20/Oil_Water.aspx_) ??

In a blog piece on her website entitled, ?Oil Production and the Drought: We Get It, "Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) and former chair of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to created ?marine protected areas? in Southern California, actually used ?a higher figure - 300 acre feet of water - for the amonut of water used for fracking than Stapler did.

?Hydraulic fracturing does not use large volumes of water, at least not in California,? Reheis-Boyd said. ?All of the hydraulic fracturing that occurred last year used less than 300 acre feet of water, according to the California Department of Conservation. That?s about the same amount of water needed to keep two West Coast golf courses green,? ?

On the other hand, Adam Scow, California Campaigns Director for Food & Water Watch, revealed that Kern County, where 70 percent of California's oil reserves are located, used 150,000 acre feet of water in 2008 alone. This water is for both steam injection and fracking operations.
(http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/04/1282205/-Groups-release-new-map-revealing-drainage-impaired-land-and-oil-basins.) ?

?When you consider that 8 barrels of water are used for every barrel of oil extracted, you could be getting into millions of acre feet used for fracking oil wells,? he noted. ?

If 30,000 potential fracking sites were utilized, that could result in an additional 450,000 acre feet of water, considering that each fracking operation uses 15 acre feet of water, said Barbara Barrigan ?Parrilla, Executive Director of Restore the Dleta.

She also noted that the industry has used four times the amount of water that it has claimed in Colorado and other states where fracking has been used to extract oil and natural gas.

Although the amount specifically used in fracking operations is hard to pinpoint, one thing is for certain - oil companies use big quantities in their current oil drilling operations in Kern County. Much of this water this comes through the State Water Project's California Aqueduct and the Central Valley Water Project's Delta-Mendota Canal, spurring increasing conflicts between local farmers and oil companies over available water. ?

"What's resoundingly clear, however, is that it takes more water than ever just to sustain Kern County's ebbing oil production," according to Jeremy Miller's 2011 investigative piece, "The Colonization of Kern County," in Orion Magazine (http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/6047/)?

"At the height of California oil production in 1985, oil companies in Kern County pumped 1.1 billion barrels of water underground to extract 256 million barrels of oil?a ratio of roughly four and a half barrels of water for every barrel of oil," according to Miller. "In 2008, Kern producers injected nearly 1.3 billion barrels of water to extract 162 million barrels of oil?a ratio of nearly eight barrels of water for every barrel of oil produced." ??

Miller's investigation yielded some alarming data on how much water has been used by the oil industry in Kern County and statewide since the 1960s.

"In the time?since steamflooding was pioneered here in the fields of Kern County in the 1960s, oil companies statewide have pumped roughly 2.8 trillion gallons of fresh water?or, in the parlance of agriculture, nearly 9 million acre-feet?underground in pursuit of the region's tarry oil," said Miller. "Essentially, enough water has been injected into the oil fields here over the last forty years to create a lake one foot deep covering more than thirteen thousand square miles?nearly twice the surface area of Lake Ontario." ?

Another thing that is very clear is that the expansion of fracking will cause massive contamination of groundwater and surface supplies in California. According to David Braun of California?s Against Fracking, the industry's own data indicated that 5 to 6% of the casings for fracked wells fail in the first year of operation - and 50 percent fail over a 30-year period. The failure of these casings will result in contamination of surface and groundwater supplies.

There is also no doubt that Governor Jerry Brown?s Bay Delta Conservation Plan to build the peripheral tunnels would supply the water used to expand fracking in Kern County, as well as provide water to subsidized water corporate agribusiness interests farming toxic, drainage-impaired land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley.?

On March 4, Restore the Delta and Food and Water released a new map that shows that the 35-mile long twin tunnels would mainly supply water to the largest agribusiness users of Delta water exports, land impaired by toxic selenium concentrations that make farming unsustainable, and the oil and gas basins where the energy industry could expand the environmentally destructive practice of fracking.

Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla noted that fracking is another ?water intensive industry? in the San Joaquin Valley that will further contaminate groundwater supplies already impaired by selenium, nitrates, pesticides and other pollutants.

?The governor's plan describes water for fracking via the proposed peripheral tunnels as a beneficial use,? she stated, referring to the BDCP website. ?Beneficial for whom? The peripheral tunnels would benefit unsustainable corporate agribusiness in one region and potentially the energy industry ? at the expense of everyday Californians.??

?This map shows a remarkable overlay of where our water is going, how the public subsidizes unsustainable crops on drainage-impaired lands, selenium concentrations that pose a threat to the public, and underlying oil deposits that could be fracked with water from the governor?s tunnels," she said, ?Unsustainable farming has damaged these lands. And the taxpayers have been subsidizing it.?

Chook Chook Hillman, a member of the Karuk Tribe and the Klamath Justice Coalition, summed up the threat that fracking, massive water exports and the peripheral tunnels pose to fish and people at a big rally against fracking attended by 4,000 people on March 14 at the State Capitol in Sacramento.

?Brown is setting aside all the environmental rules in order to ship water south," said Hillman. ?Fracking will take good water, put chemicals in it and then it will come out toxic forever. Fracking will affect all us - fracking is a terrible use of water, water that could be used for people and fish.? ?

Background: How Fracking Contaminates Our Water?

Fracking routinely employs numerous toxic chemicals, including methanol, benzene, naphthalene and trimethylbenzene, according to the Center for Biological Diversity: About 25 percent of fracking chemicals could cause cancer, according to scientists with the Endocrine Disruption Exchange. Evidence is mounting throughout the country that these chemicals are making their way into aquifers and drinking water.?

Water quality can also be threatened by methane contamination tied to drilling and the fracturing of rock formations. This problem has been highlighted by footage of people in fracked areas setting fire to methane-laced water from kitchen faucets.?

Fracking can also expose people to harm from lead, arsenic and radioactivity that are brought back to the surface with fracking flowback fluid. Fracking requires an enormous amount of water, and because fracking waste water contains dangerous toxins it generally cannot be cleaned and reused for other purposes. Especially during a historic drought, we cannot afford to permanently remove massive quantities of this precious resource from our state?s water supply.?

For more information, go to:?http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/california_fracking/faq.html
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu May  8 07:56:19 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 8 May 2014 07:56:19 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] (no subject)
Message-ID: <1399560979.55059.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

A reminder to plan extra time for those Trinity River meetings.

http://www.redding.com/news/2014/may/07/highway-299-projects-may-put-the-brakes-on/?

Highway 299 projects may put the brakes on motorists
By Jim Schultz
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
That vacation drive to the coast and back could be little ? or a lot ? longer this summer.
Fifteen Highway 299 construction projects, some already underway, could add ? at worst ? nearly two-and-a-half hours of one-way driving time between Redding and the Arcata area, officials with the California Department of Transportation are warning motorists.
The projects, being spread out during this summer and into the fall, include everything from paving, guard rail, highway reconstruction and curve realignment work to the replacement of pavement markers.
Although some of those expected individual delays could be as short at five minutes, one highway realignment project on the Buckhorn Summit west of Whiskeytown Lake could result in delays of up to 40 minutes from now through October.
Taken all together, however, the improvement projects, with many having one-way traffic controls with flaggers and pilot cars, could add up to some serious idling time for motorists.
Caltrans said the trip from Redding to Arcata will cause a ?probable? delay of up to about 90 extra minutes during peak summer months with the maximum total delay estimated at about two and a half hours.
Trinity County Chamber of Commerce President Wayne Agner said Wednesday he doesn?t foresee any major problems for motorists ? or Trinity County businesses ? from the highway projects.
?As long as the contractor keeps the wait time down, I think we?re OK with it,? he said, noting he recently drove through the Buckeye Summit construction zone and only had to wait a total of 20 minutes during his entire round-trip.
Agner said some of the highway projects have been going on for a long time already, and most Trinity and Shasta County drivers who regularly drive the route have become accustomed to the possible delays.
?By and large, locals have figured it into their schedules,? he said. ?We?re kind of used to it.?
But it?s sure that traffic will increase over the summer months and woe to that unaccustomed driver who stumbles upon all the one-way traffic control stops.
?You?d have to have an unlucky roll,? to run into the maximum traffic delay on all of them, Agner said.
John Letton, owner of Indian Creek Lodge in Douglas City, said Wednesday he?s worried the highway improvement projects and possible delays could keep motorists ? and customers ? away from Trinity County and his business, which depends upon tourists.
?It discourages people from coming this direction,? he said, adding that those travelers may decide to spend their vacations elsewhere. ?It couldn?t be helpful.?
According to Caltrans, traffic during June, July, August and September are expected to run into the longest delays.
And to warn drivers of them, Caltrans is trying to spread the word through the media and other outlets about what to expect.
It?s even offering tips, including allowing plenty of extra time to get to one?s destination, make sure the car?s in top shape and has a full tank of gas before heading out on the road.
It?s also recommending motorists bring along extra water and snacks for themselves and their pets and to turn off the car?s engine while waiting at traffic control stops to conserve fuel and prevent overheating.
Additionally, Caltrans has a 24-hour road construction hotline at 225-3452 for those wanting information about highway projects and the delays that can be expected.
Traffic alert information is also available at?www.Caltrans2.info, while updates are also available at Facebook and Twitter. But there?s another alternative to Highway 299 ? the scenic and winding Highway 36 from Red Bluff to Fortuna.
?It?s an interesting road,? said Agner.
??? 2014 Scripps Newspaper Group ? Online
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu May  8 10:05:13 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 8 May 2014 10:05:13 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Historic CVP water forecast- no reservoir storage
	prediction after Sept 30
Message-ID: <1399568713.3179.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

This is a historic water forecast on Reclamation's Central Valley Operations website at?http://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvo/data/Apr90b2.pdf?

There is no reservoir storage predicted for any CVP reservoir beyond September 30. ?
?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri May  9 15:13:07 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 9 May 2014 15:13:07 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Trinity_Journal=3A_Chesbro=E2=80=99s_Trin?=
 =?utf-8?q?ity_bill_passes_in_committee?=
Message-ID: <1399673587.84917.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_f5343f66-d58e-11e3-90fc-001a4bcf6878.html

Chesbro?s Trinity bill passes in committee

Posted:?Wednesday, May 7, 2014 6:15 am
Trinity Journal staff?|?0?comments
A California Assembly bill known as the Trinity River Water Rights Conformance Act (AB 1914) passed in the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee last week and has now been referred to the Committee on Appropriations for further hearing. The committee vote last week was eight in favor, six opposed and one vote not recorded.Authored by District 2 Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro, the proposed legislation would require the State Water Resources Control Board to conform the Bureau of Reclamation?s water permits to the Trinity River Record of Decision flows and Basin Plan temperature objectives; it would also establish minimum cold water carryover storage criteria for the Trinity Reservoir to ensure the temperature objectives can be met for salmon and steelhead survival in the river.
Support for the bill included the California Water Impact Network, Trinity County Board of Supervisors and Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations. Opposition was presented by the Trinity Public Utilities District, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Westlands Water District, San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority and other Central Valley Project water and power contractors.
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri May  9 16:06:09 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 9 May 2014 16:06:09 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Joint TMC/TAMWG meeting May 15, 9-3,
	Weaverville Victorian Inn
Message-ID: <1399676769.63877.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

I am reposting the federal register notice about the Joint Trinity Management Council/Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group meeting in Weaverville on May 15 from 9-3 at the Weaverville Victorian Inn. ?It is a public meeting and apparently there is a call-in number as well. ?See attached notice.
?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From sari at sisqtel.net  Mon May 12 11:02:58 2014
From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom)
Date: Mon, 12 May 2014 11:02:58 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] CBB: Study shows complexity of coho life histories;
	migration diversity aids overall survival
Message-ID: <009301cf6e0c$68c222d0$3a466870$@sisqtel.net>

Columbia Basin Bulletin THE COLUMBIA BASIN BULLETIN: Weekly Fish and
Wildlife News www.cbbulletin.com May 9, 2014  Issue No. 706

 

 


Study Shows Complexity Of Coho Life Histories; Migration Diversity Aids
Overall Survival 
Posted on Friday, May 09, 2014 (PST) 


A study of coho salmon in three small Olympic Peninsula rivers with
estuaries show a complex life history that includes juveniles that migrate
to sea early in their first year and others that stay in the stream for up
to a year before they migrate into the sea where they reside for six or
eighteen months. 

 

Biologists have believed that the early out-migrants had not added to the
number of adults returning one to two years later, but the study concluded
that they do contribute to the number of adults that return to the streams
to spawn.

 

In addition, the study found that some of the juveniles migrate among the
three rivers and in and out of salt water before making their final
migration to the sea.

 

This migration diversity is not uncommon. In fact, studies in 2011-2013 have
found up to five or more juvenile coho salmon life histories in one river
basin, allowing the species to spread the risk of mortality.

 

However, prior to this study it was thought that the later migrants (spring)
were responsible for all returning adults and that early migrants
(fall/winter) simply had no impact on smolt-to-adult returns.

 

As the study says, they were thought to be "'surplus' to the stream's
carrying capacity."

 

"Nomads no more: early juvenile Coho salmon migrants contribute to the adult
return," published in April in Ecology of Freshwater Fish (
<http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eff.12144/abstract;jsessionid=32
580E232075E5009EC29BF07862F165.f03t01?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsA
uthenticated=false>
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eff.12144/abstract;jsessionid=325
80E232075E5009EC29BF07862F165.f03t01?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAu
thenticated=false, is by Todd Bennett, research fishery biologist with the
Watershed Program at NOAA Fisheries Science Center in Mukilteo, Wash.;  Phil
Roni, Watershed Program manager at NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center
in Seattle; Keith Denton, fisheries scientist at NOAA Fisheries; Michael
McHenry, fisheries habitat biologist/manager in the Natural Resources
Department of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe; and Raymond Moses, project
biologist in the Natural Resources Department of the Lower Elwha Klallam
Tribe.

 

Contributors to the field work also included the Weyerhaeuser Corporation,
the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Washington Department
of Ecology.

 

Bennett said the study is a byproduct of another project that looked at the
survival of juvenile coho in streams where habitat had been enhanced (East
Twin River and Deep Creek) compared to a control stream with no habitat
enhancement (West Twin River). The rivers flow directly into the Strait of
Juan de Fuca on the northern edge of Washington's Olympic Peninsula.

 

"Because the project has been in place for about ten years, we were able to
see several generations of adult returns from the juvenile tagging," he
said. "We noticed immediately the large fall outmigration that occurred
every year and wanted to see if those fish contributed to the adult return
or were in fact 'surplus' fish."

 

Instead of being "nomads" that do not contribute to the adult population,
the study found that early migrants, that is the migrants who left the river
in the fall and winter of their first year, contributed 37 percent of the
returning adults. Of this 37 percent, half spent two winters in salt water
and returned as generally larger adults, according to the study.

 

On the other hand, mean survival for the spring migrants (the later
migrants) was more than three times higher than the fall/winter early
migrants, largely due to body size as juveniles when they enter salt water,
the report said. However, the size of a smolt when entering salt water may
not be the only factor impacting survival. Early migrants "may encounter
entirely different environmental conditions than those that enter in the
spring: temperature, food availability and predator interactions may
influence survival."

 

In addition, movement among streams could affect SAR rates. The authors
observed both stream swapping by juveniles and straying among adults.

 

Finally, they found that the early migrants returned to the stream as adults
about 16 days later than the fish that remained in the stream and migrated
out to the sea later.

 

"It's becoming apparent that this phenomenon occurs in other streams and may
represent a significant portion of the adult return," Bennett said. A recent
study in Oregon is seeing similarities in streams with estuaries. That
study, he said, is "transferrable in that the methods could be used in small
streams throughout the range of the species, which would in turn show how
variations of the early migrant life history occur across the range."

 

While some streams have no estuaries, Bennett pointed to the Salmon River in
Oregon and Winchester Bay in Oregon that have well-established estuaries.
"In the northern part of the range, such as Alaska, we see all different
types of streams - high gradient, low gradient, with and without estuaries.
It would be great to do this type of project across the whole range
(north-south) and include all types of streams.  I think we'd see even more
life histories emerge," he said.

 

The knowledge that a significant segment of a coho salmon population once
known as nomads but now known to contribute to adult returns will likely
have an impact on management.

 

Today, SAR estimates for coho salmon in these streams is calculated using
just the spring smolt counts and some form of adult census. The estimates do
not account for juveniles leaving the stream early. 

 

"Our results indicated that traditional methods of spring-only smolt
enumeration may underestimate juvenile survival and total smolt production,
and also overestimate spring smolt-to-adult return (SAR)," the report says.

 

On the other hand, the contribution of the adult return from the early
fall/winter migrants is highly variable, according to the report, and so the
traditional calculations for SAR would also be highly variable. In addition,
predicting a higher number of early migrants could be overly optimistic if
the SAR rate turns out to be lower than expected. This complicates
management.

 

"If harvest rates are based only on spring SAR, they could be set higher
than is sustainable for many populations," the report says. The authors say
that predictions could be better refined by incorporating metrics other than
smolt numbers. Those metrics could be size (the proportion of coho greater
than 70 millimeters in length, for example) and the proportion of early to
later migrants leaving the stream.

 

 <http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=xa-4a73074e66d2b0b0>
Bookmark and Share

	

 

	

Bottom of Form

 

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From jay_glase at nps.gov  Mon May 12 15:08:54 2014
From: jay_glase at nps.gov (Glase, Jay)
Date: Mon, 12 May 2014 17:08:54 -0500
Subject: [env-trinity] CBB: Study shows complexity of coho life
 histories; migration diversity aids overall survival
In-Reply-To: <009301cf6e0c$68c222d0$3a466870$@sisqtel.net>
References: <009301cf6e0c$68c222d0$3a466870$@sisqtel.net>
Message-ID: <CANZikcEdQ7T=p3BZ_KjwrSRYZzSTEcxui1hsKySq1khPmEHNpg@mail.gmail.com>

Interesting article, but is it really that surprising to anyone that life
history diversity aids overall survival?  Isn't that what life history
diversity is all about?

And I was a bit surprised by the statements that biologists had thought the
early outmigrants were simply surplus to the population with no effect to
the returning adult population.  No effect at all?  Normally I'd just
attribute this to journalist error, and maybe they meant to say something
like *no significant contribution *to the adult population.  But the
abstract of the article even says  "It has long been assumed that these
latter fish did not survive to return as adults and were ?surplus? to the
stream's carrying capacity."

Unless someone believes that there are behavioral traits like this that are
100% environmentally driven, if the fall outmigrants essentially did not
return as adults, wouldn't that trait have been selected out of the
population a long, long time ago?

Good to know the coho are finding ways to get by.

cheers,
jay


On Mon, May 12, 2014 at 1:02 PM, Sari Sommarstrom <sari at sisqtel.net> wrote:

> [image: Columbia Basin Bulletin] THE COLUMBIA BASIN BULLETIN: Weekly Fish
> and Wildlife News www.cbbulletin.com May 9, 2014  Issue No. 706
>
>
>
>
>
> *Study Shows Complexity Of Coho Life Histories; Migration Diversity Aids
> Overall Survival*
> Posted on Friday, May 09, 2014 (PST)
>
> A study of coho salmon in three small Olympic Peninsula rivers with
> estuaries show a complex life history that includes juveniles that migrate
> to sea early in their first year and others that stay in the stream for up
> to a year before they migrate into the sea where they reside for six or
> eighteen months.
>
>
>
> Biologists have believed that the early out-migrants had not added to the
> number of adults returning one to two years later, but the study concluded
> that they do contribute to the number of adults that return to the streams
> to spawn.
>
>
>
> In addition, the study found that some of the juveniles migrate among the
> three rivers and in and out of salt water before making their final
> migration to the sea.
>
>
>
> This migration diversity is not uncommon. In fact, studies in 2011-2013
> have found up to five or more juvenile coho salmon life histories in one
> river basin, allowing the species to spread the risk of mortality.
>
>
>
> However, prior to this study it was thought that the later migrants
> (spring) were responsible for all returning adults and that early migrants
> (fall/winter) simply had no impact on smolt-to-adult returns.
>
>
>
> As the study says, they were thought to be ??surplus? to the stream?s
> carrying capacity.?
>
>
>
> ?Nomads no more: early juvenile Coho salmon migrants contribute to the
> adult return,? published in April in Ecology of Freshwater Fish (
> http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eff.12144/abstract;jsessionid=32580E232075E5009EC29BF07862F165.f03t01?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false,
> is by Todd Bennett, research fishery biologist with the Watershed Program
> at NOAA Fisheries Science Center in Mukilteo, Wash.;  Phil Roni,
> Watershed Program manager at NOAA?s Northwest Fisheries Science Center in
> Seattle; Keith Denton, fisheries scientist at NOAA Fisheries; Michael
> McHenry, fisheries habitat biologist/manager in the Natural Resources
> Department of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe; and Raymond Moses, project
> biologist in the Natural Resources Department of the Lower Elwha Klallam
> Tribe.
>
>
>
> Contributors to the field work also included the Weyerhaeuser Corporation,
> the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Washington
> Department of Ecology.
>
>
>
> Bennett said the study is a byproduct of another project that looked at
> the survival of juvenile coho in streams where habitat had been enhanced
> (East Twin River and Deep Creek) compared to a control stream with no
> habitat enhancement (West Twin River). The rivers flow directly into the
> Strait of Juan de Fuca on the northern edge of Washington?s Olympic
> Peninsula.
>
>
>
> ?Because the project has been in place for about ten years, we were able
> to see several generations of adult returns from the juvenile tagging,? he
> said. ?We noticed immediately the large fall outmigration that occurred
> every year and wanted to see if those fish contributed to the adult return
> or were in fact ?surplus? fish.?
>
>
>
> Instead of being ?nomads? that do not contribute to the adult population,
> the study found that early migrants, that is the migrants who left the
> river in the fall and winter of their first year, contributed 37 percent of
> the returning adults. Of this 37 percent, half spent two winters in salt
> water and returned as generally larger adults, according to the study.
>
>
>
> On the other hand, mean survival for the spring migrants (the later
> migrants) was more than three times higher than the fall/winter early
> migrants, largely due to body size as juveniles when they enter salt water,
> the report said. However, the size of a smolt when entering salt water may
> not be the only factor impacting survival. Early migrants ?may encounter
> entirely different environmental conditions than those that enter in the
> spring: temperature, food availability and predator interactions may
> influence survival.?
>
>
>
> In addition, movement among streams could affect SAR rates. The authors
> observed both stream swapping by juveniles and straying among adults.
>
>
>
> Finally, they found that the early migrants returned to the stream as
> adults about 16 days later than the fish that remained in the stream and
> migrated out to the sea later.
>
>
>
> ?It?s becoming apparent that this phenomenon occurs in other streams and
> may represent a significant portion of the adult return,? Bennett said. A
> recent study in Oregon is seeing similarities in streams with estuaries.
> That study, he said, is ?transferrable in that the methods could be used in
> small streams throughout the range of the species, which would in turn show
> how variations of the early migrant life history occur across the range.?
>
>
>
> While some streams have no estuaries, Bennett pointed to the Salmon River
> in Oregon and Winchester Bay in Oregon that have well-established
> estuaries. ?In the northern part of the range, such as Alaska, we see all
> different types of streams ? high gradient, low gradient, with and without
> estuaries. It would be great to do this type of project across the whole
> range (north-south) and include all types of streams.  I think we?d see
> even more life histories emerge,? he said.
>
>
>
> The knowledge that a significant segment of a coho salmon population once
> known as nomads but now known to contribute to adult returns will likely
> have an impact on management.
>
>
>
> Today, SAR estimates for coho salmon in these streams is calculated using
> just the spring smolt counts and some form of adult census. The estimates
> do not account for juveniles leaving the stream early.
>
>
>
> ?Our results indicated that traditional methods of spring-only smolt
> enumeration may underestimate juvenile survival and total smolt production,
> and also overestimate spring smolt-to-adult return (SAR),? the report says.
>
>
>
> On the other hand, the contribution of the adult return from the early
> fall/winter migrants is highly variable, according to the report, and so
> the traditional calculations for SAR would also be highly variable. In
> addition, predicting a higher number of early migrants could be overly
> optimistic if the SAR rate turns out to be lower than expected. This
> complicates management.
>
>
>
> ?If harvest rates are based only on spring SAR, they could be set higher
> than is sustainable for many populations,? the report says. The authors say
> that predictions could be better refined by incorporating metrics other
> than smolt numbers. Those metrics could be size (the proportion of coho
> greater than 70 millimeters in length, for example) and the proportion of
> early to later migrants leaving the stream.
>
>
>
> [image: Bookmark and Share]<http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=xa-4a73074e66d2b0b0>
>
>
>
> Bottom of Form
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> env-trinity mailing list
> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
>
>


-- 

Jay Glase
Midwest Regional Fishery Biologist
National Park Service
2800 Lake Shore Drive East
Ashland, WI  54806

jay_glase at nps.gov
402-661-1512

If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built something we like but do
not understand, then who but a fool would discard seemingly useless parts?
To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent
tinkering.? - Aldo Leopold
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon May 12 16:51:25 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 12 May 2014 16:51:25 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Tom Stokely to Give Trinity River Presentation to
	Shasta-Trinity Fly Fishers May 14 in Redding
Message-ID: <1399938685.92825.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.c-win.org/content/c-wins-tom-stokely-give-trinity-river-presentation-shasta-trinity-fly-fishers-may-14-redding?


Media Advisory
May 12, 2014
?
Tom Stokely to Give
Trinity River Presentation to Shasta-Trinity Fly Fishers May 14 in Redding
?
Tom Stokely from the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN,
online at www.c-win.org) will give a
presentation on the Trinity River to the Shasta-Trinity Fly Fishers on
Wednesday May 14 at 5:30 PM at? the Park Marina Events Center, 1800 Park Marina Drive,
Redding. ?
?
The presentation will include a history of the Trinity River
Division of the Central Valley Project as well as efforts over the past 40
years to restore the river?s fisheries.? The Trinity River?s status as the largest tributary of the Klamath River
and an artificial tributary of the Sacramento River will be discussed.? ?The
current drought and plans to build Twin Tunnels under the Delta will
significantly impact the Trinity River and its sometimes-vibrant salmon and
steelhead fisheries.
?
Tom Stokely is a former Trinity County Natural Resources
Planner for 23 years, now living in Mt. Shasta.?? C-WIN assumed the role of protecting the
Trinity River from Friends of Trinity River, which was dissolved in 2011 when its
founder Byron Leydecker passed away.? 
?
#
?
Contact: Tom Stokely, C-WIN: 530-524-0315
??????????? ??? Dick Recchia, S-T Fly Fishers: 530-547-9720
?
The
California Water Impact Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that promotes the
equitable and environmental use of California's water, including instream uses,
through research, planning, public education, and litigation.www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue May 13 10:58:50 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 13 May 2014 10:58:50 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Reclamation Makes Historic Releases of Water from
	Friant Dam to the San Joaquin River Exchange
In-Reply-To: <bb0996a0a25e4b598b1e91e071269615@usbr.gov>
References: <bb0996a0a25e4b598b1e91e071269615@usbr.gov>
Message-ID: <1400003930.60266.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

This is another all-time first for the CVP. ?

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Fernando Ponce <fponce at usbr.gov>
To: tstokely at att.net 
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2014 10:00 AM
Subject: Reclamation Makes Historic Releases of Water from Friant Dam to the San Joaquin River Exchange
 


Reclamation Makes Historic Releases of Water from Friant Dam to the San Joaquin River Exchange
Mid-Pacific Region
Sacramento, Calif.
MP-14-094
Media Contact: Louis Moore, 916-978-5100, wmoore at usbr.gov?
For Release On: May 13, 2014
Reclamation Makes Historic Releases of Water from Friant Dam to the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Due to Drought
FRESNO, Calif. ? Reclamation will begin increasing releases from Friant Dam near Fresno into the San Joaquin River on Thursday to help meet contractual obligations to deliver Central Valley Project water to the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley.
As a result of the current drought, there is not enough water supply from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta alone to fulfill Reclamation?s contractual obligations to the Exchange Contractors. In this unique year, these contractual obligations will be satisfied from both Delta and San Joaquin River sources.?
This is the first time in the history of the CVP since the Delta-Mendota Canal has been operational, that Reclamation has had to provide water from Millerton Lake, which is the reservoir on the San Joaquin River formed by Friant Dam, to address the contractual obligations that Reclamation has upheld with the Exchange Contractors since 1939.
Current releases of 200 cubic feet per second from Friant Dam will be incrementally increased by about 1,000 cfs, for a total of 1,200 cfs. People recreating in or along the San Joaquin River below Friant Dam should take appropriate safety precautions due to the flow increases.?
The U.S. Drought Monitor, a multi-agency federal hydrology report, shows that conditions in the San Joaquin Valley have intensified from ?severe? drought in May 2013 to ?exceptional? drought in May 2014. ?Exceptional? is the worst of the five stages of the U.S. Drought Monitor Classification. Other locations in the United States that are classified ?exceptional? are in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Nevada.
The total amount of water delivered to Exchange Contractors from Millerton Reservoir will depend on several hydrological factors including the amount of snowmelt runoff in the upper San Joaquin River Basin and the amount of CVP water pumped south from the Delta.
In the late 1930s, the Exchange Contractors agreed to ?exchange? water received under their long-held senior water rights from the San Joaquin and Kings River for water delivered from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta through the Delta-Mendota Canal by Reclamation.?The exchange contract generally provides that whenever Reclamation is unable to satisfy the contractual entitlement from the DMC that Reclamation would provide water to the Exchange Contractors from Friant Dam.?
The San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority serves about 240,000 acres of farmland located east of Interstate-5 and west of the San Joaquin River, reaching from Patterson to Mendota.?The Exchange Contractors are comprised of the Central California Irrigation District, the San Luis Canal Company, the Firebaugh Canal Water District and the Columbia Canal Company.
# # #?
Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov.


If you would rather not receive future communications from Bureau of Reclamation, let us know by clicking here.
Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Federal Center, Alameda & Kipling Street PO Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225 United States
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed May 14 14:43:46 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 14 May 2014 14:43:46 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Reclamation Implements Klamath Project 2014
	Drought Plan Measures
In-Reply-To: <7bd1ae8cebf54de393080668fa15b466@usbr.gov>
References: <7bd1ae8cebf54de393080668fa15b466@usbr.gov>
Message-ID: <1400103826.22813.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Fernando Ponce <fponce at usbr.gov>
To: tstokely at att.net 
Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 2:07 PM
Subject: Reclamation Implements Klamath Project 2014 Drought Plan Measures
 


Reclamation Implements Klamath Project 2014 Drought Plan Measures
Mid-Pacific Region
Sacramento, Calif.
MP-14-095
Media Contact: Louis Moore, 916-978-5100, wmoore at usbr.gov??????????????????
For Release On: May 14, 2014
Reclamation Implements Klamath Project 2014 Drought Plan Measures
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. ? The Bureau of Reclamation announced today the release of the 2014 Drought Plan for the Klamath Project. The Plan describes the background for and process of allocating the available Klamath Project water supply from Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River during the 2014 spring/summer irrigation season (March 1 to November 15), consistent with the system of contractual priorities that exist within the Project.
Persistent drought conditions and less than expected ?participation in voluntary drought mitigation measures have led to the need for a formal allocation of the available Project supply from UKL and the Klamath River. In this situation, when available water supplies are insufficient to meet the demands of all Klamath Project contractors, Reclamation is contractually obligated to allocate the available supplies. ?At this time, Reclamation is identifying a reduced supply for its Warren Act Contractors.? Overall Project water supply availability may be updated as the year progresses.? ?
As the 2014 Drought Plan explains, at this time, Project deliveries from UKL and the Klamath River need to be limited to one (1) acre-foot of surface water available per acre of irrigable land under Warren Act contract. Reclamation will reevaluate the available supply for Warren Act contractors following the June 1 inflow forecast by the National Resources Conservation Service. Reclamation will increase the allocation if information supports such a decision. Factors that could result in an increased allocation include water conservation efforts, water rights administration and additional voluntary demand management measures.??
?The Klamath Basin communities are facing a third straight dry water year, resulting in insufficient surface water for full Project deliveries,? remarked Jason Phillips, Deputy Regional Director for Reclamation?s Mid-Pacific Region. ?The persistent drought conditions coupled with limited participation in demand management measures have required the release of the 2014 Drought Plan for the Klamath Project. Reclamation and Project water users will continue to work together to ensure operations and allocations of Project water supply are coordinated closely with the water districts.???
Since the start of the 2014 spring/summer irrigation season, Reclamation has been coordinating with Klamath Project water users regarding the necessity for and timing of any decision to allocate available water supplies. At the beginning of April, there existed the possibility that with sufficient drought mitigation measures, Reclamation would not need to make an allocation of the available supply from UKL and the Klamath River. However, during the month of April, the Upper Klamath Basin received below average precipitation, and despite strong initial interest in the Klamath Water and Power Agency?s Water Users Mitigation Program, many applicants to the program ultimately chose not to participate.?
The Klamath Project?s 2014 Drought Plan is available at www.usbr.gov/mp/kbao. If you encounter problems accessing the document, please call 916-978-5100 (TTY 800-877-8339) or email mppublicaffairs at usbr.gov.
For more information, please contact Tara Jane Campbell Miranda, Acting Public Affairs Specialist, Klamath Basin Area Office, at tcampbellmiranda at usbr.gov or 541-883-6935.
# # #
Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Visit our website at www.usbr.gov.


If you would rather not receive future communications from Bureau of Reclamation, let us know by clicking here.
Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Federal Center, Alameda & Kipling Street PO Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225 United States
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From sari at sisqtel.net  Thu May 15 09:09:33 2014
From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom)
Date: Thu, 15 May 2014 09:09:33 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] CDFW and NOAA Fisheries Introduce Voluntary Drought
	Initiative to Protect Salmon and Steelhead
Message-ID: <007d01cf7058$0fb18980$2f149c80$@sisqtel.net>

CDFW and NOAA Fisheries Introduce Voluntary Drought Initiative to Protect
Salmon and Steelhead

May 14, 2014 

 <http://cdfgnews.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/nooaa-cdfw-logosd.jpg> nooaa
cdfw logosd

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries announced a Voluntary
Drought Initiative today designed to protect populations of salmon and
steelhead from the effects of the current unprecedented drought.

"This is one of many measures we're attempting to get us through this
extreme drought and keep enough water in the state's rivers and streams to
protect our fish resources," said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. "I am
thankful that water users and landowners came to our agencies with ideas
about working together in northern California, which allowed us to take this
immediate, voluntary action during this important spawning time and improve
regulatory certainty for rural communities."

The initiative provides a framework for water users to enter into individual
agreements with the two agencies in an effort to maintain enough water for
fish spawning in specific high priority streams, and implement other
collaborative actions like fish rescue, relocation, monitoring and habitat
restoration. The geographic focus includes some Sacramento River tributaries
(Antelope, Deer and Mill creeks) and the Russian, Shasta and Scott rivers.
In return, landowners and water users will benefit from greater regulatory
certainty under the federal and state endangered species laws, and may
receive incidental take authorizations for California Endangered Species Act
(CESA)-listed fish in case a participant unintentionally takes listed fish
species while withdrawing water.

Archie "Red" Emmerson, owner of Sierra Pacific Industries and the largest
private landowner in California, was among the first to participate in the
voluntary program. "This is one of the toughest water years in recent memory
for people, cattle and fish," Emmerson said. "We have learned a great deal
about salmon spawning and rearing on our properties. This year we are
volunteering to keep additional cold water in the creek to help salmon. We
hope working with the fish agencies will give the salmon a better chance to
survive this difficult drought."

This is a temporary, voluntary initiative that is only being implemented
during federal and state drought declarations or designations, with the goal
of supporting agricultural activities while protecting the survival and
recovery of federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and CESA-listed salmon and
steelhead during this crucial time in their life cycle.

"This initiative is a great example of how to we can respond, in a
meaningful way, to the ill effects of a drought" said NOAA Fisheries West
Coast Regional Administrator William Stelle, Jr. "Instead of fighting over
scarce water supplies and possible regulatory violations, we are building
partnerships with landowners and water users who value the salmon resources
of California. The voluntary salmon protections coming out of these
partnerships are significant."

NOAA Fisheries and CDFW are aware that the State Water Resources Control
Board is currently considering curtailing water rights to respond to current
drought conditions. This Voluntary Drought Initiative, under the ESA and
CESA, is limited to those authorities and responsibilities of NOAA Fisheries
and CDFW. However NOAA Fisheries and CDFW are coordinating closely with the
State Water Board. While this initiative is separate from the Board's
authorities and independent actions that it may pursue related to the
drought, including emergency curtailments, NOAA Fisheries and CDFW intend to
support any local cooperative solution formalized through an executed
voluntary agreement before the State Water Board as an alternative to
mandatory curtailments.

A description of the fish agencies' Voluntary Drought Initiative can be
found at
www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/protected_species/salmon_steelhead/voluntar
y_drought_initiative.html.

Today, NOAA Fisheries and CDFW are also announcing the execution of the
first set of voluntary agreements with key landowners in the Scott and
Shasta river watersheds covering land access for fish rescue and providing
critical flows to maintain suitable habitat. For copies of those agreements,
please continue to check
www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/protected_species/salmon_steelhead/voluntar
y_drought_initiative.html which will be updated as agreements are available.

Governor Brown has called on all Californians to reduce their water use by
20 percent and prevent water waste - visit saveourH2O.org
<http://www.saveourh20.org/>  to find out how everyone can do their part,
and visit drought.ca.gov <http://ca.gov/drought/>  to learn more about how
California is dealing with the effects of the drought.

Media Contacts:
Jordan Traverso, CDFW Communications, (916) 654-9937
Jim Milbury, NOAA Fisheries Communications, (562) 980-4006

 

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From tstokely at att.net  Tue May 20 11:29:53 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 20 May 2014 11:29:53 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Panel=3A_Delta_tunnel_project_=E2=80=98fa?=
 =?utf-8?q?lls_short=E2=80=99_of_scientific_standards?=
Message-ID: <1400610593.67042.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/19/6416852/panel-delta-tunnel-project-falls.html?

Panel: Delta tunnel project ?falls short? of scientific standards
By?Matt Weiser
mweiser at sacbee.com
Published: Monday, May. 19, 2014 - 7:25 pm
Last Modified: Monday, May. 19, 2014 - 9:41 pm
The state?s proposal to restore habitat in the Delta and build two massive water diversion tunnels on the?Sacramento River??falls short? in its scientific rigor, according to a new report by a group of scientists.
The tunnels are just one component of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, a $25 billion project proposed by the?California Department of Water Resources.?The project, intended to reform?water management?in the?Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta,?has been in the works for eight years. It is now undergoing public review, with a decision on approval expected by the end of this year.
As part of that process, legislation in 2009 required the draft environmental impact study for the project to be reviewed by the Delta Independent Science Board, a 10-member panel of technical experts appointed by the Delta Stewardship Council. The council is a state agency, separate from DWR, whose seven members are appointed by the governor and Legislature. It has limited powers of review over the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and other matters in the Delta.
In a 133-page report released Monday, the Independent Science Board commends the BDCP planners for compiling and analyzing mountains of complex information on the Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas. But it also faults the analysis in a number of crucial areas, including interaction among wildlife species, effects of?climate change,?effects on?San Francisco Bay,?poor analysis of uncertainties, and poor organization that undermines public understanding.
Jay Lund, the science panel?s chair-elect and a professor of civil and environmental engineering atUC Davis,?said another issue is the way the proposal analyzes the effectiveness of 100,000 acres of habitat restoration proposed in the Delta.
?One of the bigger concerns in my mind, and for the science panel, is that they?re assuming the restoration is going to work, and work right away,? said Lund.
The panel found that assumption to be faulty. Yet a lot hinges on it in the overall plan.
For instance, the plan strives to meet so-called ?co-equal? goals to improve water reliability and to restore wildlife species, including native fish such as endangered salmon and Delta smelt. It intends the habitat restoration to offset some of the harmful effects of the proposed water diversion tunnels. Those goals will not be successful if the habitat restoration doesn?t work.
Nancy Vogel, a spokeswoman at the?California Department of Water Resources,?said officials appreciate the science panel?s work but have not yet had a chance to review the entire report.
?This type of rigorous, independent scientific review will ultimately help improve outcomes for BDCP,? Vogel said via email.
The Delta is a vital?water supply?for much of California, providing fresh water to 25 million people and more than 3 million acres of farmland. All that water is diverted today by state and federal pump and canal systems in the south Delta, near Tracy. Yet that water demand has helped pushed the estuary to the brink of ecological collapse. Numerous native species are thought to be on the verge of extinction, and water quality problems are an ongoing concern.
The Bay Delta Conservation Plan aims to re-engineer the estuary by moving the diversion point upstream. It calls for two tunnels, 40 feet in diameter, fed by three giant new water intakes on theSacramento River?near Courtland. This would alter the present flow of fresh water, but is claimed to be less harmful to native fish than the present system.
The tunnels and pumps would be paid for by water agencies from?San Jose?to?San Diego?that benefit from the project. They, in turn, will pass the cost along to ratepayers. The habitat restoration is proposed to be funded by state and federal taxpayers.
The science panel?s advice has no regulatory effect on the project. The Delta Stewardship Council will use the report to formulate its own comments about the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, which also will have no regulatory effect. But the science review is likely to spark fierce debate over whether the controversial project should proceed.
?They are a collection of leading scientists from around the nation who are really up on the kinds of issues that this (project) would touch on,? said Keith Coolidge, the council?s manager of external affairs. ?I think their opinion will carry great weight with the council and, I hope, with the public.?
The council will discuss the report at its May 29 meeting in Sacramento.
________________________________

Call The Bee?s Matt Weiser at (916) 321-1264. Follow him on Twitter?@matt_weiser.
??Read more articles by Matt Weiser

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/19/6416852/panel-delta-tunnel-project-falls.html#storylink=cpy
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From vina_frye at fws.gov  Tue May 20 12:58:03 2014
From: vina_frye at fws.gov (Frye, Vina)
Date: Tue, 20 May 2014 12:58:03 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Federal Register
Message-ID: <CANiLmT+dVJACfFpxaL+E3eHRCHaPDeso=ns7hfXhyj__jHmbfw@mail.gmail.com>

Dear Mailman,

Please post the attached Notice.

Thank you,
Vina


Vina Frye
Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Arcata FWO
1655 Heindon Road
Arcata, CA  95521
Telephone: (707) 822-7201
Fax: (707) 822-8411
vina_frye at fws.gov
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed May 21 09:44:02 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 21 May 2014 09:44:02 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Maven: State Water Board on curtailment notice
	statuses for the Scott River, Russian River, Delta,
	and Tulare Lake Basin, plus an update from the Delta Watermaster
Message-ID: <1400690642.88733.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

This is another unprecedented action by the SWRCB. ?

TS
http://mavensnotebook.com/2014/05/20/this-just-in-an-update-from-the-state-water-board-on-curtailment-notice-statuses-for-the-scott-river-russian-river-delta-and-tulare-lake-basin-plus-an-update-from-the-delta-watermaster/?

This just in ? An update from the State Water Board on curtailment notice statuses for the Scott River, Russian River, Delta, and Tulare Lake Basin, plus an update from the Delta Watermaster
Maven, Maven?s Notebook
At today?s meeting at the State Water Resources Control Board, John O?Hagan updated the board on the curtailment notices and the curtailment statuses in the state, and Delta Watermaster Craig Wilson gave an update on his activities in the Delta.
?Our analysis shows that based on prior right demands, curtailment of all post-1914 water rights in the Sacramento-San Joaquin basin-wide watershed could be pending at this time,? said Mr. O'Hagan.? ?Several groups have contacted the State Water Board regarding agreements that they have reached amongst senior water right holders, especially in the San Joaquin River and then on the Yuba River. They are recommending that curtailment would not serve any beneficial purpose to protecting their senior water rights, and that their conservation efforts have reduced their demands. They feel that a curtailment at this time would not benefit any parties.? He noted that there were also questions regarding the data used, which they were working on resolving.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed May 21 09:50:07 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 21 May 2014 09:50:07 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] California water board considers drought cutbacks
Message-ID: <1400691007.57656.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Maybe not "unprecedented" because it appears to have happened in 1977 as well. ?I stand corrected.
TS

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/05/20/3071940/am-alert-california-water-board.html?

AM Alert: California water board considers drought cutbacks 
BY ALEXEI KOSEFF
akoseff at sacbee.comMay 20, 2014?


For the first time since the 1977 drought, California water officials are considering widespread curtailment of longstanding water rights because of a scarcity of supply. Over the next few weeks, the state is expected to begin issuing orders to many water agencies, farmers and other property owners to stop diverting water from streams and rivers.
During its bimonthly meeting today, 9 a.m. at the Cal/EPA Building on I Street, the State Water Resources Control Board will vote on an emergency regulation to curtail diversions on three Sacramento River tributaries important for fish passage if minimum flows are not met.
The discussion will continue tomorrow at 9 a.m. with a public workshop about proposed emergency regulations for cutbacks on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta Watershed, which is the largest in the state. Water rights are currently based on seniority, and "junior" rights holders -- mostly those who acquired water rights after 1914 -- are the first to be affected by curtailment. But the board is considering exceptions for fish and wildlife protection, as well as for public health and safety, which would allow municipalities to continue drawing some water after a curtailment order is issued.

Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/05/20/3071940/am-alert-california-water-board.html#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed May 21 09:53:57 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 21 May 2014 09:53:57 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Chronicle: Sen. Feinstein's wrong response to the
	drought
Message-ID: <1400691237.78919.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/Sen-Feinstein-s-wrong-response-to-the-drought-5493436.php


Sen. Feinstein's wrong response to the drought

Published 5:18?pm, Tuesday, May 20, 2014
	* WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 14: U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) speaks during s Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control hearing on Capitol Hill May 14, 2014 in Washington, DC. The hearing's focus was on America's addiction to Heroin and prescription drug abuse. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Photo: Mark Wilson, Getty Images?
The test of any water policy is not if it works in the wet times but if it protects widely shared public values in the dry?times.
So it is distressing to see Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., determined to toss out water management policies and protections, worked out over 20 years to balance the water needs of California cities, farms and the environment, in order to serve some interests at the expense of?others.

The changes the senator proposes apply 20th century water management thinking that hasn't worked instead of incorporating 21st century technologies we know to work - conservation, improved water-use efficiency, water recycling, storm water recapture and more comprehensive groundwater monitoring and pumping?restrictions.
Her legislation will not make it rain; it will not restore the snowpack; it will not save?crops.
State and federal officials already administratively relaxed most of the restrictions on delta water exports to farms and cities, responding in part to the governor's drought emergency?declaration.
What S2198 would do, however, is override Endangered Species Act protections by taking more water from the delta at the time when the baby salmon are moving?through.
Yes, as the senator asserts, the drought is severe and the Sierra snowpack on which California depends for water supply was frighteningly sparse. Yes, the Central Valley farms and the communities that surround them are suffering. And yes, we recognize the value of California agricultural economy to the state, the nation and the?world.
However, the senator's bill would open a legal loophole to increase delta pumping beyond what is authorized by the court-approved biological opinions that protect California's embattled native salmon and?steelhead.
The environmental community and fishing groups tried unsuccessfully for months to work with the senator to craft language that addresses water diversions from the San Joaquin River and the delta but the final version falls?short.
Feinstein needs to revise S2198 to encourage more efficient water use, including technologies that have added 2 million acre-feet of new water a year for the last decade, rather than promoting legal strategies to take water in times of scarcity from one interest for?another.
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Wed May 21 10:11:37 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Wed, 21 May 2014 10:11:37 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Energy officials downgrade Monterey Shale oil
	reserves by 95.6%!/A Better Water Solution/Former MLPA
	Science Co-Chair headed to federal prison
In-Reply-To: <867630825.1400684794295.JavaMail.www@app351>
References: <867630825.1400684794295.JavaMail.www@app351>
Message-ID: <42F6FF32-78B9-4404-B447-C2A11698BA83@fishsniffer.com>

Good Morning

Below are (1) my breaking news piece about the downgrading of Monterey  
Shale oil reserves by 95.6 percent, (2) my piece about Restore the  
Delta's better water resource solution alternative to Senator  
Feinstein's bailout for agribusiness bill, and (3) A North Coastal  
Journal piece on yesterday's sentencing of Ron Le Valley, former co- 
chair of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Science  
Advisory Team for the North Coast, on one count of conspiracy to  
embezzle over $900,000 from the Yurok Tribe.

Thanks
Dan


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/21/1300935/-Energy-officials-downgrade-Monterey-Shale-oil-reserves-by-95-6
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/05/21/18756013.php

Photo of Governor Jerry Brown courtesy of Damien Luzzo.

no_more_fracking____1.jpg

Energy officials downgrade Monterey Shale oil reserves by 95.6%

by Dan Bacher

Oil industry representatives have continually claimed that the  
expansion of fracking for oil in California will lead to the creation  
of many thousands of jobs and the influx of billions of dollars to the  
economy, but these claims were exposed as false when federal Energy  
Information Administration (EIA) officials downgraded Monterey Shale  
reserves by 95.6 percent on May 20.

In her recent blog, Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President of the Western  
States Petroleum Association and former Chair of the Marine Life  
Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to create so- 
called "marine protected areas" in Southern California, touted the  
jobs bonanza that would supposedly be created by expanded fracking. (http://www.wspa.org/blog/post/moratorium-legislation-does-not-make-sense-california 
)

"Senate Bill 4 created a pathway to transparent environmental  
protections while balancing the need to meet California?s energy  
demands and create valuable, much-needed jobs in the San Joaquin  
Valley," said Reheis-Boyd.

"A study produced by the California State University, Fresno found  
that hydraulic fracturing in the San Joaquin Valley?s Monterey Shale  
Formation could grow personal income by as much as $4 billion while  
creating more than 195,000 new jobs. In addition to these localized  
opportunities, the entire state will benefit from increased domestic  
energy production," gushed Reheis-Boyd.

However, Reheis-Boyd's contention that the expansion of fracking in  
California will create thousands of jobs and inject billions of  
dollars into the economy was completely dispelled when the federal  
Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirmed new estimates for US  
shale oil reserves, reducing its previous estimate for technically  
recoverable oil in the Monterey Shale from 13.7 billion barrels of oil  
to just 0.6 billion barrels of oil. (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-oil-20140521-story.html 
  )

This amounts to a 95.6 percent reduction and "is illustrative of just  
how much the Monterey Shale is misunderstood," according to a  
statement from CAFrackFacts, a non profit organization. To put this  
figure in perspective, the EIA?s latest estimate of 0.6 billion  
barrels would only be enough to meet US oil consumption for 32 days. (http://www.cafrackfacts.org/resources/media/ 
)

"From the information we've been able to gather, we've not seen  
evidence that oil extraction in this area is very productive using  
techniques like fracking," said John Staub, a petroleum exploration  
and production analyst who led the energy agency's research, told the  
LA Times. "Our oil production estimates combined with a dearth of  
knowledge about geological differences among the oil fields led to  
erroneous predictions and estimates.

"This downgrade fundamentally changes the risk-reward calculation when  
it comes to unconventional oil development in our state,? said Jayni  
Foley Hein, Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Law, Energy  
and the Environment and CAFrackFacts Advisor. ?Given that the  
industry's promised economic benefits are not likely to materialize,  
the state should take a hard look at the impacts that oil development  
has on public health, safety, and the environment."

For years, the Western States Petroleum Association and oil companies  
have made extensive claims and invested heavily in attempting to  
develop the Monterey Shale using unconventional development techniques  
such as hydraulic fracturing (?fracking?) and acidization.

These controversial techniques were believed to be the "answer" to  
tapping into the oil of the Monterey Shale and replicating the oil  
boom that is occurring in other regions of the United States,  
according to CAFrackFacts.

?With these new numbers from the EIA, it is clear that the Monterey  
Shale will not be the panacea that will fuel our cars, jobs or the  
California economy,? said Dr. Seth B. Shonkoff, Executive Director of  
the scientific organization PSE Healthy Energy. ?It is critical that  
California turn its attention towards energy sources that will meet  
our energy demands for the near- and long-term, facilitate the meeting  
of our climate targets and create real jobs in this State.?

"As large-scale fracking of the Monterey Shale seems unlikely, other  
forms of enhanced oil recovery throughout California continue to pose  
not fully-understood risks to the health and safety of Californians,"  
the group said.

CAFrackFacts is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing  
public understanding and scientific knowledge about unconventional  
drilling and well stimulation techniques in California. For more  
information, visit http://www.CAFrackFacts.org or follow them on  
Twitter @CAFrackFacts.

The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) that is leading the  
campaign to frack California spends more money every year on lobbying  
in Sacramento than any other corporate group. This massive spending  
enables the oil industry to effectively buy the votes of many State  
Assembly Members and Senators.

The organization spent a total of $5,331,493 in 2009, $4,013,813 in  
2010, $4,273,664 in 2011, $5,698,917 in 2012 and $4,670,010 in 2013 on  
lobbying at the State Capitol - and spent $1,456,785 in just the first  
3 months of 2014. (http://www.truth-out.org/speakout/item/23365-californias-big-oil-dirty-dozen 
) You can bet that a good chunk of this money spent so far this year  
was spent on stopping Senate Bill 1132, Senator Holly Mitchell and  
Mark Leno's fracking moratorium bill.

A ground breaking report released on April 1, 2014 by the ACCE  
Institute and Common Cause also reveals that Big Oil's combined  
spending on lobbying and political campaigns in Sacramento amounts to  
a stunning $266.9 million over the past 15 years. (http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/04/14/how-big-oil-bought-sacramento/ 
)

However, the oil industry's ability to effectively buy the Governor's  
Office, legislators and environmental processes doesn't change the  
fact that the Energy Information Administration's estimate for  
technically recoverable oil in the Monterey Shale has been reduced  
from 13.7 billion barrels of oil to just 0.6 billion barrels of oil.

Meanwhile, opposition to fracking is mushrooming throughout the state.  
In the latest victory in the campaign to ban the environmentally  
destructive oil extraction process, Santa Cruz County Board of  
Supervisors voted 5-0 on May 20 to prohibit fracking and oil and gas  
development in Santa Cruz County.

Food & Water Watch, 350.org, Environment California, Center for  
Biological Diversity, Californians Against Fracking, Santa Cruz Sierra  
Club, Women?s International League for Peace and Freedom and UC Santa  
Cruz students rallied with Supervisor John Leopold after the vote to  
celebrate the victory. (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/20/1300802/-Santa-Cruz-County-first-to-ban-fracking-in-Caliornia 
)

"We congratulate the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors for their  
historic vote towards protecting California?s air and water, and for  
setting a positive example for other counties and Governor Brown,?  
said Adam Scow, California Director of Food & Water Watch.


2.

http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/delta-tunnels-opponents-offer-senator-feinstein-a-better-water-solution/


DELTA TUNNELS OPPONENTS OFFER SENATOR FEINSTEIN A BETTER WATER SOLUTION
Written By: Dan Bacher, May 21, 2014
In discussing her agribusiness-friendly drought relief legislation, S  
2198, Senator Dianne Feinstein recently told the San Francisco  
Chronicle that environmentalists have ?never been helpful to me in  
producing good water policy."
?I have not had a single constructive view from environmentalists of  
how to provide water when there is no snowpack,? said Feinstein in her  
interview. (http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Feinstein-Environmentalists-no-help-on-5481560.php 
)
Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Governor Jerry Brown?s Bay Delta  
Conservation Plan to build the peripheral tunnels, on Monday announced  
the release of  a new video in response to Feinstein?s false claim  
that environmentalists have ?never been helpful? to her in solving  
California?s water resource challenges.
Restore the Delta?s storyboard video, http://youtu.be/Ml_pCr2uMaE,  
describes what water efficiency would accomplish for the Delta and for  
meeting California's water and jobs needs. RTD, along with the  
Environmental Water Caucus in their Responsible Water Exports Plan,  
has long proposed  sustainable water water policies.
?Sen. Feinstein is carrying water in S 2198 for huge industrial mega- 
growers who  have planted thousands of additional acres of almonds on  
dry lands in Westlands  and Kern Water Districts in the midst of our  
three-year dry spell,? said Barbara  Barrigan-Parrilla, executive  
director of RTD. ?Sen. Feinstein?s response to this  unsustainable  
overplanting of permanent crops on unsustainable lands without their   
own water supply is to strip sustainable farms and fisheries of  
protections so these  huge growers can water their unwise plantings.?
  "During times of drought, people think about big water projects as  
the solution because most people have seen large canals or dams that  
hold and convey  water,? she said. ?We decided to create a storyboard  
that shows what water efficiency looks like with easy to understand  
facts so that people can learn why water efficiency is  the better  
value for each dollar spent on water infrastructure.?
?The water efficiency  story will be turned into a feature video in  
the months ahead -- and it will tell the  story of how water  
efficiency throughout California is the solution for the Delta  and  
the citizens of California,? Barrigan-Parrilla concluded. The video is  
here:http://youtu.be/Ml_pCr2uMaE



3.

http://www.northcoastjournal.com/Blogthing/archives/2014/05/20/biologist-gets-10-months-for-yurok-griftCOURTS 
  / CRIME / ENVIRONMENT / NATURAL RESOURCES
Biologist Gets 10 Months for Yurok Grift
POSTED BY THADEUS GREENSON ON TUE, MAY 20, 2014 AT 4:58 PM
click to enlarge

A judge today sentenced a local biologist to serve 10 months in prison  
for his role in conspiring to embezzle nearly $1 million in federal  
funds from the Yurok Tribe over a three-year period beginning in 2007,  
according to Yurok Tribal Chairman Thomas O?Rourke.

Mad River Biologists founder Ron LeValley pleaded guilty in February  
to a single count of conspiring to embezzle funds from an Indian  
tribal organization and faced up to two and half years in federal  
prison in the case. The U.S. Attorney?s Office and the federal  
probation department felt a one year prison sentence was appropriate  
in the case, but U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup ultimately  
opted for the 10-month sentence, citing cooperation with a federal  
investigation into the grift ? cooperation that led directly to the  
conviction of LeValley?s co-conspirator, former Yurok Tribe Forestry  
Director Roland Raymond, who was sentenced to a three-year prison term  
in January.

LeValley?s attorney, William Kimball, argued that his client?s  
criminal conduct was a blip in an otherwise law-abiding life and that  
he should be spared a prison confinement.

Reached after the sentencing, O?Rourke said he was very disappointed  
in the sentence, and the system. ?He?s considered a leader in the  
community, and pillars of the community are held to higher standards,?  
he said. ?In my mind, and in the tribe?s mind, he?s a crook. And,  
basically, he was slapped on the wrist with the sentence.?

According to court documents, LeValley and Raymond conspired to steal  
the funds through a complex scheme of fake and inflated invoices and  
payments for northern spotted owl survey work that Mad River  
Biologists never performed. In court documents, LeValley claims  
Raymond told him he was using the ill-gotten funds to pay for tribal  
forestry and fire crews. LeValley said he thought he was helping the  
tribe and its members, but concedes he knew what he was doing was, in  
fact, illegal. Court documents also indicate that none of the stolen  
funds paid for the work crews and that they were instead spent to  
support Raymond?s drug and gambling addictions.

As a part of their sentences, both Raymond and LeValley have been  
ordered to repay the $852,000 they stole from the tribe.

Mad River Biologists submitted more than 75 false invoices between  
2007 and 2010, according to court documents. Under the scheme, Raymond  
would then cut checks from the tribe and LeValley would funnel the  
money back to him, less 20 percent taken off the top.

The survey work that was never done was primarily looking for habitats  
for the federally endangered northern spotted owl to determine what  
tribal properties could be logged without harming owl populations.  
It?s unclear whether Raymond and LeValley?s conspiracy affected timber  
harvest plans or led to the destruction of potential owl habitats.

In addition to having founded Mad River Biologists in Arcata, LeValley  
is an acclaimed wildlife photographer and birder, and was a member of  
the Marine Life Protection Act science advisory team for the North  
Coast. He lives in Mendocino County and is due to surrender to  
authorities in July to begin serving his sentence in a minimum  
security prison.

In a memorandum urging Alsup to keep his client out of prison, Kimball  
noted that the court received more than 80 letters in support of  
LeValley, many lauding his many volunteer endeavors and charitable  
acts. ?These letters tell the story of a man who has consistently put  
service to others and to his community before himself,? Kimball wrote.  
?The profound, positive impact that Ron has had, and continues to  
have, on so many lives should be a powerful mitigating factor as the  
court weighs the appropriate sentence for his offense.?

O?Rourke said LeValley has never taken full responsibility for his  
actions, or showed remorse for the damage he?s done to the Yurok  
Tribe. ?He said he was duped, that he was tricked,? the chairman said.  
?He?s an intelligent man, a business man, and he didn?t get this far  
in life being tricked ? The Yurok Tribe is very disappointed in the  
sentence, and in the system.?

For more information on the case, see past Journal coverage here, here  
and here.



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From tstokely at att.net  Thu May 22 07:10:08 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 22 May 2014 07:10:08 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Wyden, Merkley Feinstein,
	Boxer Introduce Klamath Basin Legislation
Message-ID: <1400767808.16384.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/breakingnews/ci_25809154/wyden-merkley-feinstein-boxer-introduce-klamath-basin-legislation#?

Wyden, Merkley Feinstein, Boxer Introduce Klamath Basin Legislation
The Times-Standard
POSTED: ? 05/21/2014 02:46:27 PM PDT
0 COMMENTS



Press release from the U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. >> Moving quickly to build on the work done by local ranchers, tribes, and federal and state officials, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer introduced legislation today that will put into law the Upper Klamath Basin Comprehensive Agreement that was signed last month.
The Upper Klamath Basin Agreement was hammered out by a task force appointed last year by Wyden, along with Merkley, Congressman Greg Walden and Governor John Kitzhaber. It was signed on April 18 during a ceremony on the banks of Spring Creek in Klamath County.
The Senate bill gives Congressional approval to the Upper Basin Agreement, authorizing the Department of the Interior to act and achieve the agreement's benefits: increased stream flows into Upper Klamath Lake, more water certainty to irrigators, improved and protected riparian areas and economic development for the Klamath Tribes and its members. The legislation also authorizes other agreements that comprehensively settle water rights disputes in favor of collaborative solutions to water management in the basin.
"After nine months of hard work by the tribes, ranchers and government officials to craft an agreement that benefits the Upper Klamath Basin and those who rely on it, it is now time for Congress to step up," Wyden said. "The people of the basin have set aside their differences for the benefit of the region. Congress should follow their example, pass this legislation and put the Klamath Basin on the road to recovery. I want to thank Senator Merkley for his steadfast support and help in crafting the agreement that is basis for this legislation."
"The stakeholders of the Klamath Basin have chosen cooperation over conflict. In partnership with Senator Wyden, I'll do all I can to implement the vision and detailed plan they have developed," said Merkley. "The people in the Basin have done the hard part, now it's time for the House and Senate to move forward and get this legislation passed. This is essential for both economic prosperity and environmental restoration in the Klamath Basin."
"California is in the midst of a historic drought, and this bill?in particular the authorization of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement?will help Northern California," Feinstein said. "The three agreements authorized by the bill will improve water supply reliability, environmental recovery and economic growth for a wide range of California stakeholders. These agreements also demonstrate the benefits of different groups coming together in a spirit of compromise and acting on behalf of the greater good."
"This consensus legislation will implement a carefully crafted plan that will help farmers, fishermen, Native American communities and the environment by restoring the Klamath River Basin," Boxer said. "I applaud the leadership of Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley and all the stakeholders for coming together behind a deal that will strengthen the region's economy and the environment."
"With this legislation, Senator Wyden is honoring his commitment to work with the basin to implement a consensus-based solution to over-allocated water resources. The people of the basin are ready to move forward with the historic agreement between the Klamath Tribes and Upper Basin water users. Now it is up to Congress to take the final steps to rebuild prosperity in the region," said Governor Kitzhaber. "This is the culmination of a decade-long effort to support the vitality of the river and all who depend upon it. I applaud the determination of everyone who has committed to reshaping the future of the Klamath region and thank Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley for their strong leadership in Congress."
Now that the bill has been introduced, it will be referred to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee of which Wyden is a member.

Press release from stakeholders on Sen. Ron Wyden's Klamath legislation:
Klamath Falls, Ore. ? Senator Ron Wyden introduced a bill today in the United States Senate aimed at implementing hard-won negotiated agreements among a wide variety of stakeholders in the Klamath Basin. The agreements establish a water sharing plan aimed at supporting ranchers and farmers, Tribes, native fisheries and bird refuges in the basin.
In response to Senator Wyden's leadership in establishing a brighter economic and environmental future for all Klamath Basin residents, agreement stakeholders issued the following statement:
"We thank Senator Ron Wyden for working tirelessly to help us find a lasting solution to our water sharing challenges in the Klamath Basin. We are hopeful that this legislation will finally bring an end to more than a century of challenging times in our community. People came together from all corners of the basin to hammer out these agreements, and the give and take has not always been easy. We are grateful to Senator Wyden, Senator Merkley, Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer for sponsoring this important legislation. Similarly, Governor Kitzhaber and other leaders who have supported our local process have given all basin residents a reason to hope for a brighter future here for our children, our grandchildren, and the fish and wildlife that rely on this region's natural resources for survival."
This statement was released on behalf of:
American Rivers
California Trout
Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR)
Karuk Tribe
Klamath Water Users Association
The Nature Conservancy
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA)
PacifiCorp
Salmon River Restoration Council
Sustainable Northwest
Trout Unlimited
Upper Klamath Water Users
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue May 27 07:35:37 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 27 May 2014 07:35:37 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Redding.com: California's flawed water system can't
	track usage
Message-ID: <1401201337.27017.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.redding.com/news/2014/may/27/californias-flawed-water-system-cant-track-usage/?

California's flawed water system can't track usage
JASON DEAREN and GARANCE BURKE, Associated Press
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Call them the fortunate ones: Nearly 4,000 California companies, farms and others are allowed to use free water with little oversight when the state is so bone dry that deliveries to nearly everyone else have been severely slashed.
Their special status dates back to claims made more than a century ago when water was plentiful. But in the third year of a drought that has ravaged California, these "senior rights holders" dominated by corporations and agricultural concerns are not obliged to conserve water.
Nobody knows how much water they actually use, though it amounts to trillions of gallons each year, according to a review of their own reports by The Associated Press. Together, they hold more than half the rights to rivers and streams in California.
But the AP found the state's system is based on self-reported, incomplete records riddled with errors and years out of date. Some rights holders have vastly overstated their usage ? in the mistaken belief, asserts Tom Howard, executive director of the State Water Resources Control Board, that it will preserve their right to draw more water in the future.
"We really don't know how much water they've actually diverted," said Bob Rinker, a manager in the board's water rights division.
With a burgeoning population and projections of heightened climate-related impacts on snowpack and other water supplies, the antiquated system blunts California's ability to move water where it is most needed.
When gold miners flocked to the West in the 1800s, the state drafted laws that rewarded those who first staked claims on the region's abundant rivers and streams. Since then, Western states have upgraded to different, more rigorous water accounting systems that track every precious drop, but California still relies on an honor system, even during drought.
The system's inequities are particularly evident in California's arid Central Valley, where some farmers struggle while others enjoy abundant water.
"In a good year we wouldn't be able to stand here unless we got wet. This year it won't produce anything," said second-generation rice farmer Al Montna as he knelt in the dust, pulling apart dirt clods on the 1,800 acres he left idle because of scarce water. "Our workers will just have to go elsewhere to look for work."
About 35 miles north, fourth-generation rice farmer Josh Sheppard had more than enough water, thanks to superior rights to Feather River water dating to the late 1800s. On a recent afternoon, pulses of liquid spilled across his fields to soak the loamy soil for planting.
"No one thinks of it when there's ample water and plenty to go around, but in these times of tightness it is a very contentious resource that gets fought over," said Sheppard. "We are going to be very stark defenders into the future of ensuring that this right ... remains in place."
Because the state doesn't know how many entities hold these superior rights or how much water they use, the AP obtained and analyzed the water board's database for 2010 ? the last complete year of water usage reports ? and interviewed state officials and dozens of so-called senior rights holders.
The state only collects the records every three years on a staggered basis, meaning some of its information is at least a few years old.
Howard, the board's executive director, acknowledged the state should get a better handle on water use. "Anything to improve the information we have would help," he said, citing the need for annual reporting of usage and real time stream flow data.
While much of the water reported by this group is consumed by people or farms, some of the biggest users generate hydroelectric power for profit then return that water to the river for use downstream. The state doesn't know how much is used for each purpose.
More than half of the 3,897 entities with these water rights are corporations, such as the state's biggest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which generates hydroelectric power, and the Hearst Corp., which has water rights for its remote, Bavarian-style forest compound called Wyntoon.
Also among the biggest rights holders are state and local government agencies ? including the water departments of San Francisco and Los Angeles, which channel river water to millions of residents.
San Francisco, whose water rights date to 1902 when its mayor nailed a handwritten notice on a tree, uses free Sierra Nevada water to generate power for its airport, schools and firehouses.
This year, the state cut water deliveries to farmers and cities by 95 percent, and the federal government also imposed sharp restrictions on its water customers. But companies, farmers and cities with water rights that pre-date 1914 were exempt this year from mandatory cuts, even though they collectively are the biggest water consumers in the state.
The AP independently verified that just 24 of the rights holders reported using more than twice the volume of water that California's vast system of state and federal dams and aqueducts ships to cities and farms in an average year.
As the dry summer months loom, some water scientists question the usefulness of conservation efforts that do not restrict consumption by most water users with old rights. In a catastrophic emergency, the state might ask these users to conserve, but even then they could choose not to.
"Obviously, senior water rights holders have the most to benefit from the current system," said Peter Gleick, a water scientist and director of the nonpartisan Pacific Institute. "It gives them first call on water and more certainty during droughts and shortages."
In an age of weather extremes, those with century-old rights say the system works well because it provides a reliable supply of water, which is crucial for farmers deciding what to plant each spring. And in a drought, the state lets some of them sell any extra water to cities, corporations and farms that need it, at the rate the market will bear.
"To the degree that we can help share and develop more water resources for all the needs out there, I know we'll support that," said Sheppard, who irrigates his rice fields with supplies from the Joint Water Districts Board, which has pre-1914 water rights. "We've been aggressive about conserving and we independently installed meters on our land so we know we don't waste much."
The water board's Howard said it would be impossible to do away with the system.
"People have made investments based on promises in the existing system," Howard said. "Towns grew up and land was developed based on promises of a secure water supply. Do we strand those investments to start over?"
The water board does not require monitoring or meters for users whose rights date back a century or more, or who have rights to draw from a waterway adjoining their land. So the bookkeeping by Sheppard's district provides the state with its only reckoning of how much water the district's landowners use.
The law is different in other Western states such as Wyoming and Colorado, where agencies have more sway to track water use and restrict flows in times of scarcity. California rights holders have successfully defeated legal and legislative efforts to strengthen that state's oversight, said Andy Sawyer, a longtime water rights attorney at the board.
California made some progress toward accountability in 2009, when a new law required rights holders to report their water use and gave the board power to punish them for failing to file statements properly and on time. But the rights holders could gain exemption from the strict monitoring requirements in that law by convincing authorities it was too costly.
Partly due to poor accounting, the state had issued only 28 violations since 2009 to senior water rights holders as of May 20 ? 24 for failing to file the proper paperwork, and four for illegally storing water. It's rare that the state catches anyone taking more than they should, and even then, there are few punishment options.
The water board doesn't have staff to systematically verify water usage or check even the most obvious mistakes in the records, said Aaron Miller, a senior engineer at the water board. He added that the state nonetheless uses this inaccurate data to make decisions about how and where to grant new water permits.
The AP found major errors in the water consumption reports for eight of the entities the state listed as its top 25 users.
At the top of the state's ranking of water users was Louis Chacon, who state records show in 2010 consumed 12 billion acre-feet ? enough to cover 12 billion acres with a foot of water. (One acre-foot is 326,000 gallons.) All of this for a 15-acre plot in Trinity County where his retirement home sits and a few cattle graze.
Chacon told the AP he did not know how many acre-feet the family actually used, but called the state's numbers "crazy." He had previously raised concerns that the state's software was altering his reported usage.
Teichert Land Co., a Sacramento-based development company, originally reported drawing 7.6 million acre-feet from the Valley-American River in 2010. But Teichert environmental manager Becky Wood confirmed that figure was an error, saying Teichert really only used 300 acre-feet.
No one from the state ever asked why the company reported using so much water, Wood said.
"You would hope that they would at least have the systems to check against what your right is and what you're reporting in the middle of a drought," she said.
___
??? 2014 Scripps Newspaper Group ? Online
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue May 27 10:51:37 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 27 May 2014 10:51:37 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] AB 1914 will not move forward
Message-ID: <1401213097.64452.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

From:?"Weseloh, Tom" <Tom.Weseloh at asm.ca.gov>
Date:?May 23, 2014 2:23:44 PM PDT

To:?"Weseloh, Tom" <Tom.Weseloh at asm.ca.gov>

Cc:?"Brewer, Barry" <Barry.Brewer at asm.ca.gov>

Subject:?AB 1914 (Chesbro) - held in Committee

FYI ? AB 1914 ? Trinity River - update.?
?
AB 1914 was held in the Appropriations Committee today. Today is the last day for fiscal committees to meet and report to the Floor bills introduced in their house. In short, the bill will not move forward.
?
According to the analysis, SWRCB claimed ?Significant costs of at least $1 million (Water Rights Permit Fund) for SWRCB for proceedings and the preparation of an environmental impact report necessary to revise water rights permits affecting the Trinity River.?
?
Thank you for your interest and support of the proposed legislation. Please let us know if you have any questions.
?
Sincerely,
Tom
?
?
Tom Weseloh
Consultant
Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture
Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro
710 E Street, Suite 150
Eureka, CA 95501
707.445.7014 x13
Tom.weseloh at asm.ca.gov
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Tue May 27 07:54:37 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Tue, 27 May 2014 07:54:37 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Feds Release Spring-Run Chinook Salmon Into San
	Joaquin River
In-Reply-To: <1401201337.27017.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1401201337.27017.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <6DECD253-2827-4007-BF9D-198890106C64@fishsniffer.com>

  http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/05/26/18756354.php
Photo of biologists releasing spring run Chinook salmon from an  
acclimation pen into the San Joaquin River below Hills Herry. Photo  
courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

spring_salmon.jpeg

Feds Release Spring-Run Chinook Salmon Into San Joaquin River

by Dan Bacher

The scenic San Joaquin River below Friant Dam has been a popular place  
for families to fish for rainbow trout and other species for years,  
but the river is now in transition to becoming an anadromous fishery  
as federal and state governments and environmental groups work to  
restore spring run-Chinook salmon to the river.

It is expected that by 2017 that spring run Chinooks, absent from the  
river since the building of Friant Dam in the 1940s resulted in the  
dewatering of 60 miles of the river except for in very wet years, will  
again be ascending to spawn in this section of river. At the same  
time, the plants of catchable rainbow trout that the Department of  
Fish and Wildlife made in the river for many years have been  
discontinued.

In a historic moment, the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and  
Wildlife Service on April 17 and 18 released 54,000 hatchery-produced  
juvenile spring-run Chinook salmon into the San Joaquin River as part  
of the implementation of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program.

The Restoration Program is a comprehensive long-term effort to restore  
flows to the San Joaquin River from Friant Dam to the confluence of  
the Merced River, restoring a self-sustaining Chinook salmon fishery  
in the river while reducing or avoiding adverse water supply impacts  
from those flows, according to Margaret Gidding of the U.S. Fish and  
Wildlife Service.

The original run of spring Chinooks became extinct, in spite of  
efforts by a brave DFG biologist to rescue the remaining fish. So the  
state had to obtain spring-run Chinooks from the Feather River  
Hatchery in Oroville to release near the confluence of the Merced and  
San Joaquin rivers near Newman to reintroduce the fish subspecies.

Before the fish were released, the juvenile fish were acclimated for  
several days in holding pens in the river below Friant Dam and then  
trucked to the release site, according to Gerald Hatler, California  
Department of Fish and Wildlife Environmental Program Manager. A new  
hatchery to raise spring run chinooks is being built on the property  
adjacent to the San Joaquin River Fish Hatchery.

Federal officials said the release effort will provide an opportunity  
to carryout fisheries studies while contributing to the long-term  
reintroduction of spring-run salmon to the San Joaquin River as called  
for in the San Joaquin River Settlement.

?As part of this effort, some of these juvenile spring-run are  
anticipated to return to the river as adults in spring 2017. However  
dry year conditions will likely impact the number of returning fish,?  
Gidding noted.

The USFWS and Reclamation are prepared to trap and transport the  
returning adults up river, if conditions are such that they cannot  
make it on their own, according to Gidding.

The returning adults will then be monitored to determine what parts of  
the river they use, their survival over the summer, and where they  
spawn in the fall of 2017. This information will help further inform  
future spring-run reintroduction efforts.

?This is an important study effort for the Restoration Program that  
does not impact water supply,? said David Murillo, Director of  
Reclamation?s Mid-Pacific Region. ?We are hopeful that in three years,  
some of these juveniles return to the San Joaquin River as adults so  
that we learn more toward the long-term reintroduction of this species.?

The released spring-run are considered an ?experimental population?  
under the Endangered Species Act and are exempted from the take  
prohibitions by the Central Valley Project and the State Water  
Project, consistent with the Endangered Species Act rule package  
issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service on December 31, 2013.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) concurred with  
the federal regulations under special provisions of the California  
Endangered Species Act that apply to the San Joaquin River Restoration  
Program on March 17, 2014. The release will not impact water supply  
for any water user nor will any additional water releases be made for  
the benefit of these fish, said Gidding.

?Today?s salmon release is a monumental step forward for California?s  
fishing economy and the health of the state?s second largest river,  
particularly as we face a historic drought,? said Monty Schmitt,  
Senior Scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council. ?Even in  
the driest years, it is essential for the livelihood of communities in  
the Central Valley to protect the health of our rivers and fisheries  
while supporting the region?s agricultural economy.?

The restoration plan has resulted in a change on the river in fishing  
regulations from a resident rainbow trout to an anadromous fishery.

?Starting January 1 of this year, we will be no longer planting  
rainbow trout in the river below the dam,? said Greg Pape, manager of  
the San Joaquin River Fish Hatchery. ?However, there are still a lot  
of wild trout that I expect to reproduce naturally. Also, there are  
populations of crappie, black bass and channel catfish in the river.?

For many years, the CDFW planted around 18,000 pounds of catchable  
rainbows in the San Joaquin throughout the year. Now the hatchery will  
be shifting these fish to other fisheries, including the Sycamore  
Island Pond located off the San Joaquin below Highway 41. The hatchery  
will be planting around 7,000 pounds of rainbows there annually from  
November through early April when the water is still cool enough to  
plant trout.

Pape added that the ponds in the recreation area also feature warm  
water species including black bass, crappie and channel catfish to  
pursue.

Sycamore Island, located along the north side of the San Joaquin River  
just two miles west of Highway 41 north of Fresno, is operated by the  
San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust. It is open to the  
public for fishing and recreation on Fridays, weekends, and state  
holidays from February through mid-November.

The regulations on the river from Friant Dam downstream to the Highway  
140 Bridge were changed in 2013 from five trout per day to 2 hatchery  
trout or hatchery steelhead per day and 4 hatchery trout or hatchery  
steelhead in possession. Since the river is no longer planted with  
catchable rainbows, the river has transitioned from a put and take  
trout fishery to a catch and release wild trout fishery.

The restoration program was made possible by a settlement reached in  
2006 in the 18-year-old lawsuit filed in 1988 by over a dozen fishing  
groups, including the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and  
United Anglers of California, and environmental groups. The settlement  
guaranteed an increasing amount of "restoration flows" to allow salmon  
and steelhead to successfully spawn and rear in the San Joaquin.

The Bureau of Reclamation, the operator of Friant Dam, began releasing  
those restoration flows in 2009. However, restoration flows over the  
past several years were reduced, due to seepage problems on landowners  
land. There are no restoration flows this year because of the drought.

For more information, go to: http://www.restoresjr.net/
?San Joaquin River below Friant Dam
by Dan Bacher Monday May 26th, 2014 9:11 AM

800_san_joaquin_river.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

Spring run chinook have not spawned in the San Joaquin River for over  
60 years since Friant Dam was built. Photo by Dan Bacher.
?San Joaquin River at Lost Lake
by Dan Bacher Monday May 26th, 2014 9:11 AM

800_fishing_the_san_joaqu...
original image ( 5184x3456)

The river at Lost Lake Park is a popular area for families to picnic,  
relax, fish and play sports. Photo by Dan Bacher. Photo by Dan Bacher.
?Rainbow trout from the river
by Dan Bacher Monday May 26th, 2014 9:11 AM

800_san_joaquin_river_tro...
original image ( 3456x5184)

The Department of Fish and Wildlife no longer plants rainbow trout  
like this one in the San Joaquin below Friant Dam as the spring  
Chinook salmon restoration plan moves forward. Photo by Dan Bacher.

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From tstokely at att.net  Thu May 29 10:45:38 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 29 May 2014 10:45:38 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Independent Science Team Completes Review of
	Trinity River Restoration Projects
In-Reply-To: <d93a8ad103884a7dbd35d455e2d1066e@usbr.gov>
References: <d93a8ad103884a7dbd35d455e2d1066e@usbr.gov>
Message-ID: <1401385538.67296.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Thursday, May 29, 2014 10:36 AM, Loredana Potter <lpotter at usbr.gov> wrote:






Independent Science Team Completes Review of Trinity River Restoration Projects
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
MP-14-105
Media Contact: Janet Sierzputowski, Reclamation, 916-978-5100, jsierzputowski at usbr.gov
??????????? ??????????? Matt Baun, USFWS, 530-340-2387, matt_baun at fws.gov
For Release On: May 29, 2014 ???????????????????? ?????????????
Independent Science Team Completes Review of Trinity River Restoration Projects
WEAVERVILLE, Calif. ? The Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announce that the Science Advisory Board of the Trinity River Restoration Program (Program or TRRP) completed its review of mainstem-river channel rehabilitation projects that have occurred on the Trinity River between 2005 and 2010.?
Conclusions and recommendations for carrying out Phase 2 of the Program?s channel rehabilitation strategy are included in the report, which is available at www.trrp.net. The review and recommendations in the report represent the culmination of over two years of analysis and synthesis by SAB members and their support contractors.
The SAB relied on reports and data collected by technical experts within the TRRP over several years. In addition, the SAB issued a draft report in November 2013 and solicited comments from TRRP partners. These comments have been addressed by the SAB, and the final version of the report has been revised accordingly.
The report concluded that substantial progress has been made and that rehabilitation projects are creating habitat and a more complex river, but the effects on fish production are unclear given limited data sets available to date. The SAB has identified areas where the TRRP can improve, specifically by tightly integrating activities around the Program?s overarching goal of fishery restoration.
?I thank the Science Advisory Board for their work in reviewing the important restoration projects that have occurred in the mainstem Trinity River,? said Robin Schrock, Trinity River Restoration Program Executive Director. ?The Science Advisory Board has identified areas where the program can improve, and we look forward to working with our partners to ensure we carry out these important recommendations, which we wholeheartedly agree will help advance the recovery of this important fishery.?
The TRRP consists of the following partner agencies: the Hoopa Valley Tribe, the Yurok Tribe, Trinity County, the California Resources Agency (Department of Water Resources and Department of Fish and Wildlife), the U.S. Forest Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Below is a Summary of Recommendations from the TRRP?s SAB:
In going forward with Phase 2 of channel rehabilitation projects, the SAB recommends the following: ?
	* Develop a Decision Support System, which is a series of linked physical and biological models that will allow the Program to: predict site and system response to alternative management actions in relation to the Record of Decision and stakeholder objectives; make such predictions in a timely fashion (ahead of monitoring results); focus and refine monitoring efforts; and provide a necessary tool for adaptive management. Additionally, it will help to better structure and integrate Program activities and increase the defensibility and transparency of management actions. The proposed DSS will shift the Program from the current focus on means objectives (i.e., creating fish rearing habitat) toward a focus on the fundamental objective (restoring in-river fish production) through a better understanding of the roles and synergistic effects of Program actions (management of flow, temperature, sediment and channel morphology) on fish production over space and
 time.?
	* Use the DSS to critically assess channel rehabilitation actions needed to achieve fish population objectives. What habitats are needed and in which locations of the river to achieve objectives at local and system scales in concert with other Program activities (management of flow, temperature and sediment)?
	* Use the DSS to formally test the foundational hypothesis that a dynamic, complex channel can be created and that, together with other Program activities, will restore fish populations.
	* Use the DSS to critically evaluate the change in design strategy that has occurred (i.e., minimal vs. intensive mechanical intervention). A key factor to quantify in this regard is the response time for creating desired channel conditions and fish populations. The desired response time greatly influences the type of management actions (i.e., size, frequency and degree of manipulation). Similarly, consider the potential benefits of several large projects vs. many small ones. Are large channel rehabilitation projects more effective at meeting Program objectives than small ones, and which objectives are best met by each approach?
	* Phase 2 projects should continue to use opportunistic design strategies to promote dynamic alluvial reaches where possible, while working with local constraints on channel morphology in this semi-alluvial river.? However, because the river is less alluvial than originally envisioned, a dichotomy of project designs may be needed (i.e., those that specifically drive geomorphic processes over time, producing dynamic habitat response in alluvial sections of the river vs. building static habitat features intended to persist over time in less alluvial reaches).
	* Continue to use a diversity of design elements in Phase 2 projects. Although the effectiveness of specific rehabilitation projects and design elements could not be evaluated in terms of fish production due to data limitations, the various design elements all contribute to increased juvenile fish habitat and reduce habitat bottlenecks observed at modest flows. Side channels offer a potential means for maximizing habitat availability but may be more prone to aggradation, so their potential benefits depend on the dynamic longevity of such features, and they should only be located in reaches that have potential for anabranching morphology. In addition, diversity of design elements and associated habitats is recommended as this may promote species resilience to changing environmental conditions.
	* Design objectives for Phase 1 projects initially invoked the Program?s ROD and Integrated Assessment Plan objectives without demonstrating how they would be achieved. In contrast, recent efforts are more defensible?employing mechanistic, predictive models to evaluate as-built changes, design alternatives and site evolution. Phase 2 projects should continue these more rigorous efforts in combination with a DSS and fish production model.
	* Incorporate into study plans metrics for quantifying juvenile fish numbers, growth and health as major components of fish population modeling for estimating annual in-river fish production, and examine the role of annual water temperature regimes with regard to fish growth and general health across years. As the river system evolves in response to post-ROD management actions, the Program?s foundational hypothesis of juvenile rearing habitat?being the primary limiting factor may be expected to change. Use the DSS and fish population modeling as a surrogate for the actual fish population to periodically?examine alternative population limiting hypotheses.? For example, (1)?juvenile fish production vs. adult escapement and (2) carrying capacity of physical habitat vs. water temperature and its effect on fish growth and health.
	* Better articulate program and stakeholder objectives and explicitly identify the relations among objectives. The current management actions tend to address means objectives (e.g., create habitat), rather than fundamental objectives (e.g., increase fish populations). As a result, disagreement about science is often conflated with disagreement about objectives, significantly hindering scientific advancement. Similarly, scientific disagreement should be explicitly incorporated into the process using alternative models that represent the alternative scientific hypotheses about system dynamics.
	* Adopt rigorous hypothesis testing for Program activities and scientific investigations, which is critical for improving the effectiveness of such actions. Treat rehabilitation projects as opportunities to formally test the hypotheses and goals articulated by the ROD and IAP.
	* Integrate workgroup activities to better achieve Program objectives. The workgroups include interdisciplinary membership but need better coordination and exchange of information across workgroups (development of a DSS should facilitate this integration). In addition, the internal review process of Program reports should be streamlined to disseminate findings more rapidly. Publication in peer-review journals also is encouraged to both have peer input and to better disseminate Program findings.
	* Develop a system-wide, one-dimensional sediment routing model in concert with existing sediment transport monitoring and additional tracer studies to more finely resolve the sediment budget and the fate of gravel augmentation.
For additional information, please contact Robin Schrock, Executive Director, Trinity River Restoration Program, at rschrock at usbr.gov or 530-623-1800 or visit www.trrp.net.
?


If you would rather not receive future communications from Bureau of Reclamation, let us know by clicking here.
Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Federal Center, Alameda & Kipling Street PO Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225 United States
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Jun  2 09:17:12 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2014 09:17:12 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Indian Country Today Media Network: New Klamath Water
	Bill Has One Opponent in Hoopa Valley Tribe
In-Reply-To: <1401725518.33155.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1401725518.33155.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1401725832.36230.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/06/01/new-klamath-water-bill-has-one-opponent-hoopa-valley-tribe-155108





Courtesy U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
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New Klamath Water Bill Has One Opponent in Hoopa Valley Tribe
ICTMN Staff
6/1/14
The Klamath Water Recovery and Economic Restoration Act of 2014, introduced on May 21 by senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) was created to replace long-running conflicts over scarce water resources in the Klamath River Basin, but there is at least one tribe not a fan of the bill.
?The Hoopa Valley Tribe is shocked and disappointed,? said Hoopa Valley Tribe Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten, ?that the so-called ?Klamath Basin Water Recovery and Economic Restoration Act of 2014? introduced by Senators: Feinstein, Boxer, Merkley, and Wyden would effectively terminate water and fishing rights of our tribe.?
According to apress releasefrom Wyden?s office, the bill will put into law landmark agreements that were hammered out by Klamath Basin stakeholders, including the recent Upper Basin Agreement. Wyden?s release states the bill will build a cooperative water management plan that will protect fish and wildlife and provide more predictable water supplies for farmers and ranchers. One aspect of the bill, as Vigil-Masten addressed, will be the permanently protected and enhanced riparian areas, restoring hundreds of miles of fish habitat and getting additional water to the National Wildlife Refuges.
A Hoopa Valley Tribe press release says the bill will ratify three lengthy agreements (theKlamath Basin Restoration Act,Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, and Upper Basin Comprehensive Agreement) negotiated between farmers, PacifiCorp, federal agencies, and three tribes, while calling for $900 million in federal appropriations and unnecessarily linking tribal water rights in the Klamath River to decommissioning of four obsolete hydroelectric dams owned by PacifiCorp.
The bill has received support from the parties involved in the three agreements which include: American Rivers, California Trout, Institute for Fisheries Resources, Karuk Tribe, Klamath Water Users Association, The Nature Conservancy, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations, PacifiCorp, Salmon River Restoration Council, Sustainable Northwest, Trout Unlimited, and Upper Klamath Water Users.
Following the bill?s announcement, the 12 groups in support of Senator Wyden?s leadership and the brighter economic and environmental future released a statement: ?We thank Senator Ron Wyden for working tirelessly to help us find a lasting solution to our water sharing challenges in the Klamath Basin. We are hopeful that this legislation will finally bring an end to more than a century of challenging times in our community. People came together from all corners of the basin to hammer out these agreements, and the give and take has not always been easy. We are grateful to Senator Wyden, Senator Merkley, Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer for sponsoring this important legislation. Similarly, Governor Kitzhaber and other leaders who have supported our local process have given all basin residents a reason to hope for a brighter future here for our children, our grandchildren, and the fish and wildlife that rely on this region?s natural resources for
 survival.?
The bill and restoration efforts look to create more than 4,000 jobs to be created or preserved including those in farming, ranching, commercial and recreational fishing, and construction in and near the basin according to Wyden?s release.
Despite the positives involved with the bill, tribes like the Hoopa are directly affected as well, as Masten has pointed out. She said the bill directs the Secretary to cut off senior water rights of the tribe to Klamath River water and fish in California in favor of water diversions for irrigation in Oregon. ?Fish need water. The little water we get under this bill will jeopardize on going fishery restoration in the Klamath and Trinity Rivers,? said Chairwoman Masten.
For over 20 years, the Hoopa Valley Tribe has worked to restore salmon of the Trinity River, the Klamath?s largest tributary, and in 1992 obtained legislation mandating that the fishery restoration work be completed. That restoration work is jeopardized by the Klamath Agreements and the proposed legislation, Fisheries Department Director, Michael Orcutt, pointed out. ?We are optimistic that Congress will not approve these agreements at the expense of our treaty rights,? said Michael Orcutt.

Read more athttp://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/06/01/new-klamath-water-bill-has-one-opponent-hoopa-valley-tribe-155108?page=0%2C1
Read more athttp://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/06/01/new-klamath-water-bill-has-one-opponent-hoopa-valley-tribe-155108
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Jun  2 13:19:27 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2014 13:19:27 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] TAMWG Agenda for June 9-10, Weaverville Fire Hall
Message-ID: <1401740367.14773.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



Trinity River Adaptive Management Working Group
DRAFT AGENDA
Meeting of June 9-10, 2014
NOTE: Times
Subject to Change
?
In-Person Location: Weaverville
Fire Hall (125 Bremer Street, Weaverville, CA 96093)
?
To join the telephone (audio) conference only for June 9:
Call-In Toll Number:? 408-792-6300
Access Code:? 579 521 080
To join the WebEx conference for June 9:
URL: https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=mda54085953c9f4bff9bdc3fed1dec2d4
Password: Abc123!
?
To join the telephone (audio) conference only for June
10:
Call-In Toll Number:? 408-792-6300
Access Code:? 577 909 859
To join the WebEx conference for June 10:
URL: https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=m99ac3ea7693a52330e6ade568e160955
Password: Abc123!
?
MONDAY June 9, 2014 
Time Agenda Item
? Presenter 
9:00 AM Welcome, Introductions, Approve Agenda & Minutes
? TAMWG 
9:15 AM Public Comment
Note: In accordance with traditional meeting practices, TAMWG will not act on any public comment item during its current business meeting ? 
9:30 AM Climate Change and Water Management in the Tributaries Mark Lancaster 
9:45 AM Trinity Watershed Efforts Alex Cousins et al 
10:45 AM BDCP Presentation Tom Stokely 
11:15 DSS Update Ernie Clarke/DJ Bandrowski 
11:45 AM Update on Settlement Agreement of Trinity River Fish Hatchery Don Reck 
12:00 PM Lunch ? 
1:15 PM Phase 1 Review?  SAB 
2:15 PM Vision of a Restored River to Help Guide Restoration Charlie Chamberlain et al 
3:15 PM TRRP Riparian Efforts? James Lee 
4:15 PM Adjourn ? 
 
?
TUESDAY June 10, 2014 
Time Agenda Item Presenter 
9:00 AM Designated Federal Officer Items?(including Action Tracker Update, Robert?s Rules of Order, Membership Process and Schedule, and Charter Renewal) Joe Polos 
9:30 AM TMC Chair Update Brian Person 
10:00 AM Executive Director Update Robin Schrock 
10:30 AM FY15 Budget Robin Schrock 
11:00 AM Science Coordinator Update Ernie Clarke 
11:30 AM Implementation Branch Chief Update DJ Bandrowski 
12:00 PM Lunch ? 
1:15 PM Update from TRRP workgroups WG coordinators/Ernie/DJ 
1:45 PM Follow-Up Discussion from May 15 Joint TMC/TAMWG Meeting TAMWG 
3:45 PM Identify potential agenda items for next meeting TAMWG 
4:00 PM Adjourn ? 
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From FISH1IFR at aol.com  Mon Jun  2 15:59:47 2014
From: FISH1IFR at aol.com (FISH1IFR at aol.com)
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2014 18:59:47 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Indian Country Today; New Klamath Water Bill ...
Message-ID: <cb2ba.1ea71d64.40be5be3@aol.com>

In a message dated 6/2/2014 9:17:46 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
tstokely at att.net writes:

?The  Hoopa Valley Tribe is shocked and disappointed,? said Hoopa Valley 
Tribe  Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten, ?that the so-called ?Klamath Basin 
Water  Recovery and Economic Restoration Act of 2014? introduced by 
Senators:  Feinstein, Boxer, Merkley, and Wyden would effectively terminate water  
and fishing rights of our tribe.?

Colleagues....
 
I find the above statement puzzling as to how the Hoopa Tribe could  
possibly come to this conclusion above.  In fact, there is specific  language in 
the new bill that makes such impacts patently  impossible.  Reading Sec. 3(g) 
of S. 2376 (The Klamath Basin Water Recovery  and Economic Restoration Act 
of 2014) it clearly says:
 
  "Sec. 3(g) TRIBAL RIGHS PROTECTED. -- Nothing in this Act  or the 
Settlements --
 
     (1) affects the rights or any Indian tribe outside  the Klamath Basin; 
or
     
     (2) amends, alters, or limits the authority of the  Indian tribes of 
the Klamath Basin to exercise any water right the Indian tribes  hold or may 
be determined to hold except as expressly provided in the  Agreements."
 
AND ALSO:
 
  "Sec. 5(h)(2) & (3)   EFFECT OF SECTION. -- Nothing in  this section  --
 
     (2) affects the treaty fishing, hunting, trapping,  pasturing, or 
gathering right of any Indian tribe except to the extent  expressly provided in 
this Act or the Agreements; or
 
     (3) affects any right, remedy, privilege,  immunity, power, or claim 
not specifically relinquished and released  under, or limited by, this Act or 
the Agreements."
 
As the Hoopa Valley Tribe is not now, and has never been, a  
Party-signatory to any of the Klamath Settlement Agreements, the savings clause  of Sec. 
3(g) makes it clear in the statutory language itself that this Act would  in 
no way whatsoever impact any water rights the Hoopa Valley Tribe now  has or 
may in the future be determined to have.  
 
And as the Tribal water Settlement provisions of the Act include ONLY the  
"Party Tribes" who have actually signed the Settlement Agreements, and do 
not  include even mention of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, one can only conclude 
that  nothing in this Act would apply to the Hoopa Tribe in any way, nor limit 
either  water or fishing rights of the Hoopa Valley Tribe in any way.  In 
fact just  the opposite -- as the two limiting disclaimers cited above make it 
clear. 
 
S. 2376 should be available shortly in full text from the Library of  
Congress' Congressional Web site THOMAS, both by bill number and key word, at:  
http://thomas.loc.gov/
 
 
*****
 
While it is true that the Klamath Tribal water settlements,  which are 
strictly between the federal government and three other  Klamath Basin Tribes 
(theYurok, the Karuk and the Klamath Tribes of Oregon) who  are Parties to the 
Agreements, means that the Hoopa Valley Tribe  cannot  later force the US 
to sue to overturn its own federal  settlement agreements with those other 
Tribes, this is precise the case  already.  The US cannot be forced by one 
Tribe (for which it is  Trustee) to sue any other Tribe (for which it also 
serves as Trustee) -- this  would be a direct conflict of interest that would 
violate the federal Trustee  relationship, several federal laws and the 
Cannons of Ethics that lawyers must  abide by.  Doing so would mean the federal 
government would be, in essence,  suing itself!  
 
And likewise, since the Bureau of Reclamation and other federal agencies  
are Parties to the Agreements, nor can the Hoopa Tribe force the US (as  
Trustee) to, once again, sue itself to overturn its own agreements  with its own 
federal agencies.  Again, this would be a direct  conflict of interest that 
is not allowed under the current law.
 
But this is precisely the same situation the Hoopa Tribe would be in  
whenever it tried to sue any federal agency of its own Trustee, i.e.,  the 
federal government.  All it means is that in order to do so -- i.e., to  exercise 
any of its water or fishing rights against the feds in Federal  Court -- it 
would simply have to hire its own private attorney's rather  than be 
represented by the U.S. Attorney's Office or Solicitor General.
 
There are many examples of that happening in the past.  A recent  example 
in the Klamath Basin is the case Pacific Coast Federation of  Fishermen's 
Associations, et al. vs. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (2000)  (Civ. No. C00-1955 
SBA), when we sued BOR over lack of a legal BiOp for the  Klamath Irrigation 
Project.  The Hoopa Valley Tribe and the Yurok Tribe  both intervened in 
that case against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to  defend their inherent 
water and fisheries rights -- the only difference between  that and any other 
lawsuit is that, since they were suing their own US  Trustee, they had to 
have their own independent legal counsel.    They could not force their Trustee 
to, in essence, sue itself.  
 
But that restriction remains in place whether or not there is (or is not) a 
 Klamath Settlement and whether or not the Klamath Act is ultimately signed 
into  law.  The Klamath Act does not affect that legal limitation on what a 
Tribe  can ask its federal Trustee to do in any way.
 
Hence the Hoopa Valley Tribe's statement that the Klamath Act of 2014  
"would effectively terminate water and fishing rights of our tribe" simply  
cannot be true.  
 
It may be an inconvenience to the Hoopa Tribe to have to hire its own  
independent legal Counsel rather than have access to free legal  services of the 
US government, but that minor inconvenience in no way affects,  amends or 
negates whatever underlying legal water or fishing rights the Hoopa  Tribe 
might in fact have in Court.  
 
 
======================================
Glen H. Spain, Northwest  Regional Director
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations  (PCFFA)
PO Box 11170, Eugene, OR 97440-3370
Office: (541)689-2000 Fax:  (541)689-2500
Web Home Page: _www.pcffa.org_ (http://www.pcffa.org/) 
Email:  fish1ifr at aol.com
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From t.schlosser at msaj.com  Mon Jun  2 16:33:20 2014
From: t.schlosser at msaj.com (Thomas P. Schlosser)
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2014 16:33:20 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Indian Country Today; New Klamath Water Bill ...
In-Reply-To: <cb2ba.1ea71d64.40be5be3@aol.com>
References: <cb2ba.1ea71d64.40be5be3@aol.com>
Message-ID: <538D09C0.5000506@msaj.com>

Glen conflates rights to property with rights to trustee action. The 
former are preserved, the latter are diminished. Here's why:


Under existing law the U.S. Bureau of ?Reclamation is obligated to 
ensure that [irrigation] project operations not interfere with the 
Tribes? senior water rights.This is dictated by the doctrine of prior 
appropriation as well as Reclamation?s trust responsibility to protect 
tribal trust resources. . . . Reclamation must, pursuant to its trust 
responsibility and consistent with its other legal obligations, prevent 
activities under its control that would adversely affect [the Tribes? 
fishing] rights.? Memorandum of Regional Solicitor (July 25, 1995)[1] 
<#_ftn1>.This trust duty would be changed by KBRA, as authorized by 
S. 2379, and KBRA would eliminate the trustee?s duty to prevent such 
adverse effects.

Section 5(f) of Sen. Wyden?s S. 2379 would authorize executing the KBRA 
agreement so the United States? rights and obligations will change.As a 
result, the first priority for Klamath River surface water will go to 
the Klamath Irrigation District (diversions of 378,000 acre-feet per 
year), regardless of the effect on fish restoration.[2] <#_ftn2> When 
after those diversions too little water remains for fish, then not only 
will the United States be unable to protect Indian fishing rights, it 
will be obligated to oppose those rights. That is, the United States 
will enforce the KBRA priority given to water diversions for irrigation.

The KBRA makes this elimination of federal trust responsibility explicit 
for all Basin tribes, signatories or not.[3] <#_ftn3> For example, in 
section 15.3.9:

The United States, acting in its capacity as trustee for the 
Federally?recognized tribes of the Klamath Basin, hereby provides . . .. 
Assurances that it will not assert:(i) tribal water or fishing right 
theories or tribal trust theories in a manner, or (ii) tribal water or 
trust rights, whatever they may be, in a manner that will interfere with 
the diversion  . . . of water for the Klamath Reclamation Project that 
is . . . provided in Appendix E?1.

Congressional authorization of the KBRA without an appropriate savings 
clause will change the tribal right (enforceable by the federal trustee) 
from a right to sufficient water to produce the fish on which the Tribes 
rely, into a right to water left over after the diversions per KBRA 
Appendix E-1, regardless of what the habitat consequences may be.It is 
thus similar to rights termination provisions imposed upon Indian tribes 
in the 1950s.This bill would abridge and minimize the 
Government-to-Government relationship between the United States and the 
Hoopa Valley Tribe.

T:\WPDOCS\0020\09773\Corresp\TERMINATION OF TRUST DUTY 021314.docx

kfn:5/27/14


------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] <#_ftnref1> /Available at/ 
http://www.schlosserlawfiles.com/~hoopa/SolMem072595.pdf.

[2] <#_ftnref2> KBRA App. E-1, /available at/ 
http://www.schlosserlawfiles.com/~hoopa/KBRAsecAppE-1.pdf; full document 
at http://klamathrestoration.gov.

[3] <#_ftnref3> Signatory tribes agreed to relieve the United States of 
this duty in exchange for funding. They also reserved their claims if 
funds or certain events do not occur. E.g., KBRA sec. 15.7.B.ii. 
Non-signatory tribes? rights are simply changed unilaterally and without 
consideration.

On 6/2/2014 3:59 PM, FISH1IFR at aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 6/2/2014 9:17:46 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, 
> tstokely at att.net writes:
>
>     ?The Hoopa Valley Tribe is shocked and disappointed,? said Hoopa
>     Valley Tribe Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten, ?that the so-called
>     ?Klamath Basin Water Recovery and Economic Restoration Act of
>     2014? introduced by Senators: Feinstein, Boxer, Merkley, and Wyden
>     *would effectively terminate water and fishing rights of our tribe.*?
>
> Colleagues....
> I find the above statement puzzling as to how the Hoopa Tribe could 
> possibly come to this conclusion above.  In fact, there is specific 
> language in the new bill that makes such impacts patently impossible.  
> Reading Sec. 3(g) of S. 2376 (The Klamath Basin Water Recovery and 
> Economic Restoration Act of 2014) it clearly says:
>   "Sec. 3(g) TRIBAL RIGHS PROTECTED. -- Nothing in this Act or the 
> Settlements --
>      (1) affects the rights or any Indian tribe outside the Klamath 
> Basin; or
>      (2) amends, alters, or limits the authority of the Indian tribes 
> of the Klamath Basin to exercise any water right the Indian tribes 
> hold or may be determined to hold except *as expressly provided in the 
> Agreements."*
> AND ALSO:
>   "Sec. 5(h)(2) & (3)   EFFECT OF SECTION. -- Nothing in this section  --
>      (2) affects the treaty fishing, hunting, trapping, pasturing, or 
> gathering right of any Indian tribe *except to the extent expressly 
> provided in this Act or the Agreements*; or
>      (3) affects any right, remedy, privilege, immunity, power, or 
> claim not *specifically relinquished and released under, or limited 
> by, this Act or the Agreements."*
> As the Hoopa Valley Tribe is not now, _and has never been_, a 
> Party-signatory to any of the Klamath Settlement Agreements, the 
> savings clause of Sec. 3(g) makes it clear in the statutory language 
> itself that this Act would _in no way whatsoever_ impact any water 
> rights the Hoopa Valley Tribe now has or may in the future be 
> determined to have.
> And as the Tribal water Settlement provisions of the Act include ONLY 
> the "Party Tribes" who have actually signed the Settlement Agreements, 
> and do not include even mention of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, one can 
> only conclude that nothing in this Act would apply to the Hoopa Tribe 
> in any way, nor limit either water or fishing rights of the Hoopa 
> Valley Tribe in any way.  In fact just the opposite -- as the two 
> limiting disclaimers cited above make it clear.
> S. 2376 should be available shortly in full text from the Library of 
> Congress' Congressional Web site THOMAS, both by bill number and key 
> word, at: http://thomas.loc.gov/
> *****
> While it is true that the Klamath Tribal water settlements, which are 
> strictly between the federal government and three other Klamath Basin 
> Tribes (theYurok, the Karuk and the Klamath Tribes of Oregon) who 
> _are_ Parties to the Agreements, means that the Hoopa Valley Tribe 
> cannot  later force the US to sue to overturn its own federal 
> settlement agreements with those other Tribes, _this is precise the 
> case already_.  The US cannot be forced by one Tribe (for which it is 
> Trustee) to sue any other Tribe (for which it also serves as Trustee) 
> -- this would be a direct conflict of interest that would violate the 
> federal Trustee relationship, several federal laws and the Cannons of 
> Ethics that lawyers must abide by.  Doing so would mean the federal 
> government would be, in essence, suing itself!
> And likewise, since the Bureau of Reclamation and other federal 
> agencies are Parties to the Agreements, nor can the Hoopa Tribe force 
> the US (as Trustee) to, once again, _sue itself_ to overturn its own 
> agreements with its own federal agencies.  Again, this would be a 
> direct conflict of interest that is not allowed under the current law.
> But this is precisely the same situation the Hoopa Tribe would be in 
> whenever it tried to sue any federal agency of its own Trustee, i.e., 
> the federal government.  All it means is that in order to do so -- 
> i.e., to exercise any of its water or fishing rights against the feds 
> in Federal Court -- it would simply have to hire its own private 
> attorney's rather than be represented by the U.S. Attorney's Office or 
> Solicitor General.
> There are many examples of that happening in the past.  A recent 
> example in the Klamath Basin is the case /Pacific Coast Federation of 
> Fishermen's Associations, et al. vs. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation/ 
> (2000) (Civ. No. C00-1955 SBA), when we sued BOR over lack of a 
> legal BiOp for the Klamath Irrigation Project.  The Hoopa Valley Tribe 
> and the Yurok Tribe both intervened in that case _against_ the U.S. 
> Bureau of Reclamation to defend their inherent water and fisheries 
> rights -- the only difference between that and any other lawsuit is 
> that, since they were suing their own US Trustee, they had to have 
> their own independent legal counsel. /They could not force their 
> Trustee to, in essence, sue itself./
> But that restriction remains in place whether or not there is (or is 
> not) a Klamath Settlement and whether or not the Klamath Act is 
> ultimately signed into law.  The Klamath Act does not affect that 
> legal limitation on what a Tribe can ask its federal Trustee to do in 
> any way.
> Hence the Hoopa Valley Tribe's statement that the Klamath Act of 2014 
> "would effectively terminate water and fishing rights of our tribe" 
> simply cannot be true.
> It may be an inconvenience to the Hoopa Tribe to have to hire its own 
> independent legal Counsel rather than have access to free legal 
> services of the US government, but that minor inconvenience in no way 
> affects, amends or negates whatever underlying legal water or fishing 
> rights the Hoopa Tribe might in fact have in Court.
> ======================================
> Glen H. Spain, Northwest Regional Director
> Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA)
> PO Box 11170, Eugene, OR 97440-3370
> Office: (541)689-2000 Fax: (541)689-2500
> Web Home Page: www.pcffa.org <http://www.pcffa.org/>
> Email: fish1ifr at aol.com

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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jun  3 07:38:39 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2014 07:38:39 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Lower Klamath tribes speak
	against new Klamath legislation
Message-ID: <1401806319.79190.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20140529/NEWS/140529660

By David Smith
dsmith at siskiyoudaily.com
May 29. 2014 8:19AM
Lower Klamath tribes speak against new Klamath legislation
Upper Klamath Basin tribes have come out in recent weeks touting new legislation authorizing federal involvement in three Klamath agreements, but the enthusiasm has not been shared by all of the tribes downriver.
Upper Klamath Basin tribes have come out in recent weeks touting new legislation authorizing federal involvement in three Klamath agreements, but the enthusiasm has not been shared by all of the tribes downriver.
The legislation, introduced by Senator Ron Wyden and co-sponsored by senators Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein of California and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, would grant authority for the federal government to execute actions in the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and Upper Klamath Basin Comprehensive Agreement.
The KHSA and KBRA make possible the removal of four dams along the Klamath River, as well as an extensive list of restoration projects.?
The more recent UKBCA solidifies certain concessions to the Klamath Tribes and water deliveries to upper basin irrigators.?
Along with Siskiyou County, the Yurok and Hoopa tribes have expressed opposition to the agreements; however, Siskiyou County has opposed the removal of the dams and the tribes have long been opposed to the concessions made on their behalf in the agreements.?
Late last week, both the Resighni Rancheria of the Yurok Tribe and the Hoopa Tribe issued press releases decrying the legislation, stating that the tribes view it as a termination of tribal water and fishing rights.?
Tom Schlosser, attorney for the Hoopa Tribe, explained Wednesday that the tribe believes Wyden?s Senate Bill S.2379 would eliminate the Bureau of Reclamation?s duty to protect tribal trust resources by shifting the bureau?s obligations to preserving water resources for agricultural purposes in the upper basin.?
Schlosser said, ? ... As a result, the first priority for Klamath River surface water will go to the Klamath Irrigation District (diversions of 378,000 acre-feet per year), regardless of the effect on fish restoration.
?When, after those diversions, too little water remains for fish, then not only will the United States be unable to protect Indian fishing rights, it will be obligated to oppose those rights. That is, the U.S. will enforce the KBRA?priority given to water diversions for irrigation.?
In addition, both tribes have opposed the agreements in light of their support of a more immediate dam removal option, which they believe can be achieved more quickly through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission?s dam relicensing process.?
?We were excluded from participating in the settlement talks leading to the KHSA?and the KBRA because we were steadfast in our position that in order to restore a natural balance to the Klamath River Basin, PacifiCorp?s obsolete hydro dams had to be removed from the Klamath River,??the Resighini release states. ?Our position was and is supported by the findings by the findings of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.?
A third tribe, the Shasta, has also consistently opposed the agreements, but rather than encourage quicker dam removal, the Shasta have steadfastly opposed the dam?s removal under the contention that it could result in the desecration of tribal lands and burial grounds.?
Another bill from the same senators, titled the ?California Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2014,??also includes authorization for the Secretary of the Interior to enter into agreements on the Klamath, along with $100,000,000 for drought relief efforts.?
Both bills are currently in Senate committees.
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jun  3 07:43:29 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2014 07:43:29 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News: Water trust leases record amount
Message-ID: <1401806609.9915.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20140530/NEWS/140539975

By Amanda Hinds Doyle
@SDNHindsDoyle
May 30. 2014 9:11AM
Water
trust leases record amount
ETNA ? In an effort to keep sufficient flows in the mainstem Scott
River, several members of the Farmers Ditch Company set aside their differences
with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to collaborate on an
agreement that will return surface water back to the river to augment flows for
distribution of yearling coho salmon and emerging coho fry. 
According to Scott
River Water Trust board member Sari Sommarstrom, the trust paid the FDC to
return about two thirds of their diversion amount back into the Scott River. 
?The
water right for FDC is 30 cubic feet per second (senior right) plus 6 cfs
surplus (junior),? said Sommarstrom. Of those rights, 20 cfs are being
returned.
?Twenty cfs is by far the largest water transaction we have ever
done,? said SRWT Executive Director Preston Harris. ?It was a difficult task
negotiating this transaction in such a limited water year while trying to meet
the needs of the farmers whom depend on this water for their livelihoods.
Farmers Ditch Company is making a big sacrifice. This type of collaboration is
good to see.? 
While there may be other means of irrigation, such as switching
to groundwater pumping, Harris said that the majority, if not all, of the FDC
do not have an alternative source of irrigation. 
?I don't think anybody can
make that switch,? Harris said about alternate irrigation means. ?The guys who
did this are really giving up a lot.?
While negotiations were difficult due to
such limited water this year, ?This type of collaboration is good to see,? said
Harris. 
This water transaction is part of an accumulated effort in the Scott
Basin to ensure salmon survival. 
?We recognize the importance of having as
many salmon survive this extraordinary year, not only for our system, but
others throughout California,? said Gareth Plank of FDC. 
The 20 cfs of water
added to the Scott River will provide improved rearing conditions, natural
migration and reduces the need to relocate fish that could be stranded in the
more problematic areas of the river during the extreme drought, according to a
SRWT press release. 
CDFW senior environmental scientist Gary Curtis, who has
assisted with the agreement, added, ?The department appreciates the great
efforts these landowners are making to improve conditions in the Scott River
for the fishery resource during a very difficult water year.?
While numbers are
still being crunched for 2014, spent $53,100 on water leases among 11 people
last year, according to Sommarstrom. 
She said that due to extreme drought
conditions, the trust is expecting to spend more this year.
The money can go
toward making up the additional costs associated with less water, especially if
ranchers have to rent pasture due to the loss of flood irrigation in their
current fields, said Sommarstrom.
?We?re not targeting the big alfalfa fields,?
said Sommarstrom. ?We are trying to compensate them fairly.?
In addition to the
FDC returning water, SRWT is sending out letters to individuals along French
and Sugar creeks and the upper mainstream Scott River for further volunteer
water returns. 
?It?s hard to generate how much economic impact this will
have,? said Sommarstrom.
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jun  3 08:36:54 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2014 08:36:54 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Lowden Ranch Wetland Enhancement Project
Message-ID: <1401809814.13137.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

See attached flier.

?Lowden Ranch Wetland Enhancement Project?
What: Invasive species removal (Sweet briar and mullein)?
Who: Volunteers of all ages are welcome!?
Where: Lowden Ranch (just off Highway 299 on Lewiston road)?
When: Saturday June 21 from 10:00-2:00 pm?
What to bring: A water bottle, lunch and sunscreen?
What to wear: Long pants, a long sleeve shirt, a wide brimmed hat, work gloves and closed toed shoes?
Hand tools, a light snack?
and water refills will be provided!?
The mission of the AmeriCorps WSP is to conserve, restore, and enhance anadromous watersheds for future generations by linking education with high-quality scientific practices. A project of the California Conservation Corps, WSP is sponsored by CaliforniaVolunteers and administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service.?
For more information contact:?
Amanda Lee - amanda.lee at ccc.ca.gov or call 530-629-4937?
Sara Tanis - sara.tanis at ccc.ca.gov or call 530-629-4485?
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jun  3 11:49:34 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2014 11:49:34 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Change in location for June 9-10 TAMWG meeting-
	Victorian Inn
Message-ID: <1401821374.86383.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

All,
The TAMWG meeting for June 9-10 will be held at the Victorian Inn instead of the Weaverville Fire Hall.
?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Jun  5 08:19:06 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2014 08:19:06 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] =?iso-8859-1?q?E=26E_News=3A_After_summer_fires=2C_?=
 =?iso-8859-1?q?El_Ni=F1o_could_bring_severe_flooding_to_the_West?=
Message-ID: <1401981546.57465.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060000680

WEATHER:
After summer fires, El Ni?o could bring severe flooding to the West
Henry Gass, E&E reporterClimateWire: Wednesday, June 4, 2014
	* RESIZE?TEXT?RESIZE TEXT?	* EMAIL&NBSP?EMAIL?	* PRINT&NBSP?PRINT
Drought-stricken states in the western United States could face severe flash flooding later in the year due to the combination of an intense wildfire season in the summer and a strong El Ni?o event the following winter.
An El Ni?o is a complex weather event that drives warm ocean water from the Asian-Pacific east, raising ocean temperatures along the west coast of the Americas, invigorating regional weather systems and increasing the amount of precipitation in the American West. They occur about every four years, but the United States hasn't seen a strong El Ni?o since 1998.
A firefighter is framed in the window of a Carlsbad, Calif., house destroyed by one of nine wildfires that raged in the area last month.Photo by Gregory Bull, courtesy of AP Images.
A moderate El Ni?o occurred in 2010, leading to the warmest year on record in the United States, and Pacific Ocean temperatures increased at most 3 degrees Celsius, according to Kevin Trenberth, a climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Scientists have already observed a 6 C increase in some areas of the Pacific, which hasn't occurred since the 1998 El Ni?o, Trenberth said.
"The question is will it be a weak or moderate event, or will it become a large event, and certainly this one has started off with the potential to be a larger event -- but it's still not fully clear," Trenberth said.
Ocean temperatures off the coast of Peru and Ecuador just jumped 2.5 C above normal, he added, and if the warm water moves farther north up the coastline toward the United States and Mexico, it's possible it could lead to increased rainfall, especially at the end of the year when the ocean and the atmosphere have the strongest interaction. A simulation from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration?shows?how the 1998 El Ni?o developed along the North and South American coastlines.
For Western states currently mired in devastating drought and likely to be beset by wildfires through the summer, rainfall intensified by El Ni?o may not bring relief. Instead of canceling each other out, the two extreme seasons could dovetail with major implications for people living near scorched areas.
When forest fire debris can fill reservoirs
The Mescalero Apache Tribe in south-central New Mexico is in its fourth consecutive year of exceptional or extreme drought and has experienced three of its four largest ever wildfires in the last four years.
The largest came last year, burning away the forest above the reservation's fish hatchery that would usually absorb rainfall. With the trees gone, Mike Montoya, director of the tribe's fisheries department, described what happened the next time it rained on the reservation.
"Any regular rainstorm would become a flood event, and ashes would come into the water," Montoya said during a Department of Energy Web-based seminar in April. The ash would contaminate the hatchery water, leading to significant fish mortality (ClimateWire, April 11).
In burned areas, the soil chemistry is changed to such an extent that it becomes much more water-repellant. The roots and vegetation that typically absorbed rainfall have been burned away, and rainwater then runs straight downhill, often carrying whatever ash and debris is left on the surface with it.
"We really ought to be prepared for this and ought to have appropriate water management systems in place," Trenberth said.
Lester Snow, head of the nonprofit California Water Foundation and former leader of the state Department of Water Resources under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), said the wildfire and El Ni?o combination this year could shorten the life span of some California reservoirs by building up sediment and decreasing the volume of water they can hold. At worst, he said, the debris and contaminant runoff from post-fire flooding could severely damage ecosystems and threaten properties.
"The state's going to see a great burden on it," he said, "and probably a significant impact on ecosystems from the fire, and then flood and debris impacts if in fact El Ni?o hits in a classic fashion."
There are numerous post-fire treatments that state and federal agencies already use to mitigate stormwater runoff in burn areas -- including installing water bars that divert storm water and laying down straw, mulch and seeds that can absorb water. With all of California now in a state of drought, Snow said the potentially widespread wildfire season and intensified winter rainfall could stretch state resources to an unprecedented degree.
"There's a chance we're going to see requirements for post-fire treatments that surpass anything we've had to do in the past," he said.
Early warning may be key
NOAA's Climate Prediction Center?estimates?there is a 65 percent chance of an El Ni?o occurring this summer. The summer has also already seen a number of large wildfires, including large fires in Alaska and Arizona and two in California near San Diego and Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base (Greenwire, May 15).
But fire treatment officials in the West believe they are equipped to handle this year's fire-flood cycle.
[+]?Help may be on the way in the form of El Ni?o, which could dampen California's drought-parched forests.?Graphic courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Janet Upton, deputy director of communications with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said that even with the precipitation from a potential El Ni?o year, they "wouldn't have to be reinventing the wheel." The agency is usually able to predict heavy rainfall events 48 to 72 hours in advance, which would give it enough time to take extra precautions if heavier rains were coming in.
"We would just employ the resources and mitigations we already have in place," Upton said. "We would do our normal suppression repair and then keep an eye on it, monitor it and respond accordingly."
The only additional threat an El Ni?o event could bring compared with a normal winter is an increase in intense rainfall events. Jill Oropeza, a watershed specialist with the City of Fort Collins Utilities in Colorado, has been helping treat forests in the area after the June 2012 High Park fire burned more than 87,000 acres. Oropeza said the agency only saw major debris flows after intense rainfall.
"It would certainly be a concern to us if an El Ni?o produced higher intensity rainfall events, but at this point I think we would have to rely on the early warning alert systems that we have in place to kind of manage the situation. I don't think we would change what we're doing on the ground," Oropeza said.
Penny Luehring, leader of the National Forest Service's Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) program, said that an El Ni?o event -- even if it does increase precipitation -- doesn't necessarily mean an increase in intense rainfall events.
"Gentle precipitation coming more often is not going to be something we're extremely worried about," Luehring said.
Twitter:?@henrygass?| Email:?hgass at eenews.net
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Jun  6 09:39:32 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2014 09:39:32 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?CA_Magazine=3A_No_Joy_in_Mudville=3A_Amid?=
 =?utf-8?q?_Drought=2C_California=E2=80=99s_Reservoirs_are_Clogged_with_Gu?=
 =?utf-8?q?nk?=
Message-ID: <1402072772.28812.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/just-in/2014-06-05/no-joy-mudville-amid-drought-californias-reservoirs-are

The reservoir above Englebright Dam on the Yuba River?a third filled up with sediment.
You are here
HOME?/?CALIFORNIA MAGAZINE?/?JUST IN
No Joy in Mudville: Amid Drought, California?s Reservoirs are Clogged with Gunk
By Glen Martin
As the drought drags on and reservoir levels keep dropping, our politicians predictably are clamoring for new dams. But there may be a better and cheaper way to squeeze more water out of California?s desiccated watersheds: Clean out the gunk behind existing reservoirs. That?s because dams collect sediment from eroding watersheds along with water. Our reservoirs rapidly are filling up with silt, sand and rocks?and the more sediment, the less room there is to collect life-sustaining?water.
?So far, there?s about 1.7 million acre feet of sediment behind California?s dams,? observes U.S. Geological Survey geomorphologist J. Toby Minear, ?and more is deposited every?year.?
Make no mistake: 1.7 million acre feet is a lot of mud, no matter how you shovel it. A single acre foot is equivalent to a foot of a given substance covering an acre. By another, more familiar metric, that amounts to 325,852?gallons.
The problem is worse for smaller reservoirs in ?highly erodible? watersheds than for larger reservoirs with stable, rocky slopes. In other words, it?s more of a worry for the small projects in the coastal range than the big reservoirs in the Sierra foothills. There are many exceptions to this rule, however; some reservoirs east of the Central Valley also are clogging?up.
?Really, it?s an issue for all of the state?s 1,400 reservoirs,? says UC Berkeley professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Matt Kondolf. ??And for some reservoirs it?s?critical.?
Kondolf cites four dams with reservoirs that are literally topped out with sediment: Rindge Dam on Malibu Creek, Matilija Dam on the Ventura River, San Clemente Dam on the Carmel River, and Searsville Dam on San Francisquito Creek on the San Francisco Peninsula. All these ?reservoirs? would be better put to cultivating potatoes than storing?water.
?On top of that there are maybe 200 reservoirs that are from a third to half full (of sediment),? he adds. ??Englebright Dam on the Yuba River is about a third full with 200 million cubic yards of sediment. Black Butte reservoir (west of Orland) is also filling up rapidly, with close to a third of its capacity taken by?sediment.?
Even California?s biggest reservoirs are accumulating massive gobs of sediment, but their vast capacity means water storage won?t be impaired for decades to?come.
?Perhaps 10 percent of Shasta?s capacity is now taken up by sediment,? Kondolf said. ?That amounts to 400 thousand acre feet for that reservoir alone. But because Shasta is so huge (with a total capacity of 4,552,000 acre feet), the problem isn?t as acute.?Yet.?
Kondolf and Minear, who holds a doctorate from UC Berkeley, have been aware of the problem for some time. The duo wrote an article on sedimentation rates in California?s reservoirs for the journal Water Resources Research in 2009. It was well received by academic peers, and it also percolated among policy makers and their staffers. More to the point, it drove a?bill?recently approved by the California state Senate that, if passed by the Assembly and signed into law, will fund new reservoir sedimentation?studies.
?It?s a start, at least, and a necessary one,? says Kondolf. ?We put more effort into studying sedimentation rates in the 1940s than we do now. In fact, all funding for that research pretty much disappeared in the?1970s.?
Minear acknowledges that removing sediment won?t be easy or cheap. There are three basic ways to go about it: dredging; drawing down reservoirs and removing the silt, sand, gravel and cobbles by heavy machinery; or flushing the stuff out through the dam face. All three methods have their advantages and drawbacks. Probably the most effective approach is flushing, but not all dams are designed to accommodate such procedures.
Searsville Dam on the San Francisco Peninsula
?Retrofitting the dams where it isn?t currently possible could be a reasonable option,? Kondolf says.? ?We hope to determine that with additional?research.?
Then there?s the problem of what to do with the stuff. Flushing it could result in temporary downstream impacts, and those will have to be evaluated for each watershed. But in many cases, the sediment may prove a valuable resource. In Southern California, says Minear, much of the sediment is clean sand; this could be used to replenish SoCal beaches, where sand erosion is a perennial problem. Koldolf observes that cobbles and larger gravels would be apt for restoring salmon spawning habitat. Salmon must lay their eggs in reaches covered with clean, small rocks for successful reproduction, but dams have reduced the supplies of such materials. In free-flowing rivers, spawning beds are replenished with gravel on an on-going basis by downstream flows; but dams trap gravels and cobbles, and salmon redds downstream of the reservoirs silt?up.
Not all sediments, however, may be good candidates for environmental restoration?projects.
?Mercury is a concern for some Sierra sediments,? Kondolf says. ?Huge quantities of mercury were used for ore processing during the Gold Rush, and it?s still an issue for some?areas.?
Clearly, none of the options for removing and redeploying sediments will be cheap, as Kondolf and Minear acknowledge, but they?re likely less expensive than building the new dams now proposed for California. Minear notes virtually all the state?s good dam sites already have been?exploited.
?All we?re left with now are marginal sites,? he says, citing the highly controversial dam proposed for Temperance Flat on the San Joaquin?River.
Temperance Flat, he says, would hold only about 300,000 acre feet and would soak taxpayers for billions of dollars. By contrast, removing sediments from existing reservoirs would yield the water storage capacity equivalent to five Temperance Flat-size reservoirs, avoid years of lawsuits, political bluster and additional impacts to the San Joaquin River system?and cost?less.
In short, says Minear, ?We?d just get a lot more bang for our?buck.?
Posted on June 5, 2014 - 12:10pm
Filed under:?Law + PolicyScience + Health
Related topics:?droughtreservoirssedimentationdamsCalifornia droughtwater policyUC BerkeleyU.S. Geological SurveyUSGSJ. Toby MinearMatt KondolfRindge DamMalibu CreekMatilija DamVentura RiverSan Clemente DamCarmel RiverSearsville DamSan Francisquito CreekEnglebright DamYuba RiverBlack Butte reservoirShastaTemperance FlatSan Joaquin River
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Jun  6 09:43:52 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2014 09:43:52 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Using Beaver to Restore Streams Workshops -
	Registration is now open
In-Reply-To: <002a01cf819b$af086270$0d192750$@thewatershedcenter.com>
References: <5390F7A1.5010202@pdx.edu>
	<002a01cf819b$af086270$0d192750$@thewatershedcenter.com>
Message-ID: <1402073032.82862.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

From:Mary Ann Schmidt [mailto:maryanns at pdx.edu] b



Sent:Thursday, June 05, 2014 4:05 PM
To:undisclosed-recipients:
Subject:Using Beaver to Restore Streams Workshops - Registration is now open
?
You are getting this message because you indicated an interest in these workshops.
Please Register ASAP as this announcement will be shared with the EPP (Environmental Professional Program) List Serve starting next Friday 6/13
Using Beaver to Restore Streams -- the state of the art and science
1-day workshops for practitioners, landowners, land managers and regulators
Confirmed Dates and Venues:?? ?
Nov. 20, 2014 ?????????? Juneau, AK
Jan. 14, 2015 ??????????? Seattle, WA 
Jan 21 &22, 2015 ??? Portland, OR
Feb. 12, 2015 ????????? Weed, CA
To Register:
http://epp.esr.pdx.edu/registration.html
Course Fee: $50
Presenters:
Michael M. Pollock, Ph.D.????? Chris E. Jordan, Ph.D.??????????? ?? Janine Castro, Ph.D.???? ?????????????? Gregory Lewallen
Ecosystems Analyst??????? ?????????? Mathematical Ecologist????? ?? Fluvial Geomorphologist???????? Graduate Student??? ????????? 
NOAA Fisheries ?????????? NOAA Fisheries???????????????????? ?? US Fish & Wildlife Service?????? Portland State University
NWF Science Center?????? ?????????? NWF Science Center??????????? & NOAA Fisheries
These workshops will be offered for a nominal fee through a partnership with US Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA Fisheries, and Portland State University, Environmental Professional Program.
Using beaver to restore streams is rapidly gaining acceptance as a cost-effective technique to improve aquatic habitat, especially for salmonids. Regulatory and institutional obstacles are being reduced or removed as scientific advances continue to demonstrate that beaver can restore stream habitat far more effectively, and at a much lower cost, than many traditional stream restoration approaches.
Join us for an intensive 1-day workshop symposium for the beta release of a state-of-the-science manual regarding the use of beaver to restore streams. Workshops will be interactive with the audience as we walk through the manual and describe its use to facilitate the restoration of streams. We will provide assessment tools for determining how, where, and when to use beaver in stream restoration. Also included will be a discussion of the regulatory process and how to maximize the probability of successfully obtaining permits.
As a leader in aquatic habitat restoration, your feedback on this document is very important to us and necessary to create an effective tool for restoration using beaver.? We encourage you and your colleagues to attend a workshop and to spread the word. Please let us know if you would like to join us and/or if you know of particular groups who may want to attend by responding to this announcement, so that we may adjust the number of workshops as necessary.
Thank you and we look forward to hearing back from you.
For more information contact: Mary Ann Schmidt, maryanns at pdx.edu 503-725-2343
-- 
Portland State University/ESM Faculty
Student Watershed Research Project
Environmental Professional Program
Science Bldg. 1 Rm. 103
ESM Office
1719 SW 10th Ave., SRTC Rm. 218
Portland, OR? 97207-0751
503-725-2343
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Jun  6 09:55:03 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2014 09:55:03 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] LA Times: Poll finds little support for drought
	spending despite broad awareness
Message-ID: <1402073703.53298.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-80422291/

Poll finds little support for drought spending despite broad awareness

California's drought
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Content
Drought yields only desperation
BY BETTINA BOXALL
June 6, 2014, 6:00 a.m.
Most Californians surveyed say the statewide drought has had little or no impact on their daily lives, and a majority oppose the suspension of environmental protections or large-scale public spending to boost water supplies, a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times?poll?has found.
Although 89% characterize the drought as a major problem or crisis, only 16% say it has personally affected them to a major degree.
Despite widespread news coverage of the drought ? one of the worst in recent decades ? the state's major population centers have largely escaped severe mandatory rationing. Even agriculture, which as California's thirstiest sector is inevitably hit the hardest by drought, has partially compensated for reduced water delivery by pumping more groundwater.
That has softened the drought's effect on many, apparently blunting the desire for drastic remedies and big spending on water projects.
While Central Valley congressmen and some agribusiness interests have blamed environmental regulations for worsening the water shortages, those polled cited a much broader range of causes. Topping the list was a lack of rain and snow and people using too much water, followed by insufficient storage and climate change.
"They're really blaming larger forces here," said David Kanevsky of American Viewpoint, the Republican firm that conducted the opinion survey with Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, a Democratic firm. "What they don't want to see is quick fixes at the expense of the environment."
The survey showed strong support for water recycling, capturing storm water, increasing storage in underground aquifers, voluntary conservation and seawater desalination. A smaller percentage, though still a majority, favored building new dams and reservoirs.
But when it comes to paying for the projects, the numbers flipped. Only 36% want to improve storage and delivery systems by spending taxpayer dollars.
"As soon as you inject spending into it, support dries up," said Drew Lieberman of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner.
Pollsters conducted the telephone survey of 1,511 registered California voters from May 21 to May 28 for the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles Times. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
A large majority of those surveyed, 87%, said they were trying to save water by taking shorter showers, flushing toilets less frequently and making other changes in their domestic routines. Two-thirds say they are watering their lawns less, and roughly a quarter say they've ripped out lawns and replaced them with drought-tolerant plants.
Generally speaking, people in all parts of the state were taking steps to reduce domestic water use. But regional differences surfaced when people were queried about solutions.
Coastal areas favored mandatory 20% cuts in water use more than inland regions. In Southern California, 45% of those surveyed said water rates should be increased to promote conservation, compared with 56% in the Bay Area and slightly less than a third in the Central Valley.
"If they have to raise the price of water ? I think it will encourage people to use less of it," said Erika Hart, 23, a college student who lives in an apartment in Fontana.
A biology major with independent political leanings, Hart also opposed suspending environmental regulations. "I believe we should do more as a community to limit our water usage before we go and affect the wildlife around us," she said.
The Bay Area had the smallest share of those saying the drought had a major impact ? 11% ? probably reflecting an urban landscape with some of the lowest per capita water use in the state. But 32% of those in the Central Valley, the state's agricultural heart, said the drought had a major effect on their lives.
A sharp partisan divide surfaced over the role of climate change, with 78% of Democrats saying it was very or somewhat responsible for water supply problems, compared with 44% of Republicans.
"I don't believe in climate change," said Republican Steve Bennett, 60, a contractor who lives in Martinez. "This is a semiarid state. I don't know when it's going to sink in ? but we have real wet winters and then we have dry periods, and it's been that way forever."
Democrats and Republicans differed to a lesser extent on whether environmental protections for fish and wildlife should be suspended in response to water shortages. Overall, 55% of voters said no, as did 56% of Democrats, compared with 45% of Republicans and 64% of those who didn't align with a party.
Those results suggest a bill passed by the GOP-controlled U.S. House and headed to a House-Senate conference committee is out of sync with a majority of the state's voters. The legislation would roll back federal fish protections to increase delivery of water in California. But of 11 different water-supply solutions in the opinion survey, easing environmental regulations was the only one opposed by more than 50%.
Photos and newscasts about shrinking reservoirs and dusty cropland have also apparently failed to boost voter willingness to open the public wallet for water projects.
Reluctance to spend taxpayer dollars on water supply was found across the political spectrum. Whether Democratic, Republican or independent, fewer than 40% of those surveyed supported storage and delivery system improvements if they cost taxpayer money.
The numbers are largely unchanged from the results of a USC-Times poll conducted in September that gauged support for state borrowing to finance water-supply improvements. Legislators are now trying to hammer out a water bond to place on the November ballot.
"I think it's trouble for passing a water bond," Lieberman said, "if the 'no' side spends money" this fall.
bettina.boxall at latimes.com
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Fri Jun  6 10:14:46 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2014 10:14:46 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Resources Agency official says tunnel plan documents
	won't be translated
In-Reply-To: <1402073703.53298.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1402073703.53298.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <407948B5-2761-4A50-84B7-8AF6D01CDDFF@fishsniffer.com>

  http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/06/06/1304901/-Resources-Agency-official-says-tunnel-plan-documents-won-t-be-translated


Resources Agency official says tunnel plan documents won't be translated
byDan Bacher
   Email   2 Comments / 0 New
In a clear case of racial discrimination, the Brown administration has  
violated the rights of non-English speaking Californians by refusing  
to publish the 40,000 pages of Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to  
build the peripheral tunnels and the BDCP EIS/EIR in any other  
language than English.

This failure to abide by numerous state and federal civil rights laws  
occurs in a state where 20 percent of the residents, including many  
people on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta where the tunnels  
will have the most severe environmental impacts, are non-English  
speakers.

Neither the BDCP itself, the BDCP EIS/EIR or the Implementing  
Agreement will be translated into languages other than English,  
according to a Natural Resources Agency officlal at a press conference  
on Friday, May 30 announcing the release of the plan's draft  
implementing agreement and an extension on public comment period on  
the plan.

In response to my question of whether or not any of the documents  
would be translated into languages other English, Richard Stapler of  
the Natural Resources Agency on Friday, May 30 told reporters at a  
news conference that the cost of translation would be "prohibitive"  
and questioned whether it would be possible to translate some of the  
technical language:

"We?ve had the comment period open for BDCP now for just about six  
months. We?re extending it now for another two months, so of course we  
appreciate that input this late in the comment period on this issue.  
That said, for the entire time and for the entire process, we have  
actually have had an 800# where all of those languages, people can ask  
questions in all of those languages and get answers.

There is a prohibitive cost associated particularly with translating  
technical language, if it?s even possible to translate some of that  
technical language, so that is a significant issue. But we are  
extremely sensitive to those populations and any suggestion otherwise  
is more just political rhetoric than anything else.

So we do have some materials that are available in different  
languages. We are currently translating some other fact sheets and  
such for those populations, making extra additional well above and  
beyond what is necessary under CEQA to reach out to the groups that  
represent those communities to be sure that they are being properly  
educated and have the opportunity to ask questions about those impacts."

I then asked Stapler, "So you?re not going to translate either the IA  
or the BDCP documents?

Stapler replied: "The 35,000 page BDCP document, no."

I find it extremely ironic that Stapler describes the cost of  
translating the BDCP documents into languages other than English as  
"prohibitive" when the tunnel plan will cost over $67 billion,  
according to the estimate of an economist at a Westlands Water  
District Board of Directors meeting last year.

Jane Wagner-Tyack of Restore the Delta responded to Stapler's response  
to my question in her article in the June 5 RTD newsletter, pointing  
out the arrogance of Stapler's response:

Resources Agency Deputy Director for Communications Richard Stapler  
said that for the entire process, they?ve had an 800 number where  
people can ask questions about BDCP in various languages and get  
answers. Which is fine if people know there is as project they should  
be asking questions about. But BDCP hasn?t done that kind of outreach  
to non-English language communities.

Stapler mentioned the ?prohibitive cost associated particularly with  
translating technical language, if it?s even possible to translate  
some of that technical language.? So all those languages that aren?t  
English just don?t even have the words to explain the BDCP? And all  
those people who don?t speak English wouldn?t understand anyway?

What arrogance.

Said Stapler, they (the Resources Agency? DWR? BDCP?) are ?extremely  
sensitive to those populations.? They are ?currently translating some  
other fact sheets and such for those populations,? going beyond what  
CEQA requires. But they aren?t going to translate the 35,000 plus  
pages of draft BDCP and draft EIR/EIS.

Then Wagner-Tyack points out the refusal of the Brown administration  
to publish the BDCP documents in other languages besides English in  
the larger contest of the rush to build the tunnels without proper  
public and scientific input and support. Rather than a well thought  
plan, the BDCP amounts to a "data dump":

The question everyone should be asking is: How should the State  
explain to ALL citizens what it plans to do, or allow to be done, with  
public resources and public funds?

Reviewers are calling for reissued documents to address dozens of  
inadequacies in BDCP and the EIR/EIS. But that doesn?t mean that  
anyone wants more of the same. More of the same wouldn?t clarify  
anything. At least one reviewer has called the BDCP and its EIR/EIS a  
?data dump? ? bloated with details, short on usable analysis of those  
details. Native English speakers, even those with technical science  
training, have trouble understanding it.

The Delta Science Program conducted an independent science review of  
the BDCP Effects Analysis, which should explain how implementing BDCP  
will impact covered species (the point of a habitat conservation  
plan). The review panel looked at the Effects Analysis chapter, which  
is 745 pages long, but also at eight technical appendices with about  
4500 additional pages.

Reporting to the Delta Stewardship Council for the review panel,  
panelist Dr. Alex Parker said they found a disconnect between the  
Effects Analysis chapter and the technical appendices with regard to  
scientific certainty. The panel also found that the document lacked  
structure and was therefore hard to interpret.

Said Dr. Parker, ?[The] Effects Analysis needs to provide clear  
guidance about what [the] uncertainties are, where our information  
gaps [lie], and then also inform adaptive management in terms of what  
information should we be monitoring along the way, what are the  
appropriate triggers so that we know when we are on the wrong track  
and then course correct ? move in a different direction. That was  
largely lacking.?

To read the complete RTD newsletter, go to: http://us3.campaign-archive1.com/?u=06887fa70084fef8e939fef63&id=0e01013629&e=120d0c2b69

There is no doubt that the Bay Delta Conservation Plan won't add one  
drop of new water, will cost Californians over $67 billion, will  
hasten the extinction of Central Valley salmon and Delta fish  
populations, violates the civil rights of millions of Californians,  
violates the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and  
has little public support. Yet Governor Jerry Brown won't back down on  
his insane plan to build the twin tunnels and new water pumping  
facilities as bizarre monuments to his "legacy."

Background: Brown administration violations of Non-English speakers'  
civil rights

Restore the Delta (RTD) and environmental justice advocates on May 28  
charged the Brown Administration with violation of the civil rights of  
more than 600,000 non-English speakers in the Delta by its agencies'  
failure to provide for ?meaningful access to and participation? in the  
Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) public comment period.

The groups said the state and federal agencies failed to make the EIR/ 
EIS available in any languages other than English. Restore the Delta,  
the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, Asian Pacific Self- 
Development and Residential Association, Caf? Coop, Lao Family  
Community Empowerment, Environmental Water Caucus, California  
Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Water Impact Network (C- 
WIN), and Friends of the River released a letter calling on State and  
Federal officials to restart and extend the public comment period for  
the BDCP and its EIR/S, and to do adequate public outreach to limited  
English speakers.

?In particular, we request that the agencies hold public hearings and  
provide interpreters; translate vital documents such as, at the very  
least, the Executive Summary of the draft EIS/EIR; and provide  
affordable access to documents to allow the thousands of low-income  
and limited English speakers to have meaningful participation in the  
process,? the letter stated.

Colin Bailey, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, said, "While  
a very limited amount of outreach material can be found on the BDCP  
website in Spanish, the plan itself and its corresponding Draft EIS/ 
EIR have not been translated into Spanish. In particular, the EIS/EIR  
identifies forty-seven adverse and unavoidable impacts (Chapter 31 EIR/ 
EIS) that will have a direct impact on residents of the five Delta  
counties."

"The majority of Spanish, Cambodian, and Hmong speakers have not been  
made aware of these impacts, let alone that there is presently an  
ongoing comment period regarding the BDCP, or that the project  
exists," he said.

According to the letter from the groups, the violations of the state  
and federal laws by BDCP officials include but are not limited to the  
following:

? CEQA participation requirements? CEQA requires a process that  
provides an opportunity for meaningful participation of the public.  
According to Public Resources Code Section 21061: ?The purpose of an  
environmental impact report is to provide public agencies and the  
public in general with detailed information about the effect which a  
proposed project is likely to have on the environment; to list ways in  
which the significant effects of such a project can be minimized; and  
to indicate alternatives to such a project.?

? NEPA participation requirements, and Equal Justice Executive Order  
12898: Federal Executive Order (EO) 12898 (1994), Federal Actions to  
Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income  
Populations, requires Federal agencies to make environmental justice  
part of their mission and to develop environmental justice strategies.

? Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides: ?No Person in the  
United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin,  
be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be  
subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving  
Federal financial assistance.?

? California Government Code section 11135 (a) and implementing  
regulations in the California Code of Regulations Title 22 Sections  
98211 (c) and 98100. Government Code 11135(a) provides: ?No person in  
the State of California shall, on the basis of race, national origin,  
ethnic group identification, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation,  
color, genetic information, or disability, be unlawfully denied full  
and equal access to the benefits of, or be unlawfully subjected to  
discrimination under, any program or activity that is conducted,  
operated, or administered by the state or by any state agency, is  
funded directly by the state, or receives any financial assistance  
from the state.?

? The Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act?Government Code Sections  
7290-7299.8 which requires that, when state and local agencies serve a  
?substantial number of non-English- speaking people,? they must among  
other things translate documents explaining available services into  
their clients? languages.

Not only does the Brown administration violate the civil rights of non- 
English speakers, but the BDCP process violates the UN Declaration on  
the Rights of Indigeous Peoples and numerous state and federal laws  
protecting California's indigenous nations.

"The Delta Tunnel plan violates the Declaration of Indigenous Peoples  
Rights!" said Caleen Sisk, Chief and Spiritual Leader of the Winnemem  
Wintu Tribe. "These twin tunnels will kill the largest Estuary that  
keeps California?.CALIFORNIA! When that happens it will bring changes  
no one can imagine right now?.it will as Mother Nature wants."

To read the letter from the groups charging civil rights violations,  
go to: http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2014/05/29/rtd_and_ej_coalition_letter_requesting_bdcp_extension_may__28_2014_copy.pdf
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jun 10 22:04:13 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 22:04:13 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] 1979 CDFG letter establishing TRRP fishery
	restoration goals
Message-ID: <1402463053.26212.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

I saw this letter several years ago and couldn't find it again, nor could anybody else I asked. ?I did a simple google search and found it on the hatchery bibliography website at:?http://cahatcheryreview.com/bibliography/

The document is specifically found at:
http://cahatcheryreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/1-22-79-Fullerton-Letter.pdf?

This letter is the basis for the current Trinity River Restoration Program's numeric goals. ?

Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell
 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Jun 11 07:41:29 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 07:41:29 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Minimum pool bill for reservoir
	stalls
Message-ID: <1402497689.45424.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_be7efb24-f121-11e3-92a7-001a4bcf6878.html

Minimum pool bill for reservoir stalls
By SALLY MORRIS The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, June 11, 2014 6:15 am
A California Assembly Bill known as the Trinity River Water Rights Conformance Act (AB 1914) introduced in February by District 2 Assembly Member Wes Chesbro is no longer moving forward.
The legislation was proposed to conform the Bureau of Reclamation?s water permits to the Trinity River Record of Decision flows and Basin Plan temperature objectives; it would have also established minimum cold water carryover storage criteria for the Trinity Reservoir to ensure the temperature objectives can be met for salmon and steelhead survival in the river.
The bill was passed in the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee when it was heard at the end of April and referred to the Committee on Appropriations for further hearing on May 27 when AB 1914 was held in committee.
Being held on what was the last day for fiscal committees to meet and report out on bills introduced in their house, in short, means the bill will not move forward.
Chesbro consultant to the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, Tom Weseloh said the State Water Resources Control Board claimed AB 1914 would result in ?significant costs of at least $1 million for SWRCB proceedings and the preparation of an environmental impact report necessary to revise water rights permits affecting the Trinity River.?
Supporters of the bill included the California Water Impact Network, Trinity County Board of Supervisors and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations. Opposition came from the Trinity Public Utilities District, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Westlands Water District, San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority and other Central Valley Project water and power contractors.
C-WIN consultant Tom Stokely said the SWRCB has promised to conduct water rights hearings specific to the Trinity River since 1990 and still not done it.
Thanks to the Trinity River Record of Decision, Stokely said, ?We?ve got flows for fish, but no limit on how much water can be shipped out of the Trinity River basin. A minimum pool for Trinity Lake would provide protection that the river doesn?t have and just because the bill is not passed doesn?t mean the issue has gone away. We?ll keep asking. With the Bay Delta/twin tunnels plan, we need something to put the brakes on because the tunnels will allow more water to be shipped out.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Jun 11 07:53:40 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 07:53:40 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] vcdstar.com: Report says California must make better
	use of current water resources By Timm Herdt
Message-ID: <1402498420.4008.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/jun/10/report-california-must-make-better-use-of-water/

Report says California must make better use of current water resources
By Timm Herdt
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
As water policy experts around California confront the effects of a three-year drought, a report released Tuesday by two environmental groups asserts they must also confront a more permanent problem: Californians are already using more water than Mother Nature provides.
?We?ve hit the wall in California,? said Peter Gleick, president of the Oakland-based Pacific Institute. ?We?re past the point of peak water. Even in a normal year or wet year, we?re overextended. We take too much water out of the system.?
The report produced by the institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council concludes that there is a 6 million acre-foot per year gap between the amount of water California uses and the amount that can safely be taken from rivers and pumped from aquifers.
The good news, the report concludes, is that there is more than enough water available to close that gap through increased agricultural and urban efficiency, water recycling, and harvesting rainwater that runs off urban streets and parking lots into drainage pipes that take it to the sea. Fully exploiting those four options, it says, could produce up to 14 million acre-feet per year, or enough water to meet the needs of every city in California.
?Our current approach to water use is unsustainable, but that doesn?t mean there isn?t enough water to meet our needs,? said Kate Poole, an NRDC senior attorney and co-author of the report.
The report comes at a time when the state Department of Water Resources is circulating a draft environmental impact report on a massive Bay Delta Conservation Plan, which includes construction of two tunnels to divert water from the Sacramento River; the Legislature is considering a water bond to place before voters in November that might include money for the construction of additional water storage facilities; and farming interests in Congress are calling for a relaxation of environmental regulations to allow additional water to be taken from the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers.
The authors assert that there may be smarter ? and perhaps less costly ? ways to address the state?s water needs without creating problems that could create long-term, adverse consequences.
?Rivers and groundwater basins ? we need to take care of these resources if we want to rely upon them in the future,? said Poole.
UC Santa Barbara Professor Bob Wilkinson called the measures recommended in the report ?cost-effective, readily available and off-the-shelf techniques.?
Wilkinson said that although California farmers ?have made significant advances? in more efficiently using water for crop irrigation, there remains the potential for an additional 17 percent savings that would free from 5.6 million to 6.6 million acre-feet per year for other uses. Those savings could be accomplished, he asserted, without fallowing any cropland or changing the mix of crops being grown.
Improved urban efficiency, he said, could produce from 2.9 million to 5.2 million acre-feet per year through such measures as leak repair, more efficient toilets and washing machines, and greater use of what he called ?climate-appropriate landscaping.?
Existing wastewater-reclamation projects produce about 670,000 acre-feet per year, and Wilkinson said he believes there is the potential for another 1.2 million to 1.8 million acre-feet per year.
The study also estimates that the capture of rainwater from urban roofs and paved surfaces in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay area could produce from 420,000 to 630,000 acre-feet per year.
Gleick said he hopes the report will give policymakers the opportunity to consider investments that may be smarter than falling back on traditional approaches to increasing water supplies through the construction of dams and other major infrastructure projects.
?We do not say that capturing all this will be easy or fast. We do say that these are the smartest and fastest things we can do,? he said. ?We?ve identified opportunities that maybe we?re overlooking.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Jun 11 11:56:21 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 11:56:21 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: AquAlliance and CSPA - Lawsuit Filed to Protect
	North State Farms, Fish and Communities
In-Reply-To: <53989BE3.9050505@aqualliance.net>
References: <53989BE3.9050505@aqualliance.net>
Message-ID: <1402512981.82512.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Wednesday, June 11, 2014 11:12 AM, Barbara Vlamis <barbarav at aqualliance.net> wrote:






 
Press Release
11 June 2014
For Immediate Release 
?Contact: Barbara Vlamis, AquAlliance: 530-895-9420; cell 530-519-7468 
???????????????? Bill Jennings, CSPA: 209-464-5067; cell 209-938-9053 
?
Lawsuit Filed to Protect North State Farms, Fish and Communities
? On 11 June 2014, AquAlliance and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) filed a lawsuit in federal District Court against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation USBR over its inadequate disclosure, avoidance of impacts, and mitigation of major water transfers from the Sacramento Valley through the Delta to the San Joaquin Valley. USBR proposes to transfer up to 175,226 acre-feet (AF) of Central Valley Project (CVP) surface water to San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority (SLDMWA). As much as 116,383 AF of that water may be in the form of groundwater substitution. Coinciding with the USBR transfer, the State Water Project (SWP) and private parties are proposing to transfer another possible 305,907 AF or more of water. The lawsuit asks the court to declare that USBR?s Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was arbitrary and capricious, ignored relevant new information and failed to meet minimum requirements
 of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 
 
See attached press release for the full version.
-- 
Barbara Vlamis
Executive Director
AquAlliance
P.O. Box 4024
Chico, CA 95927
(530) 895-9420 www.aqualliance.net PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE
This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law as confidential communications. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication or other use of a transmission received in error is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, immediately notify us at (530) 895-9420. 
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Jun 11 14:03:00 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 14:03:00 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Neighborhood Meeting for the Lower Junction City 2014
	Channel Rehabilitation Project Site Thursday, June 12
Message-ID: <1402520580.29035.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

The graphic are in the attached pdf.

TS
?
 
 Neighborhood Meeting
for the Lower Junction City
2014 Channel Rehabilitation Project Site
Thursday, June 12, 2014
5:30 to 7:00pm ? 
 

(June 4, 2014)TheTrinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) will be hosting an informal meet-and-greet for interested residents to learn more about the restoration activities that will be ongoing this summer near Junction City.? ?The Lower Junction City Channel Rehabilitation Project site begins at the Dutch Creek Bridge, located between Highway 299 and Dutch Creek Road/Red Hill Road in Junction City. Restoration activities will continue downstream to just past the confluence of Canyon Creek with the Trinity River.
?
The neighborhood meeting will be held in the parking area just east of the Dutch Creek Bridge.? Project contractors and technical staff will be present to answer questions about the project design, schedule, and associated activities, and refreshments will be served.
?
The Lower Junction City Channel Rehabilitation implementation is part of the Trinity River Mainstem Fishery Restoration, designed to increase salmon and steelhead habitat downstream of Lewiston Dam, as described in the December 19, 2000, Record of Decision.? The 2014 Lower Junction City Project site is designed to enhance both terrestrial and aquatic habitat quality in the Trinity River, and on acreage located within the Lower Junction City Environmental Study Limit in partnership with public and private local landowners. 
?
The public will still be able to navigate by boat through the project area on the Trinity River during implementation, although caution should always be taken to avoid hazards associated with river travel and general construction activities. The site is located on privately-owned lands and no land access will be given to the public without prior landowner permission. 
?
For further information, please contact Ms. Michele Gallagher, Bureau of Reclamation, at 623-1804 or e-mail magallagher at usbr.gov. ?
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Jun 11 16:41:37 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 16:41:37 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Environmental Water Caucus Submits Comments on Bay
	Delta Conservation Plan
In-Reply-To: <1402530026.8057.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1402530026.8057.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1402530097.35922.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>




Environmental Water Caucus Submits Comments on Bay Delta Conservation Plan
http://ewccalifornia.org/releases/pr6-11-2014bdcpcomments.pdf
and?
http://ewccalifornia.org/reports/bdcpcomments6-11-2014.pdf
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2014
BDCP ? A MISLEADING PLAN FOR CALIFORNIA
AquAlliance
Butte Environmental Council
California Coastkeeper Alliance
California Save Our Streams
Council
California Sportfishing Protection
Alliance
California Striped Bass
Association
California Water Impact Network
Clean Water Action
Citizens Water Watch
Desal Response Group
Environmental Justice Coalition
for Water
Environmental Protection
Information Center
Earth Law Center
Fish Sniffer Magazine
Foothill Conservancy
Friends of the River
Food & Water Watch
Institute for Fisheries Resources
The Karuk Tribe
North Coast Environmental
Center
Northern California Council,
Federation of Fly Fishers
Pacific Coast Federation of
Fishermen's Associations
Planning & Conservation League
Restore the Delta
Sacramento River Preservation
Trust
Sierra Club California
Southern California Watershed
Alliance
Winnemem Wintu Tribe
?
?
The Environmental Water Caucus has responded to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and its associated Environmental Impact Report with a stinging 250-page critique of BDCP?s inadequacies and multiple failures to conform to state and federal laws. Among the criticisms detailed in the Caucus? review are that it is contrary to the Delta Reform Act of 2009, it fails to provide adequate ecological assurances under state and federal endangered species laws, it fails to assure funding for the project, and it fails to analyze reasonable alternatives to the preferred plan for huge tunnels under the Delta. Other points highlighted by the Caucus include:
? Exporting more water out of the Delta was a foregone conclusion for the main proponents of the plan, which are the powerful water districts south of the Delta. BDCP has cherry picked the science to support that objective and has created 40,000 pages of biased analytical findings to support that predetermined goal, trying to hide the real intent in the process.
? Federal and state laws require that a permissible project must contain a solid financing plan ? precisely the kind of plan that BDCP lacks. Even after seven years of planning and debate, BDCP fails to spell out who will be responsible for the $50 to $60 billion cost.
Tax payers can expect to pick up most of that tab.
? The Bay Delta ?Conservation? Plan has little to do with conservation. In an effort to mislead the public, BDCP disingenuously characterizes the eight-lane expressway sized tunnels that will drain the Delta of life sustaining freshwater as a ?Conservation?Measure?.
? Purporting to restore Delta ecosystems and protect its most vulnerable fish species, BDCP would instead further reduce natural Delta flows to San Francisco Bay, helping push listed, vulnerable salmon and resident fish species into oblivion, and officiate at the?demise of California?s salmon industry.
? BDCP proffers the snake-oil hypothesis that physical habitat can substitute for water flows, while ignoring the fact that water is aquatic habitat. While BDCP analyzes the tunnels at a specific project level, habitat is only analyzed at a conceptual level. BDCP only promises to restore some acres of habitat somewhere at sometime in the future, if funding can be secured, while ignoring that most habitat restoration efforts in the past have failed to achieve predicted results.
? BDCP will degrade water quality and harm beneficial uses of water in the Delta, along with promoting wasteful and unreasonable uses of water south of the Delta, contrary to numerous state and federal water quality laws and the California Water Code.
? While BDCP trumpets the risks to California?s water supply from massive Delta levee failures due to earthquakes, BDCP lifts not a finger to address these supposed seismic levee issues.
? The current plan heightens opposition to the project, reinforcing the view that this project must not go forward.
Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, of Restore the Delta, characterizes the BDCP as ?a construction project masquerading as a habitat conservation plan?. ?The plan is an omelet of distortion and half-truth intended to mislead and deceive?, according to Bill Jennings of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. The Environmental Water Caucus proposes an alternative that reduces water exports to a more sustainable level, in order to permit recovery of the Delta while maintaining water supplies for both Delta and south of Delta water users.
See the detailed Caucus comments at:?www.ewccalifornia.org
?
?
CONTACTS:
Conner Everts, Environmental Water Caucus
connere at west.net, 310-804-6615
Bill Jennings, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance
deltakeep at me.com, 209-464-5067
Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Restore the Delta
barbara at restorethedelta.org, 209-479-2053
?
Environmental Water Caucus BDCP EIS-EIR comments, June 11, 2014
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Jun 12 09:04:58 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 09:04:58 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Shasta College job announcement:Program Director
	(Deputy Sector Navigator - Agriculture,
	Water & Environmental Technology)
Message-ID: <1402589098.59790.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Shasta College is now accepting applications for the following position(s):

Program Director (Deputy Sector Navigator - Agriculture, Water & Environmental Technology)

To view the full job posting for any opening at Shasta College, click here:

http://agency.governmentjobs.com/shastacc/default.cfm


Click on a job title to view the complete job posting of any position listed. After you have reviewed the job posting, you can apply for the position by clicking on the "Apply" button and completing the online application.
You are receiving this email because you completed a job interest card with Shasta College. Job interest cards are active for one year from the date of submission. Until that date, you will be notified when any position for the job category or job classifications that you have selected becomes available. We'll also send you a reminder email one month before your interest card is due to expire to give you an opportunity at that time to extend your notifications for another year.
If at any time you wish to cancel notifications for this interest card, please visit the following web address:
https://secure.governmentjobs.com/myinterestcards.cfm?OJRID=3962357&EMA=carolyn.singh at gmail.comThank you and good luck in your job search!
GovernmentJobs.com
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Jun 12 09:36:33 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 09:36:33 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] More info on TRRP fishery goals
Message-ID: <1402590993.16838.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

See attached. ?
?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Jun 12 13:39:17 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 13:39:17 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Patterson_Irrigation_District_to_face_wat?=
 =?utf-8?q?er_crisis_by_state=E2=80=99s_proposed_curtailments?=
Message-ID: <1402605557.81062.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

This involves a lot more than just Patterson ID.
TS
http://www.pattersonirrigator.com/view/full_story/25276291/article-Patterson-Irrigation-District-to-face-water-crisis-by-state-s-proposed-curtailments?instance=lead_story_left_column

print
Patterson Irrigation District to face water crisis by state?s proposed curtailments
by?Brooke Borba | Patterson Irrigator
06.12.14 - 12:00 am
Drought conditions have reached a new plateau this year, urging the State Water Resources Control Board to consider declaring a state of emergency at their next board meeting on June 17 and 18. As a result, the State Water Board is considering curtailing senior water rights holders in Sacramento and the San Joaquin Valley River such as Patterson Irrigation District, which could pose problems for over 700 local landowners and growers alike.?

This would be the first instance in history that such sweeping curtailments occurred to senior rights holders pre-dating 1914 in California, despite a similar drought that took place in 1977.

In the past, pre-1914 water rights were considered to be the most secure rights in the state, said PID General Manager Peter Rietkerk. Now, the State Water Board is attempting to take away due process?a system that would allow a hearing to take place so water rights holders may stake their claim before being subjected to water restrictions.

?The moment they say it is illegal, it is illegal,? said Rietkerk. ?We would no longer have the ability to adjust our actions.?

PID Board President John Azevedo said the initiative is unlawful, and believes that every water rights holder should be subjected to a fair trial, as they know more about their specific region than those dictating the decision from the north.

?They are taking 100 years? worth of water law and just turning it on its head,? Azevedo said. ?We can work all this out on our own. Everyone?s demands have changed during this drought, and everyone is trying to help, but they cannot dictate from Sacramento that our water must be turned off without hearing what we have to say. They don?t realize how this will affect us.?

Rietkerk added that these blanket curtailments will not only impact growers directly this year, but also weaken the water right foundation on which families, communities, agriculture, financial lending, and many related industries have built their legacies.

The regulations, if they were to be approved, would not only waive due process rights to defend against curtailments, but will also give the State Water Board the discretion to issue curtailments for projects they deem necessary, including state and federal export projects that are currently not allowed under California?s current water rights system. As of now, the State Water Board intends to use the added water supply for fish and wildlife, said Azevedo.

PID is not the only district that seems to be riled up by the state?s proposed restrictions. Rietkerk and Azevedo said they have teamed up with many senior rights holders to discuss the implications of the curtailments, noting that it would be best to have each district handle their affairs accordingly.

?We have some growers that are taking twice as long to irrigate in between crops,? said Rietkerk. ?They are checking things to make sure there are no inefficiencies, and they are doing everything they can to mitigate the issue.?

?We are putting 24 hour men to patrol the irrigation instead of allowing water to run freely,? added Azevedo. ?We are doing what we can for our part.?

During the regularly scheduled meeting on May 21, a majority of senior water rights holders in the state, including many along the San Joaquin Valley River stood up to boast their concerns.

?Most of the agencies represented said emphatically there was no reason to curtail senior rights holders through emergency action,? said Rietkerk. ?We prefer that they discuss speaking with us through the current water rights actions given the existing law, but not through emergency regulations.?

As a result, PID and other senior water right holders on the San Joaquin River signed a letter to the State Board urging that curtailments would not be a necessary action this year. The parties believe that essential fallowing, modified water operations and other demands can be significantly reduced without fully impacting the entire region.?

They also plan to attend the regularly scheduled board meeting on June 17 to 18 to further discuss these issues.?

Despite the joint effort to fight water restrictions, PID and its growers remain deeply concerned about the future impacts that senior water right curtailments will have on the community, should they occur.

Anyone who is interested in addressing these proposed curtailments should address letters to the State Water Resources Control Board at http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/

Contact Brooke Borba at 892-6187. ext. 24, or brooke at pattersonirrigator.com.? pattersonirrigator.com 2014
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Jun 12 16:34:27 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 16:34:27 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Public Scoping Meetings Scheduled on Proposed
	On-Project Plan for the Klamath Project
In-Reply-To: <b6dea60e72df4e8e9ed82f3814ee756e@usbr.gov>
References: <b6dea60e72df4e8e9ed82f3814ee756e@usbr.gov>
Message-ID: <1402616067.16927.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Thursday, June 12, 2014 1:42 PM, Steve Geissinger <SGeissinger at usbr.gov> wrote:






Public Scoping Meetings Scheduled on Proposed On-Project Plan for the Klamath Project
Mid-Pacific Region
Sacramento, Calif.
MP-14-113
Media Contact: Shana Kaplan, 916-978-5100, skaplan at usbr.gov
(Note: Corrects comments? deadline to Tuesday, July 15.)
For Release On: June 12, 2014
Public Scoping Meetings Scheduled on Proposed On-Project Plan for the Klamath Project
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore.??-- The Bureau of Reclamation announced today that public scoping meetings are scheduled to be held jointly with the Klamath Water and Power Agency to begin preparation of a combined environmental document. The environmental documentation will be a joint Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report that will evaluate the proposed On-Project Plan as a solution for aligning water supply and demand within Reclamation?s Klamath Project.
The proposed OPP is a component of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement. The Klamath Project is located in Klamath County in Oregon, and in Modoc and Siskiyou counties in California. More information regarding the proposed OPP is available at http://www.kwapa.org/.
The Klamath Water and Power Agency is responsible for development, implementation and administration of the proposed OPP, while approval of the proposed plan is the responsibility of Reclamation, according to the terms of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement.
Public scoping meetings are being held to provide information about the proposed OPP and invite public comments on topics to be considered in the environmental analysis, including resources to be evaluated, alternatives to be considered, and concerns and issues. The meetings are scheduled as follows:
?
Klamath Falls, Oregon
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
10 a.m. ? 11:30 a.m.
Klamath Community College, Building 6, Room H138
7390 South 6th Street, Klamath Falls, OR 97603
?
Tulelake, California
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
5:30 p.m. ? 7 p.m.
Tulelake-Butte Valley Fairgrounds, Home Economics Building?West Wing
800 South Main Street, Tulelake, CA 96134
?
Oral and written comments will be accepted at the scoping meetings. Written comments regarding the scope of the environmental documents should be received by close of business?Tuesday, July 15, 2014, and should be sent to Tara Jane Campbell Miranda, Bureau of Reclamation, Klamath Basin Area Office, 6600 Washburn Way, Klamath Falls, Oregon 97603, or via e-mail to sha-kfo-oppcmts at usbr.gov. ?For more information, please contact Campbell Miranda, Klamath Basin Area Office, at?541-880-2583 (TTY 1-800-877-8339).
?
# # #
?
Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov.


If you would rather not receive future communications from Bureau of Reclamation, let us know by clicking here.
Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Federal Center, Alameda & Kipling Street PO Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225 United States
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Jun 12 17:36:32 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:36:32 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [env-trinity] Draft TMC Agenda June 18-19 in Hoopa
Message-ID: <1402619792.57767.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

TRINITY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
Tsewendaldin Inn Conference Room, Hoopa,
CA (625-4294)
June 18-19, 2014
?
?
Wednesday, ?June 18, 2014 
?
Time????????????? Topic,
Purpose and/or Decision to be Made??????????  ?????????????????????? Discussion
Leader
? 
Regular
Business:
?
9:30???????????????? Introductions: ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????? Brian Person, Chair
?? Approval of Agenda
?? Approval of April
2014 Minutes
?? Dinner Plans
?
9:45???????????????? Open Forum:? Comments from the public????????????????????????????? Brian Person
?
10:00?????????????? Report from TMC Chair? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? Brian
Person
?? Federal/Regional ?updates 
?? Water outlook update
?? TAMWG update
?? Supplemental Flows ? BOR long term plan
?? Trinity River Hatchery
o?? HGMP
o?? MOA
????? 
10:45?????????????? Report from
TAMWG Chair??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Tom
Stokely 
?
11:15?? ??????????? Joint Meeting??????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Brian
Person
?
11:45?????????????? Report from Executive
Director????????????????????????????????????????? Robin
Schrock
?? Action Tracker
?? 2015 Budget Overview
?? Workgroup update (handout) Q&A
?
?
12:00?????????????? Break 
??????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 
1:00???? ??????????? Science /Implementation Update??????????????????????????????????????? Ernie
Clarke???? 
?
??????????????????????? Information
/ Decision Items:
?
??????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 
1:30???????????????? Phase 1 Review ?TMC
Recommendations ??????????????????????????????????? Brian
Person??????????????? 
?
2:30???????????????? TMC
Recommendations for DSS??????????????????????????????????????? Brian
Person
?
3:00??? ???????????? DSS implementation/Phase II Planning??? ??????????????????????? Ernie
Clarke
?
3:30???????????????? Hatchery
Reach ? Channel Rehab Project??????????????????????????????????? Seth
Naman 
?
4:00???????????????? Large Wood
Management Plan????????????????????????????????????????? Wes
Smith
?
4:45???????????????? Public
comments????? 
?
5:00 ??????????????? Adjourn
To join the online
meeting (Now from mobile devices!)
?
Topic: Day 1 - TMC Meeting 
Date: Wednesday, June 18, 2014 
Time: 8:00 am, Pacific Daylight Time (San Francisco,
GMT-07:00) 
Meeting Number: 577 502 480 
Meeting Password: Abc at 123! 
?
------------------------------------------------------- 
------------------------------------------------------- 
1. Go to
https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=m647cc5f1a5d6458302a1ddf37336fe75 
2. If requested, enter your name and email address. 
3. If a password is required, enter the meeting
password: Abc at 123! 
4. Click "Join". 
?
To view in other time zones or languages, please click
the link: 
https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=m4ff909f6a6b6f9c3f2aefcca8b6456f7 
?
------------------------------------------------------- 
To join the audio conference only 
------------------------------------------------------- 
Call-in toll number (US/Canada): 1-408-792-6300 
?
Access code:577 502 480 
?
------------------------------------------------------- 
For assistance 
------------------------------------------------------- 
1. Go to https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/mc 
2. On the left navigation bar, click
"Support". 
?
You can contact me at: 
dljackson at usbr.gov 
1-530-623-1800 
?
Add this meeting to your calendar program: 
https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=m47335aa384b30f0d6a378c6ea526058e 
?
?
Lunch suggestions 
?
1) Valley restaurant located just down road from Motel. 
2) Joe?s deli located just across street from Motel. 
3) Rays food place has deli as well located within walking
distance of Motel.
?
?
Dinner Plans TBD 

?
?
Thursday,? June
19, 2014 
?
Information
/ Decision Items:
?
?
Time ????????????? Topic,
Purpose and/or Decision to be Made??????????  ?????????????????????? Discussion Leader
?
?
9:00???????????????? TMC
Guidance on Watersheds?????????????????????????????????????????? Brian
Person
?
9:30????????????????  Long Term Gravel Augmentation Plan???????????????????????????? Gravel
WG
?
10:15?????????????? Trinity
Reservoir Cold Water Pool and By Pass Feasibility?????? Mike Orcutt
????? 
11:00?????????????? TRRP
FY2015 Budget?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Robin
Schrock
?
11:30?????????????? Meeting
Summary??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Brian
Person
?
11:45?????????????? Open
Forum:? Comments from the public??????????????????????????????????? Brian Person
?
12:00?????????????? Adjourn 
?
------------------------------------------------------- 
To join the online
meeting (Now from mobile devices!) 
?
Topic: Day 2 - TMC Meeting 
Date: Thursday, June 19, 2014 
Time: 8:00 am, Pacific Daylight Time (San Francisco,
GMT-07:00) 
Meeting Number: 576 701 670 
Meeting Password: Abc at 123!
------------------------------------------------------- 
1. Go to
https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=medfcb8d06a0d19405760e91f49ea2393 
2. If requested, enter your name and email address. 
3. If a password is required, enter the meeting
password: Abc at 123! 
4. Click "Join". 
?
To view in other time zones or languages, please click
the link: 
https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=m001e7cc8367ffce1e8a1eb27381b2a75 
?
------------------------------------------------------- 
To join the audio conference only 
------------------------------------------------------- 
Call-in toll number (US/Canada): 1-408-792-6300 
?
Access code:576 701 670 
?
------------------------------------------------------- 
For assistance 
------------------------------------------------------- 
1. Go to https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/mc 
2. On the left navigation bar, click "Support". 
?
You can contact me at: 
dljackson at usbr.gov 
1-530-623-1800 
?
Add this meeting to your calendar program: 
https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=mc8a41299ba46168159413f3286eb7688
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Jun 13 15:39:12 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 22:39:12 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek 23
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C1B8CCA@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Greetings All,
Please see the attachment for the first Trinity River trapping summary of the 2014-15 season.  The summary contains the results from Julian week (Jweek) 23 (June 4-10) trapping at Junction City Weir (JCW).  The JCW was installed on June 9.  The season's first fish were processed on June 10, the last day of JWeek 23. Jweeks in 2014 begin on Wednesdays and end the following Tuesday.  We plan to install  the Willow Creek weir in mid to late August.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Jun 16 09:09:11 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 09:09:11 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] CV Business Times: Economist: Twin Tunnels would
	spell disaster for California agriculture
Message-ID: <1402934951.22957.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=26073
Economist: Twin Tunnels would spell disaster for California agriculture
by Gene Beley, Delta Correspondente

FAIRFIELD?
June 15, 2014 9:00pm

?? Jeffrey Michael says BDCP shifts risks to taxpayers
?? ?The financial plan is a mess?
The controversial Bay Delta Conservation Plan, if implemented, would spell disaster for California agriculture, says University of the Pacific economist Jeffrey Michael.
The massive, 40-foot in diameter twin water tunnels that are the reason more than $100 million has been spent on the BDCP plan could cost $67 billion, including interest on borrowed money, making the cost of any water the tunnels sent south of the Delta too costly for farming. Water for farming is the ostensible reason for the tunnels.
While it may have been a decent sounding project to the state?s water contractors when they started planning it back in 2006, the economics of the world have changed greatly since then, making it a huge financial risk, Mr. Michael told a recent meeting of the Solano County Board of Supervisors.
?So if these [water district] agencies are looking for good reasons to walk away form the project, I?ve given them a list of five,? he said.
Here they are:
? Construction cost estimates for the BDCP?s twin water tunnels have increased from $4 billion to $15 billion;
? Anticipated water exports have decreased from 6.5 million acre-feet to about 5 million acre-feet with no increase in the water supply;
? Seismic benefit estimates have declined substantially;
? Chances of federal and state funding now or in the future have severely declined;
? Urban water demand is declining and future population forecasts have dropped significantly.
?How much is this water going to cost?? Mr. Michael asked rhetorically. ?Dr. Rodney Smith, a well known consulting economist who works with a lot of these water agencies, has expressed a lot of skepticism about the BDCP financing. Basically, he says, ?I can?t tell you what the water will cost because no one will tell me what the yield of the product (twin tunnels) will be. It ranges from no extra water to best case scenario of 1.7 million acre feet of yield.?
?According to Dr. Smith, the best assumption is the water will cost over $500 an acre-foot to get it to Tracy. So that doesn?t work well for agriculture. If it doesn?t work well for agriculture, will it work for urban areas??
That?s when Mr. Michael told about his experience appearing at Assemblyman Jim Frazier?s economic accountability hearing on the BDCP project February 12 and interacting with Dennis Cushman, assistant general manager of the San Diego Water Authority. Mr. Cushman told how they would have to pay $1.1 to $1.2 billion and that the ?optimistic yield scenario? would be about 76,000 acre-feet.
So, although they have not opted out of the $67 billion BDCP twin tunnels yet, they opted to spend about $1 billion to build a desalination plant in Carlsbad that is guaranteed to produce 56,000 acre feet of purified water every year. ?Basically, they said that the (BDCP) deal can not get any worse for us and keep us in,? said Mr. Michael.
?The product is designed as a very marginal product for urban areas and there has to be a lot of shifting of costs from agriculture users to urban users to make it work,? Mr. Michael said. ?The financial plan is a mess. They still don?t have one after seven or eight years. The BDCP is counting on two or more water bonds to pass to finance the habitat.?
Risk Reduction ? For Whom?
The UOP economist, who is the director of the university?s Business Forecasting Center, said that when BDCP?s supporters talk about risk reduction, they are talking about a select minority, not all users of water from the Delta, let alone all Californians.
?My view is most of the BDCP is reducing risk for the junior water rights holders that are customers of the projects and the State Water Project under the Department of Water Resources and increasing the risks to other users in that process. And that?s pretty important,? he said.
California water rights have been shaped by 150 years of legislation, litigation and violence. ?Junior? water rights are much like the term would suggest ? other rights holders have more say on getting water. Many of those getting water from the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project are junior rights holders.
Mr. Michael said if the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta needs more water, it would have to come from somebody else, which increases the risk to upstream users and taxpayers. ?All this stuff needs to be accounted for from a state wide perspective,? he said.
?Another reason they [the water contractors] are worried is this big flood scenario. I have no idea what the probabilities are for that. In the Delta there are a lot of stakeholders who have an interest in flood control and integrity of those levees. It?s not risk reduction. It?s risk shifting. Be clear about that. The BDCP?s approach to risk reduction is to create an individual solution to take them out of the puzzle and leave everyone else on their own. If you take the water exporters out of the picture, indeed you?ll have less people there to share the common burden of that flood controls system.?
Regarding other parts of the BDCP package, he said the state ?doesn?t have to build the tunnels to have that ?stuff.? It?s not being financed by the water exporters. It is being financed by bonds and the people of California. The BDCP ? whether it is in the EIR [environmental impact report] or in their benefit cost analysis, in my view, shouldn?t be counted as benefits from habitat projects that aren?t financed by the proponents that can be reasonably expected to go forward within the tunnels. Those should be part of the baseline. If the state follows the 2009 Delta Reform Act, it says they have to achieve these co-equal goals, but doesn?t say only if we have a BDCP With or without the tunnels, they have to achieve that stuff. That is the proper baseline.?
He said in economics, if you want to make a project look good, you set up a weak alternative. ?Another issue is evaluating environment,? Mr. Michael continued. ?This is a sticky issue to do in economics.? He said he found an error in the BDCP: ?Once it starts talking about environmental benefits of BDCP, it switches back to the EIR baseline.?
?I submitted those comments to the author of the report. They said they were going to correct the errors, but I haven?t seen a revised report yet.?
Mr. Michael also said there are ?lots of optimistic assumptions? about construction by the BDCP ? like no delays and everything happening on time. Nor have they factored in that San Diego?s Carlsbad desalinization plant will be on line by 2016, or other technological improvements that will happen in the next 50 years.
?I don?t think anybody that has an interest in California agriculture in the Delta or south of the Delta should be excited about the BDCP,? said Mr. Michael.
About Jeffrey Michael:
Mr. Michael received his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. His areas of expertise include regional economic forecasting and environmental economics including work on the economic impacts of the Endangered Species Act, climate change, and regulation on land use, property values and employment growth.
He has been published in scholarly journals such as the Journal of Law and Economics, Southern Economic Journal, Energy Policy, and Ecological Economics.
Mr. Michael makes frequent presentations to the regional business and government audiences, and is cited over 200 times per year in the local and national press including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Newsweek, National Geographic, Washington Post, NPR, and PBS.
Before coming to Pacific in 2008, he spent nine years as faculty, associate dean, and director of the Center for Applied Business and Economic Research at Towson University in Maryland.
You can watch Jeffrey Michael give much more detail in his June remarks to the Solano County Board of Supervisors in the following video:
Economist Dr. Jeffrey Michael addresses the Solano County Board of Supervisors June 3, 2014?from?Gene Beley?on?Vimeo.
Copyright ?2014 Central Valley Business Times?
No content may be reused without written permission.?
An online unit of BizGnus, Inc.?
All rights reserved.
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Jun 16 14:24:52 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 14:24:52 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: TAMWG letter to TMC (6/16/14)
In-Reply-To: <1402949570.72576.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1402949570.72576.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1402953892.1550.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Monday, June 16, 2014 1:12 PM, Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net> wrote:






Brian ?
?
Attached, please find the TAMWG?s recommendations to the TMC as a result of our June 9-10, 2014 meeting.
?
I look forward to discussing these with you and the TMC during your meeting this week in Hoopa.
?
Sincerely,
?
Tom Stokely
TAMWG Vice Chairman
V/FAX
 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jun 17 15:14:27 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 15:14:27 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] New Call in for TMC meeting June 18-19, 2014 in Hoopa
In-Reply-To: <CA+Eoa-pzXfUNiJgm=rDCLE1AK=ykpomqABqOg0mopwZ8pTCTfQ@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAP6bSh+aXqyhECuoBpKvBXXGL3W=vWVs44_HdoK1hYbsKZBKNA@mail.gmail.com>
	<CA+Eoa-pzXfUNiJgm=rDCLE1AK=ykpomqABqOg0mopwZ8pTCTfQ@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1403043267.38167.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Tuesday, June 17, 2014 3:02 PM, "Clarke, Ernest" <ernest_clarke at fws.gov> wrote:






Folks -

I hope you are well. Rather than the call-in number in the agenda, please use this toll free number for tomorrow and Thursday:

USA Toll Free Number:866-917-8495
Participant Passcode:54018011


The webex connection on the agenda is good.

Regards,
Ernie




Ernie Clarke
Science Program Coordinator
Trinity River Restoration Program
1313 South Main Street
Weaverville, California 96093
Desk: 530-623-1815
Fax: 530-623-5944
Email: ernest_clarke at fws.gov
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Jun 20 08:48:34 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 08:48:34 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] LA Times: California's drought getting even worse,
	experts say
Message-ID: <1403279314.36276.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

There is a map showing how much of Trinity County went to "exceptional" drought. at the url for this article at:
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-80564520/

There may be additional Shasta/Trinity reservoir water releases beyond planned ones to repel salt in the Delta, according to Brian Person of BOR. ?Additional releases are already occurring from Folsom Reservoir.

-Tom Stokely?

California's drought getting even worse, experts say
By Caitlin Owens
June 19, 2014, 5:30 p.m.

California's drought conditions have worsened over the past week with the percentage of the state suffering from the highest category increasing, the National Weather Service said Thursday.?
"Exceptional" drought conditions have spread in Central California since a week ago, weather officials said. Areas in Northern California have also moved into this category since last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Almost 33% of the state faces exceptional conditions. About 25% of the state faced those conditions last week.
Every part of California remains in what is considered severe drought.?
A year ago, no part of the state was in exceptional drought conditions, the weather service said.
The drought has prompted water conservation efforts as well as rationing in some parts of the state. L.A. saw record dry conditions this winter, and snowfall in the Sierras has also been significantly down.
But the political impact of the drought has been a subject of debate.
A USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll in June found most Californians surveyed say the statewide drought has had little or no impact on their daily lives, and a majority oppose the suspension of environmental protections or large-scale public spending to boost water supplies.
Although 89% characterize the drought as a major problem or crisis, only 16% say it has personally affected them to a major degree.
Despite widespread news coverage of the drought the state's major population centers have largely escaped severe mandatory rationing.
Even agriculture, which as California's thirstiest sector is inevitably hit the hardest by drought, has partially compensated for reduced water delivery by pumping more groundwater.?
For breaking news in Los Angeles and the Southland, follow?@Caitlin__Owens, or email her at?caitlin.owens at latimes.com.
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Jun 20 08:41:53 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 15:41:53 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping summary Update JWeek24
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C1BA610@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Please see attachment for the Trinity River trapping summary update for JWeek 24 (June 11-17).

Steve



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From vina_frye at fws.gov  Tue Jun 24 14:16:23 2014
From: vina_frye at fws.gov (Frye, Vina)
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 14:16:23 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] News Release
Message-ID: <CANiLmTJFQ1A8R5a1Z86qTXqPLjhGv60VR4tSyJjuRmaE+3U61A@mail.gmail.com>

Dear Mailman,

I have attached the News Release please post.

Thank you,
Vina


Vina Frye
Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Arcata FWO
1655 Heindon Road
Arcata, CA  95521
Telephone: (707) 822-7201
Fax: (707) 822-8411
vina_frye at fws.gov
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Wed Jun 25 19:51:54 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2014 19:51:54 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] RTD urges Brown to back 'clean water bond'/Lawmakers
	blast secret drought bill negotiations/Vandenberg Marine
	UnProtected Area
In-Reply-To: <44282FD0-65F6-4A71-86D1-81B150FCBA9D@fishsniffer.com>
References: <CAF0TkQcMDutJmjjAKQ-P6TW+JRjnxUBfCQVTpORybopUviEbng@mail.gmail.com>
	<44282FD0-65F6-4A71-86D1-81B150FCBA9D@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <22211626-2878-4DFD-A3FB-F84A62E18D90@fishsniffer.com>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/06/25/1309591/-Restore-the-Delta-calls-on-Brown-to-back-clean-water-bond

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/06/25/18757877.php


brown-gov6.jpg

Restore the Delta calls on Brown to back 'clean water bond'

by Dan Bacher

Restore the Delta (RTD) called on Governor Brown to back a ?clean  
water bond? for the November 2014 ballot that does not include any  
taxpayer funding for mitigating the damage from the Bay Delta  
Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the peripheral tunnels.

The group's statement was issued after Brown told legislators in  
private meetings on Tuesday, June 24 that he opposes the existing  
$11.1 billion water bond and supports a $6 billion water bond instead,  
including about $2 billion for storage.

Brown also reportedly told legislators that Republicans ?must accept  
less than their stated priority of $3 billion? for water storage  
projects, according to Capitol Public Radio. (http://www.capradio.org/articles/2014/06/24/brown-opposes-existing-water-bond,-wants-$6-billion-replacement/ 
)

The Governor?s Office has declined to comment on the specifics of his  
proposal, including whether any funding in the bond will help pay for  
mitigation for damage caused by the construction of two massive  
tunnels under the Delta proposed under Brown's Bay Delta Conservation  
Plan (BDCP). "The Governor is concerned about ongoing debt service and  
its impact on future budgets," according to Jim Evans of the  
Governor's Office.

However, a draft of Brown's blueprint obtained by the Sacramento and  
Fresno Bee also "suggests $1.5 billion for water supply and water  
reliability, encompassing areas like safe drinking water and  
groundwater cleanup; $1.5 billion for watershed protection; $500  
million for flood control; and $500 million for the Delta." (http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/06/25/3996045/capitol-alert-governors-bond-plan.html 
)

"The document also states a general rule shared by Senate leaders: the  
bond must be 'Bay Delta Conservation Plan neutral,'" the Bee reported.

In response to the latest water bond developments, Barbara Barrigan- 
Parrilla, Executive Director of Restore the Delta, said, ?California  
desperately needs a new sustainable water policy and a bond measure  
that invests in conservation policies that have broad and deep  
support. We call on Gov. Brown to leave tunnels mitigation out of a  
water bond.?

Barrigan-Parrilla cited records obtained through the Freedom of  
Information Act showing that the BDCP appears to plan to use bond  
funds to help fund purchases over the next 50 years of up to 1.3  
million acre feet of water annually from upstream areas, such as the  
Sacramento Valley.

"These purchases are supposed to make up for over-pumping for the new  
water export Tunnels,? said Barrigan-Parrilla. ?This provision would  
become a referendum on the tunnels project and would likely doom the  
water bond to failure, leaving us with no progress on our need for  
drought resilient water projects.?

?In bond provisions labeled as BDCP ?restoration? and ?habitat?  
funding, the public would pay to purchase so called ?enhanced  
environmental flow? water from previously identified districts in the  
Upper Sacramento River Basin ? leading to the devastation of their  
groundwater supplies. That same water would be diverted into the new  
BDCP Tunnels before it flows into the heart of the Delta,? said  
Barrigan-Parrilla.

?Mega-growers within Westlands and Kern County are depending on public  
subsidies to make the BDCP pencil out. The public purchase of  
?environmental? water with bond funds has already been shown to be a  
waste. From 2000-2007, an ?environmental water account? was set up and  
spent nearly $200 million in public funds as the species crashed and  
the State Water Project over pumped the Delta, creating, huge profits  
for private landowners like billionaire Stewart Resnick. The voters  
will not agree to that kind of waste and profiteering again,? Barrigan- 
Parrilla added.

In addition, BDCP water exporters are relying on the public, through a  
combination of state and federal funds and two successive state water  
bonds, to pay $7.824 billion (before interest in today?s dollars)  
toward the cost of BDCP. The draft BDCP describes how state bond  
measures would provide $3.759 billion in funds to carry out the  
project, according to Barrigan-Parilla.

She said taxpayers, through other state and federal funding  
allocations, would also pay the remaining $4 billion needed for the  
estimated $25 billion dollar project. With the water exporters paying  
for the cost of the water export Tunnels through increased water rates  
to families, the public would pay additionally through taxes for the  
cost of creating more than 140,000 acres of experimental habitat, on  
Delta farmland, the largest strip of prime farmland in California.

?According to independent scientific reviews, BDCP habitat is unlikely  
to yield the benefits assumed by BDCP, in part because the Tunnels  
will starve the Delta of needed fresh water flows. The BDCP water  
export Tunnels will remove life-giving flows of high quality water  
through the Delta. The massive acquisition of farmland for habitat is  
a ruse to justify building the BDCP Tunnels, and the water exporters  
are planning to stick the taxpayers with that bill,? said Barrigan- 
Parrilla.

Restore the Delta calls on Governor Brown support the following three  
principles in the 2014 water bond:

? Remove all funding for Delta habitat and water purchases tied to the  
BDCP. Funding actions needed by the still draft, unfinished BDCP will  
take away funding from other crucial water projects that will make  
California drought resilient. Taxpayers should not be expected to pay  
to restore habitat or purchase paper ?environmental? water to make the  
Tunnels appear to be an environmental project.

? Support levee improvement funding in order to upgrade Delta levees  
to the minimum PL194-99 standards. The Governor needs to recognize  
that if there is a catastrophic event in the Delta, one hundred  
percent of the loss of life and 80% of the economic loss will fall on  
the Delta region. Levees protect statewide water supplies and provide  
local flood protection. Regional infrastructure worth billions of  
dollars (roads, railroads, electric transmission lines, gas lines) is  
also at risk.

"The State claims to be worried about an earthquake in the Delta, yet  
inexplicably is focused not on shoring up the Delta?s earthquake  
defenses, but on building Peripheral Tunnels to ?protect? the water  
exported. The State has forgotten that 4 million people live in the  
five Delta Counties and need to be protected from a catastrophic flood  
event," she said.

? Support conservation and local water supply and treatment projects  
throughout California to make the state more water resilient and less  
dependent on Delta exports.

"We are calling on Governor Brown to support principles that will  
actually lead to more secure water supplies for all Californians,  
rather than endorsing a water exporter driven bond that will deliver  
only for certain special-interest water districts to the detriment of  
the largest estuary on the west coast of the Americas," she summed up.

?If the governor and Westlands mega-growers insist on including  
taxpayer subsidies for the tunnels mitigation in the water bond, it  
will become a vote of the people of California on the mammoth and  
destructive BDCP Tunnel project, estimated to cost a total of at least  
$54.1 billion after interest,? said Restore the Delta?s media  
consultant, Steve Hopcraft.

The current water bond on the November ballot was created as part of a  
water policy/water bond package passed by the Legislature in a special  
session called by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in November  
2009. The water bond was rescheduled twice, first in 2010 and then  
again in 2012, due to strong opposition to provisions in the bond that  
facilitate the construction of the twin tunnels under the Sacramento- 
San Joaquin River Delta.

Brown is a relentless advocate for the widely-criticized Bay Delta  
Conservation Plan to build the peripheral tunnels - and looks at the  
tunnel plan, estimated to cost up to $67 billion, as a "legacy" project.

On Monday, June 23, Senator Lois Wolk?s new water bond, SB 848, failed  
to gain required two-thirds vote ?due to Republican opposition and  
demands that the measure include more funding to enable the  
construction of two tunnels underneath the Delta to divert water to  
farming interests in the Southern San Joaquin Valley,? according to a  
statement from Wolk?s Office.

The vote was on party lines, with the Senate Democrats supporting the  
measure and the Senate Republicans voting against it.

The 22 yes votes were Beall, Corbett, Correa, De Le?n, DeSaulnier,  
Evans, Galgiani, Hernandez, Hueso, Jackson, Lara, Leno, Lieu, Liu,  
Mitchell, Monning, Padilla, Pavley, Roth, Steinberg, Torres, and Wolk,  
all Democrats.

The no votes were Anderson, Berryhill, Fuller, Huff, Knight, Morrell,  
Vidak, Walters, Wyland, all Republicans.

No votes were recorded by Block, Calderon, Cannella, Gaines, Hancock,  
Hill, Nielsen, Wright and Yee.

Three of those recorded not voting - Leland Yee of San Francisco, Ron  
Calderon of Montebello and Rod Wright of Inglewood - were suspended  
from the State Senate with pay this March. Senators Yee and Calderon  
were indicted in separate federal corruption cases, while Senator  
Wright will be sentenced on July 21 on criminal charges that he lied  
about where he lived when he ran for office in 2008. (http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/rod-wright/#storylink 
=cpy)

?Yesterday?s vote was a missed opportunity,? said Senator Wolk. ?It  
was especially disappointing to see my Republican colleagues from  
Northern California tie their horses to the Delta Tunnels and support  
the current bond written in 2009 rather than the tunnel neutral  
approach in SB 848 that was before them. The 2009 bond promotes the  
tunnels and is doomed to be rejected by the voters.?

?We are in a drought," she said. "The voters want real solutions, not  
the tunnels. There is no better time than now to act. SB 848 includes  
water solutions for every region of the state that reflect local needs  
and priorities. This bond doesn?t hurt any region and, critically, it  
avoids investments in controversial projects like the Delta Tunnels  
that will result in opposition at the ballot. SB 848 is the only  
proposal that doesn't provoke a North-South water war and meets  
Republican core demand for surface storage."

For more information, go to: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/06/25/18757859.php



2.

http://yubanet.com/california/Dan-Bacher-NorCal-lawmakers-call-for-opening-up-secret-drought-bill-negotiations.php#.U6uBnN3DyRo

Photo of Congressman George Miller, courtesy of George Miller's Office.

200px-george_miller_house...

NorCal lawmakers call for opening up secret drought bill negotiations

by Dan Bacher

Six Northern California Congress Members on June 23 called on Senators  
Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to open up secret negotiations on  
controversial drought legislation that threatens salmon populations,  
family farmers and California Indian Tribes.

Representatives Jared Huffman, George Miller, John Garamendi, Jerry  
McNerney, Doris Matsui, and Mike Thompson on June 23 asked for "public  
and transparent negotiations" between the Senate and House on  
legislation responding to the historic California drought.

In a letter to California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer,  
the members noted that "negotiations to date have left the public  
without adequate information or opportunities for input." Any  
compromise between the Senate drought response bill and the  
destructive House-passed bill, the members argued, would ultimately be  
harmful to California.

The House bill, H.R. 3964, severely undermines numerous state and  
federal statutes, would irreparably damage the Bay-Delta, degrade  
drinking water quality, and cost California thousands of jobs,  
according to the Representatives.

?We are deeply concerned that it appears that negotiations with the  
House majority are being held out of the public eye. We believe the  
process by which Congress responds to this drought crisis should be  
transparent,? the members wrote. ?Our constituents are rightly  
concerned about a closed-door approach that picks winners and losers  
amid California?s statewide drought, and they deserve a public  
discussion of the merits of the legislation being considered.?

"The House majority has already demonstrated their intention to  
irresponsibly override state water law and decades of federal  
protections for clean water, fisheries, and northern California  
tribes, farms, and cities ? all to benefit a select few," they said.

"The House-passed H.R. 3964 provides neither new resources nor useful  
tools, but instead undermines numerous state and federal laws,  
including: the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the  
Central Valley Project Improvement Act, the San Joaquin River  
Restoration Settlement Act, and the California constitution and its  
public trust doctrine. We all agree that this would take California in  
the wrong direction, and the House majority?s draft Energy & Water  
appropriations bill would continue this harmful approach. Our state  
cannot risk the negative repercussions of trying to reconcile the  
differences between H.R. 3964 and S. 2016," they wrote.

The members also called for direct assistance to communities hurt by  
the drought, including farmworker and fishing communities. Neither the  
Senate nor House-passed bills provide any new funding for emergency  
drought relief projects, water recycling infrastructure, or  
conservation and efficiency projects, in contrast to the House  
Democrats? bill and an earlier Senate bill, they wrote.

Feinstein is the primary author of the emergency drought relief bill,  
S 2918, that was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate in May.  
House Republicans passed their own, even more dangerous legislation in  
February that would waive Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections,  
repeal the restoration of the San Joaquin River below Friant Dam and  
override the federal ?wild and scenic river? designation for a short  
stretch of the Merced River.

Environmental groups, fishing organizations and Indian Tribes oppose  
Feinstein's bill, since they say it will enable more Delta water to be  
exported to corporate agribusiness interests on the west side of the  
San Joaquin Valley during the current drought.

Restore the Delta (RTD) on May 16 issued a strongly-worded statement  
criticizing Senator Feinstein for pushing S 2918 ?to allow more water  
to be exported for Westlands? and Kern Water Districts? mega-growers  
in the midst of a severe drought.? The group also blasted Feinstein?s  
bill for posing a grave threat to Central Valley salmon and other fish  
populations and wildlife refuges.

?It is disappointing that Senator Feinstein has chosen to rush harmful  
legislation with no public hearings, debate or scrutiny, so that  
industrial growers who have planted tens of thousands of acres of  
almonds and other permanent crops in the midst of the past several  
very dry years,? said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of  
Restore the Delta. ?Sen. Feinstein is using every tactic she can to  
aid these growers at the expense of the rest of California. There?s a  
better solutions, despite Sen. Feinstein?s statement that she has  
received no useful input on alternatives. She has received the input,  
but has ignored it.?

?Sen. Dianne Feinstein is rushing legislation through Congress that  
uses the current drought to make changes that undo critical  
protections for our salmon and other fisheries, and the people who  
rely on our river system. While it makes sense to take prudent steps  
to address the drought, it is unwise to use the current lack of water  
to do the bidding of mega-growers who want more and more water for  
permanent crops on unsuitable lands. That?s who gets most of the water  
in our public projects: huge industrial farming operations in the  
Westlands and Kern Water Districts. Sen. Feinstein is responding to  
the urging of these growers, many of whom have contributed mightily to  
her campaigns,? said Barrigan-Parrilla.

S 2918 is harmful to salmon migration, since it would lock in a 1:1  
ratio of San Joaquin-San Francisco Bay Delta water inflow to water  
exports, according to Restore the Delta. This permits exporting water  
that can be diverted by massive pumps in April and May, and affects  
the San Joaquin River?s flow at a critical time when salmon and  
steelhead are migrating down the river to the ocean.

S 2918 also weakens protections for salmon and regulates the flow rate  
at which Old and Middle Rivers, two channels of the San Joaquin River  
that feed the Bay-Delta, can be made to flow in the reverse of their  
natural direction by the operation of the federal and state pumps that  
export water south. Those pumps redirect the flow of the Delta and  
pull millions of salmon and other fish to their deaths each year.

Between 2000 and 2011, more than 130 million fish were ?salvaged? at  
the State and Federal Project water export facilities in the South  
Delta, according to a white paper published by Bill Jennings,  
Executive Director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance,  
on March 7, 2013. Actual losses are far higher. For example, recent  
estimates indicate that 5-10 times more fish are lost than are  
salvaged, largely due to the high predation losses in and around water  
project facilities.

Feinstein is pushing the dangerous legislation as Jerry Brown is fast- 
tracking the Bay Delta Conservation Plan to build the peripheral  
tunnels. The same agribusiness interests advocating for Feinstein?s  
legislation are the same ones promoting the construction of the tunnels.

The project, estimated to cost up to $67 billion, would hasten the  
extinction of Central Valley salmon, Delta and longfin smelt, green  
sturgeon and other fish species, as well as imperil the salmon and  
steelhead populations on the Klamath and Trinity rivers.

The full letter from the Congress Members is below:

June 23, 2014

The Honorable Dianne Feinstein
United States Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Barbara Boxer
United States Senate
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senators Feinstein and Boxer:

We applaud you for your effort to produce workable solutions to  
California?s statewide water shortages, and for your leadership in  
expediting state and federal agencies? response to the drought. The  
passage of S.2198 in the Senate has sent a strong message that  
California?s drought requires the highest level of attention and  
continued action, and we hope to continue to work with you as we push  
for solutions. However, we are deeply concerned that it appears that  
negotiations with the House majority are being held out of the public  
eye. We believe the process by which Congress responds to this drought  
crisis should be transparent.

The House majority has already demonstrated their intention to  
irresponsibly override state water law and decades of federal  
protections for clean water, fisheries, and northern California  
tribes, farms, and cities ? all to benefit a select few. The House- 
passed H.R. 3964 provides neither new resources nor useful tools, but  
instead undermines numerous state and federal laws, including: the  
Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the Central Valley  
Project Improvement Act, the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement  
Act, and the California constitution and its public trust doctrine. We  
all agree that this would take California in the wrong direction, and  
the House majority?s draft Energy & Water appropriations bill would  
continue this harmful approach. Our state cannot risk the negative  
repercussions of trying to reconcile the differences between H.R. 3964  
and S. 2016. As the Los Angeles Times observed in their June 8th  
editorial, ?a compromise between the two bills would be bad for  
California.?

We believe Congress should focus on solutions, and we cannot accept  
the destructive Valadao-Nunes approach, which flouts state and federal  
law, will irreparably damage the Bay-Delta, degrade drinking water  
quality, and cost our state thousands of jobs. We strongly urge you to  
prioritize providing the resources and additional tools that  
California needs to respond to this and future droughts, as both H.R.  
4239 and your original S. 2016 would have done. Although we still have  
concerns with a provision from S. 2016 that remains in S. 2198, we  
believe both S. 2016 and H.R. 4239 have important provisions in common  
that would: directly assist communities harmed by the drought,  
including farmworker and fishing communities; provide funding for  
emergency drought relief projects; expand funding for water recycling  
infrastructure, conservation, and efficiency projects that can be  
rapidly brought online; ensure that drought damages are properly  
recognized under the Stafford Act; and reduce wildfire risk. Not one  
of these priorities is addressed by H.R. 3964.

Since neither H.R. 3964 nor S. 2198 received a public hearing nor  
considered by committees in open session, and a formal conference  
process is not possible at this point, we strongly urge you to conduct  
any further negotiations in public, and to seek comment from the  
relevant state and federal agencies, as well as tribes, recreational  
and commercial fishing interests, water managers, farms, counties, and  
cities. Our constituents are rightly concerned about a closed-door  
approach that picks winners and losers amid California?s statewide  
drought, and they deserve a public discussion of the merits of the  
legislation being considered. The changes envisioned between both  
bills are so great, and there are so many stakeholders at risk, it  
would be a great disservice if these decisions were made without  
transparency and public input.

Thank you again for your leadership.

Sincerely,

###

3.
http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs_/details/bill-introduced-to-ban-oil-drilling-in-vandenberg-marine-protected-area/

BILL WOULD BAN OIL DRILLING IN VANDENBERG MARINE PROTECTED AREA
Written By: Dan Bacher, June 21, 2014

Fishermen, Tribal leaders and grassroots environmentalists have  
repeatedly criticized the privately funded Marine Life Protection Act  
(MLPA) Initiative for creating questionable "marine protected areas"  
that fail to protect the ocean from oil drilling, fracking, pollution,  
military testing, corporate aquaculture and all human impacts on the  
ocean other than fishing and gathering.
The Coastal Justice Coalition, a group of members of the Yurok, Hoopa  
Valley, Karuk and other Tribes who agree that the State of California  
has no right to regulate tribal gathering, exposed this severe flaw in  
the MLPA Initiative when they stated, "Protected areas would allow for  
deep water drilling yet would ban tribal gathering," in a news release  
issued in June 2010. (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/06/29/18652206.php 
)
While MLPA Initiative officials let the oil industry, corporate  
polluters and ocean industrialists off the hook in their strange  
concept of "marine protection," offshore oil drilling will be banned  
in one state marine protected area, the Vanderberg State Marine  
Reserve, if State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) has  
her way.

Senator Jackson has introduced a bill, SB 1096, to ban offshore oil  
drilling from an area of state waters in the Santa Barbara Channel  
known as Tranquillon Ridge. The area is designated as a "marine  
protected area" because of its sensitive marine ecosystem, according  
to a statement from Senator Jackson's office.

Declaring that "offshore oil and gas production in certain areas of  
state waters poses an unacceptably high risk of damage and disruption  
to the marine environment of the state," the California Legislature in  
1994 banned any new offshore oil and gas leases when it passed the  
California Coastal Sanctuary Act.

But a glaring loophole in state law left Tranquillon Ridge, which  
extends into state and federal waters, with reserves that are  
currently being tapped in federal waters from Platform Irene, uniquely  
vulnerable to offshore drilling, according to Jackson's office.

This loophole in the California Coastal Sanctuary Act authorizes the  
State Lands Commission to enter into a lease for the extraction of oil  
or gas from state-owned tide and submerged lands in the California  
Coastal Sanctuary, "if the commission determines that the oil or gas  
deposits are being drained by means of producing wells upon adjacent  
federal lands and the lease is in the best interest of the state."

Senate Bill 1096 repeals this loophole, found in Public Resources Code  
6244.

"For too long, oil companies have been eying this precious marine  
ecosystem as theirs for the taking," said Senator Jackson. "With each  
new proposal, we have mustered our resources, and fought for our  
environmental future. This bill would close the book on the  
possibility of future offshore drilling in these state waters and help  
ensure that our precious coastline remains protected forever."

Jackson said oil companies have made numerous attempts to tap into  
Tranquillon Ridge's offshore reserves from state waters over the  
years. Since 2003, an oil development proposal has been pursued by  
Sunset and Exxon to drill into Tranquillon Ridge reserves from an  
onshore location at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

"Slant drilling from onshore into offshore waters raises significant  
concerns about possible oil spills, impacts on marine life, air and  
water pollution, and contributions to global climate change," said  
Jackson.

"We are thrilled to sponsor this bill, which would protect one of the  
most environmentally rich areas on the California coast," said Linda  
Krop, chief counsel of the Environmental Defense Center, a nonprofit  
environmental law firm headquartered in Santa Barbara County. "This  
region is recognized as one of five important ecological regions on  
the planet. For this reason, the state has designated this area as a  
Marine Protected Area, which means that it warrants the highest  
possible level of protection."

"If a project like the original T-ridge, which contained significant  
environmental benefits, was rejected by the state, then our community  
should vehemently oppose an oil project that has even worse  
environmental impacts and no benefits," said Assemblymember Das  
Williams (D-Santa Barbara). "This bill would protect our waters from  
potential harmful new oil development."

Vandenberg State Marine Reserve (SMR) is a marine protected area  
located offshore of Vandenberg Air Force Base, near the city of Lompoc  
on the Central Coast. The marine protected area covers 32.84 square  
miles.

Vandenberg SMR is supposed to "protect" all marine life within its  
boundaries and fishing and take of all living marine resources is  
prohibited. However, the "marine reserve," like others established  
under the MLPA Initiative, doesn't ban oil drilling, fracking or  
pollution.

Vandenberg SMR was established in September 2007 in a controversial  
public-private partnership between the Resources Legacy Fund  
Foundation and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It was  
one of 29 marine protected areas adopted during the first phase of the  
Marine Life Protection Act Initiative.

The time to ban offshore oil drilling, fracking, pollution, corporate  
aquaculture, military testing and other harmful activities to marine  
life in the "marine protected areas" created under the MLPA Initiative  
is long overdue. The oil industry's inordinate influence over the MLPA  
Initiative and other environmental processes, the Legislature and the  
Governor's Office is due to the enormous amount of money that the oil  
industry dumps into campaign contributions and lobbying in Sacramento  
every year.

A report released on April 1, 2014 by the ACCE Institute and Common  
Cause reveals that Big Oil has spent $143.3 million on political  
candidates and campaigns ? nearly $10 million per year and more than  
any other corporate lobby ? over the past fifteen years. (http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2014/04/10/bil_oil_floods_the_capitol_4.1.14v2.pdf 
)

But Big Oil exerts its influence not just by making campaign  
contributions, but also by lobbying legislators at the State Capitol.  
The oil industry spent $123.6 million to lobby elected officials in  
California from 1999 through 2013. This was an increase of over 400  
percent since the 1999-2000 legislative session, when the industry  
spent $4.8 million. In 2013-2014 alone, the top lobbyist employer,  
Western States Petroleum Association, spent $4.7 million. 
     
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From bgutermuth at usbr.gov  Thu Jun 26 08:49:04 2014
From: bgutermuth at usbr.gov (GUTERMUTH, F.)
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 08:49:04 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Douglas City Channel Rehabilitation Project: Public
 Meeting 6 pm on July 1 at the Weaverville Library
Message-ID: <CAMnws3+AWjCVfXXuYENiFY8hRaq-H77=MoGNXSXV2rvv_3M-yw@mail.gmail.com>

[image: Inline image 1]

Hope to see you there!

Brandt




Brandt Gutermuth
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Restoration Program
PO Box 1300, 1313 S. Main ST.
Weaverville CA 96093
530.623.1806 Voice
http://www.trrp.net/
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Jun 27 12:01:41 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2014 19:01:41 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek 25
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C1C7C98@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi All,
Please see the attachment for the Jweek 25 (June 18-24) Trinity River trapping summary update.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Jun 27 12:55:37 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2014 12:55:37 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Mercury News editorial: Water debate illustrates why
	Delta tunnel plan must be killed
Message-ID: <1403898937.55102.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Also see attached Restore the Delta press release on how the Governor's proposed water bond is not "tunnel neutral."

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_26040668/mercury-news-editorial-water-debate-illustrates-why-delta

Mercury News editorial: Water debate illustrates why Delta tunnel plan must be killed
Mercury News Editorial
POSTED: ? 06/26/2014 04:00:00 PM PDT5 COMMENTS
UPDATED: ? 06/26/2014 05:15:21 PM PDT

The water bond debate before the Legislature makes clear what Gov. Jerry Brown should already know: Californians want no part of his massive, $25 billion twin tunnel plan.
A new survey of 600 likely voters shows that overall support for the water bond proposal before the state Senate drops from 61 percent to 41 percent if it is perceived as a part of a Northern California/Southern California water war -- which perfectly describes the water grab that is at the heart of Brown's massive tunnel proposal to send additional water south.
The new survey matches the weak support previous polls have shown for the tunnels.
The governor should drop his unpopular plan so that California can take the necessary steps to combat the drought and get serious about restoring the Delta.
Brown is right about one thing concerning the water bond: It needs to shrink. A lot. All the pork has to go, if it's going to pass muster with voters in November. The governor last week released his own $6 billion bond proposal, which is considerably smaller than any of the other plans being considered in Sacramento.
The Legislature originally approved a pork-laden, $11.1 billion water bond in 2009, while Arnold Schwarzenegger was still governor. Legislators have delayed putting it before voters ever since, fearing all that pork -- the money for bike trails around Lake Tahoe, for example -- would prevent it from gaining the necessary two-thirds approval to pass. They're right.
A new, $10.5 billion version of the water bond, authored by Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, fell three votes short of passing Monday after failing to win sufficient support from Republicans, despite the promise of $3 billion for three new dams and $1.3 billion for Delta restoration projects and levee improvements.
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg expects negotiations to continue through the summer. He argues that any successful water bond deal must be perceived as "tunnel neutral" -- that is, neither helping or hindering Brown's plan to build two, 35-mile long, 40-feet in diameter tunnels 150 feet under the heart of the Delta. The tunnels would be capable of carrying enough water south to fill a whopping 8,800 Olympic-size swimming pools every day.
It's a next-to-impossible goal.
Environmentalists already fear that Brown will hijack some of the money targeted for Delta restoration for projects that will make it possible to gain permits for his tunnel plan. Central Valley Republicans won't sign on to any proposals that won't lead to additional water to irrigate their thirsty farms.
Brown's tunnel plan is going nowhere. Silicon Valley residents rely on the Delta for about half of their water supply. The governor should give up on his notion of a legacy project in favor of a slimmed down conveyance system and restoration project for the Delta.
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jul  1 08:21:18 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2014 08:21:18 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Nominations open for membership on Trinity federal
	advisory committee- TAMWG
Message-ID: <1404228078.48293.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

The Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking nominations for membership on the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (Working Group). The Working Group is a Federal advisory committee chartered by the?
Secretary of the Interior under provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA - Public Law 92-463). ? In existence since February 2003, the Working Group gives interested stakeholders an opportunity to provide?
recommendations on policy, management, and technical subjects regarding the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) to the Trinity Management Council (TMC). Specifically, the Working Group provides advice on the?
effectiveness of management actions in achieving restoration goals, alternative courses of action to achieve those goals, the priority of restoration projects, funding priorities, and other program components.?

See the attached news release for more details and please share this with others that may be interested.

Nominations must be submitted by July 31, 2014. ?

Please call if you have any questions (707-825-5149).


thanks
joe

--?
Joe Polos
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office
1655 Heindon Road
Arcata, CA 95521
707-825-5149
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Sat Jun 28 21:41:47 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 21:41:47 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Delta group reveals Brown water bond is not 'tunnels
	neutral'/Urgent Action Alert: Not one penny for tunnels mitigation
In-Reply-To: <A37A4B95-4BE4-4967-85A9-86EC13081047@fishsniffer.com>
References: <1397543947.5330.YahooMailNeo@web140306.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
	<A58CD61C-FF4A-48BA-BD3D-FD683AB41C6D@fishsniffer.com>
	<1403903512.53261.YahooMailNeo@web140301.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
	<A37A4B95-4BE4-4967-85A9-86EC13081047@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <02D48B06-E313-4F4B-922C-D778B286BECC@fishsniffer.com>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/06/27/1310060/-Delta-group-says-Brown-water-bond-is-not-tunnels-neutral
jerry_brown.pnghttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/06/28/18757987.php

Delta group reveals Brown water bond is not 'tunnels neutral'

by Dan Bacher

California Governor Jerry Brown earlier this week discussed with state  
legislators his outline for a $6 billion water bond to replace the  
$11.1 billion bond currently on the November ballot.

His outline for the "Water Action Plan Financing Act of 2014" included  
$2 billion for storage, $1.5 billion for watershed protection,  
watershed ecoystem restoration and state settlements, $1.5 billion for  
water quality and water supply reliability, $500 million for the Delta  
and $500 million for statewide flood management.

Brown's proposed bond would be "BDCP (Bay Delta Conservation Plan)  
neutral," according to an outline that was circulated to legislators,  
some stakeholders and the media.

Responding to Brown's claim, Restore the Delta (RTD), leading  
opponents of Governor Brown?s rush to build massive water export  
tunnels that mainly serve corporate agribusiness interests in that  
Westlands and Kern Water Districts, today rejected the Governor's  
assertion that his proposed state water bond principles are ?tunnel  
neutral." They released proposed bond language that would have  
taxpayers foot the bill for the damage from the tunnels project.

The group said the tunnels cannot be built without hundreds of  
millions of dollars to fund ?mitigation? of the project?s damage,  
damage the water-takers refuse to pay, and are foisting onto taxpayers.

?The governor?s water bond is not ?tunnels neutral,? and his declaring  
it so does not make it true,? said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, RTD  
executive director. ?Much in the same way the proponents of the  
tunnels project named it the ?Bay Delta Conservation Plan,? (BDCP) and  
classified construction of the massive 35-mile long tunnels their  
primary ?conservation measure,? the governor is perverting the meaning  
of the English language. We are not fooled, and neither will the  
taxpayers who will pay the bill be fooled. This tunnels-enabling  
provision would doom the water bond we all need to address our water  
crisis.?

RTD released language from the Governor?s bond proposal exposing that  
his bond is not "tunnel neutral."

The governor?s proposed Chapter X. Watershed Protection and Ecosystem  
Restoration, Section 79735 B, provides that funds will be made  
available for ?habitat restoration? that is part of the BDCP plan, and  
for moving water from willing sellers to habitat areas, a program that  
would have taxpayers pay to replace the required water flows exported  
by the BDCP tunnels.

RTD released BDCP records obtained through the Freedom of Information  
Act showing that the BDCP plans to use bond funds to help fund  
purchases over the next 50 years of up to 1.3 million acre feet of  
water annually from upstream areas, such as the Sacramento Valley.

?These purchases are needed to make up for over-pumping by the new  
water export Tunnels,? said RTD consultant Steve Hopcraft. ?Having  
taxpayers fund the replacement of Sacramento River and other water  
taken by the tunnels is an underhanded, back-door program required to  
mitigate the damage the tunnels would cause."

"They can?t get the needed permits without the mitigation. How is that  
'tunnels neutral?' The governor?s own poll shows that the water bond  
will lose if it is a referendum on the tunnels project. This provision  
would be a poison pill and would undermine an otherwise valuable bond  
measure," said Hopcraft.

"We don?t want to campaign against the water bond, because we need to  
put in place sustainable water policies. But we won?t sit by and let  
the governor mislead taxpayers and pretend this funding is not part of  
the tunnels financing plan. Just read the language being proposed in  
his bond and put 1 + 1 together. The tunnels are not worth tubing the  
entire bond, and we urge the legislature to remove this provision and  
leave the fight over the Delta tunnels for another day," he stated.

In bond provisions labelled as BDCP ?restoration? and ?habitat?  
funding, the public would pay to purchase so-called ?enhanced  
environmental flow? water from previously identified districts in the  
Upper Sacramento River Basin. This would devastate their groundwater  
supplies. That same water would be diverted into the new BDCP Tunnels  
before it flows into the heart of the Delta.

RTD also released a document obtained through a Public Information Act  
request prepared by the State Water Contractors Authority entitled  
?Stradling Yocca Carlson and Rauthm.? The February 2014 document  
spells out that at this time, there is no financing plan for the BDCP- 
DHCCP peripheral water tunnels project.

According to the BDCP-DHCCP public draft, ?[s]eparate financing plans,  
funding agreements, legislative authority, and other documents will be  
needed to enable the use of certain funding sources.? The success of  
the project relies on as yet unfunded $4.1 billion dollars from the  
California State General Fund [17%] and $3.6 billion from federal  
taxpayers [14%].

Hopcraft said, "BDCP proponents need this water bond to begin putting  
the pieces in place to secure the financing for the project. The Brown  
administration knows this, and is trying to bury this funding in their  
proposed bond under watershed protection and is misleading the public  
describing a 'tunnel neutral' bond."

?What can be worse for Californians than not being able to trust the  
Governor to tell us the truth about what funds will be used for in his  
proposed water bond during a period of extreme drought?? asked  
Barrigan-Parrilla.

I called the Governor's Press Office and am still waiting for a  
response to Restore the Delta's contention that the Governor's water  
bond is not "tunnels neutral."

The Governor?s Office has to date declined to comment on the specifics  
of his proposal.

"The Governor is concerned about ongoing debt service and its impact  
on future budgets," Brown spokesman Jim Evans said in a statement  
Monday.

 From the governor?s proposed water bond:

Chapter X. Watershed Protection and Ecosystem Restoration

79731. This chapter implements activities in action numbers 4 and 9 of  
the California Water Action Plan.

79732. The sum of one billion four hundred fifty million dollars  
($1,450,000,000) shall be available for the purposes of this chapter.

79733. Projects eligible for funds provided in Section 79732 shall be  
available upon appropriation by the Legislature for projects that  
protect and restore rivers, lakes and streams, their watersheds and  
associated land, water, and other natural resources.

79734. Of the funds provided in Section 79732, six hundred fifty  
million dollars ($650,000,000) shall be available for appropriation to  
the Natural Resources Agency.

79735. (a) The secretary may directly grant such funds in 79734 to any  
nonprofit organization, conservancy, public agency, or any tribal  
government or community for activities and programs that are  
consistent with and would further existing obligations in state  
settlement agreements or any authorized amendment thereto that achieve  
the ecological goals described in the California Water Action Plan.

(b) Funds may be used for projects that help fulfill state obligations  
to wildlife refuges and wildlife habitat areas under Section 3406(d)  
of Title 34 of Public Law 102-575, including the construction,  
retrofitting, and maintenance of water supply infrastructure and the  
acquisition and conveyance of water supply from willing sellers for  
water transfers of not less than 20 years, purchases of water rights,  
or other agreements that result in long-term enhancement of habitat  
conditions.

79736. (a) Of the funds provided in Section 79732, eight hundred  
million dollars ($800,000,000) shall be available, upon appropriation  
by the Legislature, to the State Board and the Department of Fish and  
Wildlife for vital species, habitat, or ecosystem restoration  
activities statewide and to achieve the protection of water related  
species and water quality. The State Board or the Department of Fish  
and Wildlife may directly grant to any nonprofit organization,  
conservancy, public agency, or any tribal government or community for  
activities under this section.

(1) Of the funds provided for in this section, at least $200 million  
shall be made available for the enhancement of water flows in stream  
systems statewide. These funds may be used to acquire water if (i) the  
acquisition involves a long-term water transfer for a term of not less  
than 20 years, a purchase of water for instream use, or other  
agreement that results in enhanced stream flow such as reservoir  
reoperation or conjunctive use programs, and (ii) the Department of  
Fish and Wildlife determines that the acquisition, purchase, or  
agreement and the use of funds will provide fisheries or ecosystem  
benefits or improvements that are greater than required environmental  
mitigation measures or compliance obligations. The department shall  
consult with the State Board prior to making such a determination.

(2) Of the funds provided for in this section, at least $200 million  
shall be made available for ecosystem restoration for projects  
statewide. These funds may be used to fund coastal wetland habitat,  
watershed restoration, including activities to improve forest health,  
restore mountain meadows, modernize stream crossings, reconnect  
historical flood plains, install or improve fish screens, provide fish  
passages, restore river channels, restore or enhance riparian habitat,  
and remove sediment or trash. In allocating funds for projects  
pursuant to this paragraph, the State Board and Department of Fish and  
Wildlife shall consider the location of projects such that funded  
projects are geographically distributed throughout the state.

(b) Where it will either limit the cost of administering an activity  
under this chapter, increase the efficiency and effectiveness of an  
activity under this chapter, or will prevent unnecessary delay in its  
implementation, the Department of Fish and Wildlife shall use existing  
programs or procedures when implementing this section, and shall  
contract with the State Board for technical assistance and to aid in  
implementation of this chapter.

Urgent Action Alert: Tell Jerry Brown Not One Penny for Tunnels  
Mitigation:

We need to tell Governor Brown we will not sit by and let him mislead  
taxpayers.Tell him that we do not want ONE PENNY of taxpayer money  
used for the environmental water account to be funded for billionaire  
farmers like Stewart Resnick and Westlands mega-growers.

Tell him that we do NOT ONE PENNY of taxpayer money used for "habitat"  
that the BDCP admits is experimental and that independent science  
groups agree will not save fish without sufficient fresh water flows.

Tell Governor Brown, no tunnels and NOT ONE PENNY for BDCP mitigation.

PLEASE CALL NOW! 916-445-2841! And keep calling the next seven days if  
the phone is busy!

SAVE THE DATE! July 29, 2014 "No Delta Tunnels Rally" on the West  
Steps of the Capitol! at 11:30 a.m. Let us know if your group would  
like a table. Watch for details! Buses will be available!

For more information, go to: http://restorethedelta.org/


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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Wed Jul  2 16:10:58 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2014 23:10:58 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Update Jweek 26
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C1C8320@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi All,
Please see the attachment for the Jweek 26 (June 25-July 1) Trinity River trapping summary update.
Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Jul  3 08:28:50 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2014 08:28:50 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] SACBEE: California toughens enforcement of water
	violations
Message-ID: <1404401330.48520.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/02/6530585/california-toughens-enforcement.html#mi_rss=Latest%20News?

California toughens enforcement of water violations
By?Matt Weiser
mweiser at sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Jul. 2, 2014 - 6:56 pm
Last Modified: Thursday, Jul. 3, 2014 - 6:45 am
California?s water cops on Wednesday approved emergency drought regulations aimed at forcing water users to act swiftly when told to stop diverting water from streams.
The State Water Resources Control Board, after meeting for nearly 12 hours over two days, voted unanimously to approve the new rules package. The emergency regulations mean that for the next nine months, the board can follow a streamlined process to force some water-rights holders to stop diverting from rivers and streams.
The action came after the board was told that only 31 percent of nearly 10,000 water-rights holders statewide have responded to curtailment notices issued over the past six weeks.
Existing regulations require the board to carry out a complicated quasi-judicial hearing process before forcing these water users to comply, proceedings that can take months or even years. The new regulations allow the board to take enforcement action without a hearing. The diverter still can request a hearing after enforcement actions have begun.
?Since we got a fairly poor showing, we felt we needed to amp up our enforcement capacity and make it a little quicker ... to show that we?re serious,? said board chairwoman Felicia Marcus.
The board members, who are appointed by the governor, agreed to limit the new regulations only to so-called ?junior??water rights,?or those issued after 1914, when the state began regulating water diversions. Holders of senior?water rights,issued before 1914, still will be subject to the more cumbersome existing rules. But under the new regulations, senior water-rights holders could be ordered to promptly provide information about their?water use?if an allegation arises that they are taking more water than they have a right to.
The point of curtailments is to ensure that state law is followed in regard to water-right priority. In times of drought, junior water-rights holders are required to reduce or halt their diversions to ensure that limited supplies are available to diverters with senior rights.?Water rights?are ranked even within the ?junior? category, with earlier rights having higher-priority access.
The board was empowered to adopt streamlined enforcement measures by emergency drought legislation signed in March by Gov. Jerry Brown.
The new regulations allow the board to impose fines of $500 per day for failure to comply with a curtailment order. Although this is lower than fines available under the conventional enforcement process ? which are $1,000 per day ? the board can impose these fines quicker to bring about faster compliance. It also does not preclude following the usual enforcement path separately and imposing the steeper fines.
With the new rules in hand, it is likely many diverters who have received a curtailment ?notice? will now receive an official ?order,? with the potential for fines to pile up fast. The board added language so curtailment orders better explain each diverter?s hierarchy in a particular stream, and the justification for the order based on?water supply?in that stream.
Marcus said the board opted to limit the new rules to junior rights largely as a way to manage workload. Policing just the junior curtailments will tax the board?s small enforcement staff.
?It?s basically making sure that people only use the water to which they are entitled,? Marcus said. ?I think people want to comply with what they?re asked to do. But they want to understand it, and they want it to be fair.?
________________________________

Call The Bee?s Matt Weiser at (916)?321-1264. Follow him on Twitter?@matt_weiser.
??Read more articles by Matt Weiser
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Thu Jul  3 09:54:53 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2014 09:54:53 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] American River fish hatcheries evacuated as water is
	mismanaged
In-Reply-To: <1404401330.48520.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1404401330.48520.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <33962374-39A7-4305-9EB6-3C5FA2413980@fishsniffer.com>

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/07/03/18758196.php
Photo of Nimbus Fish Hatchery weir on the American River by Dan Bacher.

640_img_0665_1-1.jpg

American River fish hatcheries evacuated as water is mismanaged

by Dan Bacher

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) evacuated 1  
million rainbow trout from the American River Fish Hatchery and nearly  
430,000 fingerling steelhead from Nimbus Fish Hatchery in Rancho  
Cordova by June 30.

This was due to concerns that the cold water pool in Folsom Lake that  
keeps the water cold in the American River that supplies the water for  
both hatcheries will become depleted, resulting in lethally warm water  
conditions in the hatcheries.

The evacuation of the hatcheries and the depletion of the cold water  
water takes place after 2013, a record drought year when the Bureau of  
Reclamation drained Folsom Lake to a record low level, 17 percent of  
capacity and 32 percent of average, in order to export water to  
corporate agribusiness interests, oil companies conducting fracking  
and steam injection operations in Kern County, and Southern California  
water agencies.

The impact of the plants was obvious on my recent trips to Silver and  
Caples Lakes. Both lakes were planted with big loads of rainbows by  
the American River Fish Hatchery - and boat and bank anglers were  
catching lots of rainbows on a variety of lures and baits. Anglers  
fishing lakes and streams throughout the region planted by this  
hatchery are seeing a similar boost in fishing success.

While these plants will produce an immediate upswing in fishing at  
many lakes and streams, it means that fish won?t be planted later in  
the summer as they normally are at many waters.

The impact on steelhead should also result in less adult fish  
returning to Nimbus Fish Hatchery in coming years, since the survival  
rate of the smaller fish is expected to less than when they are  
planted at a larger size in February.

Of course, the depletion of the cold water pool in Folsom will also  
result in potentially lethal warm waters in the lower American when  
the fall run of Chinooks arrives this fall.

Before the steelhead and rainbow trout were released, a CDFW news  
release explained, ??With extreme drought conditions reducing the cold  
water supply available, California Department of Fish and Wildlife  
(CDFW) are moving the last rainbow trout out of the American River  
Hatchery to avoid future losses of young fish to rising water  
temperatures.?

CDFW biologists predict that by mid-summer the temperature of the  
water entering the hatchery will exceed tolerable temperatures for the  
growing fish, causing extensive -- if not total -- loss of all fish in  
the two hatcheries. The fall run Chinook salmon were already delivered  
by truck to acclimation pens and then released into San Pablo Bay this  
spring, while the steelhead yearlings from adult fish spawned in the  
winter of 2012-2013 were released into the Sacramento and lower  
American rivers in February.

?We are taking proactive actions to avoid catastrophic fish losses,?  
said Dr. William Cox, CDFW State Hatchery Program Manager. ?It is an  
unavoidable change, and we need to look for unique opportunities to  
avert major losses. We will track all changes involved in the  
evacuation and evaluate how fish react to being released early.  
Ultimately we could develop new release strategies based on what we  
learn.?

American River Hatchery operations focus on taking rainbow trout eggs,  
while Nimbus Hatchery takes both salmon and steelhead eggs. Cox noted,  
?This will be the first time all stocks of fish at both hatcheries  
have been evacuated.?

The nearly 430,000 fingerling steelhead from Nimbus Hatchery into the  
American River were released six months ahead of the normal February  
release time.

The remaining 20 state-managed hatcheries are expected to make it  
through the summer months and into the winter season without having to  
evacuate fish, according to Cox.

Normally CDFW would call on the Bureau of Reclamation to draft water  
from what is known as the ?Deep Water Pool,? in the depths of Folsom  
Lake. The transfer of cold late water helps to keep hatchery waters  
acceptably cool.

?However, this year, the length and intensity of the drought is so  
extensive that little, if any water, in the lake is expected to be  
cool enough to utilize during sizzling summer months. CDFW predicts  
water temperatures will exceed 78 degrees in the hatcheries ? far too  
warm for the young trout and salmon to survive,? Cox stated.

Throughout the fall and winter CDFW workers mark hundreds of thousands  
of steelhead trout at Nimbus Hatchery. Unique markings will enable  
biologists to evaluate what happens to the fish throughout their life  
cycle and how the drought conditions will ultimately affect each type  
of fish.

?Fall and winter rains, if received in sufficient amounts, will cool  
water temperatures enough to allow both hatcheries to come back online  
and resume operations,? according to the Department.

However, the Department failed to mention that the reason for the  
depletion of the cold water pool in Folsom is largely due to the poor  
government management of our water resources in a drought. If the  
water had been better managed, there would undoubtedly have been more  
carryover storage in Folsom to maintain a cold water pool this year.

Last summer, high water releases down the Sacramento, Feather and  
American rivers left Shasta, Oroville and Folsom reservoirs at  
dangerously low levels. By January 2014, Shasta was at 36 percent of  
capacity and 53 percent of average; Oroville, 36 percent of capacity  
and 54 percent of average; and Folsom, 17 percent of capacity and 32  
percent of average. (http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/reservoirs/RES)

Yet Pyramid Lake in Los Angeles County was at the same time 96 percent  
of capacity and 101 percent of average, while Castaic Reservoir was 86  
percent of capacity and 102 percent of average. Both are State Water  
Project reservoirs that receive their water from the Delta through the  
California Aqueduct.

The state and federal water agencies exported massive quantities of  
water to agribusiness interests and Southern California water  
agencies, endangering local water supplies and fish populations as the  
ecosystem continues to collapse. (http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/22/6090426/northern-california-reservoirs.html 
)

Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing  
Protection Alliance, explained how the Department of Water Resources  
and Bureau of Reclamation systematically mismanaged our water  
resources, exporting 835,000 acre-feet more water than they said they  
would be able to deliver.

?We entered 2013 with Shasta, Oroville and Folsom reservoirs at 115  
percent, 113 percent, and 121 percent of historical average storage.  
In April, they were still at 101 percent, 108 percent and 96 percent  
of average," said Jennings.

"With no rainfall and little snowpack, the Department of Water  
Resources and the Bureau (of Reclamation) notified their contractors  
that water deliveries would be reduced. But they didn?t reduce  
deliveries. Instead, they actually exported 835,000 acre-feet more  
water than they said they would be able to deliver," said Jennings. (http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/26/6097073/viewpoints-better-solutions-for.html 
)

Ironically, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California  
will have enough water in 2014, 2015 and 2016 to supply its users  
while Sacramento, Folsom and other cities have been forced to cut  
water use by 20 percent.

?We?ll have plenty of water in 2015,? Jeffrey Kightlinger,  
Metropolitan?s general manager, told the Sacramento Bee. ?And even if  
it?s still a drought, we?ll still have enough water in 2016." (http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/12/6063205/california-drought-will-test-jerry.html#storylink 
=cpy)

Jennings said the present crisis could have been avoided, and is a  
"direct result of egregious mismanagement of the state?s water supply  
system by the state and federal water projects."

"Excessive water exports and the failure to prepare for inevitable  
drought have created a decades-long disaster for fisheries, and placed  
the people and economic prosperity of northern California at grave  
risk. The State's obsession with tunneling under the Delta does  
nothing to address drought, or put us on a path to correct the misuse  
of limited water supplies," he added.

For more information, go to: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/07/1275862/-The-Emptying-of-Northern-California-Reservoirs

Folsom is now holding 482,133 acre-feet of water, 49 percent of  
capacity and 59 percent of average. The current water level is 414.25  
feet, 51.75 feet from full.

Yet the Bureau of Reclamation is mismanaging the water in Folsom this  
year also. Reclamation is currently releasing 2500 cfs into the  
American River from Nimbus Dam, rapidly resulting in the depletion of  
what's left of the cold water pool. (http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/stages/PAGE1 
)

When fall run Chinook salmon arrive in the American this fall, they  
will be "greeted" with low, warm, potentially lethal water conditions.  
We can only hope that we get early fall rains to cool down the water  
and put more water in the American River watershed.

As the mismanagement of water resources by the state and federal  
government proceeds, the Brown administration continues its rush to  
build the peripheral tunnels under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan  
(BDCP). The construction of the twin tunnels will hasten the  
extinction of Central Valley steelhead, Sacramento River Chinook  
salmon, Delta and longfin smelt and green sturgeon, as well as  
imperiling the salmon and steelhead populations of the Trinity and  
Klamath rivers.

Rather than supporting the environmentally destructive peripheral  
tunnels plan, the state and federal governments should embrace the  
Environmental Water Caucus Responsible Exports Plan that sets an  
annual cap on water exports of 3 million acre feet, preventing the  
draining of Folsom and other reservoirs and imperiling struggling  
salmon and steelhead populations. (http://www.restorethedelta.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/RESPONSIBLE-EXPORTS-PLAN-MAY-2013.pdf 
)
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Jul 11 12:23:23 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 19:23:23 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River trapping summary update Jweek 27
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C1C9297@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi All,
Please see attachment for the Jweek 27 Trinity River trapping summary update.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jul 15 09:19:49 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 09:19:49 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] The Delta Stewardship Council is hiring
Message-ID: <1405441189.88249.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://mavensnotebook.com/2014/07/15/news-worth-noting-court-denies-injunction-to-stop-water-transfers-report-delta-smelt-on-the-scaffold-labor-groups-express-support-for-bdcp-delta-stewardship-council-is-hiring-army-corps-draft-pl/


The Delta Stewardship Council is hiring:???The Delta Stewardship Council invites you to be at the heart of California's water policy development.? The Council has an opening for a Program Manager II in our Delta Science Program and a Senior Environmental Scientist who will focus on water-related areas including fisheries, water quality, hydrology, climate change, terrestrial ecology, or landscape ecology. The Council has a small, dynamic, and enthusiastic staff dedicated to achieving the state's?coequal goals?of water supply reliability and a healthy Delta ecosystem. Our innovative team operates out of a modern office building in downtown Sacramento and enjoys a close and collaborative working atmosphere.? Other open positions include a Legislative/Policy Advisor and a Senior Engineer. To view all the current job opportunities,?please click here.
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jul 15 13:58:29 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 13:58:29 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Reminder- TAMWG nominations due July 31 via snail
	mail, not e-mail
Message-ID: <1405457909.23854.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

joe_polos at fws.gov Wrote:?Hey Folks,

This is just a reminder that we are seeking nominations for TAMWG membership. ?Nominations are to be submitted via snail mail by July 31, 2014 (See attached news release). ? Also, please recruit an alternate if possible so that we have a greater chance of having a quorum at all meetings.

Let me know if you have any questions (707-825-5149).

thanks
joe



?Nominations Requested for the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group?
The Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking nominations for membership on the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (Working Group). The Working Group is a Federal advisory committee chartered by the Secretary of the Interior under provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA - Public Law 92-463). In existence since February 2003, the Working Group gives interested stakeholders an opportunity to provide recommendations on policy, management, and technical subjects regarding the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) to the Trinity Management Council (TMC). Specifically, the Working Group provides advice on the effectiveness of management actions in achieving restoration goals, alternative courses of action to achieve those goals, the priority of restoration projects, funding priorities, and other program components.?
Nominations should represent a broad cross-section of agencies, organizations, and groups with involvement and interest in the Trinity River that are not otherwise represented on the TMC. These interests may include, but are not limited to: recreational and commercial fishermen, commercial and recreational boaters, power/ utility companies, water contractors and irrigators, foresters and forestry associations, farmers and ranchers, public trust organizations, Native American Tribes, environmental organizations; local, state or Federal agencies, and current residents of the Trinity River basin.?
Nominees from organizations must be senior representatives authorized to speak on behalf of their respective constituent groups. Nominations on behalf of organizations should include a primary and alternate nominee. Nominees and the organizations which they represent must have a demonstrated interest in, and commitment to, implementation of the TRRP Record of Decision signed by Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt on December 19, 2000 with the concurrence of the Hoopa Valley Tribal Council. Representatives must also be free from any conflict of interest or financial gain resulting from the TRRP. A total of up to 20 members with alternates may be appointed by the Secretary of the Interior.?
The Fish and Wildlife Service is the lead agency for receiving nominations for membership. Recommendations will be made to the Secretary of the Interior that will result in a balanced committee with a broad-based cross-section of Trinity basin stakeholders. Nominees will be evaluated based upon the following criteria:?
? Knowledge of the TRRP, the Trinity River watershed, and related resources.?
? Knowledge of and experience in Adaptive Environmental Assessment and Management Program.?
? Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with competing interests.?

The Working Group usually meets quarterly in Weaverville, in Trinity County, California. While members serve without compensation, travel and subsistence expenses while attending meetings are reimbursable. Upon selection, the Working Group members will elect officers, conduct meetings, make decisions and provide advice based upon
the current Charter and Bylaws, and in accordance with FACA guidelines and regulations.?
Nominations must be submitted by July 31, 2014 to:?
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?
Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office?
Attn: Joseph C. Polos?
1655 Heindon Road?
Arcata, CA 95521?
Nominations should include the following information:?
Name and title or position of the nominee;?
Contact information (mail, e-mail, telephone, fax);?
Name and contact information of nominator (if self-nominated, so indicate);?
Description of the group or interest represented;?
Reasons why nominee should be appointed (not to exceed 2 pages);?
Statement that nominee does not have a conflict of interest or receive financial gain from any group or program associated with the Trinity River Restoration Program;?
Brief resume of nominee (not to exceed 2 pages);?
Reference letter (self-nominated individuals only).?
Questions concerning the nomination process may be directed to Vina Frye, Technical Support Staff, or Joseph Polos, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), at (707) 822-7201. Additional information is available on the Web at: Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group - http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/tamwg.html www.trrp.net and Trinity Management Council or Trinity River Restoration Program http://
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov .
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Jul 17 13:55:35 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 20:55:35 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek 28
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C1C998E@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi All,
Please see attachment for the Jweek 28 Trinity River trapping summary update.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Jul 18 10:07:47 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 10:07:47 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] River ruling could boost regulation of groundwater
Message-ID: <1405703267.96377.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/17/6564548/court-ruling-could-boost-regulation.html



River ruling could boost regulation of groundwater

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER
Associated Press
Published: Thursday, Jul. 17, 2014 - 8:42 pm
SAN FRANCISCO -- An attorney said Thursday he expects to appeal a potentially precedent-setting court finding that could make local governments responsible for controlling the largely unregulated pumping of groundwater in the state.
The issue is especially critical as California goes through the worst drought in a generation. As much as 60 percent of the water used in the state comes from underground sources in drought years, according to the nonprofit California Water Foundation.
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Allen Sumner ruled Tuesday that Siskiyou County had to evaluate the impact of groundwater pumping on the Scott River.
Fishing associations and the Oakland-based Environmental Law Foundation sued the county and the state Water Resources Control Board, charging that groundwater pumping was drawing down water in the Scott River.
"The court ... has fundamentally changed some basic principles of California water law," said Rod Walston, Siskiyou County's attorney in the case.
Walston said he expects the county to ask a state appeals court to overturn Sumner's decision.
Environmental groups say California is one of a few states in the country with no comprehensive statewide regulation to save slow-to-renew underground water from being drained dry by over-pumping. A ruling by the state appeals court on the issue would apply to all counties, the Environmental Law Foundation's James Wheaton, a lead attorney in the case, said.
The new decision "is the first time someone in authority has said we need to manage groundwater," Wheaton said.
He hopes the ruling will prompt regulators to take action,
"If they don't do it, the courts will do it for them," he said.
The state water board has said it did not believe Tuesday's ruling would mandate expanded local regulation of groundwater.
? Read more articles by ELLEN KNICKMEYER

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/17/6564548/court-ruling-could-boost-regulation.html#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Jul 19 10:30:53 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 10:30:53 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times Standard: Groundwater ruling has rippling
	effects
Message-ID: <1405791053.44349.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26178669/groundwater-ruling-has-rippling-effects?

Groundwater ruling has rippling effects
Groups: Decision could lead to unprecedented state regulations
By Will Houston
whouston at times-standard.com@Will_S_Houston on Twitter
POSTED: ? 07/17/2014 11:00:00 PM PDT
1 COMMENT
UPDATED: ? 07/18/2014 10:58:41 PM PDT



Amid concerns of costly and unregulated use of California's groundwater, a Sacramento Superior Court judge has ruled groundwater pumping that impairs waterways violates the public's right to use those waterways, which one group states could set the stage for making counties responsible for implementing regulations.
"What we have here in California is a first-time ruling that groundwater pumping has to be managed and regulated to protect nearby rivers under the (California Environmental Quality Act) and public trust doctrine," Environmental Law Foundation staff attorney Lowell Chow said. "It hasn't really been applied by California courts before, certainly not with respect to groundwater. What we have here is a decision that we think is a pretty big deal because it shifts the landscape in terms of how we deal with groundwater management."
Humboldt County currently does not regulate how groundwater pumping impacts its waterways, but it does regulate the standards of how wells are drilled, according to county Department of Health and Human Services supervising environmental health specialist Carolyn Hawkins.
"Our groundwater is a lot closer to the surface," she said. "We interact with it. It's much more in our sights than in Southern California, where you may have wells much deeper at 150 feet below the surface. It's much more in people's minds up here than in other parts of the state."
In a court order published Tuesday, Judge Allen Sumner states that under the public trust doctrine ? a common law doctrine dating back to ancient Rome ? the state owns all navigable waterways within its borders, not in a proprietary sense, but as a public trust for the benefit of its people. Previous case law shows that navigation, commerce and fishing are protected by the doctrine, he wrote.
"The court does not hold the public trust doctrine applies to groundwater itself," Sumner wrote. "Rather, the public trust doctrine applies if extraction of groundwater adversely impacts a navigable waterway to which the public trust doctrine does apply."
The ruling was made as part of an ongoing case filed by Oakland-based nonprofit the Environmental Law Foundation, as well as the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman's Associations and the Institute for Fisheries Resources in 2010. The case seeks to end unregulated groundwater pumping that affects the Scott River in Siskiyou County. The plaintiffs argued the State Water Resources Control Board and the county are responsible for regulating groundwater well permitting that could present a risk to waterway flows, especially in the ongoing drought. The water board does not regulate groundwater pumping permitting or monitor extractions.
While the focus of the case is limited to the Scott River valley, Chow said it could propagate a larger effect.
"One outcome that might come out of this is that if it increases awareness ... whether it's in the state itself or among the general public or even the Legislature itself, if we can spark some action here to get people to become more serious about groundwater management and to be smarter about how we deal with groundwater in California, then that's an outcome we can be happy with," he said. "Otherwise, it will be up to the courts to have to deal with this problem."
Siskiyou County Counsel Brian Morris said the county will be appealing the decision.
"Siskiyou County believes that this is an improper extension of the public trust doctrine that will create chaos in groundwater management in the state of California," he said. "Basically, it's going to put the courts in charge in administering groundwater. We would rather have the Legislature make that decision and have a more comprehensive report." Either way the state Court of Appeal rules, Morris said the ruling will more than likely go to the California Supreme Court. Once a final decision is made to determine if the public trust does apply to this legal issue, the original case will return to superior court for trial.

GROUNDWATER SUPPLY

There are an estimated 81 trillion gallons of groundwater statewide ? enough to fill over 120 million Olympic-sized swimming pools ? though not all of it is potable, according to the State Department of Water Resources. Groundwater makes up 30 to 46 percent of the state's water supply, but can provide up to 60 percent of the state's water supply in a dry year.
About 5 million acre-feet of groundwater is expected to be extracted statewide this year, according to a study released Tuesday by the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis.
By the end of 2014, the study states that the proportion of agricultural irrigation water pumped from wells is expected to jump from 31 to 53 percent ? a 62-percent increase in overall statewide groundwater pumping ? which will cost producers about $454 million and could continue into the following years.
"The additional pumping in 2014 will drop water levels from a few feet to tens of feet, causing some growers to lose their wells and others paying more to pump from them," the study states.
The state water board currently does not regulate groundwater extraction permitting in the state, Public Affairs Director George Kostyrko said.
"We do regulate surface water, but we don't really have the same powers for regulatory oversight for groundwater," Kostyrko said. "It is locally controlled by counties or cities."
The Environmental Law Foundation's lawsuit sought to name the state water board as a responsible entity, but Sumner said his ruling does not address the board's authority to regulate groundwater.
Humboldt County has four main groundwater basins ? the Eel River Valley, Eureka Plain, Mad River Valley and Hoopa Valley ? which have an estimated storage capacity of about 215,000 acre-feet, according to 1998 data from the Department of Water Resources. This figure does not include Eureka Plain's groundwater supply as there was no data available, but Planning and Building Department Kevin Hamblin said it would add "several thousand acre-feet" to the total amount.
County Public Works Department Director Tom Mattson said the county just began monitoring three wells in the Eel River Valley in March in accordance with state law, with the Department of Water Resources monitoring three others. The monitoring will only look at the elevation of the groundwater in each well, but not the amount of water in them.
"Over time, we'll be able to see how it drops and rises based on what the conditions are," he said.

DIGGING DEEPER

Denver Nelson, a former Humboldt County planning commissioner and member of the state Technical Advisory Panel of the Groundwater Assistance Grant Program, said the depth of the wells is an indicator of water supply.
"For the groundwater there along the Eel River bottoms in Ferndale, the water level is probably is about 10 feet below the surface, and it goes down during the summer," he said. "It really is dependent on the water that comes down the Eel. You can tell if you're pumping too much water out of the groundwater if you have to drill a deeper well to get it."
Stuart Dickey of Rich Well Drilling and Pump Service Inc. in McKinleyville said he averages three to five phone calls a day requesting his company to drill wells, and about one-third are requesting to have their wells drilled deeper.
"We went out to a spot (Thursday) and pulled a pump because they were running short up on McClellan Mountain," he said. "We drilled the well last year. The elevation dropped 15 feet in the last year."
As for the number of wells currently in the county, Hawkins said her department does not have a figure, but she has seen a surge in applications to install groundwater extraction wells over the past year.
The UC Davis study states that California is the only western state without groundwater rights regulations and does not measure groundwater use, but that both the state Senate and Assembly are considering two groundwater policy bills ? AB 1739 and SB 1168 ? which would provide incentives for increased management of groundwater and assure groundwater support for crops during the ongoing drought.
Will Houston can be reached at 707-441-0504.
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jul 22 08:11:33 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 08:11:33 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] LA Times: Massive raid to help Yurok tribe combat
	illegal pot grows
Message-ID: <1406041893.19144.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-80857376/


Massive raid to help Yurok tribe combat illegal pot grows
YUROK TRIBE
An aerial surveillance photo shows one of the grows that officials are targeting in and near the Yurok Reservation.
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Content
L.A. city attorney seeks court order to halt cannabis farmers market
BY LEE ROMNEY
July 21, 2014, 11:00 a.m.
The California National Guard on Monday joined more than a dozen other agencies to help the Yurok tribe combat rampant marijuana grows that have threatened the reservation's water supply, harmed its salmon and interfered with cultural ceremonies.
Law enforcement officers began serving search warrants at about 9 a.m. in the operation, which came at the request of Yurok officials and targeted properties in and near the reservation along the Klamath River.
The Humboldt County Sheriff's Drug Enforcement Unit coordinated the raid and was joined by, among others, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Justice' North State Marijuana Investigation Team, and Yurok police.
State environmental scientists were standing by to enter the properties and survey for damage once the sites were secured.
Yurok Tribal Chairman Thomas O'Rourke joined officers as they staged at a hillside fire station Monday morning and thanked them for assisting in what was dubbed "Operation Yurok."
"They're stealing millions and millions of gallons of water and and it's impacting our ecosystem," he told the officers. "We can't no longer make it into our dance places, our women and children can't leave the road to gather. We can't hunt. We can't live the life we've lived for thousands of years."

Yurok Interim Public Safety Chief Leonard Masten said tens of thousands of plants are likely to be eradicated over the next week and a half. They will be chipped on-site.
Though growers in the region once "brought their fertilizer in in batches in the dark," O'Rourke said dump trucks now enter reservation land with impunity in broad daylight and use heavy equipment to carve roads on tribal land.?
Bald Hills Road, a remote and winding route that connects the upper reservation to tribal headquarters in Klamath, used to be traveled almost exclusively by tribal members, O'Rourke said. Now, "it's one in 10 that I recognize and every fifth car is an out-of-state plate."
California's largest tribe has sought help combating marijuana grows in the past but until now? never received such a vigorous response. Then the drought hit.
The strains on dual water systems that serve 200 households and rely entirely on surface water became apparent last summer, when residents began complaining of? plummeting pressure.
Tanks that were full on a Friday, Masten said, would be nearly empty by Monday.
When tribal staff surveyed the land from a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, they were startled at the number of grows. By this summer they had tripled, Masten estimated. And when the marijuana crop was planted in late spring, community water gauges once again swung low.
This time, creeks ran dry.?
"Streams I?ve seen in prior years with more severe droughts where water ran, there?s no water now," said O'Rourke.
To strengthen its enforcement abilities, the tribal council last fall approved a new controlled substance ordinance that allow for civil forfeiture in circumstances where cultivation has harmed the environment.
(All growing on the reservation is illegal, as the Yurok tribe does not honor state medical marijuana law.)
The breakthrough came in April when governor's office staff was discussing the drought with tribal officials. Gov. Jerry Brown, tribal officials were told, had pressed for California National Guard assistance with marijuana eradication and specifically urged the Office of the Adjutant General to assist in the Yurok operation, said Captain Pat Bagley, operations officer in charge at the scene.
He was expecting to haul out two miles of irrigation hose at one grow alone.
For the Yurok, the damage is broad. Sediment and chemical runoff have suffocated juvenile fish, and warmer, shallower water has triggered an increase in the parasite?Ceratomyxa shasta, which targets salmon.
Rodentide has poisoned the Humboldt marten and weasel-like fisher, which the Yurok consider sacred. The danger of encroaching on a guarded grow site has made it unwise to gather medicine, acorns and materials for baskets, or to prepare sites for ceremonial dances.
The White Deerskin Dance ? a biannual ceremony that was banned for decades along with other cultural practices -- takes place this September, but Masten said access to the site for preparations is currently blocked by a grow.
?We are coming close to being prisoners in our own land,? O?Rourke said. ?Everything we stand for, everything we do is impacted.?
On Saturday night, as the raid loomed, he and Masten were participating in a Brush Dance -- a dance for the health and vibrancy of a child. At a village site near the mouth of the river, tribal members entered the dance pit in groups throughout the night as a medicine woman and two helpers tended to a young mother and her infant boy.
After the sunrise Sunday morning, they appeared elaborate regalia passed down for generations and imbued with the spirits of ancestors. Otter skin arrow quivers intricately adorned with woodpecker scalps. Dresses of abalone and dentillium shells. Intricately woven basket hats.
The Brush Dance is hosted by family groups and the frequency of the ceremonies has increased in recent years as the tribe reconnects with its culture, and more youth participate.?
"I think this is not only a strong opportunity to take back our land but to set an example that the tribe has got a zero tolerance policy" toward cultivation, Masten said. "Whether you're an Indian or a non-Indian, you've got to go."
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Jul 23 08:00:24 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 08:00:24 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: High and dry
Message-ID: <1406127624.14731.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_d58b3a76-120a-11e4-adfa-001a4bcf6878.html
High and dry
By Sally Morris The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, July 23, 2014 6:15 am
?Barney? and ?Pete?
?Barney? and ?Pete? appear confused about the dry streambed. Browns Creek would normally be about two feet deep this time of year and up to 50 feet wide in spots. Some say excessive pumping, coupled with the drought, has caused the creek to go dry.
Seeing the largest creek tributary to the Trinity River running dry before water reaches the river and stranding native fish in isolated pools has prompted calls to the Trinity County Board of Supervisors to declare a local state of emergency due to drought conditions, though no such action has been taken yet.
The board is tentatively scheduled to hear a presentation from the State Water Resources Control Board at its next regular meeting Aug. 12 and possibly consider other measures to increase enforcement against illegal dams and diversions of water.
Though water wasn?t on the Trinity County supervisors? agenda for its regular meeting this week, they heard about it during the open public comment period from a B-Bar-K Road resident whose property is adjacent to Browns Creek about two miles upstream from its confluence with the Trinity River below Douglas City.
Jerry Hauke, who has lived on the property for 20 years, said he?s seen the creek get low before, but never completely dry up as it has now, adding that since May he has been watching the flow fall and recover each day until last week when it suddenly dropped all in one weekend and never came back.
?It was a shock. Ordinarily, we?d still have water 50 feet across, up to two feet deep there and I?d be sitting on an inner tube. I never thought I?d see this and we?ve still got another 100 hot days to go,? he said, noting he monitors the creek flow each summer and since the end of May this year, it has fallen more than a foot. His homemade gauge is now high and dry as is most of the landscape where there is no water left for irrigating.
He suggested that the board not only declare a local state of emergency to get in line for emergency drought funding, but also declare a moratorium on new well drilling permits unless paired with a building permit for a dwelling, and rescind any well permits on properties where there is no residence.
Attributing the sudden drawdown of Browns Creek to too many marijuana gardens there and growers from elsewhere taking water after other sources run dry, Hauke suggested that local community water districts stop selling water to growers and require proof of county residency such as a county dump card in order to buy water to fill storage tanks.
He also requested increased enforcement efforts by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and California Highway Patrol against water theft and suggested that the Trinity County Sheriff?s Department conduct any planned pot busts sooner rather than later during the harvest season after more environmental damage has been done.
Hauke encouraged the board to appoint District 3 Sup. Karl Fisher as the county?s temporary ?water master? to ramrod emergency actions that may be taken. Fisher has previously recommended a moratorium on new well permits in the county and is working on a follow-up board discussion for the meeting Aug. 12.
After learning last week that Browns Creek has gone dry before reaching the river, Program Director of the Five Counties Salmonid Conservation Program Mark Lancaster of Weaverville enlisted help from the California Fish & Wildlife Service to patrol for illegal diversions. Some warnings were issued with the possibility of citations to come if illegal diversions aren?t stopped and structures that prevent fish passage aren?t removed.
Plans are also being made to rescue stranded coho salmon and steelhead trout caught in remaining pools with nowhere to go.
He said that even during the current extreme drought conditions it is highly unusual for Browns Creek, the largest Trinity River tributary that?s a creek and not a river, to completely dry up in its final two or three miles ?which suggests that people are involved in the process. In the smaller little tributaries where there are no people, we still see flows, but in Browns Creek, everybody has a dam and a pump. Though one or two may not seem like they have an impact, cumulatively when people all turn their pumps on, it drains the creek.?
He added there are at least a dozen other creeks where the same situation exists, but Browns Creek is the largest and has been more closely monitored than others.
Noting it?s only the middle of July while the current dry conditions are more typical of late August or September ?so who knows what we?ll see by then,? Lancaster said he has also asked that the Board of Supervisors declare a local state of emergency and is recommending increased scrutiny of and enforcement efforts against illegal diversions of water. He?s also asked to make a presentation Aug. 12 on water conservation measures people can be taking.
The 5C Program has worked to educate landowners about preparing for drought and how to voluntarily protect local water sources, prompting Lancaster to say ?the frustrating thing for me is there are relatively simple designs that allow people to take out a tiny trickle over the whole day without drying up the creek.?
He said trickle systems draw a quarter of a gallon of water per minute, amounting to 360 gallons a day which is considered enough for a family of four, whereas a pump can draw 200 gallons per minute creating a huge, uncontrolled impact when multiple pumps are turned on all at once.
Another problem is that the Trinity County subdivision ordinance has always allowed people to use surface water from creeks as proof of water to develop land ?so there is too much water diversion going on,? Lancaster said, adding that in what has become an exceptional drought year ?people really need to be mindful of what is going on upstream and all around them.?
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Wed Jul 23 09:12:31 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 09:12:31 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] HUGE STORY! Department of Water Resources Faces $60
	Million Shortfall - Group says taxpayers and ratepayers are
	on the hook for BDCP!
In-Reply-To: <1406127624.14731.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1406127624.14731.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <69A8223F-52D1-4140-A867-AC987168E16A@fishsniffer.com>

  http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/department-of-water-resources-faces-60-million-shortfall/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/07/22/1315786/-CA-Department-of-Water-Resources-Faces-60-Million-Shortfall

?Ultimately, DWR cannot go broke because it has a default source for  
funding: property taxes and water rates,? Carolee Krieger, Executive  
Director of the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN), pointed out.  
?They believe property taxes can be increased to meet the agency?s  
needs without a public vote.?

sacramento_river_clarksbu...

Department of Water Resources Faces $60 Million Shortfall

Group says taxpayers and ratepayers are on the hook for BDCP

by Dan Bacher

It appears that California is not only running out of water during the  
drought, but it is running out of money to move that water because of  
mismanagement, according to the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN).

The environmental group accused the California Department of Water  
Resources (DWR) of facing a $60 million shortfall after failing to  
collect $125 million owed by water contractors.

?Even as it continues to promote the ruinously expensive,  
environmentally destructive and ultimately unworkable Bay Delta  
Conservation Plan (BDCP), the California Department of Water Resources  
has failed to collect $125 million for ongoing operations owed by  
water contractors, and now faces a $60 million shortfall,? according  
to a C-WIN media release.

?The dearth of cash couldn?t come at a worse time for the beleaguered  
agency,? said Carolee Krieger, C-WIN Executive Director. ?DWR now has  
only $50 million available, enough for about 60 days of operations,  
including meeting payroll.?

The group said this shortfall required the agency to withdraw a $500  
million bond proposal for BDCP planning costs because the measure?s  
draft disclosure form did not cite the financing deficit.

While this shortfall is occurring, Krieger criticized Governor Jerry  
Brown and ?his proxy, DWR,? for continuing to promote the Bay Delta  
Conservation Plan to build two massive water conveyance tunnels  
beneath the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta at a final cost to  
ratepayers and taxpayers of $ 67 billion or more, inclusive of  
interest and cost overruns.

?Ultimately, DWR cannot go broke because it has a default source for  
funding: property taxes and water rates,? Krieger pointed out. ?They  
believe property taxes can be increased to meet the agency?s needs  
without a public vote.?

The group said an increase in property taxes is planned for Santa  
Clara Valley Water District and the Metropolitan Water District (MWD)  
of Southern California, where officials claim the moves are exempt  
from Proposition 13 and Proposition 218 that restrict state government  
options on raising property assessments.

A memo from the Santa Clara Valley Water District, obtained through a  
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, demonstrates that district  
officials believe they can raise property taxes to pay for the Twin  
Tunnels without a vote, according to Tom Stokely, Water Policy Analyst/ 
Media Contact for the California Water Impact Network. (Seehttp://www.c-win.org/webfm_send/444)

?Staff financial modeling assumes that BDCP costs associated with  
conveyance of State Water Project supply (approximately 65 million out  
of the $228 million ten year total) would be paid for by the State  
Water Project tax. Consequently, the State Water Project tax for  
average single family residence would increase from $36/yr to $60/yr  
by FY 2023-24,? the memo stated.

Stokely also cited a document submitted on March 19, 2014 by Goldman  
Sachs to the State Water Contractors' Project Authority that flat out  
says the bonds will be secured by "ad valorem tax" increases. For  
example, page 10 of the document, the "Goldman Sachs Request for  
Qualifications and Proposals for Underwriting Services," cites "The  
authority of DWR to adopt a new Indenture, finance and build BDCP  
projects and obligate contractors to levy ad valorem tax (if  
necessary)."

Nancy Vogel, Director of Public Affairs for the Department of Water  
Resources, confirmed the shortfall that DWR now faces, attributing it  
to ?cumulative underbilling? of $125 million in 2013 and 2014, and  
cited a number of reasons why the underbilling occurred.

?DWR is obligated to provide the State Water Project contractors with  
a projection of the following year?s costs and bills by July 1,? said  
Vogel. ?We became aware in June that actual SWP operational costs for  
2013 and 2014 have been higher than previously accounted for due to a  
number of factors, including unanticipated maintenance needs and  
compliance requirements, elimination of State government furloughs,  
salary increases for skilled project trades and crafts staff, new  
staff positions, and increases in overhead.?

?Because these cost increases were not completely accounted for in  
2013 and 2014 bills, a cumulative under-billing of about $125 million  
occurred over these two calendar years,? she explained. ?The under  
collection amounts to 6 percent of the cumulative billing in those two  
years.?

She noted that the total State Water Project billing was $1.06 billion  
in 2013 and $1.03 billion in 2014 ? and that they are working to  
reduce charges and operating expense in 2015 and to mitigate the  
?under-collection.?

?We are working to reduce the charges for 2015,? said Vogel. ?For  
example, we have identified about two dozen projects at existing SWP  
facilities that were originally billed as operating expenses that  
could have been capitalized. And we are evaluating the deferral of  
certain non-critical SWP work for six to 18 months. We anticipate  
having a revised statement of charges for 2015 in the next few months  
that reflects a reduction.?

She concluded, ?No payments have been or are threatened to be missed  
on any SWP obligations. No compromise of safety has occurred, nor has  
SWP operational capability been impaired. We are working to reduce SWP  
operating expenses for 2014 and 2015 and otherwise mitigate the under- 
collection, and we are confident that the SWP water contractors will  
be able to absorb the increase without undue hardship.?

Krieger called DWR?s response ?one of the most defensive spins I?ve  
ever heard to cover up blatant incompetence.?

?If they go ahead with this twin tunnel boondoggle, they?re on the  
verge of running out of money,? said Krieger.

Krieger said DWR?s quandary comes at a critical time for the BDCP.  
"The administration has yet to make a strong ?business case? for the  
Twin Tunnels. The lavishly expensive project is being pushed at a time  
of growing public resistance to gigantic infrastructure projects that  
have no palpable benefit,? she stated.

?As the facts emerge about the BDCP, it is clear the plan will not  
increase the state?s net supply of water, the Delta will be placed at  
great risk, and the beneficiaries will be a handful of corporate farms  
in the western San Joaquin Valley and Tulare Basin, not southern  
California urban ratepayers,? Krieger emphasized.

She also said secure funding is becoming increasingly elusive. ?A  
large water bond seems foredoomed to failure,? noted Krieger.  
?Property owners are thus the only viable alternative.?

?The $125 million dollars that ratepayers and taxpayers will cough up  
to pay for DWR?s shortfall is just the beginning. It will take an  
additional $1.2 billion to complete the planning process for the Twin  
Tunnels,? Krieger noted.

She said that if the project moves forward, many California residents  
will see their properties taxes and water rates rise to support the  
$67 billion Twin Tunnels.

?Few state citizens understand their properties can be so encumbered  
without a vote or even token input. Unfortunately, they may be about  
to receive an object lesson in property taxation without  
representation,? she summed up.

The twin tunnels won't create one drop of new water, but they will  
lead to horrendous environmental degradation, according to tunnel  
critics. The construction of the tunnels will hasten the extinction of  
Central Valley Chinook salmon, Delta and longfin smelt and other fish  
species, as well as imperil the salmon and steelhead populations on  
the Trinity and Klamath rivers.

Tunnels Background: CWIN and other BDCP opponents say Brown's "legacy"  
project will destroy the largest estuary on the West Coast of the  
Americas that provides a nursery for many species. It will harm  
salmon, halibut, leopard shark, soupfin shark, sevengill shark,  
anchovy, sardine, herring, groundfish and Dungeness crab populations  
stretching from Southern Washington to Southern California.

Under the guise of habitat restoration, the BDCP will take vast tracts  
of Delta farmland, among the most fertile on the planet, out of  
production in order to irrigate toxic, drainage impaired land on the  
west side of the San Joaquin Valley and provide Delta water to  
Southern California developers and oil companies conducting fracking  
and steam injection operations in Kern County.

The tunnels are being constructed in tandem with the federal  
government's plan to raise Shasta Dam, a project that will flood many  
of the remaining sacred sites of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe that weren't  
inundated by Shasta Dam.

Rally against the tunnels: Restore the Delta, C-WIN and other groups  
opposed to the construction of the twin tunnels will rally on July 29  
at the West Steps of State Capitol, 10th St and Capitol Street,  
Sacramento at 11:30 AM. July 29 is the final day of the public comment  
period for the Bay Delta Conservation and the EIS/EIR. The rally will  
feature a variety of speakers and music.

To RSVP for the bus ride from Stockton or Oakley or if you have any  
questions relating to event, please contact Stina [at]  
restorethedelta.org or call (209) 475-9550. For more information, go  
to: http://restorethedelta.org/events 
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Jul 24 08:51:47 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 08:51:47 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Chronicle: California water districts can raise taxes
	without voter OK
Message-ID: <1406217107.32080.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Property-taxes-can-be-hiked-without-voter-OK-to-5642385.php

California water districts can raise taxes without voter OK
Peter Fimrite
Updated 8:36?pm, Wednesday, July 23, 2014
?
Urban water districts in California can raise property taxes without first getting voter approval to pay for the state's multibillion-dollar plan to build twin tunnels and export water out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, according to the?California Legislative Analyst's Office.
The right to tax homeowners for water projects is part of obscure legislation bestowed exclusively on water districts, which historically funded dam construction and other large projects with property taxes. The Santa Clara Valley Water District, one of the largest metropolitan water agencies in Northern California, is one of several agencies that are considering taking advantage of the law when and if construction of the $25 billion tunnel project gets under?way.
"The tax is a mechanism to recover the costs that are passed on to us," said?Jim Fiedler, the district's chief operating officer, adding that any decision on property taxes would first be discussed in public hearings. "We have an obligation to pay the debt for the State Water?Project."
The recent Legislative Analyst's Office report affirms that local water agencies can levy property taxes "for water deliveries" from the elaborate delta water distribution system known as the State Water Project. The reason, according to the report, is that such tax levies were approved by voters before the 1978 passage of California's landmark Proposition 13, which requires a two-thirds vote before property taxes can be?raised.
"State courts concluded that such costs were voter-approved debt because voters approved the construction, operation, and maintenance of the State Water Project in 1960," the analyst's office stated. "As a result, most water agencies that have contracts with the State Water Project levy a voter-approved debt?rate."
Many of the 29 State Water Project agencies currently use at least some property tax revenue to pay for water-delivery and construction-related?costs.
Santa Clara water district officials are considering raising the property taxes of their 1.8 million customers in Silicon Valley from about $36 to $60 a year over the next decade to help pay the $228 million costs they expect to incur between now and 2024 for the delta?tunnels.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, whose 19 million customers in the Los Angeles area get nearly half their water from the state, currently gets 5 percent of its revenue from property taxes, but district officials said they would not be increasing taxes to pay for the?tunnels.
Other local districts, including the?San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Contra Costa Water District and the East Bay Municipal Utility District are not currently involved in the delta tunnel funding?process.
Gov.?Jerry Brown?wants to build the tunnels to transport water from Northern to Southern California. The $25 billion plan would include habitat restoration in the delta for endangered salmon, smelt and other marshland?creatures.
The issue for environmentalists, antitax groups and others who oppose the tunnels is that as many as 27 public agencies in Northern, Central and Southern California that purchase water from the state could also conceivably raise taxes to pay for the tunnels without first asking voters. State water contractors deliver water to more than 26 million residents and irrigate more than 750,000 acres of agricultural?lands.
"The point here is that these tax increases are the collateral for the loans," said?Tom Stokely, the water policy analyst for the California Water Impact Network, and "property owners are going to be taxed to pay for a project without their?approval."
Peter Fimrite is a?San Francisco Chronicle?staff writer. E-mail?pfimrite at sfchronicle.com
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Jul 25 14:35:16 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 14:35:16 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] AP Story: Drought starting to kill salmon in Klamath
	Basin
Message-ID: <1406324116.5611.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/24/6581219/drought-starting-to-kill-salmon.html#mi_rss=Latest%20News

Drought starting to kill salmon in Klamath Basin
The Associated Press
Published: Thursday, Jul. 24, 2014 - 7:17 pm
ORLEANS, Calif. --?Low warm water conditions from the drought are starting to kill salmon in Northern California's Klamath Basin ? the site of a massive fish kill in 2002.
A recent survey of 90 miles of the Salmon River on found 55 dead adult salmon and more dead juveniles than would be expected this time of year, Sara Borok, an environmental scientist for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said Thursday. About 700 live fish were counted in cool pools fed by springs.
Fisheries officials do not want see a repeat of 2002, when an estimated 60,000 adult salmon died in low warm water, but she said there is little to do but pray for rain.
The Salmon is a tributary of the Klamath River, and home to one of the last remnants of spring chinook salmon in the Klamath Basin, which return from the ocean in spring and stay in the river until October, when they spawn and die. A tributary of the Klamath River, it has no storage dams. Even in the Klamath, which has dams to store water, there is little available for extra releases.
"We are all nervous," Borok said. "We are all kind of going, 'We need rain because it is heating up this week.' There will be mortalities, given the low flows and high temperatures. It is just to what extent. We are all screaming to our people to make decisions to find us water. There isn't much to be had, because we are in a drought year."
Representatives of a wide range of organizations interested in the river are holding weekly meetings, she said. Posters have been distributed asking people to report when they see an unusually high number of dead fish ? more than 55 in a mile of river.
Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, which represents California commercial salmon fishermen, said the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation was meeting minimum flows in the Klamath River set under a biological opinion for threatened coho salmon.
"This is the sort of situation we are all going to have to cope with through the summer," he said. "And it's going to be a white-knuckle ride, there is no doubt about that."
In 2001, a drought forced water shutoffs in a federal irrigation project straddling the Oregon-California border to assure enough water flowed down the Klamath River for threatened coho salmon. But in 2002, the Bush administration ordered irrigation to resume, resulting in low warm water in the Klamath River. When a record run of 181,000 chinook returned in September, an estimated 60,000 died from gill rot disease that spread as fish crowded into low and warm pools while waiting for higher water to move upstream to spawn.
Borok said at least this year, a smaller return of salmon is expected: only about 60,000.
Order Reprint
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From sari at sisqtel.net  Fri Jul 25 14:35:39 2014
From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom)
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 14:35:39 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] CBB: STUDY SUGGESTS SEDATING CHINOOK WHEN
	RADIO-TAGGING IMPROVES RETURNS TO SPAWNING TRIBUTARIES
Message-ID: <006701cfa850$61041020$230c3060$@sisqtel.net>

Any relevance to Klamath & Trinity PIT tagging efforts? Any evaluation
studies on coho tagging?


Study Suggests Sedating Chinook When Radio-Tagging Improves Returns To
Spawning Tributaries 
Posted on Friday, July 25, 2014 (PST) 


Sedating fish to implant radio tags, instead of collecting and restraining
them without sedation, significantly reduces the impacts of the procedure on
fish used throughout fishery research.

 

Radio-tagging fish for research, whether juvenile salmon and steelhead or
adults, results in unaccounted-for losses when conducting fish studies.

 

Yet, research is generally conducted assuming that there are no, or minimal,
impacts on the tagged fish and so seldom take losses into account.

 

A study of the radio-tagging procedure on both adult chinook salmon and
adult steelhead using both the collecting and restraining technique, and
sedating with Eugenol-based anesthesia on the Willamette River found that
sedated chinook reached their spawning tributaries 82 percent of the time,
while those that were restrained without sedation when inserting the radio
tag arrived at their spawning tributary 47 percent of the time.

 

In addition to the longer term impact (escaping to the spawning tributary),
the study found improvements in short term impacts: anesthetized fish were
less likely to head back downstream after the radio-tagging procedure,
according to lead author Chris Caudill, assistant professor in the
Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, College of Natural Resources at
the University of Idaho.

 

"Clearly, the results recommend that fish should be anesthetized whenever
possible, both for the sake of the fish and to minimize the potential for
tagging effects to bias study results," Caudill said.

 

The article, "A Field Test of Eugenol-Based Anesthesia versus Fish Restraint
in Migrating Adult Chinook Salmon and Steelhead," appeared in the July
Transactions of the American Fisheries Society,
<http://afs.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00028487.2014.892533?queryID=%24
%7BresultBean.queryID%7D#.U9E_HvldVqV>
http://afs.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00028487.2014.892533?queryID=%24%
7BresultBean.queryID%7D#.U9E_HvldVqV.  Its authors are Caudill; Michael A.
Jepson and George P. Naughton, research support scientists; Steven R. Lee
and Travis L. Dick, scientific aides; and Matthew L. Keefer, research
scientist. All are in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, College
of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho.

 

The study also included Willamette River winter steelhead. The researchers
found little difference in either fallback or escapement for steelhead
between restraint and sedation, apparently because some species are more
susceptible to handling effects than others.

 

"We don't have a good explanation for this result, but presumably it stems
from differences in physiology between the two species," Caudill said.
"Regardless, it does caution against extending results from one species to
another without confirming the effects are similar across species."

 

The study was conducted at the Willamette Falls Dam, a combined
hydroelectric project and natural falls near Oregon City, Ore. on the
Willamette River, one of the Columbia River's largest tributaries. Spring
chinook were collected at the dam every other week from April 16 to July 2,
2012, and winter steelhead were collected March 2 to June 16, 2012. All were
tagged: approximately half were restrained in a cradle during the insertion
of the tag and half were immersed in a bath of river water and the
Eugenol-based anesthesia.

 

Of the fixed-site radio receivers, ten were in the fishway or downstream,
while 34 were located in Willamette River tributaries (Clackamas, Tualatin,
Molalla, Yamhill, Santiam, Calapooia, McKenzie, Coast Fork of the
Willamette, and the Middle Fork of the Willamette rivers).

 

The short term component of the research tested whether fish lingered in the
dam's fishway or fell downstream after tagging. The long term component
tested escapement, whether the fish arrived at their spawning tributaries.

 

After release, 47 percent of the restrained chinook salmon and 20 percent of
the anesthetized salmon moved down the fishway and into the dam's tailrace.
There was no difference for steelhead between the restrained and
anesthetized fish: 17 percent of each fell back. 

 

Many of these fish eventually moved up to the spawning tributaries. Of the
restrained salmon, 60 percent re-ascended the fishway, while 89 percent of
the anesthetized salmon re-ascended the fishway.

 

Of the 17 percent of steelhead that fell below the dam, 88 percent to 90
percent re-ascended the fishway, and 79 percent to 83 percent of all
steelhead made it to the tributaries.

 

"The consistency across chinook Salmon studies suggest that manual restraint
may be particularly stressful for chinook Salmon," the study concludes,
going on to say that there is a "higher potential to compromise some types
of studies (e.g. survival estimation) than others (e.g. migration timing and
behavior."

 

"These results might be applied to past tagging studies of unanesthetized
chinook salmon in the Willamette River, but I would only cautiously apply
them elsewhere," Caudill said of adjusting past research to these results.
"In either case, the results can be useful for speculating on the magnitude
of tagging effects in past studies, but it would be foolhardy to apply a
precise correction factor from our study."

THE COLUMBIA BASIN BULLETIN:

Weekly Fish and Wildlife News

www.cbbulletin.com

July 25, 2014

Issue No. 715

 

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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Jul 26 13:21:45 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 13:21:45 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard:  Fish deaths in Salmon,
	Klamath rivers prompts concern for future drought effects
Message-ID: <1406406105.30865.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/breakingnews/ci_26217023/fish-deaths-salmon-klamath-rivers-prompts-concern-future
Fish deaths in Salmon, Klamath rivers prompts concern for future drought effects
The Times-Standard
POSTED: ? 07/25/2014 01:34:06 PM PDT
2 COMMENTS
| UPDATED: ? ABOUT 24 HOURS AGO



After a recent population assessment of chinook salmon and steelhead found 54 adult and hundreds of juvenile fish dead in the Salmon River and others were found dead in the Klamath River, researchers and tribes are concerned what the future will hold for the anadromous fish should the effects of the drought persist.
"We're all on alert," California Department of Fish and Wildlife environmental scientist Sara Borok said. "We don't to want lose this year's spring run. There's not a whole lot we can do other than have more rain dances."
The 54 dead adults and over 300 dead juveniles found throughout the 90 miles of examined water were mainly comprised of chinook salmon, a spring-run fish that settles in the cooler waters during the spring and summer and spawn during the late fall. Normally, the adult salmon die after their spawning period in October and November, but several are dying early due to the low, warm water conditions, according to Borok.
"This year, because it was low because of the low snow pack, it's been really warm upriver" she said. "At about 22 (degrees) Celsius or about 72 degrees Fahrenheit is when they stop migrating. Below that, they keep moving. They like cooler waters like tributary mouths or a spring or at the bottom of deep pools."
The two-day assessment that took place on Tuesday and Wednesday and is one of the biweekly assessments of the Klamath Basin by the Klamath Basin Monitoring Program, which is comprised of several volunteers from tribes, environmental organizations, state agencies and local citizens concerned about the rivers. Representatives of a wide range of organizations interested in the river are holding weekly meetings and posters have been distributed asking people to report when they see an unusually high number of dead fish ? more than 55 in a mile of river.
Karuk Tribe Klamath Coordinator Craig Tucker said Salmon isn't the only river impacted.
"It's pretty rare to see fish die this early in the year," Tucker said. "We've been seeing it for a few weeks. Both in the Salmon and the main stem Klamath."
With no dams and the water supply coming majority from the wilderness flows, Tucker said the Salmon River is a unique watershed in the Klamath Basin.
"It's one of the very few remaining places that spring chinook salmon can get to," he said. "Because the dams, they are very limited in their options in the Klamath, so the Salmon (River) is one of the few places they can go. This year, the drought is just having a horrific toll on these fish. They are really struggling to find those cold water refuges they need to survive."
The Salmon River Restoration Council website states that the water temperatures in the tributary have risen up to 79 degrees Fahrenheit, which Tucker says makes them more susceptible to gill rot disease.
"In the warm temperatures, the fish gets stressed out which compromises their immune system and makes them much more prone to contract the disease," Tucker said.
In 2001, a drought forced water shutoffs in a federal irrigation project straddling the Oregon-California border to assure enough water flowed down the Klamath River for threatened coho salmon. But in 2002, the Bush administration ordered irrigation to resume, resulting in low warm water in the Klamath River. When a record run of 181,000 chinook returned in September, an estimated 60,000 died from gill rot disease that spread as fish crowded into low and warm pools while waiting for higher water to move upstream to spawn.
Only about 60,000 salmon are predicted for this year's run.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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From bhill at igc.org  Sun Jul 27 07:27:46 2014
From: bhill at igc.org (Brian Hill)
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 07:27:46 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fwd: Fire Control by Calif. Indigenous
References: <686D1A06-4908-4C33-B7D3-CA411C1F7377@gmail.com>
Message-ID: <434692D1-3C3B-43E2-A1CA-A9A94AC0709D@igc.org>

> 
> Share This
> 
>  Email to a friend
>  Facebook
>  Twitter
>  LinkedIn
>  Google+
>  Print this page
> Before the colonial era, 100,000s of people lived on the land now called California, and many of their cultures manipulated fire to control the availability of plants they used for food, fuel, tools, and ritual. Contemporary tribes continue to use fire to maintain desired habitat and natural resources.
> 
> 
>  
> Frank Lake, an ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Station, will lead a field trip to the Stone Lake National Wildlife Refuge during the Ecological Society of America's 99th Annual Meeting in Sacramento, Cal., this August. Visitors will learn about plant and animal species of cultural importance to local tribes. Don Hankins, a faculty associate at California State University at Chico and a member of the Miwok people, will co-lead the trip, which will end with a visit to California State Indian Museum.
> 
> Lake will also host a special session on a "sense of place," sponsored by the Traditional Ecological Knowledge section of the Ecological Society, that will bring representatives of local tribes into the Annual Meeting to share their cultural and professional experiences working on tribal natural resources issues.
> 
> "The fascinating thing about the Sacramento Valley and the Miwok lands where we are taking the field trip is that it was a fire and flood system," said Lake. "To maintain the blue and valley oak, you need an anthropogenic fire system."
> 
> Lake, raised among the Yurok and Karuk tribes in the Klamath River area of northernmost California, began his career with an interest in fisheries, but soon realized he would need to understand fire to restore salmon. Fire exerts a powerful effect on ecosystems, including the quality and quantity of water available in watersheds, in part by reducing the density of vegetation.
> 
> "Those trees that have grown up since fire suppression are like straws sucking up the groundwater," Lake said.
> 
> The convergence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers was historically one of the largest salmon bearing runs on the West Coast, Lake said, and the Miwok, Patwin and Yokut tribal peoples who lived in the area saw and understood how fire was involved.
> 
> California native cultures burned patches of forest in deliberate sequence to diversify the resources available within their region. The first year after a fire brought sprouts for forage and basketry. In 3 to 5 years, shrubs produced a wealth of berries. Mature trees remained for the acorn harvest, but burning also made way for the next generation of trees, to ensure a consistent future crop. Opening the landscape improved game and travel, and created sacred spaces.
> 
> "They were aware of the succession, so they staggered burns by 5 to 10 years to create mosaics of forest in different stages, which added a lot of diversity for a short proximity area of the same forest type," Lake said. "Complex tribal knowledge of that pattern across the landscape gave them access to different seral stages of soil and vegetation when tribes made their seasonal rounds."
> 
> In oak woodlands, burning killed mold and pests like the filbert weevil and filbert moth harbored by the duff and litter on the ground. People strategically burned in the fall, after the first rain, to hit a vulnerable time in the life cycle of the pests, and maximize the next acorn crop. Lake thinks that understanding tribal use of these forest environments has context for and relevance to contemporary management and restoration of endangered ecosystems and tribal cultures.
> 
> "Working closely with tribes, the government can meet its trust responsibility and have accountability to tribes, and also fulfill the public trust of protection of life, property, and resources," Lake said. "By aligning tribal values with public values you can get a win-win, reduce fire along wildlife-urban interfaces, and make landscapes more resilient."
> 

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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Jul 25 13:11:20 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:11:20 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Update Jweek 29
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C1D184D@057-SN2MPN1-041.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Greetings to All,
Please see attachment for the Jweek 29 Trinity River trapping summary update.

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From ema.berol at yahoo.com  Sun Jul 27 21:29:02 2014
From: ema.berol at yahoo.com (Emelia Berol)
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 21:29:02 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard:  Fish deaths in Salmon,
	Klamath rivers prompts concern for future drought effects
In-Reply-To: <1406406105.30865.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1406406105.30865.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <569206CF-E569-4A6E-A24A-C6E0249EB2FF@yahoo.com>

DFW needs a more quotable representative ... her comments are terrible.

Sent from my iPad

> On Jul 26, 2014, at 1:21 PM, Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net> wrote:
> 
> http://www.times-standard.com/breakingnews/ci_26217023/fish-deaths-salmon-klamath-rivers-prompts-concern-future
> Fish deaths in Salmon, Klamath rivers prompts concern for future drought effects
> The Times-Standard
> POSTED:   07/25/2014 01:34:06 PM PDT
> 2 COMMENTS
> | UPDATED:   ABOUT 24 HOURS AGO
> 
> 
> 
> After a recent population assessment of chinook salmon and steelhead found 54 adult and hundreds of juvenile fish dead in the Salmon River and others were found dead in the Klamath River, researchers and tribes are concerned what the future will hold for the anadromous fish should the effects of the drought persist.
> "We're all on alert," California Department of Fish and Wildlife environmental scientist Sara Borok said. "We don't to want lose this year's spring run. There's not a whole lot we can do other than have more rain dances."
> The 54 dead adults and over 300 dead juveniles found throughout the 90 miles of examined water were mainly comprised of chinook salmon, a spring-run fish that settles in the cooler waters during the spring and summer and spawn during the late fall. Normally, the adult salmon die after their spawning period in October and November, but several are dying early due to the low, warm water conditions, according to Borok.
> "This year, because it was low because of the low snow pack, it's been really warm upriver" she said. "At about 22 (degrees) Celsius or about 72 degrees Fahrenheit is when they stop migrating. Below that, they keep moving. They like cooler waters like tributary mouths or a spring or at the bottom of deep pools."
> The two-day assessment that took place on Tuesday and Wednesday and is one of the biweekly assessments of the Klamath Basin by the Klamath Basin Monitoring Program, which is comprised of several volunteers from tribes, environmental organizations, state agencies and local citizens concerned about the rivers. Representatives of a wide range of organizations interested in the river are holding weekly meetings and posters have been distributed asking people to report when they see an unusually high number of dead fish ? more than 55 in a mile of river.
> Karuk Tribe Klamath Coordinator Craig Tucker said Salmon isn't the only river impacted.
> "It's pretty rare to see fish die this early in the year," Tucker said. "We've been seeing it for a few weeks. Both in the Salmon and the main stem Klamath."
> With no dams and the water supply coming majority from the wilderness flows, Tucker said the Salmon River is a unique watershed in the Klamath Basin.
> "It's one of the very few remaining places that spring chinook salmon can get to," he said. "Because the dams, they are very limited in their options in the Klamath, so the Salmon (River) is one of the few places they can go. This year, the drought is just having a horrific toll on these fish. They are really struggling to find those cold water refuges they need to survive."
> The Salmon River Restoration Council website states that the water temperatures in the tributary have risen up to 79 degrees Fahrenheit, which Tucker says makes them more susceptible to gill rot disease.
> "In the warm temperatures, the fish gets stressed out which compromises their immune system and makes them much more prone to contract the disease," Tucker said.
> In 2001, a drought forced water shutoffs in a federal irrigation project straddling the Oregon-California border to assure enough water flowed down the Klamath River for threatened coho salmon. But in 2002, the Bush administration ordered irrigation to resume, resulting in low warm water in the Klamath River. When a record run of 181,000 chinook returned in September, an estimated 60,000 died from gill rot disease that spread as fish crowded into low and warm pools while waiting for higher water to move upstream to spawn.
> Only about 60,000 salmon are predicted for this year's run.
> The Associated Press contributed to this article.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> env-trinity mailing list
> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
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From yen2fish at netzero.com  Mon Jul 28 19:13:21 2014
From: yen2fish at netzero.com (yen2fish at netzero.com)
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 02:13:21 GMT
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard:  Fish deaths in Salmon,
	Klamath rive	rs prompts concern for future drought effects
Message-ID: <20140728.191321.30962.2@webmail05.vgs.untd.com>

Let's hope that is the case and that we can save the Spring Run for three years down the line. Low HOT water is NOT the answer. Like I have said at the TAMWG meetings. Water is the answer and the rivers are or should have the First #1 Water Rights, NO one ellse!! E. B. Duggan 

---------- Original Message ----------
From: Emelia Berol <ema.berol at yahoo.com>
To: Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net>
Cc: "env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us" <env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
Subject: Re: [env-trinity] Times-Standard:  Fish deaths in Salmon, Klamath rivers prompts concern for future drought effects
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 21:29:02 -0700


DFW needs a more quotable representative ... her comments are terrible.

Sent from my iPad
On Jul 26, 2014, at 1:21 PM, Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net> wrote:

 http://www.times-standard.com/breakingnews/ci_26217023/fish-deaths-salmon-klamath-rivers-prompts-concern-futureFish deaths in Salmon, Klamath rivers prompts concern for future drought effectsThe Times-StandardPOSTED:   07/25/2014 01:34:06 PM PDT2 COMMENTS| UPDATED:   ABOUT 24 HOURS AGO   After a recent population assessment of chinook salmon and steelhead found 54 adult and hundreds of juvenile fish dead in the Salmon River and others were found dead in the Klamath River, researchers and tribes are concerned what the future will hold for the anadromous fish should the effects of the drought persist."We're all on alert," California Department of Fish and Wildlife environmental scientist Sara Borok said. "We don't to want lose this year's spring run. There's not a whole lot we can do other than have more rain dances."The 54 dead adults and over 300 dead juveniles found throughout the 90 miles of examined water were mainly comprised of chinook salmon, a spring-run fish that settles in the cooler waters during the spring and summer and spawn during the late fall. Normally, the adult salmon die after their spawning period in October and November, but several are dying early due to the low, warm water conditions, according to Borok."This year, because it was low because of the low snow pack, it's been really warm upriver" she said. "At about 22 (degrees) Celsius or about 72 degrees Fahrenheit is when they stop migrating. Below that, they keep moving. They like cooler waters like tributary mouths or a spring or at the bottom of deep pools."The two-day assessment that took place on Tuesday and Wednesday and is one of the biweekly assessments of the Klamath Basin by the Klamath Basin Monitoring Program, which is comprised of several volunteers from tribes, environmental organizations, state agencies and local citizens concerned about the rivers. Representatives of a wide range of organizations interested in the river are holding weekly meetings and posters have been distributed asking people to report when they see an unusually high number of dead fish ?&euro;&rdquo; more than 55 in a mile of river.Karuk Tribe Klamath Coordinator Craig Tucker said Salmon isn't the only river impacted."It's pretty rare to see fish die this early in the year," Tucker said. "We've been seeing it for a few weeks. Both in the Salmon and the main stem Klamath."With no dams and the water supply coming majority from the wilderness flows, Tucker said the Salmon River is a unique watershed in the Klamath Basin."It's one of the very few remaining places that spring chinook salmon can get to," he said. "Because the dams, they are very limited in their options in the Klamath, so the Salmon (River) is one of the few places they can go. This year, the drought is just having a horrific toll on these fish. They are really struggling to find those cold water refuges they need to survive."The Salmon River Restoration Council website states that the water temperatures in the tributary have risen up to 79 degrees Fahrenheit, which Tucker says makes them more susceptible to gill rot disease."In the warm temperatures, the fish gets stressed out which compromises their immune system and makes them much more prone to contract the disease," Tucker said.In 2001, a drought forced water shutoffs in a federal irrigation project straddling the Oregon-California border to assure enough water flowed down the Klamath River for threatened coho salmon. But in 2002, the Bush administration ordered irrigation to resume, resulting in low warm water in the Klamath River. When a record run of 181,000 chinook returned in September, an estimated 60,000 died from gill rot disease that spread as fish crowded into low and warm pools while waiting for higher water to move upstream to spawn.Only about 60,000 salmon are predicted for this year's run.The Associated Press contributed to this article.         _______________________________________________
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Jul 29 07:44:34 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 07:44:34 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: Operation Yurok seizes thousands of
	marijuana plants, no arrests made
Message-ID: <1406645074.96137.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26233532/operation-yurok-seizes-thousands-marijuana-plants-no-arrests

Operation Yurok seizes thousands of marijuana plants, no arrests made
Thousands of plants seized, no arrests made
By Will Houston
whouston at times-standard.com?@Will_S_Houston on Twitter
POSTED: ? 07/28/2014 07:56:37 PM PDT2 COMMENTS|?UPDATED: ? ABOUT 12 HOURS AGO

Click photo to enlarge
The multi-agency "Operation... (Andrew Hughan ? California Department of Fish and Wildlife)
	* 
	* 1
	* 2
	* 3
	* 4
	* ?
A multi-agency offensive against illegal marijuana grows on Yurok tribal lands near Weitchpec yielded several thousand plants and uncovered an array of environmental damage, but no arrests have been made, officials said Monday.
Dubbed "Operation Yurok," the four-day marijuana eradication mission took place from July 21 to July 24. Thirty-five representatives from a cohort of federal, state and tribal agencies served 20 Humboldt County Superior Court search warrants and nine tribal court search warrants. In total, the operation yielded 12,898 marijuana plants, 300 pounds of processed marijuana and seven firearms from about 20 different properties.
"The unlawful pot plantations, which are located on and above the Reservation, are responsible for what amounts to unprecedented water theft," a Yurok Tribe release states.
Multiple attempts to speak with the Yurok Tribe officials on scene at the operation were unsuccessful, partially due to the remote locations of the grows.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife Information Officer Andrew Hughan was one of 14 members of the department who participated in the raids and found numerous instances of environmental damage, including streams sucked dry by illegal diversions, abandoned vehicles, illegally graded roads, and abandoned fertilizer and gasoline.
The total damage was so extensive on each site that it would take a crew of 50 people about six months to clear it away, Hughan said.
A six-acre grow site with about 4,200 plants that Hughan visited had several structures, operational toilets and a pond filled by diverted stream water.
"The biggest grow site was a little city," he said. "All of these were well designed and well concealed."
Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Lt. Steve Knight said the main reason the operation took place was due to the large water diversions taking place in the midst of a statewide drought.
"They were tired of the environmental damage happening to their land that they value very highly," he said. "A lot of these grows had no regard for the land."
Hughan said stopping illegal water diversions was the department's No. 1 priority.
"They are taking what clearly is the most valuable resource in the state right now because of the drought and converting it into these marijuana plants," Hughan said. "Mature marijuana plants will use six to eight gallons per plant (per) day. Now, times that by 4,200."
Recognizing the increased number of trespass grows on their land, the Yurok Public Safety Department wrote a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown requesting that he send aid to help eradicate them. Brown responded by sending 12 members of the California National Guard Counterdrug Taskforce to help with the operation, according to the Yurok release.
The Yurok Tribe anticipated that they would removed 100,00 plants from 70 different properties, which if left standing, would use up to 72 million gallons of water from watersheds "hit hard by three years of drought."
The tribe's water system has been designated as vulnerable by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, meaning that they are likely to run out of water in the next 61 to 120 days.
Along with the environmental damage, Hughan said they found several snares meant to catch small animals, but no animals were in them when they arrived on the sites.
"We did find some small crabs though," he said. "One of the suspects had been crabbing the night before and had several Dungeness crabs and two stone crabs."
While search warrants were served and citations were written by Fish and Wildlife wardens, Knight said no arrests were made.
"There were some property owners on site," he said. "The officers are putting cases together to submit to the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office. We'll be seeking a variety of charges."
Knight said his office will continue to target environmentally harmful marijuana grows, which Hughan echoed.
"As long as these grows continue, and as long as the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office wants our help, Fish and Wildlife will be there," Hughan said.
Representatives of the Yurok Police Department, Eureka Police Department, Bureau of Indian Affairs, California Department of Justice, Marin County Sheriff's Office, and the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office also participated in the operation.
Will Houston can be reached at 707-441-0504.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Jul 30 17:08:58 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 17:08:58 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Lost Coast Outpost: Fish Kill 2014? No Preventative
	Trinity River Water Releases This Year,
	Announces Bureau of Reclamation
Message-ID: <1406765338.22248.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Note: you have to go to the url to get the press release from Rep Huffman and review the numerous comments.

TS

http://lostcoastoutpost.com/2014/jul/30/fish-kill-2014-no-preventative-trinity-river-water/?

Fish Kill 2014? No Preventative Trinity River Water Releases This Year, Announces Bureau of?Reclamation


Hank Sims / Today @ 2:19 p.m. / D.C. ,
UPDATE, 4:07 p.m.: Updated below with a press release from Rep. Jared Huffman.
###
In a series of conference calls today, the federal Bureau of Reclamation has informed stakeholders along the Klamath and Trinity rivers that this year it will abandon its practice of releasing extra Trinity River water in August to prevent a repeat of the?2002 Klamath Fish Kill.
Extreme drought conditions around the state, along with low reservoir levels, mean that there is not enough water in the system to release ?preventative? Trinity flows in order to increase and cool water at the mouth of the Klamath, according to Brian Person, area manager for the Bureau of Reclamation?s Northern California Area Office.?
Instead, the bureau will monitor river temperatures and fish health at the Klamath?s mouth, where migrating salmonids will soon gather before pressing upstream to spawn. If fish start to get ill, he said, the bureau will release additional cool water into the system in an effort to stop the spread of disease.
?This is looking at the relative risks within the system and being ready to react,? Person told the?Outpost.
Local tribes and fishing interests are bound not to be pleased. In the past few years, the bureau has released such water as a matter of course during the period of crisis, when salmon are crammed into the lower Klamath?s shallow mouth. Mike Orcutt, director of the Hoopa Valley Tribe?s fisheries program, told the?Outpost?that it could take as much as four days or longer for water to travel between Trinity Lake and the mouth of the Klamath ? plenty of time for the deadly gill rot disease, which flourishes in high water temperatures, to spread and kill plenty of fish.
Orcutt further maintained that the Bureau of Reclamation has failed to follow the law when it comes to managing the Trinity?s assets. For many months now, he said, the bureau has continued to ship Trinity water into the Central Valley Project for agricultural uses, despite the fact that everyone knew a severe drought was upon us and the law states that environmental protection of the Trinity is the first priority in managing the river?s assets. The water that might otherwise be used to prevent a fish kill, rather than react in case of emergency, has already been shipped away.
There appears to be no time or avenues available for an appeal of the decision, either legally or politically. Of course, the Bureau has continued to refuse to release?the annual 50,000 acre-feet of water due to Humboldt County. The system is pretty dry now. If fish start to die this year, there is sure to be a huge, national political firestorm originating out of Requa next month.
?What?s the next step?? Orcutt told the?Outpost, when asked. ?I don?t know. Frankly, we?re rolling the dice.?
Press release from the Hoopa Valley Tribe:
Secretary of the Interior turns her back on the Klamath River as fish deaths are reported
>The Secretary of the Interior today rejected calls by Indian Tribes, communities and scientists in the Klamath Basin to release water to protect migrating adult salmon.
>Just a week after California officials reported salmon deaths in the Klamath basin, Bureau of Reclamation officials announced that Secretary Jewell has decided to roll the dice. She will continue to divert water to irrigation uses and set aside the senior rights to water under federal and state law for Trinity and Klamath River salmon.
>The Hoopa Valley and Yurok Tribes have fisheries on the Klamath River, and its largest tributary the Trinity River. Those rights are protected by federal law and held in trust for the tribes by the United States.
>?The Secretary is betting that if fish start dying she can make an emergency release of water to provide relief,? said Mike Orcutt Hoopa Valley Tribe Fisheries Director. He added, ?But our scientists say that water wouldn?t reach the fish for 4.5 days and once disease appeared in 2002, up to 70,000 adult salmon were dead within days.?
>In prior years, including 2012 and 2013, the Secretary released water to create water conditions for safe migration of salmon.
>In 2013 Central Valley Project contractors filed suit to block flow releases. The court rejected their claims, water flowed, and there was no fish kill.
>This year, however, the Secretary abandoned this science-based, field-tested flow release fish protection measure that is widely recognized as prudent and necessary.
>?It is as if the Secretary of Transportation said let?s forget about automobile seat belts, airbags and antilock brakes and spend the savings on ambulances,? said Hoopa Valley Tribe Chair Danielle Vigil Masten. She added, ?The problem is that the ambulance may or may not get to a crash scene in time, and when it does arrive, the crew will have to deal with far more serious injuries.?
>Council Member Ryan Jackson said, ?We have made numerous trips to Washington, D.C. and Sacramento visiting with Congressmen, Senators, Interior Department officials, White House representatives and countless staff. We are extremely disappointed in the wide gulf between the Administration?s statements professing commitment to Indian trust responsibility and respect for Indian Tribes, and the federal actions that are taking our trust resources to the brink of destruction. That is no way for a trustee to act.?
>?The law of the Trinity River has been set aside by the Secretary?s decision; in its place she has put the risk of catastrophe entirely on us and Trinity Basin communities, in order to cater to politically favored interests,? said Masten.
####
Press release from the office of Congressman Jared Huffman:
WASHINGTON??Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) released the following statement after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced its decision today to withhold water releases on the Trinity River needed to prevent a repeat of the 2002 Klamath fish kill:
>?The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation?s decision today to withhold water releases needed to prevent a repeat of the 2002 fish kill in the Lower Klamath River is the latest example of how the federal government fails to plan for drought to the detriment of tribes, fishermen, and the environment.
>?Even now, Reclamation continues to divert Trinity River water to the mismanaged Sacramento River system and has drained Trinity Reservoir so there is virtually no available water to protect salmon in the Trinity or Klamath rivers. By state law, Trinity River salmon ? which begin their upstream migration in the Klamath River ? must be protected before water is used to bail out the Central Valley Project. When you find yourself in a hole, you?re supposed to stop digging, but Reclamation has dug itself a hole it cannot get out of, and tribes and fishermen may once again pay the price.?
>Prior to today?s announcement,?Huffman had sent a letter calling on the Bureau to immediately address the increasingly hazardous conditions for salmon and steelhead trout in the Klamath and Trinity River watersheds during this drought year.
Photo courtesy Hoopa Valley Tribe.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Jul 30 17:10:57 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 17:10:57 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Salmon will only get more water if die-off starts
Message-ID: <1406765457.27819.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jul/30/agency-no-water-to-prevent-klamath-salmon-kill/

Salmon will only get more water if die-off starts
By JEFF BARNARD Associated Press3:30 p.m.July 30, 2014
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) ? A federal agency said Wednesday it will release extra water into Northern California's Klamath and Trinity rivers once salmon start dying from drought-related disease, but not before.
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Louis Moore said from Sacramento, California, that the decision came under terms of a 2012 emergency water plan, and after consulting with tribes, irrigators and other agencies.
"When you look at the need and demand for water, it's for every requirement out there, whether it is drinking water, species, power, agriculture or flow in the rivers," Moore said. "The best use of that water was part of that discussion. How can we use this water and still meet all the needs that are there."
Fisheries biologist Joshua Strange of Stillwater Sciences said that will be too late. Strange submitted a memo to the Klamath Fish Health Advisory Team saying low flows this year could lead to a salmon kill like the one in 2002, when tens of thousands of adult salmon died.
The major threat is a parasite known as Ich, short for Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, which attacks fish in stagnant water.
He says the idea of raising flows down the rivers is not to cool the water temperature, or make it easier for the fish to swim, but to make it harder for the tiny parasites, which swim with hair-like filamets along their bodies, to attack fish.
"Everything we know about Ich is that an ounce of prevention is worth 20 pounds of emergency action," Strange said. "If you can keep it from starting, your chances are way, way better. It builds up momentum very quickly."
After salmon were reported dying last week in the Salmon River, a tributary of the Klamath, salmon advocates called on the bureau to put more water down the Klamath and Trinity rivers to protect salmon.
? Copyright 2014 The San Diego Union-Tribune, LLC. An MLIM LLC Company. All rights reserved.
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Wed Jul 30 18:02:53 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 18:02:53 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Hoopa Valley Tribe: Interior Secretary turns her back
	on Klamath salmon
In-Reply-To: <1406765457.27819.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1406765457.27819.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <2E34CD8D-D2EE-412E-B5CE-70A00DD56700@fishsniffer.com>


http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/07/30/18759344.php

Toxic Algae on the Klamath River. Photo courtesy of the Hoopa Valley  
Tribe.

800_toxic_algae_on_the_kl...
original image ( 960x720)

Hoopa Valley Tribe: Interior Secretary turns her back on Klamath salmon

by Dan Bacher

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today rejected pleas by Indian  
Tribes, scientists and river communities in the Klamath Basin to  
release water to protect migrating adult salmon from a potential major  
fish kill in the low, warm conditions caused by a historic drought.

Bureau of Reclamation officials said they would release extra water  
into the Trinity and Klamath rivers only once salmon start dying from  
disease, but not before.

"Just a week after California officials reported salmon deaths in the  
Klamath basin, Bureau of Reclamation officials announced that  
Secretary Jewell has decided to roll the dice," the Hoopa Valley Tribe  
said in a statement. "She will continue to divert water to irrigation  
uses and set aside the senior rights to water under federal and state  
law for Trinity and Klamath River salmon."

In a recent fish survey on the Salmon River, a major tributary of the  
Klamath, volunteers counted 55 dead adult spring Chinooks and 300 to  
400 dead juveniles. A total of 690 live adult spring Chinooks were  
counted in 90 miles of river, mostly in cold pools fed by springs or  
at the mouths of colder tributaries.

The fish deaths resulted from high water temperatures and low water  
conditions. Water temperatures on the main stem of the Salmon River  
are now 76 to 78 degrees, according to Sara Borok, California  
Department of Fish and Wildlife environmental scientist.

"So far we are seeing what expect in low flow and high water  
temperature conditions," Borok stated. "The question is whether the  
fish mortality will be a spreading problem."

The Hoopa Valley and Yurok Tribes have fisheries on the Klamath River  
and its largest tributary, the Trinity River. Those rights are  
protected by federal law and held in trust for the tribes by the  
United States. Tribal officials are very concerned about another fish  
kill like the one that occurred in September 2012 of taking place if  
the water is not released.

?The Secretary is betting that if fish start dying she can make an  
emergency release of water to provide relief,? said Mike Orcutt, Hoopa  
Valley Tribe Fisheries Director. ?But our scientists say that water  
wouldn?t reach the fish for 4.5 days and once disease appeared in  
2002, up to 70,000 adult salmon were dead within days.?

In prior years, including 2012 and 2013, the Secretary released water  
to create water conditions for safe migration of salmon. In 2013  
Central Valley Project contractors, led by the Westlands Water  
District, filed suit to block flow releases. "The court rejected their  
claims, water flowed, and there was no fish kill," the Tribe said.

However, this year the Secretary abandoned this science-based, field- 
tested flow release fish protection measure that is widely recognized  
as "prudent and necessary," according to the Tribe.

?It is as if the Secretary of Transportation said let?s forget about  
automobile seat belts, airbags and antilock brakes and spend the  
savings on ambulances,? said Hoopa Valley Tribe Chair Danielle Vigil  
Masten. ?The problem is that the ambulance may or may not get to a  
crash scene in time, and when it does arrive, the crew will have to  
deal with far more serious injuries.?

Council Member Ryan Jackson stated, ?We have made numerous trips to  
Washington, D.C. and Sacramento visiting with Congressmen, Senators,  
Interior Department officials, White House representatives and  
countless staff. We are extremely disappointed in the wide gulf  
between the Administration?s statements professing commitment to  
Indian trust responsibility and respect for Indian Tribes, and the  
federal actions that are taking our trust resources to the brink of  
destruction. That is no way for a trustee to act.?

?The law of the Trinity River has been set aside by the Secretary?s  
decision; in its place she has put the risk of catastrophe entirely on  
us and Trinity Basin communities, in order to cater to politically  
favored interests,? said Masten.

These politically favored interests include the Westlands Water  
District, which represents corporate agribusiness operations  
irrigating toxic, drainage impaired land on the west side of the San  
Joaquin Valley, and Stewart Resnick of Paramount Farms in Kern County,  
the largest grower of orchard fruit in the world.

Matt Maucieri, acting public affairs officer with the U.S. Bureau of  
Reclamation, responded to the Tribe's statement by saying, "This is a  
difficult decision that has been brought on by extremely dry  
conditions in these river basins this year."

"We will work closely with the Yurok, Hoopa Valley and other tribes in  
the basin, as well as with the Fish Health Center that is part of the  
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service," Maucieri said. "While we have made  
the decision to not release preventive flows, we will work with all  
parties to monitor fish health and we are prepared to make emergency  
releases in the event that certain criteria are met."

Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) issued a statement  
criticizing the Bureau's decision to withhold water releases on the  
Trinity River needed to prevent a repeat of the 2002 Klamath fish kill:

?The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation?s decision today to withhold water  
releases needed to prevent a repeat of the 2002 fish kill in the Lower  
Klamath River is the latest example of how the federal government  
fails to plan for drought to the detriment of tribes, fishermen, and  
the environment.

Even now, Reclamation continues to divert Trinity River water to the  
mismanaged Sacramento River system and has drained Trinity Reservoir  
so there is virtually no available water to protect salmon in the  
Trinity or Klamath rivers. By state law, Trinity River salmon ? which  
begin their upstream migration in the Klamath River ? must be  
protected before water is used to bail out the Central Valley Project.  
When you find yourself in a hole, you?re supposed to stop digging, but  
Reclamation has dug itself a hole it cannot get out of, and tribes and  
fishermen may once again pay the price.?

Interior Secretary Jewell's decision to not release water for salmon  
occurs as the Brown and Obama administrations continue to fast-track  
the biggest, most expensive and most environmentally destructive  
project in California history, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP)  
to build the peripheral tunnels. The completion of the $67 billion  
tunnel plan will hasten the extinction of Sacramento River Chinook  
salmon, Delta smelt, longfin smelt and other fish species, as will  
imperil the salmon and steelhead populations of the Trinity and  
Klamath Rivers. The last day for the public comment period for the  
BCCP and EIR/EIS was yesterday, July 29. 
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Jul 31 08:23:22 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 08:23:22 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: Feds end preventative fish kill water
	releases to Trinity-Klamath rivers
Message-ID: <1406820202.465.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/breakingnews/ci_26247136/feds-end-preventative-fish-kill-water-releases-trinity

Feds end preventative fish kill water releases to Trinity-Klamath rivers
The Times-Standard
POSTED: ? 07/30/2014 05:42:32 PM PDT0 COMMENTS|?UPDATED: ? ABOUT 14 HOURS AGO

Trinity Lake (File photo)
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced to local tribes, government officials and water stakeholders today that it will not be releasing extra water from Trinity Lake to cool the waters used by chinook salmon and steelhead in the Trinity and Klamath rivers ? as it has in years past ? but focus the limited supply to prevent large fish kills on federally endangered species in the Central Valley.
"We're trying to retain that cold water supply in order to comply to those listings for other runs of salmon," said Public Affairs Officer Mat Maucieri of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. "We basically don't want to deplete our cold water pool if we may potentially need it for these other runs."
The decision was made in order to protect endangered winter-run and spring-run salmon listed under the federal Endangered Species Act in the Sacramento River and its tributary, Clear Creek. The spring-run and fall-run chinook salmon in the lower Klamath and Trinity rivers are not listed as endangered under the federal act.
In the midst of a statewide drought, Maucieri said the bureau, which controls releases from Trinity Lake, will not be making its periodic preventative releases in September or late August, which cools down the water temperatures before it creates a health hazard to the anadromous steelhead and salmon. The releases began after a massive fish kill in the Klamath River in 2002, with four pre-emptive releases being made since the incident.
"The drought is very much a factor in this," Maucieri said. "It's necessitating these kinds of decisions. This is a decision that we do not take lightly."
Trinity Lake is at 36 percent capacity, about 10 percent less than the historical average to the date, according to the Department of Water Resources.
While it will not be making its preventive releases, Maucieri said the bureau will make an emergency release to double the flow the of the river for seven days if its monitoring programs at the mouth of the lower Klamath River finds signs of decaying fish health, such as dead fish.
Maucieri said the water would take two-days to reach the lower Klamath River, but Hoopa Valley Tribe Fisheries Director Mike Orcutt said it would take around four-and-a-half days.
"They're basically waiting to see if dead carcasses start to show up," Orcutt said. "By the time they pull the trigger on that release, it takes four-and-a-half days to get there. At that point, it's too late."
High water temperatures in rivers are dangerous to the chinook salmon and steelhead, which prefer to remain in cooler waters during the summer while they wait for their spawning season in the fall. With temperatures rising to the high 70s in the Trinity and Salmon rivers, Orcutt said this makes the fish more prone to diseases, like gill rot disease. Following a drought in 2001, an estimated 60,000 salmon in the Klamath River died from the disease in September 2002, which spread throughout the record 181,000 fish run as they crowded into low and warm pools waiting for higher water to move upstream to spawn.
"It's analogous to coughing in a crowded room, and start transmitting it to the other people," Orcutt said.
A fish population assessment last week on 90 miles of the Salmon River, another tributary to the Klamath, found 54 dead adults and estimated 300 to 600 dead juvenile chinook salmon and steelhead. In a recent interview with the Times-Standard, Karuk Tribe Klamath Coordinator Craig Tucker said there are 738 chinook salmon currently in the lower Klamath River, slightly less than the 30-year average of 800.
With water currently being pumped into the Trinity River from the Trinity Dam at a rate of about 450 cubic feet of water per second, about 3,000 cubic feet per second is being pumped through the Lewiston Dam ? which regulates flow of Trinity Lake's Lewiston reservoir ? into a tunnel through Whiskeytown and into the Sacramento River basin. In a July 29 letter to the bureau, 2nd District Congressman Jared Huffman said that the bureau's current operations violate California Water Right Order 90-05, which states that it may not release water for water temperature control on the Sacramento River in a way that would "adversely affect salmonid spawning and egg incubation in the Trinity River."
"By state law, Trinity River salmon ? which begin their upstream migration in the Klamath River ? must be protected before water is used to bail out the Central Valley Project," Huffman said in a statement. "When you find yourself in a hole, you're supposed to stop digging, but Reclamation has dug itself a hole it cannot get out of, and tribes and fishermen may once again pay the price."
The bureau's Central Valley Project Operation Manager Ron Milligan said they have been working with the State Water Resources Control Board and a Sacramento River temperature control group that was set up by Water Right Order 90-05 and believe that this decision would not fall under that provision.
"This is about fish health and about them holding in the lower Klamath before they migrate upstream," Milligan said. "The flows that we've being asked to provide are not for spawning, they are to protect and avoid disease while those fish are holding. Those fish don't spawn in the mouth of the Klamath."
Local salmon fisherman David Bitts said there is not going to be enough water for everyone due to the drought, but he would like to see some proportional sharing of what water is left.
"I think it's going to be a real tough fall," Bitts said. "We rely way too much on divine intervention to keep these fish going, and unless we get that in lots of early rain, it's going to be a really tough fall for chinook trying to spawn in the Klamath and Trinity this year."
Yurok Tribe Fisheries Program Manager Dave Hillemeier said he hopes that more technical discussions with the bureau can take place in the near future to avoid what he called an upcoming "train wreck."
It's a major concern to us," he said. "The concern is we could be facing conditions that could lead to a fish kill similar to what we experienced back in 2002. The tribal council and Yurok people want to do everything they can to prevent a tragedy such has that from happening again."
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Aug  1 07:41:17 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2014 07:41:17 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: Officials urge people to avoid
	blue-green algae
Message-ID: <1406904077.16775.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/breakingnews/ci_26253646/officials-urge-people-avoid-blue-green-algae

Officials urge people to avoid blue-green algae
The Times-Standard
POSTED: ? 07/31/2014 03:49:58 PM PDT0 COMMENTS|?UPDATED: ? ABOUT 16 HOURS AGO

Press release from the California Regional Water Quality Control Board North Coast Region:
Swimmers, boaters and recreational users are to urged to avoid direct contact with or use of waters containing blue-green algae (cyanobacteria), now blooming in the Klamath River in Northern California.
Copco and Iron Gate Reservoirs and the Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam down to Weitchpec on the Yurok Reservation are now posted with health advisories warning against human and animal contact with the water. Residents and recreational water users can still enjoy camping, hiking, biking, canoeing, picnicking, or other recreational activities at the reservoirs and along the Klamath River, taking precautions to avoid contact with waters near these bloom areas and any scums along the water's edge.
Klamath River reaches from the I-5 bridge downstream to Weitchpec were posted with health advisories on July 30 and 31, based on the presence of cyanobacteria scums. Copco Reservoir was posted in June due to cell counts exceeding public health thresholds for cyanobacteria (Anabaena and then Microcystis aeruginosa). Iron Gate was posted on July 25th due to scums as public health thresholds; these advisories remain in effect.
"These conditions in the Klamath River and reservoirs today are very concerning. Blue-green algae can pose health risks, particularly to children and pets," said Matt St. John, Executive Officer of the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. "We urge people and their pets to avoid contact with water in locations with blooms, and particularly avoid swallowing or inhaling of water spray in an algal bloom area."
The algal blooms appear as bright green in the water, and blue-green, white or brown foam, scum or mats can float on the water and accumulate along the shore. Recreational exposure to toxic blue-green algae can cause eye irritation, allergic skin rash, mouth ulcer, vomiting, diarrhea, and cold and flu-like symptoms. Liver failure, nerve damage and death have occurred in rare situations where large amounts of contaminated water were directly ingested.
The Statewide Guidance on Harmful Algal Blooms recommends the following for blue-green algae impacted waters:
? Take care that pets and livestock do not drink the water, swim through algae, scums or mats, or lick their fur after going in the water. Rinse pets in clean drinking water to remove algae from fur.
? Avoid wading, swimming or jet or water skiing in water containing algae blooms or scums or mats.
? Do not drink, cook or wash dishes with untreated surface water from these areas under any circumstances; common water purification techniques (e.g., camping filters, tablets and boiling) do not remove toxins.
? People should not eat mussels or other bivalves collected from these areas. Limit or avoid eating fish; if fish are consumed, remove guts and liver, and rinse filets in clean drinking water.
? Get medical treatment immediately if you think that you, your pet, or livestock might have been poisoned by blue-green algae toxins. Be sure to alert the medical professional to the possible contact with blue-green algae.
Water quality monitoring is done biweekly in the summer from Link River Dam in Oregon to the Klamath River estuary in California. Sampling continues late into the fall to determine when toxin levels are low enough for water contact to be safely below the public health thresholds. This sampling is conducted collaboratively by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; PacifiCorp; the Karuk Tribe; the Yurok Tribe the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and U.S. EPA. These postings are supported by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), Department of Public Health, as well as the U.S. EPA, and the Yurok and Karuk Tribes.
Water users are encouraged to check most recent sampling results on the Klamath Blue-Green Algae Tracker (see link below). Even when blue-green algae blooms are not present, still carefully watch young children and warn them not to swallow the water.
For more information, please visit:
California Department of Public Health:
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/environhealth/water/Pages/Bluegreenalgae.aspx
State Water Resources Control Board
http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/bluegreen_algae/
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment:
http://oehha.ca.gov/ecotox/microcystins.html
Klamath Blue-Green Algae Tracker
http://www.kbmp.net/maps-data/blue-green-algae-tracker
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/nutrients/cyanohabs.cfm
The State Water Boards are now on Twitter! Follow us at:?https://twitter.com/h2oboardsnews
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Aug  1 07:44:26 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2014 07:44:26 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: Gray whale makes a quick trip to the
	Klamath River
Message-ID: <1406904266.51844.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26257038/gray-whale-makes-quick-trip-klamath-river


Gray whale makes a quick trip to the Klamath River
Local professor says curious behavior is not uncommon
By Will Houston
whouston at times-standard.com?@Will_S_Houston on Twitter
POSTED: ? 07/31/2014 11:37:41 PM PDT0 COMMENTS

Click photo to enlarge
A gray whale had a quick swim in the Klamath River estuary on... (Photo courtesy of Merle Stevenson)
The lower Klamath River received a large marine visitor on Wednesday when a gray whale made a quick swim through the estuary before returning to the ocean, according to Yurok Tribe Fisheries Program Manager Dave Hillemeier.
During its brief tenure, the gray whale chose to remain close to salt water, Hillemeir said.
"The whale just hanged out around the lips of the lower quarter mile, and was only there about 45 minutes," Hillemeier said after talking with the crew members present at the scene.
Wednesday's visit was the not the first time a gray whale has swam into the Klamath River.
In June 2011, a mother gray whale ? known as "MaMa" ? and her calf swam upriver and stayed under the U.S. Highway 101 bridge, drawing crowds of curious people. The calf eventually separated from its mother to swim downstream. The mother whale died that August due to the exposure to freshwater and lack of food, according to Humboldt State University zoology professor and Marine Mammal Education and Research program director Dawn Goley, who was present the day MaMa died.
"Her skin and physiology weren't able to accommodate being in freshwater," Goley said. "Her immune system was compromised. She died of a combination of starvation and infection."
While the mouth of the river has a mix of saltwater and freshwater, Goley said the pure freshwater of the upstream areas is not the optimal place for whales to stay for too long, though the behavior of whales to swim upriver is not unprecedented.
"Gray whales can become curious and go into the rivers and if they find something they like, they might stay," she said. "Sometimes there is abundant prey there. Oftentimes, they just come in and then leave. I'm pretty happy to hear this whale came in and left."
With the federal government announcing Wednesday that it would not be releasing water from Trinity Lake to prevent fish kills in the Trinity and lower Klamath rivers, Hillemeier said he was also glad the whale decided to leave.
"It's a good thing that it turned around and went out," he said. "The lower Klamath River is no place for that whale to be."
Will Houston can be reached at 707-441-0504.
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Aug  1 07:55:14 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2014 14:55:14 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek 30
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C1D713D@057-SN2MPN1-043.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Greetings
Please see attachment for the Jweek 30 (July 23-29) Trinity River trapping summary update.
Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Aug  5 12:43:45 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2014 12:43:45 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Blue-green algae blooms in Klamath River and
	Reservoirs result in warning against water contact or use
Message-ID: <1407267825.38767.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://mavensnotebook.com/

Blue-green algae blooms in Klamath River and Reservoirs result in warning against water contact or use: ?Swimmers, boaters and recreational users are to urged to avoid direct contact with or use of waters containing blue-green algae (cyanobacteria), now blooming in the Klamath River in Northern California.? Copco and Iron Gate Reservoirs and the Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam down to Weitchpec on the Yurok Reservation are now posted with health advisories warning against human and animal contact with the water. Residents and recreational water users can still enjoy camping, hiking, biking, canoeing, picnicking, or other recreational activities at the reservoirs and along the Klamath River, taking precautions to avoid contact with waters near these bloom areas and any scums along the water?s edge.?? ?? Read more from the North Coast Regional Water Quality Board here:??Blue-green algae blooms in Klamath River and Reservoirs result in
 warning against water contact or use?
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Aug  6 08:13:55 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2014 08:13:55 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: No flow boost for Trinity
Message-ID: <1407338035.13905.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_5ccb0552-1d14-11e4-b11d-001a4bcf6878.html

No flow boost for Trinity
By AMY GITTELSOHN The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, August 6, 2014 6:15 am
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has decided not to raise Trinity River flows as a preventative measure against a die-off of fall run chinook salmon in the lower Klamath River.
There is a backup plan to release more water if the Ich parasite that caused a die-off in 2002 is found among the fish, but the decision has drawn fire from fisheries advocates who fear that will be too late. In 2002, tens of thousands of Chinook died before spawning in the lower Klamath. Many were bound for the Trinity River, which flows into the Klamath.
However, the decision was applauded by those in Trinity County concerned with the rapidly dropping Trinity Lake and lost power generation.
Since the salmon die-off in 2002, Reclamation has in several years released water beyond that regularly scheduled in late summer/early fall to prevent the overcrowding that helps the parasite to spread. Of course, that leaves less water in the Trinity reservoir available to be diverted for farming and other purposes, and last year Central Valley Project contractors sued Reclamation to prevent the higher flow but were unsuccessful.
This year, it?s a different story, said Brian Person, area manager of the northern California Bureau of Reclamation Office.
Person said the decision not to do a preventative flow, was ?primarily driven by very, very low storage levels in the Trinity reservoir and the projection for even lower storage levels by the end of this season.?
The diminished cold water pool makes it more difficult to meet temperature targets for fish in the Trinity River in the fall, Person said.
As of Monday, Trinity Lake held 842,845 acre feet of water, 44 percent of the historic average for this time of year. The release to the Trinity River was 455 cubic feet per second, while the diversion through the tunnels for CVP uses was 2,457 cfs. Inflow was 73 cfs.
The diversion is due to ?overall water demand,? including ?temperature concerns on the Sacramento Basin as well,? Person said, noting that Shasta Lake is also low.
The diversion raised concerns of Rep. Jared Huffman, who wrote Reclamation officials that ?operations of the Trinity River Division are required by law to first protect Trinity River fisheries, yet with ongoing diversions of Trinity water out of basin to the Central Valley Project there may be neither enough water, nor cold enough water, available for needed supplemental flows.?
While the preventative flow is not happening, Person said there is a plan that provides for close monitoring of fish health in the lower Klamath.
If monitoring by the Hoopa and Yurok tribes and fish regulatory organizations determines fish are stressed or dying they will notify the Fish Health Center of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which will determine if Ich is present in the fish, Person said.
If that?s the case, he said, ?We?ll be set to provide emergency augmentation releases from Trinity.?
The releases will be the amount needed to double whatever the flow is on the lower Klamath at the time, he said.
The front wave of the higher flow from Lewiston Dam would reach the lower Klamath in a little less than two days, he said.
The approach has its detractors, and the two-day estimate has been challenged.
Interior Secretary Jewell has decided to roll the dice, according to the Hoopa Valley Tribe.
?The Secretary is betting that if fish start dying she can make an emergency release of water to provide relief,? said Mike Orcutt, Hoopa Valley Tribe Fisheries director. ?But our scientists say that water won?t reach the fish for 4.5 days, and once disease appeared in 2002, up to 70,000 adult salmon were dead within days.?
Fish kills did not occur in years when the higher Trinity releases were made for the fall run, the Hoopa tribe noted.
From the California Water Impact Network, Tom Stokely said, ?C-WIN supports a proactive flow to prevent a fish kill.?
Exports through the tunnels are higher than they should be and will be higher than the inflow to the lake this year, he said.
Solutions include prioritizing Trinity River water for use in the Trinity basin, fixing a ?plumbing? issue that allows water to warm too much for fish when it flows slowly through Lewiston Lake and establishing an enforceable minimum pool for Trinity Lake, Stokely said.
From the Trinity Lake Revitalization Alliance, Kelli Gant said Reclamation?s decision was a good one looking at the lake?s current and projected fall storage levels.
Another augmented fall flow would strengthen the precedent being set, Gant said, and ?we believe those releases have no scientific proof they?ve actually prevented fish from dying.?
However, in light of the amount of water being diverted through the tunnels, Gant is not celebrating. One reason for the high diversion is to reduce salinity levels in the Sacramento Delta.
?I think in the end it?s really sad the Trinity Lake water is being used to salvage the mismanagement of the Klamath and the Sacramento River,? Gant said.
From the Trinity Public Utilities District which pays higher power costs when less water is diverted through the tunnels, General Manager Paul Hauser said, ?We support the decision not to do augmented flows in the fall.?
?We don?t have any problem with fall flows,? he said, but that water needs to come out of the annual amount of water allocated to the river under the Trinity River Record of Decision instead of on top of it. A pending court decision should clarify that, he said.
?
By AMY GITTELSOHN The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, August 6, 2014 6:15 am
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has decided not to raise Trinity River flows as a preventative measure against a die-off of fall run chinook salmon in the lower Klamath River.
There is a backup plan to release more water if the Ich parasite that caused a die-off in 2002 is found among the fish, but the decision has drawn fire from fisheries advocates who fear that will be too late. In 2002, tens of thousands of Chinook died before spawning in the lower Klamath. Many were bound for the Trinity River, which flows into the Klamath.
However, the decision was applauded by those in Trinity County concerned with the rapidly dropping Trinity Lake and lost power generation.
Since the salmon die-off in 2002, Reclamation has in several years released water beyond that regularly scheduled in late summer/early fall to prevent the overcrowding that helps the parasite to spread. Of course, that leaves less water in the Trinity reservoir available to be diverted for farming and other purposes, and last year Central Valley Project contractors sued Reclamation to prevent the higher flow but were unsuccessful.
This year, it?s a different story, said Brian Person, area manager of the northern California Bureau of Reclamation Office.
Person said the decision not to do a preventative flow, was ?primarily driven by very, very low storage levels in the Trinity reservoir and the projection for even lower storage levels by the end of this season.?
The diminished cold water pool makes it more difficult to meet temperature targets for fish in the Trinity River in the fall, Person said.
As of Monday, Trinity Lake held 842,845 acre feet of water, 44 percent of the historic average for this time of year. The release to the Trinity River was 455 cubic feet per second, while the diversion through the tunnels for CVP uses was 2,457 cfs. Inflow was 73 cfs.
The diversion is due to ?overall water demand,? including ?temperature concerns on the Sacramento Basin as well,? Person said, noting that Shasta Lake is also low.
The diversion raised concerns of Rep. Jared Huffman, who wrote Reclamation officials that ?operations of the Trinity River Division are required by law to first protect Trinity River fisheries, yet with ongoing diversions of Trinity water out of basin to the Central Valley Project there may be neither enough water, nor cold enough water, available for needed supplemental flows.?
While the preventative flow is not happening, Person said there is a plan that provides for close monitoring of fish health in the lower Klamath.
If monitoring by the Hoopa and Yurok tribes and fish regulatory organizations determines fish are stressed or dying they will notify the Fish Health Center of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which will determine if Ich is present in the fish, Person said.
If that?s the case, he said, ?We?ll be set to provide emergency augmentation releases from Trinity.?
The releases will be the amount needed to double whatever the flow is on the lower Klamath at the time, he said.
The front wave of the higher flow from Lewiston Dam would reach the lower Klamath in a little less than two days, he said.
The approach has its detractors, and the two-day estimate has been challenged.
Interior Secretary Jewell has decided to roll the dice, according to the Hoopa Valley Tribe.
?The Secretary is betting that if fish start dying she can make an emergency release of water to provide relief,? said Mike Orcutt, Hoopa Valley Tribe Fisheries director. ?But our scientists say that water won?t reach the fish for 4.5 days, and once disease appeared in 2002, up to 70,000 adult salmon were dead within days.?
Fish kills did not occur in years when the higher Trinity releases were made for the fall run, the Hoopa tribe noted.
From the California Water Impact Network, Tom Stokely said, ?C-WIN supports a proactive flow to prevent a fish kill.?
Exports through the tunnels are higher than they should be and will be higher than the inflow to the lake this year, he said.
Solutions include prioritizing Trinity River water for use in the Trinity basin, fixing a ?plumbing? issue that allows water to warm too much for fish when it flows slowly through Lewiston Lake and establishing an enforceable minimum pool for Trinity Lake, Stokely said.
From the Trinity Lake Revitalization Alliance, Kelli Gant said Reclamation?s decision was a good one looking at the lake?s current and projected fall storage levels.
Another augmented fall flow would strengthen the precedent being set, Gant said, and ?we believe those releases have no scientific proof they?ve actually prevented fish from dying.?
However, in light of the amount of water being diverted through the tunnels, Gant is not celebrating. One reason for the high diversion is to reduce salinity levels in the Sacramento Delta.
?I think in the end it?s really sad the Trinity Lake water is being used to salvage the mismanagement of the Klamath and the Sacramento River,? Gant said.
From the Trinity Public Utilities District which pays higher power costs when less water is diverted through the tunnels, General Manager Paul Hauser said, ?We support the decision not to do augmented flows in the fall.?
?We don?t have any problem with fall flows,? he said, but that water needs to come out of the annual amount of water allocated to the river under the Trinity River Record of Decision instead of on top of it. A pending court decision should clarify that, he said.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Aug  6 08:30:22 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2014 08:30:22 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: Feds cut off irrigation to some
	Klamath Project farms
Message-ID: <1407339022.51019.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26283839/feds-cut-off-irrigation-some-klamath-project-farms

Feds cut off irrigation to some Klamath Project farms
Decision comes a day after ending fish-kill preventative releases
By Jeff Barnard
The Associated Press
and Will Houston
whouston at times-standard.com?@Will_S_Houston on Twitter
POSTED: ? 08/05/2014 10:58:53 PM PDT0 COMMENTS
UPDATED: ? 08/05/2014 10:58:53 PM PDT

GRANTS PASS, ORE. >>?In a decision similar to last week's cessation of releases to the lower Klamath and Trinity rivers, water is being cut off to about one-third of the farms on a federal irrigation project in the drought-parched Klamath Basin of Oregon and California.
A July 31 letter from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to irrigation districts says that the flows into the Klamath Reclamation Project's primary reservoir have been below pre-season forecasts from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, forcing a reduction in releases to districts with junior claims on water in order to meet minimum water levels for endangered fish. The letter was signed by bureau Klamath Area Manager Sheryl L. Franklin.
The letter came a day after the bureau announced it would end fish-kill preventative releases to the lower Klamath and Trinity rivers from Trinity Lake, and would only release water in an emergency situation ? when fish sicken or die. The water will instead be released from the Lewiston Dam to the Sacramento River and Clear Creek tributary to protect federally endangered salmon as part of the bureau's Central Valley Project. The bureau had performed releases to the lower Klamath and Trinity rivers four times since 2003 to aid chinook salmon and steelhead during warm, low-water periods after a massive fish kill occurred on the Klamath River in 2002.
A population survey conducted in July on the Salmon River, a tributary of the Klamath River, found 54 dead adult chinook salmon and steelhead along with hundreds of dead juveniles.
Regarding the bureau's reasoning behind curtailing the Klamath and Trinity rivers pre-emptive releases, Karuk Tribe Klamath Coordinator Craig Tucker said he is not convinced.
"The divide of water that is being requested for the Trinity releases, relative to how much is being diverted to the Central Valley, is not nearly as much," Tucker said. "I'm not sure if I accept the bureau's explanation there."
Greg Addington of the Klamath Water Users Association said Tuesday that the most recent cutoff means no more water for 50,000 acres of the project. Most of those farms produce hay, and losing irrigation will mean they lose up to half their crop for the year, he said.
Addington expects there will be enough water for the remaining farms on the project to finish the season.
Rain and snowfall over the winter was the lowest in 20 years and the third lowest on record, he said. The drought is worse than in 2001, when irrigation was shut off to nearly all of the project to maintain water for endangered sucker fish in Upper Klamath Lake and threatened coho salmon in the Klamath River.
The lake is the project's primary reservoir. The river is the lake's natural outflow.
"It's a mess," Addington said. "Our guys have seen this train wreck coming for a while. We have worked hard with other stakeholders to try to address these issues. We are not there yet. We've got a bill in Congress. That doesn't help us on the ground today."
Tucker also spoke with Addington recently on the two bureau decisions.
"I was telling him how bad things are for fish down here, and he was telling me how bad things are for farmers up there," Tucker said. "Years like this, everybody suffers from one end of the basin to the other. The irrigators on the Klamath Project have gotten a lot less water this year than they're used to getting, and there's no doubt about that."
The region's perennial water problems prompted the development of plans to remove four dams from the Klamath River to help salmon and give farmers greater certainty on irrigation expectations. But the proposals have stalled in Congress, where they have been opposed by House Republicans.
Tucker said U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon plans to reintroduce the bill to the Senate Committee of Finance, which he chairs, to get the wheels turning again.
"I think because he wants to be the one who controls when the bill gets voted on," Tucker said. "I think this is a positive move forward."
The Bureau of Reclamation did not immediately return telephone calls and an email seeking comment.
The bureau has already turned down requests from tribes and others to increase flows down the Klamath River to prevent an outbreak of a parasite that attacks salmon in low water conditions.
Will Houston can be reached at 707-441-0504.
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Aug  7 09:17:46 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2014 09:17:46 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] EPIC: Take Action to Avoid Another Catastrophic
	Klamath River Fish Kill
Message-ID: <1407428266.39788.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.wildcalifornia.org/blog/petition-and-blog-for-klamath-river-flows/?

- Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) -?http://www.wildcalifornia.org?-
Take Action to Avoid Another Catastrophic Klamath River Fish Kill
Posted By?Amber Jamieson?On August 5, 2014 @ 2:29 pm In?Action Alerts,Biodiversity,Blog,Clean Water,Environmental Democracy,Public Lands?|?Comments Disabled
Click here to take action now:?[1]?Right now, an estimated 60,000 fall Chinook salmon are in the ocean off the Northern California Coast waiting to enter the Klamath. The conditions they will be met with as they begin their journey to reproduce are currently equivalent to a death sentence. In 2002, low flows and warm water temperatures caused by dams and diversions in the Klamath Basin resulted in the largest fish kill in U.S. history, when an estimated 60,000 fall Chinook perished. Since the fish kill, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) has released a preventative pulse flow into the Trinity River from Lewiston Dam when conditions existed that were similar to 2002. Currently, Klamath River flow is lower than it was in 2002 and temperatures are consistently higher than the acute stress level for Chinook, 72 degrees Fahrenheit. If this trend continues, a large-scale fish kill is likely and the Klamath could loose the entire run, which would have huge
 implications, environmentally and economically, costing taxpayers millions in relief and mitigation costs.
Last week, the BOR announced that it would not release the preventative flows needed to avert a fish kill. Instead, they will wait until salmon show signs of disease and start dying, and would only release an ?emergency flow? that would take at least four days to reach infected salmon in the Lower Klamath. It is widely accepted fact that once salmon are diseased and dying to the extent that the emergency flow criteria is met, an attempt to minimize losses will be too late and a large-scale fish kill in the Lower Klamath would already be well underway.
The water is available, but according to the BOR saving the lives of 60,000 spawning salmon is not a priority. Of the 2,900 cubic feet per second (cfs) flowing through the Trinity system from Clair Engle Lake, only 490 cfs are being released into the Trinity River downstream of Lewiston Dam, roughly 17%. The BOR is sending the rest of the available water, roughly 2400 cfs, about 83% is sent to the Central Valley Project to meet the demands of large-scale agriculture like the Westland?s Water district, and to meet recovery requirements for the endangered Delta Smelt that are facing extinction due to large ag interests including Westlands diverting water in the Smelt?s native habitat?the Sacramento and San Joaquin Deltas.
The Klamath River is home to the third largest salmon run on the West Coast and is thought to have the highest potential for complete salmon recovery in the United States. Currently, the Klamath River is blocked by six dams.?Efforts are underway to remove the four largest dams that obstruct fish passage through historic agreements between tribes, environmental groups, fishing groups, government agencies and the company that owns the dams, PacifiCorp.? The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and Klamath Basin Hydro-Settlement Agreement have been combined and introduced in Congress as the Klamath Basin Community and Economic Recovery Act. While these worthy efforts are underway and the prospect of a restored Klamath Basin is becoming a reality, it is critical that the remaining salmon and steelhead runs are protected until the dams come out, which is expected to happen around 2020.
Klamath salmon need your help!?We need to convince the Bureau of Reclamation, the Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, and President Obama to release preventative flows into the Trinity River to save the fall salmon run from river conditions that are even more severe than those that caused the country?s largest fish kill in 2002. Please click the link below to send a letter to decision-makers, asking them to reduce flows to irrigators and increase flows into the Trinity River from Lewiston Dam, and into the Klamath River from Link River Dam.
Click Here to Take Action!?[1]
________________________________

Article printed from Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC):?http://www.wildcalifornia.org
URL to article:?http://www.wildcalifornia.org/blog/petition-and-blog-for-klamath-river-flows/
URLs in this post:
[1]?Click here to take action now::?http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5349/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=18250
Click?here?to print.
Copyright ? 2010 Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC). All rights reserved.
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Thu Aug  7 09:58:02 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2014 09:58:02 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Article submission: Delta tunnel opponents ask Brown
	to release water bond language
In-Reply-To: <1407428266.39788.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1407428266.39788.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <C4FBE604-9A83-474B-9203-295C3C447F1B@fishsniffer.com>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/08/07/1319814/-Delta-tunnel-opponents-ask-Brown-to-release-water-bond-language

Delta tunnel opponents ask Brown to release water bond language

by Dan Bacher

In an email sent to his campaign supporters on August 5, Governor  
Jerry Brown called for a ?no frills, no pork?  $6 million bond that  
would be ?tunnels neutral.?

Opponents of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan?s proposed $67 billlion  
tunnels quickly challenged the claim that the bond is? tunnels  
neutral? ? and called for Brown to release the language of his water  
bond.

Brown explained the reasons for his pared down bond in his email, one  
of only three his campaign staff have sent out to supporters:

?Five years ago, state legislators and the Governor put a pork-laden  
water bond on the ballot ? with a price tag beyond what?s reasonable  
or affordable. The cost to taxpayers would be enormous ? $750 million  
a year for 30 years ? and would come at the expense of funding for  
schools, health care and public safety. This is on top of the nearly  
$8 billion a year the state already spends on bond debt service.?

Since being elected governor, I?ve worked with the Legislature to  
reduce the state?s fiscal liabilities. Together, we?ve made steady  
progress paying down debt and enacting responsible, balanced budgets  
and it is no time to turn back now. Therefore, I?m proposing a no- 
frills, no-pork water bond that invests in the MOST CRITICAL PROJECTS  
without breaking the bank.

?My $6 billion plan provides for water use efficiency and recycling,  
effective groundwater management and added storage. It invests in safe  
drinking water, particularly in disadvantaged communities and for  
watershed restoration and increased flows in some of our most  
important rivers and streams.?

In June, the Brown administration circulated an outline for his bond,  
the "Water Action Plan Financing Act of 2014,? among Legislators,  
water districts and stakeholders. The measure includes $2 billion for  
storage, $1.5 billion for watershed protection, watershed ecosystem  
restoration and state settlements, $1.5 billion for water quality and  
water supply reliability, $500 million for the Delta and $500 million  
for statewide flood management.

Brown's proposed bond would be "BDCP (Bay Delta Conservation Plan)  
neutral," the outline stated.

Restore the Delta (RTD) questioned Governor Brown?s assertion that his  
new water bond is ?tunnels neutral,? and called upon him to release  
his specific proposed language.

?Governor Brown is using the bully pulpit of his office to insist that  
his bond proposal is tunnel neutral,? said RTD Executive Director  
Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, "However, with  $700 million marked for  
statewide water related habitat, flows, and water quality in  
watersheds, Restore the Delta questions if these funds will be used to  
create the water fund account needed to make the Delta tunnels project  
operational.?

?We are calling on Governor Brown to release the specific proposed  
language of the bond to prove that it is truly Delta tunnels neutral.   
According to documents from a Freedom of Information Act Request  
filled by the Kern County Water Agency, BDCP water exporters are  
expecting the State to fund a water flows account for over $1 billion  
so that they can receive full export levels from the project,? said  
Barrigan-Parrilla.

?This documented assurance reveals that the water exporters thirst  
will not be quenched by a tunnel project that simply promotes  
reliability, but rather by one that produces more and more from  
Northern California groundwater supplies, rivers, and the SF Bay-Delta  
estuary," she stated.

Asssembly Member Mariko Yamada (D-Davis) summed up the feelings of  
many tunnel opponents when she said at a big rally against the BDCP at  
the State Capitol on July 29, ?We don?t want to support a water bond  
that is tunnels neutral. We want a bond that is tunnels negative.?

Here is the link to documents showing that the water exporters are  
counting on money from a state water bond to help finance the project  
and mitigate its damage to fisheries, river flows and the Delta: http://restorethedelta.org/documents-for-august-6-press-release/

BDCP background: Governor Jerrry Brown's Bay Delta Delta Conservation  
Plan to build the 35-mile long peripheral tunnels won't create one  
drop of new water, but the project will lead to horrendous  
environmental degradation, according to tunnel critics. The  
construction of the tunnels, estimated to cost $67 billion, will  
hasten the extinction of Central Valley Chinook salmon, Delta and  
longfin smelt and other fish species, as well as imperil the salmon  
and steelhead populations on the Trinity and Klamath rivers.

Friends of the River and other BDCP opponents say Brown's "legacy"  
project will destroy the largest estuary on the West Coast of the  
Americas that provides a nursery for many species. It will harm  
salmon, halibut, leopard shark, soupfin shark, sevengill shark,  
anchovy, sardine, herring, groundfish and Dungeness crab populations  
stretching from Southern Washington to Southern California.

Under the guise of habitat restoration, the BDCP will take vast tracts  
of Delta farmland, among the most fertile on the planet, out of  
production in order to irrigate toxic, drainage impaired land on the  
west side of the San Joaquin Valley and provide Delta water to  
Southern California developers and oil companies conducting fracking  
and steam injection operations in Kern County.

The tunnels are being constructed in tandem with the federal  
government's plan to raise Shasta Dam, a project that will flood many  
of the remaining sacred sites of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe that weren't  
inundated by Shasta Dam.

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From sari at sisqtel.net  Thu Aug  7 16:27:55 2014
From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom)
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2014 16:27:55 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fish Health Center report: Effect of summer water
	temperatures on growth and bioenergetics in juvenile Klamath
	River Coho Salmon
Message-ID: <00fe01cfb297$3772ccf0$a65866d0$@sisqtel.net>

Recent report of interest---

 

http://www.fws.gov/canvfhc/reports.asp

 

Summary : Juvenile Klamath R. Coho salmon, reared under a diurnal
temperature regime with a mean daily temperature (MDT) of 21.3?C and
adequate energy input, had positive growth, 

normal plasma protein levels and complement activities, and showed no stress
response. They were similar to cohorts reared under a diurnal fluctuating
profile with a MDT of 16.0?C. 

 

J. Scott Foott, Rick Harmon, and Ron Stone. 2014. California Nevada Fish
Health Center FY2004 Technical Report: Effect of summer water temperatures
on growth and bioenergetics in juvenile Klamath River Coho Salmon
(Oncorhynchus kisutch). U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service California-Nevada Fish
Health Center, Anderson, CA. 

Available online: http://www.fws.gov/canvfhc/reports.asp. 

 

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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Aug  8 08:16:41 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2014 15:16:41 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity trapping Summary Update Jweek 31
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C1E3CA2@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi All,
Please see the attachment for the Jweek 31 update of the Trinity River trapping summary.
Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Aug  8 08:19:58 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2014 15:19:58 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] FW: Trinity trapping Summary Update Jweek 31
In-Reply-To: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C1E3CA2@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>
References: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C1E3CA2@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C1E4D38@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>

With attachment this time.


From: Cannata, Steve at Wildlife
Sent: Friday, August 08, 2014 8:17 AM
To: Sinnen, Wade at Wildlife
Subject: Trinity trapping Summary Update Jweek 31

Hi All,
Please see the attachment for the Jweek 31 update of the Trinity River trapping summary.
Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov<mailto:steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov>

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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Aug  9 09:23:55 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 9 Aug 2014 09:23:55 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Redding=2Ecom=3A_Forest_Service_=E2=80=9C?=
 =?utf-8?q?fire_borrowing=E2=80=9D_will_soon_begin_to_gut_fuels_reduction_?=
 =?utf-8?q?projects?=
Message-ID: <1407601435.56745.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://lwinter.blogs.redding.com/2014/08/forest-service-fire-borrowing-will-soon-begin-to-gut-fuels-reduction-projects/

Forest Service ?fire borrowing? will soon begin to gut fuels reduction projects
August 9, 2014Uncategorizedlarrywinter
Talk about a crazy, asinine, shooting yourself in the foot policy forced upon the Forest Service.? This policy of ?fire borrowing?, (misnamed of course, since a lot of that ?borrowed? money never gets put back into the program it was taken from)? is one that gets attention every fire season yet the policy continues.
?When we begin to run out of money we have to dip into the very programs that will reduce the risk of these fires over time,? Vilsack said in a telephone interview with the Associated Press.
There?s been movement to address this concern in both Houses of Congress.? HR3992 has 131 cosponsors (71D, 60R) including northstate Reps LaMalfa R and Huffman D.? The Senate version is less bipartisan with 2 Republicans joining 16 Democrats in cosponsoring the bill.
This policy not only takes money from programs that help lower the probability of stand replacing wildfires, but we?ve had an instance here in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest where money was taken from afire settlement to rehab the Sims Fire for long overdue road maintenance projects that are in no way affiliated with the Sims Fire.? The Regional office of Randy Moore gave the Shasta-T a 3 year timeline to ?obligate? the settlement money? of around 11 million dollars or else it will be ?fire borrowed?.
So now Dave Myers, SO of the Shasta-Trinity, has taken money from fuels reduction projects based solely on the threat of ?fire borrowing?.
When will this craziness end?
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Aug 10 08:28:06 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 08:28:06 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times Standard Editorial: Bureaucrats to Klamath
	fish: Drop dead
Message-ID: <1407684486.89655.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/editorials/ci_26309167/editorial-bureaucrats-klamath-fish-drop-dead

Editorial: Bureaucrats to Klamath fish: Drop dead
Eureka Times-Standard
POSTED: ? 08/09/2014 08:24:24 PM PDT1 COMMENT
UPDATED: ? 08/09/2014 08:24:27 PM PDT

In recent days, we've heard from private citizens, from environmental advocates and from tribal leadership, from the North Coast's congressman.
We've heard from many voices on the North Coast, voices united in one plea to federal bureaucrats: Release water from Trinity Lake to cool the waters of the Klamath River. Spare the Klamath salmon and the communities which rely on them another catastrophic fish kill. Act now before it's too late.
So far this plea, grounded in solid science and all-too-recent history, has fallen on deaf ears. The Bureau of Reclamation told local tribes, government officials and water stakeholders at July's end that, no, it would not release Trinity water to the Klamath, diverting it instead to the Central Valley, where, the bureau says, it will be used to protect endangered winter-run and spring-run salmon listed under the federal Endangered Species Act in the Sacramento River and its tributary, Clear Creek.
As Congressman Jared Huffman said in his statement reacting to the decision: "By state law, Trinity River salmon ? which begin their upstream migration in the Klamath River ? must be protected before water is used to bail out the Central Valley Project. When you find yourself in a hole, you're supposed to stop digging, but Reclamation has dug itself a hole it cannot get out of, and tribes and fishermen may once again pay the price."
Let us be clear. The Central Valley, home to some of the most productive agricultural land on the planet, even now in the dry depths of our state's worst recorded drought, would have had more than enough water to save its fish and not condemn ours to disease and death ? so long as state and federal authorities had bothered to learn one simple word.
If state and federal authorities had learned to tell the agribusiness behemoths of the Central Valley that one word, we on the North Coast would not be at risk of witnessing a repeat of the catastrophic fish kill of 2002. One word. Just one:
"No."
"No," you can't have so much water. Learn to use your own.
"No," you're going to have to save your own fish, because, giant agribusinesses, if you have a bum year, it will look horrible on your spreadsheet, sure ? but you'll recover.
"No," the fish of the North Coast won't have so easy a time of it. The fish of the North Coast stand a good chance of dying off in large numbers. Only then, says the Bureau of Reclamation, will it reconsider its recent decision. But by then it may be too late, because ...
"No," we here have not forgotten 2002, when more than 70,000 adult chinook salmon died off as a result of a similar federal decision to send water elsewhere during a drought.
"No." Just no. It's such a simple word. It needs to be said more often.
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From sari at sisqtel.net  Mon Aug 11 16:05:46 2014
From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom)
Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 16:05:46 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] USFS ScienceFindings: StreamTemp Variability & Salmon
Message-ID: <011901cfb5b8$c94c1450$5be43cf0$@sisqtel.net>

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/sciencef/scifi163.pdf

 

July 2014  Science Findings publication---"Stream Temperature Variability:
Why It Matters to Salmon"

IN SUMMARY

Salmon evolved in natural river systems, where temperatures fluctuate daily,
weekly, seasonally, and all along a stream's path-from the mountains to the
sea. Climate change and human activities alter this natural variability.
Dams, for example, tend to reduce thermal fluctuations.

      Currently, scientists gauge habitat suitability for aquatic species by
establishing minimum/maximum temperature thresholds and relying on mean
temperature readings to establish management priorities. But temperature
effects on salmon are more complex. A new study demonstrates that
temperature variability can affect emergence timing in Chinook salmon,
potentially altering predictions about how these fish may respond to a
changing climate. It also reveals that genetics can make a difference in how
an individual responds to stream temperature variance.

      The study indicates that the commonly used degree-day accumulation
model is not sufficient to predict how organisms respond to stream
temperature. Changes in how the degree days are delivered have the potential
to alter the timing of life history transitions in Chinook salmon and other
organisms. Emerging from the gravel a few days earlier or later could
directly affect their survival due to changes in available food resources,
competition for feeding grounds, or strong currents.

 

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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Aug 12 12:41:46 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 12:41:46 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: RCD 1st of FALL WORKSHOPS
In-Reply-To: <2c69d09d862b5b0b1edfa0b6f5a6acebe30.20140812185011@mail79.atl51.rsgsv.net>
References: <2c69d09d862b5b0b1edfa0b6f5a6acebe30.20140812185011@mail79.atl51.rsgsv.net>
Message-ID: <1407872506.40863.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Tuesday, August 12, 2014 11:50 AM, Siskiyou Land Trust <admin at siskiyoulandtrust.org> wrote:






RCD 1st of FALL WORKSHOPS  
Siskiyou Forest Stewardship Workshops Presents
? 
View this email in your browser          

?    
Copyright ? 2014 Siskiyou Land Trust, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you are a past or present member or volunteer of the Siskiyou Land Trust.

Our mailing address is:

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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Aug 12 12:56:23 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 12:56:23 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?PacifiCorp_Agrees_to_Reservoir_Drawdown_t?=
 =?utf-8?q?o_Lessen_Impacts_of_Water_Shortage_in_Reclamation=E2=80=99s_Kla?=
 =?utf-8?q?math_Project?=
Message-ID: <1407873383.51387.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

PacifiCorp Agrees to Reservoir Drawdown to Lessen Impacts of Water Shortage in Reclamation?s Klamath Project

http://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/newsrelease/detail.cfm?RecordID=47686
August 8, 2014
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore.?? The Bureau of Reclamation and PacifiCorp have announced that, due to the drought conditions being experienced in the Klamath Basin during the 2014 water year, PacifiCorp has agreed to a proposal which will allow flexibility in managing water currently stored in its Klamath River hydroelectric reservoirs.
Under the proposal, PacifiCorp would release up to 20,000 acre-feet of water from its reservoirs, as needed, to meet required Iron Gate Dam releases pursuant to the 2013 joint Biological Opinions for Reclamation?s Klamath Project in such a way to ensure Upper Klamath Lake remains above specified minimum elevations.? After the irrigation season has concluded, Reclamation and PacifiCorp will meet and discuss the timing of returning water to the hydroelectric reservoirs, in a manner that is consistent with the BiOp.
Although Reclamation will continue restricting Klamath Project irrigation water supplies through certain Project facilities, this proposal will assist Reclamation by extending the Klamath Project?s available water supplies from Upper Klamath Lake to help close the irrigation season.? The agreed-to proposal will also assist Reclamation in supporting culturally significant tribal trust responsibilities.
?Reclamation applauds PacifiCorp's willingness to consider and agree to a proposal that will assist in alleviating impacts being felt by both Klamath Project water users and natural resources as a result of the 2014 drought,? said Reclamation?s Mid-Pacific Deputy Regional Director Jason Phillips. ?We appreciate the collaboration and coordination shown by PacifiCorp and the support for this proposal expressed by our federal partners, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. This proposal is an opportunity to positively contribute to the health of federally listed fish species in Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River, supports tribal interests, and will prove beneficial to Project irrigators for the 2014 water year during these critical drought conditions.?
Reclamation has been coordinating with PacifiCorp, stakeholders, USFWS, and NMFS in an attempt to identify, assess, and determine what conservation strategies and flexibility exists to more effectively manage available water supplies to meet the competing demands for water in the Klamath Basin. ?????
For additional information, please contact Tara Jane Campbell Miranda, at 541-880-2540 or?tcampbellmiranda at usbr.gov.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Aug 13 08:53:17 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 08:53:17 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal- Supervisors: Trinity in drought
	emergency
Message-ID: <1407945197.15822.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_b2f62176-2293-11e4-bf0e-0017a43b2370.html

Supervisors: Trinity in drought emergency
By Sally Morris The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, August 13, 2014 6:15 am
Trinity County supervisors Tuesday ratified an emergency services proclamation confirming the existence of a local emergency in the county pertaining to drought.
Initially signed a week ago by Trinity County Sheriff Bruce Haney as the county?s Director of Emergency Services, the proclamation will remain in effect as long as the Board of Supervisors acts to renew it every 30 days.
?This doesn?t automatically give us funds flowing in, but it puts us in line with the state if at some point there are funds available that could help us improve some of our water systems,? Haney said.
Deputy Director of Emergency Services Eric Palmer said he has been contacted by many individuals in the county whose wells or streams have run dry ?and we?re at a point now where water in Trinity County is very scarce. Some of the local water districts are doing OK and as long as the Trinity River is flowing, Weaverville will be fine, but some streams are running dry and there?s potential for massive fish die-off.?
He added that in his personal experience, ?we?re looking back to 1977 with the drought and fire situation we faced then. We?ve been under red flag warnings for fire threat more times this year already than I?ve ever seen.?
Board Chair Judy Pflueger noted that at the north end of the county, Swift Creek and Coffee Creek are flowing at about 20 percent of normal and the town of Coffee Creek ran out of water during the Coffee fire suppression efforts due to water trucks being filled from town supply. Trinity Center may have to stop watering yards, she said, adding many wells in the Lewiston part of her district have also run dry earlier than usual.
?The point is, our communities are being affected and we may need some extra support that this puts us in line for,? she said.
The emergency proclamation finds that the county is experiencing conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property caused by a prolonged drought and notes that the U.S. Drought Monitor lists Trinity County in the exceptional drought category, the highest rating possible.
Furthermore, it notes that severe drought conditions present urgent challenges including not only water shortages in communities, but also greatly increased wildfire activity, diminished water for agricultural production, degraded fish and wildlife habitat and increased concern for future water access and availability.?
The Drought Monitor noted that after three consecutive years of drought, California is currently short more than one year?s worth of reservoir water or 11.6 million acre feet for this time of year. The historical average warm-season drawdown of California?s 154 reservoirs totals 8.2 million acre feet, but usage, during the first two years of the drought in 2012 and 2013, averaged 11.5 million acre feet of water.
?It concluded with a gloomy prediction in July that even a normal precipitation year would not be enough to overcome low soil moisture and water storage conditions, saying most water users will require an exceptionally wet year to be made whole ?and that?s not likely to be the end result of water year 2014. The drought has no end in sight.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Aug 13 08:45:23 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 08:45:23 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] AP: California water bond spending at a glance
Message-ID: <1407944723.82986.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/08/12/v-print/4286037/california-water-bond-spending.html



Posted on Tue, Aug. 12, 2014
California water bond spending at a glance

The Associated Press
The Legislature is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a $7.2 billion water bond proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown and top Democratic lawmakers, or a modified version. The bond includes $7 billion in new borrowing and $200 million in existing funds. If approved, it would replace an $11.1 billion bond that already is on the November ballot.
The top spending categories in the proposed bond are:
? $2.5 billion for water storage projects, with criteria that are designed to encourage building the Sites Reservoir north of Sacramento and Temperance Flat dam northeast of Fresno. This has been among the most contentious items, with Republicans demanding at least $3 billion. Environmentalists object to the lack of competitiveness for Southern California and groundwater storage projects.
?$1.5 billion for ecosystem and watershed projects, to restore environments to natural conditions, improve river parkways and protect wildlife. Roughly a third of the money would support projects that have been contentious. That includes the removal of obsolete power dams on the Klamath River, the restoration of the Salton Sea and an environmental protection plan at Lake Tahoe.
? $850 million for projects that clean up groundwater contamination, prioritizing communities that would have a more reliable local water supply as a result. This has been a top priority for Los Angeles lawmakers.
? $780 million for what is described as "integrated regional water management plans" that would help regions meet their own water needs. It includes $100 million for water conservation and efficiency and $200 million for storm water management.
?$700 million for water recycling and advanced water treatment technology, such as desalination.
? $500 million for projects that improve water quality or promote clean drinking water. Half the money would be set aside for wastewater treatment, prioritizing low-income communities. The other half is for projects improving safe drinking water standards, prioritizing small communities with polluted water sources.
?$395 million for statewide flood management projects and activities, with the majority available to the delta region. 

 
________________________________

? 2014 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/08/12/v-print/4286037/california-water-bond-spending.html#storylink=cpy
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From vina_frye at fws.gov  Thu Aug 14 13:07:17 2014
From: vina_frye at fws.gov (Frye, Vina)
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 13:07:17 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Meeting notice
Message-ID: <CANiLmTL3pkK91Uijk2DszU9iD4w=BFwOi2L4Sgj5W2W_mb4dYg@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Folks,

The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group is scheduled to meet
September 9-10, 2014.  In Weaverville CA.

Best regards,
Vina


Vina Frye
Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Arcata FWO
1655 Heindon Road
Arcata, CA  95521
Telephone: (707) 822-7201
Fax: (707) 822-8411
vina_frye at fws.gov
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Aug 14 15:29:16 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 15:29:16 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] NC Journal: Chesbro Explains Lonely 'No' Vote
Message-ID: <1408055356.25803.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.northcoastjournal.com/Blogthing/archives/2014/08/14/chesbro-explains-lonely-no-vote

Chesbro Explains Lonely 'No' Vote
POSTED BY?THADEUS GREENSON?ON?THU, AUG 14, 2014?AT?11:55 AM
click to enlargeNorth Coast Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro was one of only two California lawmakers to?vote against?putting a $7.5 billion water bond before state voters in November that is being hailed as an historic, bi-partisan plan to rescue the drought-parched state from a future of water uncertainty in an era of climate change.

Specifically, the plan would invest heavily in the state's water infrastructure by building reservoirs, promoting water-saving technologies and cleaning up contaminated ground water. The bill got 114 of 116 votes in the Legislature and nabbed Gov. Jerry Brown's signature almost immediately upon passage. But the bill didn't get Chesbro's support, and today the Arcata Democrat issued a lengthy statement explaining his opposition. The short version: At a time when drought-parched rivers are perilously low on the North Coast, Chesbro wouldn't support a bill that would essentially make it easier for local water to be diverted to population and agricultural centers elsewhere. Chesbro tried to work protections into the legislation, especially for Trinity River flows, but was unsuccessful. Without those in place, he couldn't support the bill.

Read the long version below:



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
>August 14, 2014
>
>Chesbro statement: Water bond measure is a bad deal for the North Coast
>
>SACRAMENTO ? Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) released the following statement today explaining his vote against water bond legislation that the Legislature passed and the governor signed yesterday:
>
>?The water bond passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor yesterday has many attractive elements, but at the end of the day this bond measure is bad news for the North Coast. It includes $2.7 billion for water storage projects ? dams and reservoirs ? increasing pressure for diversion of more Northern California river water. The Trinity River ? and ultimately the Klamath ? is at greatest risk, because of existing plumbing that already diverts water from the Trinity to the Sacramento River. Increasing reservoir capacity will lead to greater demand for water from the Trinity at a time when severe and prolonged drought has significantly reduced existing snow packs.
>
>As the drought deepens, the impact to the people and fisheries on the North Coast will increase. The rivers of the North Coast are some of the last remaining refuge for endangered salmon species that are on the brink of extinction. Additionally, our rivers provide important spawning habitat for fish that are important to the entire state, up and down the West Coast.
>
>I had hoped to secure funding for protection of Trinity River flows through legislation this year. When that did not happen I worked to place language in the water bond legislation. I was disappointed it was not included, and that reducing risks to our North Coast rivers and to our way of life, our fish and our economy was not much of a priority in the measure that will be placed on the November ballot. I believe the water bond short-changes the people of the North Coast, and as their representative in the Legislature I felt compelled to vote against it.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Aug 14 15:35:32 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 15:35:32 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard Opinion- Huffman: Hoping for rain
	won't save state's salmon
Message-ID: <1408055732.52065.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/opinion/ci_26333712/huffman-hoping-rain-wont-save-states-salmon


Huffman: Hoping for rain won't save state's salmon
Eureka Times-Standard
POSTED: ? 08/13/2014 09:01:50 PM PDT
0 COMMENTS


Click photo to enlarge 
Congressman Jared Huffman

Science students learn about the Water Cycle, where ocean water evaporates, condenses into clouds, precipitates into rain, and flows down streams and rivers back to the ocean.
Here on the North Coast where the Klamath and Trinity Rivers are so vital to our economy and environment, we're becoming familiar with another kind of "Water Cycle" ? one where the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation ignores a problem until it becomes a crisis, ignores the crisis until the verge of disaster, and then improvises.
The cycle began again this summer: Despite critically low water levels in Trinity Lake, Reclamation continued diverting huge amounts of water into the Sacramento River to serve the needs of the Central Valley Project. Just last week in response to inquiries from Humboldt County, the Hoopa and Yurok Tribes and I, Reclamation announced that it will not release stored Trinity River water to protect struggling salmon in the low, hot Klamath River ? because there is not enough water left in Trinity Lake. Only in the event of an actual fish kill would Reclamation reconsider ? but it would likely be too late to help. Meanwhile, the diversions to the Central Valley continue.
In 2002, Reclamation failed to respond to these same conditions, leading to a record die-off of salmon on the Klamath River, spelling economic disaster for fishermen, tribes, and communities up and down the West Coast. More than 60,000 dead salmon rotted in the Klamath. Last year we barely averted disaster, but this year the conditions are worse. The North Coast's iconic salmon stocks may survive by sheer luck; but if they die like they did in 2002, it will be no accident: we're in this position again because of poor planning and decisions that tend to favor powerful Central Valley irrigators over our region's senior rights and interests.
Since the massive fish kill in 2002, Reclamation has sent Trinity River water downstream to the Lower Klamath in dry years to prevent a recurrence of this tragedy. However, Reclamation also sends Trinity River water to the Sacramento River to help control temperature and mitigate environmental impacts of the huge water diversions for farms and cities in the Central Valley. But this year ? as Klamath and Trinity salmon simmer in the hot, crowded river ? there will be no water sent from the largest tributary of the Klamath River to keep them alive. Reclamation decided to send that water to the Central Valley and roll the dice on a massive fish kill.
California is in the midst of the largest drought in our state's history. We knew this would be a tough year, and should have prepared accordingly. Reclamation clearly didn't. Even as Humboldt County, the Hoopa and Yurok Tribes and I were demanding more Trinity River flows for salmon, it unwisely diverted so much water from Trinity Lake to the Sacramento River that it irreversibly compromised the cold water reserve in Trinity Lake needed to protect Trinity and Klamath River fisheries. In July alone Reclamation sent 152,000 acre feet of water from Trinity Lake into the Sacramento River basin, and North Coast salmon could pay the price for this error.
Incredibly, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service supported Reclamation's decision, saying the water was needed to protect damaged fisheries in the Sacramento River. This decision is an affront to the tribes, fishermen and conservationists who have worked tirelessly to protect salmon for subsistence, ceremony, business, and the environment. It's also another clear example of how federal decisions tilt toward powerful Central Valley interests, and a sign that Reclamation will continue to flout Humboldt County's 60-year-old statutory and contractual right to 50,000 acre feet of water per year from the Trinity River.
It was poor planning and unsustainable water diversions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that forced federal water managers into scrambling to protect Sacramento River fisheries. Now, Reclamation and its compliant federal agency partners are compounding these errors by ignoring their statutory, contractual, public trust and tribal trust responsibilities in the Klamath River watershed.
There is still time for Reclamation's water managers to do the right thing ? to stop the reckless diversions and manage the limited cold water in Trinity Lake to save the Klamath salmon. Hoping for rain while sending our cold water to the Central Valley is a recipe for disaster.
Congressman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, represents California's 2nd District.
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Aug 15 07:44:04 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 07:44:04 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: Feds visit rivers to see effects of
	drought, water release decision
Message-ID: <1408113844.75038.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26341700/feds-visit-rivers-see-effects-drought-water-release

Feds visit rivers to see effects of drought, water release decision
By Will Houston
whouston at times-standard.com?@Will_S_Houston on Twitter
POSTED: ? 08/14/2014 11:58:32 PM PDT0 COMMENTS|?UPDATED: ? ABOUT 8 HOURS AGO

Click photo to enlarge
Hoopa Tribe members and several federal officials toured the Trinity... (Courtesy of Allie Hostler)
	* 
	* 1
	* 2
	* 3
	* 4
	* ?
Two days after confronting the U.S. Secretary of the Interior in Redding on last month's decision to end fish-kill preventative releases on the Klamath and Trinity rivers, tribal and government officials met with the federal official responsible on Thursday to persuade him to reconsider.
"We have compelled them to take a harder look at what's happening and the conditions of the river and the dire situation the salmon find themselves in," Hoopa Valley Tribal Councilman Ryan Jackson said. "We were able to show clearly those impacts that they're having on our people."
The meeting came after the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation decided on July 31 to cease pre-emptive water releases from Trinity Lake into the Trinity and Klamath that have been used to prevent fish kills since 2003. The water will instead go toward protecting federally endangered salmon in the Central Valley. The bureau stated that it would make emergency releases to the Trinity and Klamath rivers should monitoring show signs of poor fish health ? such as dead fish.
During the meeting with the Hoopa Valley Tribe and 5th District Supervisor Ryan Sundberg, Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Regional Director David Murillo ? the federal official who made the controversial decision ? and several other federal officials took a tour of the Trinity and Klamath rivers by boat. The tour gave tribal members the chance to show first-hand the effects the drought has on the river, its wildlife and the tribe.
"The Hoopa Tribe did a really good job explaining to him that the emergency flows are going to be too late because the way that the parasites kill the fish," Sundberg said. "By the time they see signs of Ich (the parasite), they have to take a sample of it, test it, and then it triggers the emergency flow. It takes two days to do the testing. Then, it takes two more days for the flows to get down to the fish. In the 2002 fish kill, it happened within a few days when dead fish began to show up. Within a couple of more days, they had thousands of fish dead."
Several local tribes and organizations are concerned that the current conditions will lead to another fish kill like 2002's when tens of thousands of fish died from gill rot disease ? an external parasite.
On the tour, Sundberg said they found large groups of fish holding up near cool streams that flow into the Trinity River. With low flow and high temperature water conditions making fish more susceptible to gill rot, Sundberg said it was a good example to show the visiting feds.
"You could see tons of fish holding up there," he said. "When you have lots of fish in close proximity, a parasite gets from one fish to the other much easier."
Further on down the river near Weitchpec, the group visited where the Trinity flows into the Klamath and saw the blue-green algae blooms that create toxic water conditions.
Hoopa Tribal Fisheries Director Mike Orcutt said the tour went well, but that the federal government has not thoroughly examined the consequences that result from its recent decision.
"They are not listening to everybody that needs to be listened to," he said. "The resources and the expertise the tribes have to offer is something that I'm hoping they engage with. I think they need to pay attention to what the tribes are saying, and that I think that requires the people to be at the table. We'll see how it turns out."
Several tribes and government officials ? including California's 2nd District Congressman Jared Huffman ? have stated that the bureau's decision violates state law by adversely affecting salmon spawning.
"By state law, Trinity River salmon ? which begin their upstream migration in the Klamath River ? must be protected before water is used to bail out the Central Valley Project," Huffman said in a past statement on the decision. "When you find yourself in a hole, you're supposed to stop digging, but Reclamation has dug itself a hole it cannot get out of, and tribes and fishermen may once again pay the price."
Orcutt said in an email to the Times-Standard that the bureau's decision blatantly violates the law passed by Congress in 1955 authorizing the Trinity River Division Project, which he said only allows water other than that needed to protect Trinity River fish to be exported into the Central Valley, and that there was to be 50,000 acre-feet of water released annually for Humboldt County and downstream water users' benefit.
"To put entire risk on survival of Klamath-Trinity fish and play Russian roulette should be an affront to North Coast communities that depend upon the health and survival of Klamath River fish," Orcutt wrote.
After finishing the nearly eight-hour visit, Sundberg said he hopes the feds will recognize what is occurring.
"I appreciate them coming out and seeing it first hand and listening to the biologists that the tribe has and experts on the ground who know a lot more than I do," Sundberg said. "Seeing the river with all the algae and moss and fish holding up, it's hard to ignore that there is a serious problem."
HELP PREVENT FISH KILLS:
In an effort to prevent fish die-offs in the Klamath River, the Klamath Fish Health Assessment Team is asking local groups and individuals to report signs of such an event. As fish kills can occur in short periods of time, a quick response by trained professionals is critically important. People are cautioned not to attempt to examine fish or put themselves in harm's way during a fish-kill event.
To report a fish kill, call: 1-800-852-7550
More information about the Klamath Fish Health Assessment Team and current river and fish health conditions are available at:?http://www.kbmp.net/collaboration/kfhat
Source: Klamath Fish Health Assessment Team
Will Houston can be reached at 707-441-0504.
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Aug 14 16:52:23 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 23:52:23 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek 32
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C1F2C0C@057-SN2MPN1-041.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi All,
Please see attachment for the Jweek 32 (Aug 6-12) Trinity River trapping summary update.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Aug 15 09:45:36 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 09:45:36 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] SACBEE Editorial on Water Bond
Message-ID: <1408121136.25235.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Note to list subscribers: It would seem that all sides gave and got, except for the Trinity River, which got worse than nothing. ?Please note reference to the Trinity River in the editorial. ?Thank you Wesley Chesbro for standing up for the Trinity River and California's North Coast Rivers!

-Tom Stokely

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/15/6630334/editorial-jerry-brown-democrats.html

Editorial: Jerry Brown, Democrats and Republicans agree on that most contentious of issues, water
By?the Editorial Board

Published: Friday, Aug. 15, 2014 - 12:00 am
A rare event played out in the Capitol on Wednesday night, and it?s worthy of note.?Gov. Jerry Brown achieved bipartisan agreement?on that most contentious of issues: water.
By votes of 37-0 in the Senate and 77-2 in the Assembly, the Legislature agreed to allow a statewide vote this Nov. 4 on a $7.5 billion bond intended to pay for improvements to California?s water system.
The deal, reached before dawn on Wednesday and voted on that night, was the culmination of negotiations that began in 2009 when?Arnold Schwarzenegger?was governor and approved an $11.1 billion bond. That measure?passed with no votes?to spare.
As Brown and many others saw it, Schwarzenegger?s bond was bloated and likely to be rejected by voters. It?s not as if $7.5 billion is a pittance. It is a boatload of money. The new bond includes plenty of money to go around, just not as much as was in the 2009 version. The slimmed-down bond is in keeping with claims by the governor and legislators that they are trying not to overspend as the economy recovers.
The deal is a fitting swan song for Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, who negotiated forSenate Democrats?in 2009 and again this year, and is in the final days of his time as Senate leader. It also is a big win for Speaker Toni Atkins as she begins her time as Assembly leader.
Supporters include the?California Chamber of Commerce,?Western Growers,?California Farm Bureau Federation,?organized labor, and environmental organizations such as the?Natural Resources Defense Council?and the?Nature Conservancy,?a coalition that itself is rare.
Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, the lead author of the Senate version of the bill, Senate Bill 866, had insisted that the bond include no money that could be perceived as helping construct the massive twin-tunnel project that Brown supports. Wolk succeeded, although the?Sierra Club?and some Delta interests seeking their vision of perfection are not satisfied.
Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro, a Democrat who represents far Northern California, voted against the bond, saying protections are insufficient for the Trinity and Klamath rivers, which are important to Indian tribes and fisheries in his district. State water authorities ought to address Chesbro?s concern by providing assurances.
Brown had sought to keep the bond below $7 billion. Legislators proposed bonds of $10 billion and almost $9 billion. The final $7.5 billion bond includes $400 million unspent from past water bonds, so indebtedness incurred if voters approve the measure would be roughly $7.1 billion.
The bond would include $2.7 billion for new water storage, a bump up of $200 million from an earlier proposal. That money could be spent on dams and reservoirs, or on storage in aquifers.
Republicans had sought $3 billion but settled on the lesser number, as did representatives of farm interests who view additional storage as vital to their survival.
Democrats received an additional $150 million for their priorities as part of the final deal, including more money to restore coastal watersheds and beaches to attract support from lawmakers who represent the Central Coast.
There will be money to restore rivers in?San Diego,?Orange and Los Angeles counties, for water recycling, which is important to San Diego, and to clean polluted groundwater in the Los Angeles area.
The final deal did not include money for everything all lawmakers wanted. But it included enough. For one night, Republican and Democratic legislators agreed on a fundamental tenet ? that California cannot progress without an updated water system. That is worthy of note.
??Read more articles by the Editorial Board

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/15/6630334/editorial-jerry-brown-democrats.html#storylink=cpy
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Fri Aug 15 10:57:30 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 10:57:30 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Urgent Action Alert - Call in today to stop a
	Klamath-Trinity River Fish Kill!
In-Reply-To: <A20D6F2E-E4D4-4368-B11B-7CFDFDE25D3E@mbaysav.org>
References: <10a001cfb68a$65b952e0$312bf8a0$@west.net>
	<A34E19ED-9744-4341-B1A9-11C69823F9E6@fishsniffer.com>
	<A20D6F2E-E4D4-4368-B11B-7CFDFDE25D3E@mbaysav.org>
Message-ID: <D0EA7D64-9E73-4919-91CA-48676F74D069@fishsniffer.com>

Call in today to Stop a Klamath-Trinity Fish Kill - tell them that the  
Trinity River needs water now!
Call David Murillo, Region Director Bureau of Reclamation,  
916-978-5000 (He visited Hoopa yesterday, the staff Jewell sent)
Call Sally Jewell, Department of the Interior, (202) 208-3100
(His boss)

Federal officials at the Department of the Interior recently announced  
that, unlike previous years, they would not release Trinity River  
water from Lewiston Dam to avoid a Klamath River fish kill. The  
Trinity River is the Klamath?s largest tributary and is home to the  
Hoopa Valley Tribe. The Yurok and Karuk Tribes on the Klamath also  
depend on the salmon that are affected by lack of water in the  
Klamath.Water will instead go to the Central Valley to allow farmers  
to irrigate the dry eastern valley.

Juvenile and adult salmon are already dying in the Klamath River yet  
almost 90% of the Trinity River?s water is being sent to the Central  
Valley. If water is not released from the Klamath's largest tributary,  
the Trinity, there is little doubt we will have a repeat of the 2002  
Klamath River fish kill, which killed at least 60,000 adult salmon.  
The last fish kill lead to disaster declarations, and severely hurt  
the West Coast fishing industry. We cannot let this happen again.

Call The Department of Interior now and say it is politics, and not  
science and reason, which are stopping the release of Trinity water. A  
preventative release of Trinity water needs to happen now.

For more information, read the following article and watch the short  
klamathmedia video link that is included in the piece:

http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/tribal-protesters-urge-secretary-jewell-to-stop-klamath-river-fish-kill/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/08/14/1321592/-Tribal-protesters-urge-Secretary-Jewell-to-stop-Klamath-River-fish-kill

Chairwoman Vigil-Masten also mentioned the lack of water in the  
Klamath and Trinity rivers having a profound impact on tribal members,  
especially during a time when there are no jobs, a lack of industry  
and a lack of financial resources.

?But, the people taking the water are doing quite well,? said Vigil- 
Masten. ?To me, it?s really frustrating to that millions of dollars  
are being made on the backs of our salmon and our drinking water.?

800_sallyjewel01_1.jpg
original image ( 1280x720)

Tribal protesters urge Secretary Jewell to stop Klamath River fish kill

by Dan Bacher

Tribal members from the Trinity and Klamath rivers, carrying an array  
of colorful signs, converged on a press conference in Redding,  
California on Tuesday, August 12 to urge Sally Jewell, Obama's  
Secretary of Interior, to release Trinity River water out of Lewiston  
Dam to stop a massive fish kill from taking place on the Klamath.

Jewell met with the protesters, including Hoopa Valley Tribal  
Chairwoman, Danielle Vigil-Masten, outside the press conference, but  
made no promises, according to a press release from Got Water and the  
Alliance to Stop a Klamath River Fish Kill.

Slogans on the signs held by tribal members included "Free Our River,"  
"Water + Fish = Life," and "Our Salmon, Our River, Our Culture," "Save  
the Trinity," "Sally Jewel, Trinity River Salmon Need Water Now,"  
"Quit Killing Our Fish," and "Release the Dam Water." You can view a  
klamathmedia video of the protest at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QouOWqNizs

River advocates say releasing water from the Trinity River, the  
largest tributary to the Klamath, could prevent a large scale Klamath  
adult fish kill like the one that occurred in September 2002, when  
over 68,000 salmon perished, due to disease fostered by low, warm  
water conditions.

Although the press conference was focused on California fires,  
fishermen and Tribal members said Jewell is ignoring an "even more  
dire looming disaster," according to Dania Colegrove, Hoopa Tribal  
member and activist with Got Water.

?The Klamath fish kill of 2002 led to poor salmon returns devastating  
West Coast fisheries for years afterward. Since then Tribes,  
scientists and the Department of Interior have worked together to  
avert fish kills by preventively releasing water during drought years,  
? said Colegrove.

Colegrove said preventively releasing water from the Lewiston Dam into  
the Trinity River cools water and curtails fish diseases in the  
Klamath River. This scientifically proven method has worked in past  
years.

"This year Secretary of the Interior Jewell and the Bureau of the  
Reclamation say fish must begin to die and test positive for disease  
before emergency flows will be considered," explained Colegrove.

Tribal members told Jewell the fish are already dying. Yet 2,800 cfs  
is currently going to the Central Valley to benefit corporate  
agribusiness interests while only 400 cfs, roughly 17%, is going down  
the Trinity River.

?Once disease starts to spread to large numbers of fish it can?t be  
stopped. Fish are dying now. We cannot wait any longer, ? Colegrove  
said.

Colegrove said Jewell is sending about 90% percent of the Trinity  
River to the Central Valley Project to meet the demands of large-scale  
agribusiness interests such as the Westlands Water District and  
Stewart Resnick's Paramount Farms in Kern County. When the dams and  
tunnels were constructed on the Trinity, it was established that  
Central Valley users have junior water rights and a series of laws  
were set up to protect the river and fish. These laws established that  
fish, and the Tribes that depend on them, are the top priority for the  
Trinity River?s flow.

?Although she met with us and promised to send someone, we are not  
sure she will act to stop a fish kill. Hopefully we were loud enough  
for her to hear us,? Colegrove said.

Colegrove said Tribal members and fishermen are "fed up" and have  
weeks of actions planned to make sure the Department of Interior stops  
a fish kill.

Secretary Jewell, after being unexpectedly greeted by demonstrators,  
agreed to have a discussion with the Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairwoman,  
Danielle Vigil-Masten, where Jewell stated, ?There is an opportunity  
to do emergency releases, if we see temperature rise, we?ll make sure  
that people come out.?

Members of the Hoopa Valley Tribe emphasized that will be too late,  
since stressed and dying salmon need water now.

Chairwoman Vigil-Masten also mentioned the lack of water in the  
Klamath and Trinity rivers having a profound impact on tribal members,  
especially during a time when there are no jobs, a lack of industry  
and a lack of financial resources.

?But, the people taking the water are doing quite well,? said Vigil- 
Masten. ?To me, it?s really frustrating to that millions of dollars  
are being made on the backs of our salmon and our drinking water.?

Vigil-Masten's statement is backed up by recent USDA data stating that  
California almond growers, one of the major recipients of exported  
Trinity River and Delta water, will harvest a record 2.1 billion  
pounds this year.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service's estimate is up 5  
percent from last year?s crop and 8 percent from the initial 2014  
forecast on May 1. If this figure hold ups as the harvest proceeds, it  
would exceed the record of 2.03 billion pounds in 2011. (http://www.modbee.com/2014/06/30/3417479/usda-forecasts-record-almond-crop.html#storylink 
=cpy)

California supplies about 80 percent of the almonds for the world  
market and the Northern San Joaquin Valley accounts for nearly a third  
of the state's production. County crop reports reveal that almonds  
brought approximately $1.4 billion in gross income to the valley's  
growers in 2012.

Secretary Jewell also said that she has not made it to the Klamath and  
Trinity rivers to see the drought?s consequences.

Chairwoman Vigil-Masten suggested that Secretary Jewell look out of  
her airplane window and see the brown and fire scorched areas of  
Northern California for herself and then compare that to the green  
landscape and flooded fields of Southern California.

Chairwoman Vigil-Masten pointed to herself and the protest group,  
stating, ?Then think of us?the people that you are taking water from!?

As documented in my article, "The Emptying of Northern California  
Reservoirs," the state and federal water agencies systematically  
emptied Northern California reservoirs during a drought year, 2013, to  
fill Southern California reservoirs and supply the Westlands Water  
District and the Kern County Water Agency with subsidized Delta and  
Trinity River water. As a consequence, Trinity, Shasta, Oroville,  
Folsom and other Northern California reservoirs were drained to record  
or near-record low levels, leaving little water for carryover storage  
in 2014.

While the drought is very real, it has been aggravated by complete -  
some say criminal - mismanagement of the state's reservoirs and rivers  
by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and California Department of Water  
Resources. (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/07/1275862/-The-Emptying-of-Northern-California-Reservoirs 
)

Meanwhile, Governor Jerry Brown is fast-tracking his Bay Delta  
Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the peripheral tunnels under the  
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. If built, the project would hasten  
the extinction of Sacramento River Chinook salmon, steelhead, Delta  
and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species, as well as  
imperiling the salmon and steelhead populations of the Trinity and  
Klamath rivers.

Under the guise of habitat "restoration," the $67 billion project  
would take vast tracts of Delta farmland, among the most fertile soil  
on the planet, out of agricultural production in order to ship large  
quantities of northern California water to corporate agribusiness  
interests irrigating toxic, drainage-impaired land on the west side of  
the San Joaquin Valley.
Add Your Comments
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Aug 16 10:27:06 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 10:27:06 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: Federal agency to reconsider
	Trinity-Klamath releases for salmon
Message-ID: <1408210026.83889.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26349111/federal-agency-reconsider-trinity-klamath-releases-salmon?


Federal agency to reconsider Trinity-Klamath releases for salmon
Decision comes after several meetings with tribes
Will Houston and Jeff Barnard
The Times-Standard and The Associated Press
POSTED: ? 08/16/2014 12:33:18 AM PDT0 COMMENTS|?UPDATED: ? ABOUT 10 HOURS AGO

Click photo to enlarge
Moss and blue-green algae on the Trinity River near Hoopa is one... (Photo courtesy of Viv Orcutt)
Following several meetings with North Coast tribes and government officials, the federal agency that oversees water in Northern California's Klamath Basin is taking another look at releasing water from Trinity Lake to prevent the spread of disease among salmon returning to spawn in drought conditions.
A U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spokeswoman said Friday a decision is likely next week.
Yurok Tribe Fisheries Program Manager Dave Hillemeier called the announcement "good news."
"We met with the Bureau of Reclamation last week and presented our rationale why they should provide some preventative flow releases to minimize the risk of another fish kill," he said. "They told us that they would consider that information, and I'm glad that they are. It sounds like they are gathering more information. Hopefully, some more knowledge on the conditions ? as they are right now ? is going to get them to do the right thing."
After the bureau's July 31 decision not to make pre-emptive releases from Trinity Lake to cool the waters in the Trinity and Klamath rivers, tribes and North Coast government officials have urged the agency to reconsider due to the drought causing low flows and high temperatures ? optimal conditions for a fish kill. In 2002, the combination of those two factors led to a massive fish die-off in the Klamath River during which tens of thousands of salmon and other fish perished in a matter of days.
The bureau had earlier denied a request from the Yurok and Hoopa Valley tribes to release water from Lewiston Dam on the Trinity River to prevent the spread of a parasite that attacks salmon in stagnant waters, stating that it would perform emergency releases should significant numbers of fish start to sicken or die.
Tribal scientists, like Hoopa Tribal Fisheries Director Mike Orcutt, said by then it would be too late as it would take several days for the water to reach the downriver salmon and steelhead.
"Part of the problem is that it has been the feds coming up with the different alternatives," he said.
The Hoopa Valley Tribe took its case to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell when she was in Redding on Tuesday, and she agreed to review the situation by sending staff members to see the condition of the rivers with their own eyes.
On Thursday, the official responsible for making the controversial decision ? Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Regional Director David Murillo ? and several other federal agency representatives took a river tour with the tribe. During the trip, the tribe was able to show the officials alarming signs such as the blooming of blue-green algae that creates toxic aquatic environments and large groups of salmon huddling near small tributaries.
With the announcement coming the day after the tour, Orcutt said it was a step in the right direction, but the state and tribes should be more involved.
"They need to put the experts in the room and come up with, hopefully, an agreeable release of water," he said. "That will be the biggest thing we'll bump our heads up against is the volume of water that is released."
Proper protection for the salmon and the rivers is critical to the tribe, Hillemeier said.
"This is something that has been a great concern for the tribal council and tribal members, and it's encouraging that they're considering this information because we don't want to relive what we experienced back in 2002 with the fish kill," he said.
Will Houston can be reached at 707-441-0504.
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Aug 16 13:14:56 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 13:14:56 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou daily News: Klamath group "on alert" for
	fish kills
Message-ID: <1408220096.88545.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20140815/NEWS/140819824

By David Smith
@SDNDavidSmith
August 15. 2014 10:08AM
Klamath group "on alert" for fish kills
Continuing drought conditions have raised the threat of potential fish kills in California rivers, and various agencies are mobilizing to address the issue.
Continuing drought conditions have raised the threat of potential fish kills in California rivers, and various agencies are mobilizing to address the issue.?
The prospect of fish kills came up early in the week at the normal meeting of the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors.?
Natural Resources Policy Specialist Ric Costales started the discussion by explaining that the Yurok Tribe has proposed to increase flows in the Trinity River in order to combat fish disease, and the county could possibly send a letter supporting that plan.?
Costales said that currently, there are numerous cold water refugia housing populations of fish in the Trinity, increasing the possibility of disease propagating among them. In particular, the tribe is hoping to purge populations of Ich, a parasite that attaches itself to the fish and eats its way inside.?
The drawback, Costales said, is that there is a concern that cold water flows coming from the Trinity ??which feeds into the Klamath River ??could trigger a premature migration of salmon waiting to return and spawn. Salmon coming back too early can result in a fish kill, he said.?
Costales explained that the current plan does not appear to breach what is believed to be the threshold flow that could trigger the return of salmon, but that "there is no way for the county to say it won't backfire."?
Much of the board discussion focused on fears that if the county gets involved and supports the flows, it and its agriculture sector will be blamed if a fish kills occurs. The supervisors also complained that taking no action could also result in finger pointing at the county if inaction results in fish dying from disease.?
With the board's concerns aired, it chose to not take any action.?
At the state level, actions are already being taken to combat fish kills, according to a press release issued Thursday afternoon.?
The release states, "With the drought exacerbating low flow conditions that contribute to high water temperatures and high incidence of disease on the Klamath River, the Klamath Fish Health Assessment Team (KFHAT) is working to prevent fish die-offs on the river, and is asking local groups and individuals to help watch the river for signs that such an event is happening."
The release states that KFHAT has mobilized an information sharing system that will allow citizens and agencies to report potential fish kills, and the team is engaged in "hands-on daily observations of river and fish conditions throughout the Klamath and Trinity River Basins."
According to the release, fish mortality events have been reported in the Salmon River and the main stem and south fork of the Trinity, raising concerns among fish managers and scientists.?
One of the largest fish kills in the Klamath River Basin occurred in 2001 ??an event that broke open tensions between agriculture and environmental groups in the western United States.?
The release notes that people reporting a fish kill can call?1-800-852-7550.
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Aug 18 08:47:21 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 08:47:21 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Water agencies: Delta farmers may be taking water
	meant for other regions
Message-ID: <1408376841.61760.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/18/6635145/water-agencies-delta-farmers-may.html


Water agencies: Delta farmers may be taking water meant for other regions

By Matt Weiser
mweiser at sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Aug. 18, 2014 - 12:00 am
In what is believed to be a first, the California Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation are asking the state board that oversees water rights to investigate water diversion practices by farmers in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The two powerful water agencies say they suspect farmers are taking water released from upstream dams and intended for consumers in other regions of the state.
The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, a group often allied with Delta landowners, has countered by filing a formal complaint against DWR and Reclamation, alleging that those agencies are illegally diverting water from four major rivers that flow into the Delta.
The Delta, a complex tidal estuary, has long been a source of water conflict in California. But the brewing battle ? with the two sides now openly challenging each other?s water diversions ? reflects the heightened tensions over water supply as California weathers a third year of drought.
The estuary collects half of all the freshwater runoff in California. Historically, this fresh water mixed with salty water from San Francisco Bay to nourish a rich inland estuary. But over the past century, the estuary has been channeled and developed into a kind of switching hub for California?s complex water delivery network.
It has always been difficult to sort out the origin and ownership of water passing through the Delta. Because it is an aquatic mixing zone as big as Rhode Island, tracking the provenance of any given water molecule is unreasonable, if not impossible. Diverters operate on the honor system, each taking only what they need for crop irrigation, or only what their water right allows.
The rival claims suggest the honor system is breaking down.
?We recognize that we?re suffering losses of storage, but we don?t have the data to determine precisely where,? said DWR spokeswoman Nancy Vogel. ?Based on what we see, it indicates a potential unlawful diversion of stored water.?
In a July 23 letter, DWR and Reclamation ask the State Water Resources Control Board to investigate water rights in the south and central Delta to determine whether landowners are taking water that does not belong to them. The letter specifically asks the board to use new emergency powers granted by drought legislation passed earlier this year. If the board does so, water rights holders would have five days to provide information on their diversions.
Reclamation officials did not respond to a request for comment.
Delta landowners have denied the allegations and submitted several letters to the water board protesting the call for an investigation. The landowners say they view the request as a desperate measure, because many of the issues have been addressed before. As recently as 2012, in response to legislation, the state water board investigated more than 1,000 water rights in the south and central Delta and found just 12 cases that merited enforcement action.
?It?s just so silly that you would think it?s mainly a harassment technique,? said George Hartmann, a lawyer representing property owners on McDonald Island, a 6,000-acre Delta farming tract near Stockton.
Dante Nomellini Sr., a Stockton attorney who represents the Central Delta Water Agency, said DWR and Reclamation have another objective: easing the water shortage for the agricultural and urban agencies that buy water from them.
?The proposed emergency actions are clearly for the purpose of increasing exports from the Delta,? Nomellini wrote in a letter to the state board.
On Wednesday, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance struck back. The group alleges that DWR and Reclamation are committing a similar offense by illegally diverting water from the San Joaquin, Mokelumne, Cosumnes and Calaveras rivers. DWR and Reclamation have no water rights on these rivers, said alliance executive director Bill Jennings, yet they divert the water from these rivers when they pump from the Delta.
?Basically, the Bureau and DWR opened a Pandora?s box,? said Jennings. ?The water board needs to begin to unravel this.?
The California Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation operate the state?s largest reservoirs ? including Shasta, Oroville and Folsom ? which store water for 25 million people and 3 million acres of farmland. Legally, they have rights only to water where their dams are situated: the Sacramento, Feather and American rivers.
The reservoirs collect mountain snowmelt and release it to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. There, two giant pumping systems divert it into canals that ship the water west to Silicon Valley and south as far as San Diego.
The water agencies want to know whether farmers on Delta islands are intercepting that water before it can reach their pumps. They suspect this because they know how much water they are releasing from their dams, Vogel said, and they?re not seeing the same amount of water available later to divert at their Delta pumps.
In addition to serving their customers, DWR and Reclamation are required by state law to release stored water to prevent salinity intrusion in the Delta, which alters water quality in the estuary. They say the effectiveness of these releases also potentially is being compromised.
?We?re not seeing what we would expect in terms of outflow in the Delta, and we want more information,? Vogel said. ?Things are so tight this year in the system that we?re trying to preserve stored water to meet water quality standards, for waterfowl sanctuaries, and for municipal supplies for health and safety.?
Farmers on some 70 islands in the Delta have high-priority water rights that predate the dams and canals. These rights entitle them to divert as much water as they need to grow crops ? as long as those diversions are limited to the ?natural? flow in Delta channels. Known as riparian and pre-1914 water rights, they are only loosely regulated by the state and supersede even the water rights held by DWR and Reclamation.
At issue in the dispute is whether Delta farmers are exceeding their rights by diverting not only natural flows, but also water that DWR and Reclamation had held in their reservoirs for delivery to their urban and agricultural water contractors.
Delta water users are required to regularly report the amount of their diversions, but DWR asserts those reports don?t include enough useful information. For example, diversions within the Delta are generally not measured by flow meters. Instead, farmers have been allowed a more economical approach, in which they estimate diversions based on the water typically consumed by their crops.
Water diversions in the Delta are especially complex because it is a tidal ecosystem. Because it lies at sea level and is connected to the Pacific Ocean, there is always water in the Delta. But the quality varies based on the amount of fresh water moving through, the effect of tides, urban and farm runoff and other factors.
And there is disagreement about what constitutes natural flow. Landowners assert that they are entitled to more than upstream runoff because of the tidal effect, which creates a ?pool? of mixed water in the estuary. Although this water may be salty to some degree, it is usually fresh enough to grow crops.
DWR and Reclamation, however, say the claim to ?pool? water is not valid because it may include fresh water released by their dams upstream. If this water is diverted to grow crops in the Delta, DWR and Reclamation claim it imposes direct costs on them because they will be forced to release even more water to serve their customers or to maintain water quality in the Delta.
Hartmann, the Delta lawyer, said the concept of pool water is important for another reason. After Delta farmers irrigate their crops, they have to pump the leftover water back into the estuary. Each island has a system of drainage ditches and pumps for this purpose. The interior of most Delta islands is below sea level, and the soils are porous, so Delta water would seep into the islands, even without crop irrigation.
In reality, Hartmann said, farmers end up draining more water into the Delta than they draw out for their crops.
If Delta farmers were required to cut back their water diversions, he said, many could be forced to fallow some land, which would then fill up with weeds and natural vegetation fed by natural water seepage. DWR?s own studies have shown these plants consume more water than farm crops, which could result in a net increase in water usage.
In addition, he said, if farmers are growing fewer crops, they would have less revenue to operate drainage pumps. This means some islands could fill with standing water, which would be subject to evaporation losses.
?The fundamental point is that farming uses less water than doing nothing,? Hartmann said.
Officials at the State Water Resources Control Board have not yet decided how to respond to the competing claims.
?We are still considering next steps,? said spokesman George Kostyrko.

Call The Bee?s Matt Weiser at (916) 321-1264. Follow him on Twitter @matt_weiser.
? Read more articles by Matt Weiser

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/18/6635145/water-agencies-delta-farmers-may.html#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Aug 19 13:29:37 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 13:29:37 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] LA Times: Rights to California surface water far
	greater than average runoff
Message-ID: <1408480177.47341.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Tim Stroshane of the California Water Impact Network did a similar study in 2012 which had the same finding- water right claims in California exceed average water supplies by a factor of 5. ?That report can be found at:?
http://www.c-win.org/content/c-win-media-advisory-c-win-quantifies-central-valley-paper-water.html?


http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-81119323/?
Rights to California surface water far greater than average runoff
CASEY CHRISTIE / ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Kern River along Highway 178 east of Bakersfield. Water rights to the Kern's flows are more than six times the average annual runoff.
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Content
'Severe' drought covers nearly 99.8% of California, report says
BY BETTINA BOXALL
August 19, 2014, 8:00 a.m.
California over the last century has issued water rights that amount to roughly five times the state?s average annual runoff, according to new research that underscores a chronic imbalance between supply and demand.
That there are more rights than water in most years is not news. But UC researchers say their study is the most comprehensive review to date of the enormous gap between natural surface flows and allocations.
Of 27 major California rivers, rights on 16 of them exceed natural runoff. Among the most over-allocated are the San Joaquin, Kern and Stanislaus rivers in the San Joaquin Valley and the Santa Ynez River in Southern California.
In theory, that difference is not necessarily a problem. It gives water agencies and irrigation districts with junior rights access to additional supplies during wet years, when runoff is above average and there is plenty to go around. But in reality, study co-author Joshua Viers said, it fosters unrealistic expectations for water that is often not available.
?It gives the public a false sense of water security,? said Viers, a UC Merced professor of water resources. For the most junior rights holders, he added, ?It?s kind of like standing in line to get into a concert and they give you a ticket when they?re already at capacity. But you don?t know that you?ll never actually get in to see the show.?
The study, published online Tuesday in the journal Environmental Research Letters, analyzed public data from the State Water Resources Control Board, which administers water rights, and compared it with estimates of natural surface flow.
While the annual statewide flow averages 70 million acre feet, water rights issued since 1914 allocate 370 million acre feet. (An acre foot of water is sufficient to supply two households for a year.)
"What is the most compelling about this,? Viers said, is ?that the appropriated rights are so much more than the actual full natural flow. In many cases, we?ve five to 10 times over-promised.?
Moreover, the state data base does not account for riparian rights granted to streamside landowners or pre-1914 rights, under which some irrigation districts and cities claim huge amounts of water. ?So in many ways our estimate is a substantial underestimate of the total volume of rights," he said.
Viers conducted the study with Ted Grantham, now a U.S. Geological Survey scientist, when Grantham was a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis.
The authors say that the state board has spotty information on actual water use by rights holders, hampering its ability to do its job.
?We?re not lacking in technology and know-how,? said Viers, who argued that the state is short on funding and ?the political will? to develop information and monitoring systems to strengthen water rights oversight.
?We need both better information infrastructure and policy in order to make better decisions about water use in California,? he said.
Michael Hanemann, a UC Berkeley professor of environmental and resource economics who was not involved in the study, said the issue is not so much that the state has issued too many water rights. Rather, he said, California doesn?t properly enforce them ? or in the case of 19th century rights, even know exactly who is entitled to what.
?Without supervision of distribution, appropriative water rights are meaningless: We do not have a coherent system for allocating water,? Hanemann said.
Amanda Montgomery, a water rights manager for the state board who is familiar with the Grantham-Viers research, said: ?We have the system we have and we do our absolute best to implement it effectively ? We?re always looking toward program improvements.?
bettina.boxall at latimes.com
Twitter:?@boxall
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Tue Aug 19 14:41:39 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 21:41:39 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek 33
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C1F943E@057-SN2MPN1-043.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Greetings to All,
Please see attachment for the Jweek 33 (Aug 13-19) Trinity River trapping summary update.
Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Aug 19 17:11:30 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 17:11:30 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Press Advisory - Deficit Irrigation comes to the
	Klamath River Basin
In-Reply-To: <CA+BcFPmQ0QxADMKq1DjNPT9rHv8UL3QuhcQx+JQ=pgG+HBY=CA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CA+BcFPmQ0QxADMKq1DjNPT9rHv8UL3QuhcQx+JQ=pgG+HBY=CA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1408493490.46415.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Tuesday, August 19, 2014 5:01 PM, Felice Pace <unofelice at gmail.com> wrote:






KlamBlogMedia Advisory
Felice
Pace, editor
www.klamblog.blogspot.com
28MapleRd.Klamath,CA95548707-9546588unofelice at gmail.com
Deficit
Irrigation Comes To The Klamath River Basin
Salmon
will pay the price
An article which
first appeared in HydroWorld.Com (an on-line newsletter which bills itself as "the Hydro
Industry's Proven Authority") announces that PacifiCorp,
operator of hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River, has agreed to a
request from the US Bureau of Reclamation to draw down its reservoirs
in order to meet Klamath River flows required to prevent "jeopardy"
to Coho salmon. The article mirrors Reclamation's press
release on the subject which also claims that the US Fish and
Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service support the
arrangement.
If you penetrate
Reclamation's hype, you'll realize that the agency is doing this in
order to maximize the amount of water it supplies to irrigators.
Those federal, Klamath Project irrigators are getting over 75% of the
irrigation water they desire this year and many irrigators are getting full water delivery; that may be the highest percentage of irrigation water delivered this drought year anywhere
in the West!

At the same time Reclamation
refuses to put more water down the Klamath River to prevent a
fish kill. Worst of all, this draw-down to maximize irrigation water
delivery will foreclose the option of releasing additional flows from
Iron Gate Dam to prevent a fish kill during this fall's salmon run.
Furthermore,  under the agreement between PacifiCorp and Reclamation,
Reclamation will have to pay back the water to PacifiCorp in the
future - presumably next winter. That water will come from high
flushing flows which the River needs in winter to combat algae and
fish diseases. 

Once again the US Bureau of Reclamation has
demonstrated that it is willing to screw salmon in order to
provide as much water as possible for irrigation. Worst of all, Cal
Trout is supporting this travesty.  
?Fish kill conditions in the Lower Trinity River, a main Klamath River tributary(photo courtesy of Hoopa Tribe)

This move parallels
a decision made last Fall a bit south of the Klamath River.  Back
then Reclamation drew down Shasta and other Central Valley Project
reservoirs in order to maximize water delivery to irrigation
interests. That decision has been roundly criticized this year as
being foolhardy and irresponsible. 

Reclamation has had to pay for
last fall's decision by cutting water deliveries and flows for salmon
in the Sacramento River this year. The same scenario could play out
on the Klamath next year if the drought continues. Practicing deficit
irrigation is risky business and most of the risk falls on salmon
and river ecosystems generally.
Reporters may want
to ask Reclamation whether the PacifiCorp draw-down forecloses options
for releasing water to prevent a Klamath salmon kill. You might also
ask Reclamation officials and Sally Jewel what will happen in the
Klamath River Basin if the drought continues next year even as it is
required to pay back the water released by PacifiCorp this year. Ask
them what will get cut if inflow to Upper Klamath Lake (the main
storage for the Klamath Irrigation Project) next year is the same or
lower than inflow has been this year.  
And
while you are at it, please ask Reclamation how much water they have
supplied to the Klamath's National Wildlife Refuges this summer and
how much they will supply this fall when up to 80% of Pacific Flyway
birds migrate through the Klamath River Basin. Many of the
waterfowl which rely on the Klamath Refuges during migration are
subsistence resources for tribes from Washington to Alaska and
beyond. Like the Klamath's salmon tribes, those tribes are impacted
when Reclamation prioritizes maximum irrigation delivery over
environmental needs.  

?Dewatered Klamath Refuge Marsh


-- 
Felice Pace
Klamath, CA 95548
707-954-6588 

"we must always seek the truth in our opponents' error and the error in our own truth."

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ??????????????????????????????????????????????? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? - Reinhold Niebuhr
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Aug 20 08:08:09 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 08:08:09 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: WCSD board decides against limits on
	water hauling
Message-ID: <1408547289.43283.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_b7fb2544-2807-11e4-a0ed-001a4bcf6878.html?

WCSD board decides against limits on water hauling
By AMY GITTELSOHN The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, August 20, 2014 6:15 am
Presented with varying viewpoints on its sales of water to haulers taking it outside the district, the Weaverville Community Services District Board has decided to essentially keep things as they are for now.
After hearing from the public on the topic Aug. 13, the only change is a new $50 monthly fee for managing the accounts of water haulers and improved tracking of those accounts, said WCSD General Manager Wes Scribner.
With the drought, there have been calls to limit or not provide water to haulers taking water outside the district where it could be used on marijuana gardens.
Directors of Trinity County Waterworks District #1 in Hayfork recently voted to limit sales outside the district to 1,000 gallons a week per parcel.
?But there were also people at the meeting in Weaverville who said the water is not just going to marijuana, Scribner said. ?There are a lot of homes out of water.?
?Our board just felt the discretion of where the water was going or what it was being used for was not our jurisdiction,? Scribner said.
The district charges a rate of $2.25 per 100 cubic feet for any truck, water hauler or contractor who rents a meter. That is relatively inexpensive but is more than twice that charged to standard customers, Scribner said.
The trucks will not be restricted unless regular customers are, he said, and so far the district is still far from declaring a water shortage emergency. A Stage 1 emergency would be declared if treatment plants are operating at 80 percent of capacity for gallons per minute treated compared to available supply.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Aug 20 08:12:10 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 08:12:10 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: State Water Board plans to tackle
	environmental issues
Message-ID: <1408547530.59316.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/marijuana/article_55c9fe04-280c-11e4-a0f9-001a4bcf6878.html
State Water Board plans to tackle environmental issues
By Sally Morris The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, August 20, 2014 6:00 am
Water quality and supply impacts from marijuana cultivation in Northern California have prompted the State Water Resources Control Board to undertake a pilot project and hire more staff to investigate problem grow sites and develop a regulatory strategy to tackle the environmental issues.
Director of the State Water Resources Control Board?s Office of Enforcement Cris Carrigan from Sacramento shared the details, some of which are still being decided, at a meeting last week with the Trinity County Board of Supervisors in Weaverville.
He said the pilot civil enforcement project grew out of a governor?s drought task force where concerns about illegal drafting and de-watering of streams associated with marijuana cultivation were highlighted. He said the one-year pilot program, approved by the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, involves a partnership between the State Water Board?s enforcement branch and California Fish and Wildlife Service to engage in enforcement, develop a statewide regulatory program and an educational outreach component ?to try to eradicate the environmental damage of marijuana cultivation occurring under Prop. 215,? California?s Compassionate Use Act approved by voters in 1996 to exempt medical marijuana from federal prohibition.
The goal of the pilot enforcement project is to identify and document the needs and within three years develop an ongoing regulatory program paid for through permits issued and penalty fines. Costs and details of the permit scheme are yet to be determined and will be done through a public process.
Regarding the scope of the problem, Carrigan said current marijuana operations are causing enormous harm on both private and public lands where site preparation activities can cause erosion and stream habitat degradation; unlawful water diversions can severely limit the amount of water available to the public and wildlife; and fertilizers/pesticides used at the sites are often mixed in the water source, contaminating streams.
?The State Water Board is a regulatory agency, not law enforcement. We can look at the water quality and supply side, regulate discharge of pollutants and also curb illegal diversions, fining those who refuse to stop, but we?re not really involved in law enforcement operations on public lands,? Carrigan said.
He added the State Water Board also has some funds available to assist in clean up and abatement of problem sites, the Toxic Substances Control Department can remove rodenticides and CalRecycle can remove trash.
?We all have a little money to help with site clean up, but I?m not sure any of us has enough,? he said.
The State Water Board is in the process now of filling 11 new staff positions to implement the pilot program within the North Coast (Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity counties) and Central Valley regions. Fish and Wildlife is hiring seven additional staff members to help with enforcement efforts as well.
?We believe boots on the ground is the appropriate way to address environmental degradation in these watersheds,? Carrigan said, adding ?if people are growing on private land under 215, we want to make sure it?s environmentally sound. If they?re on public land, that?s illegal. No one has a permit to do that.?
Where illegal diversions of water are discovered, the department can issue a cease and desist order against the landowner and fines of up to $1,000 per day that a violation continues. Fines for illegal discharge of sediment or pollutants can be up to $10,000 per day.
Carrigan said investigations will target areas where streams are diminished and large numbers of grow sites are detected.
?None of my guys has a gun or a badge so we have to have property owner consent or warrants and we will rely on local law enforcement for backup,? he said.
He noted recent investigations conducted in a single watershed in Butte County detected that two operators were working only on flat areas far away from streams using water they had a right to extract while three others required a lot of teaching regarding stream setbacks and fuels containment, receiving cleanup and abatement orders to ensure follow up actions are taken.
Carrigan said the last site ?was a real problem, causing almost all of the problems in that watershed. There were graded road cuts well in excess of any engineering, a waste pit near the creek, fuel stored in plastic and no right to divert the water they were taking. In that case, a cease and desist order was issued along with clean up and abatement and we are taking civil enforcement action.?
He added, ?We don?t think we can really solve the problem just by doing this. Our scheme is to develop a regulatory program and permit plan with targeted enforcement. We want people to enroll, pay a fee and comply with best management practices and then if they violate, we?ll probably give them a one-time pass with a notice of violation to comply or face further enforcement. If they aren?t enrolled, we?ll take immediate enforcement action.?
He estimated there are somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 people ?in the Emerald Triangle who will want to get permits from us. That?s a lot of gardens.?
?We know the problems with marijuana cultivation. Our biggest problem is enforcement and who pays for this, you or the counties? What are you looking for from us?? asked Sup. Judy Pflueger.
Carrigan said there is no expectation for counties to pay and the goal is for permit fees and penalty fines collected from the regulated operators to pay for enforcement.
He acknowledged there will be some impact on local law enforcement, ?but we see their involvement as a key component. Interagency communication is critical to our mission. You know where the problems are and where it?s safe to go, but we are not looking for any financial reimbursement for the pilot and we want to become a self-sustaining regulatory program in three years.?
Pflueger commented that issuing permits for cultivation ?appears to be getting into legalization.?
?No. We?re not. We?re prohibiting discharge of pollutants, not permitting or sanctioning marijuana grows. Our approach is content neutral, governing pollutants and illegal diversions of water. We will establish a suite of best management practices to ensure setbacks, a ban on rodenticides, identify pesticides you can?t use and make sure you demonstrate a water right. It will be a regulatory program that has conditions and if you meet the conditions, we won?t bother you,? Carrigan said.
Asked how sites will be targeted for state inspection, Carrigan said waste discharge will be the focus.
?There?s a lot of low hanging fruit in that area and if I can?t show there is discharge occurring, it won?t be a priority site for me,? he said, adding grading too close to streams is a common problem, ?but the majority of people I?ve engaged with want to do the right thing from an environmental perspective.?
The fact that Trinity County doesn?t have a grading ordinance doesn?t prevent the state from issuing citations where sediment from improper road-building or excavation is being discharged into a stream.
Asked if the state can focus on water theft or illegal sales of water, Carrigan said it is a difficult case to make unless ?we happen to catch someone pulling up to streams and filling a tank and even then, you may catch someone for one truck load. It is illegal to sell water from your own property. Under a riparian right, you cannot take the water off the property to use somewhere else.?
He added that getting each grower to demonstrate a water right ?is key for us. We want to force this down to the flat, agricultural lands like a big corn field. The problem now is it?s container growing out in the woods because it has to be a secret and that is causing the water and the environmental problems.?
Regarding the education and outreach component, Carrigan said one of the new hires will be completely dedicated to that function, working with various environmental groups, water agencies and grower coalitions ?to reach deeper than we can as a quasi-enforcement agency. It is a critical part of our program.?
District 1 Sup.-elect Keith Groves said ?if you?re requiring a permit, then you?re requiring someone to admit to unlawful activity. How do you get around that??
Carrigan said, ?It is a difficult tension, but I feel the state of California has no choice. We need to deal with the situation in a responsible way, making the parties that will become regulated the ones to pay and we are looking at ways to make the enrollees anonymous. I think there?s a sense that people want to legitimize the activity and that may be coming. For those that enroll, I?m really going to try and help them comply with responsible environmental practices. For those that don?t and their sites are in perfect compliance, fine, but if not, they?re not going to get a break from me.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Aug 20 08:23:25 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 08:23:25 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Huffman has harsh criticism for
	Bureau of Reclamation
Message-ID: <1408548205.65953.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_f073e888-280d-11e4-925a-001a4bcf6878.html
Huffman has harsh criticism for Bureau of Reclamation
By Sally Morris The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, August 20, 2014 6:15 am
On a swing into Trinity County last week, Congressman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, had harsh words for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation?s recent decision to withhold water releases to the Trinity River to prevent a repeat of the 2002 Klamath fish kill that many believe low flows and warm water temperatures contributed to.
?We?re starting to see some deaths and disease and there are lots of fish returning to spawn this year. We are in a scary place right now that the Bureau has not planned for very responsibly,? he said during comments at the Trinity County Board of Supervisors? regular session Aug. 12.
He argued that going into what everyone knew would be a tough drought year, the Bureau of Reclamation ?continued to send an awful lot of water over the hill to the Central Valley and they continue to do that today. The Bureau has chosen winners and losers this year, choosing the Central Valley Project with the water going that way. If we avoid a massive fish kill, it will be purely by good luck, not appropriate federal management, and that?s what we?ve got to get better at.?
Arguing the Trinity River Division is required by law to first protect Trinity River fisheries before bailing out Central Valley Project water users, Huffman said he has been working with Klamath and Hoopa tribes to get the Bureau ?to send more water this way, but the Bureau has refused to do that. They only will if they start to see signs of massive die off and that may be too late ? not only to save the fish, but there?s only so much cold water left in Trinity Lake and they continue to send it to the CVP. I?m honestly furious with the Bureau over this and so far they aren?t listening.?
He added this year?s Trinity River diversions to the CVP ?have squandered a lot of the cold water we?re going to need this fall. We can?t get that water back, but hopefully we can get them to stop the diversions to the Central Valley now. We?ve got to keep the situation from getting worse, but even that is something the Bureau is not listening to,? and he thanked members of the Trinity County Board of Supervisors ?for joining the chorus of concern.?
In his recent comments to the Bureau advocating for a plan to increase Trinity River flows to protect migrating salmon in the lower Klamath River, Huffman noted that at the end of July, Trinity Lake held just 888,000 acre-feet of water which is 288,000 acre-feet above the level that would trigger a reconsultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service under the National Environmental Policy Act. Under the 2000 Trinity River Record of Decision, only 450 cubic feet per second was released daily into the Trinity River in July. At the same time, an average of 3,000 cfs was diverted to the Sacramento River totaling 152,000 acre-feet of water.
He said continuing to divert water to the Central Valley Project during this year?s drought conditions ?is a pray-for-rain strategy for the Trinity and Klamath River fisheries? and he criticized the Bureau for a ?consistent refusal to develop long-range plans that has left it liable for damage to fisheries and trust resources, and unable to adequately respond to crises when they occur.?
As of Monday, Trinity Lake held 764,271 acre-feet of water, 31 percent of capacity. Water flowed into the lake at 80 cubic feet per second. The release into Clear Creek Tunnel was 2,326 cfs and the release into the Trinity River was 452 cfs. The lake was 32.9 percent full. A year ago it was 61.4 percent full.
?
By Sally Morris The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, August 20, 2014 6:15 am
On a swing into Trinity County last week, Congressman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, had harsh words for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation?s recent decision to withhold water releases to the Trinity River to prevent a repeat of the 2002 Klamath fish kill that many believe low flows and warm water temperatures contributed to.
?We?re starting to see some deaths and disease and there are lots of fish returning to spawn this year. We are in a scary place right now that the Bureau has not planned for very responsibly,? he said during comments at the Trinity County Board of Supervisors? regular session Aug. 12.
He argued that going into what everyone knew would be a tough drought year, the Bureau of Reclamation ?continued to send an awful lot of water over the hill to the Central Valley and they continue to do that today. The Bureau has chosen winners and losers this year, choosing the Central Valley Project with the water going that way. If we avoid a massive fish kill, it will be purely by good luck, not appropriate federal management, and that?s what we?ve got to get better at.?
Arguing the Trinity River Division is required by law to first protect Trinity River fisheries before bailing out Central Valley Project water users, Huffman said he has been working with Klamath and Hoopa tribes to get the Bureau ?to send more water this way, but the Bureau has refused to do that. They only will if they start to see signs of massive die off and that may be too late ? not only to save the fish, but there?s only so much cold water left in Trinity Lake and they continue to send it to the CVP. I?m honestly furious with the Bureau over this and so far they aren?t listening.?
He added this year?s Trinity River diversions to the CVP ?have squandered a lot of the cold water we?re going to need this fall. We can?t get that water back, but hopefully we can get them to stop the diversions to the Central Valley now. We?ve got to keep the situation from getting worse, but even that is something the Bureau is not listening to,? and he thanked members of the Trinity County Board of Supervisors ?for joining the chorus of concern.?
In his recent comments to the Bureau advocating for a plan to increase Trinity River flows to protect migrating salmon in the lower Klamath River, Huffman noted that at the end of July, Trinity Lake held just 888,000 acre-feet of water which is 288,000 acre-feet above the level that would trigger a reconsultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service under the National Environmental Policy Act. Under the 2000 Trinity River Record of Decision, only 450 cubic feet per second was released daily into the Trinity River in July. At the same time, an average of 3,000 cfs was diverted to the Sacramento River totaling 152,000 acre-feet of water.
He said continuing to divert water to the Central Valley Project during this year?s drought conditions ?is a pray-for-rain strategy for the Trinity and Klamath River fisheries? and he criticized the Bureau for a ?consistent refusal to develop long-range plans that has left it liable for damage to fisheries and trust resources, and unable to adequately respond to crises when they occur.?
As of Monday, Trinity Lake held 764,271 acre-feet of water, 31 percent of capacity. Water flowed into the lake at 80 cubic feet per second. The release into Clear Creek Tunnel was 2,326 cfs and the release into the Trinity River was 452 cfs. The lake was 32.9 percent full. A year ago it was 61.4 percent full.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Aug 20 08:17:04 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 08:17:04 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Trinity_Journal_Editorial=3A_Reclamation?=
 =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=99s_Trinity_water_dilemma_of_its_own_making?=
Message-ID: <1408547824.97169.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/editorials/article_a8231cc8-280a-11e4-8bbf-0017a43b2370.html
Reclamation?s Trinity water dilemma of its own making
Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2014 6:38 pm
The Bureau of Reclamation, following a site visit to the lower Klamath River and meetings with North Coast tribes and government officials last week, said it would reconsider its decision not to allow supplemental releases from Trinity Lake to aid migrating salmon. A decision is likely this week.
We?ll be interested in what the bureau decides, because it is now stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place. Allow more water down the Trinity and you may or may not save a fish run, but you will be depleting a rapidly shrinking cold water pool that may be more needed later this year and/or next year. Don?t allow the releases and you risk a fish die-off similar to September 2002.
Of course, the bureau has no one but itself to blame. Mismanagement of Trinity Lake waters during a lingering drought has brought the bureau to this point. While everyone from the governor on down was discussing water conservation as the prolonged drought continued during a hot summer, the bureau was merrily sending 3,000 cubic feet of water per second through the tunnel to Whiskeytown Lake and on to the Sacramento River while Trinity residents watched the lake shrink daily.
The bureau?s first consideration, as per law and just plain common sense, is to the area-of-origin watershed. Actions this year make it appear the Trinity River watershed fell much further down the list than it should have. Is it any wonder the Twin Tunnels plan and the Proposition 1 water bond measure on the November ballot are met with such skepticism in the North State?
In 2012, the bureau produced a report indicating that cold water carryover storage of less than 750,000 acre-feet in Trinity Lake is ?problematic? for meeting temperature objectives in the river. As of Monday it sits at 764,271 acre-feet, 31 percent of total capacity. The National Marine Fisheries Service in 2000 issued a biological opinion indicating a minimum pool of 600,000 acre-feet by Sept. 30 is needed to meet Trinity River temperature. An updated NMFS study is reportedly under way.
We?ve pointed out several times before that Trinity Lake (actually a reservoir) serves a multitude of purposes which aren?t always congruent with one another. Besides water storage and flood control, the lake serves as a recreational playground with a positive impact on the county?s tourism economy. Keeping it full keeps recreational businesses happy. It also provides water for the Trinity River and the wildlife and human populations which depend on such. Allowing additional flows as needed keep the fish ? and fishermen ? happy. Sending flows through the tunnel and into the Sacramento River provides cheap electricity for the bulk of Trinity County and meets BOR obligations to farmers and other water contractors.
It?s a delicate balancing act. One the bureau failed miserably to maintain this year.
?
Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2014 6:38 pm
The Bureau of Reclamation, following a site visit to the lower Klamath River and meetings with North Coast tribes and government officials last week, said it would reconsider its decision not to allow supplemental releases from Trinity Lake to aid migrating salmon. A decision is likely this week.
We?ll be interested in what the bureau decides, because it is now stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place. Allow more water down the Trinity and you may or may not save a fish run, but you will be depleting a rapidly shrinking cold water pool that may be more needed later this year and/or next year. Don?t allow the releases and you risk a fish die-off similar to September 2002.
Of course, the bureau has no one but itself to blame. Mismanagement of Trinity Lake waters during a lingering drought has brought the bureau to this point. While everyone from the governor on down was discussing water conservation as the prolonged drought continued during a hot summer, the bureau was merrily sending 3,000 cubic feet of water per second through the tunnel to Whiskeytown Lake and on to the Sacramento River while Trinity residents watched the lake shrink daily.
The bureau?s first consideration, as per law and just plain common sense, is to the area-of-origin watershed. Actions this year make it appear the Trinity River watershed fell much further down the list than it should have. Is it any wonder the Twin Tunnels plan and the Proposition 1 water bond measure on the November ballot are met with such skepticism in the North State?
In 2012, the bureau produced a report indicating that cold water carryover storage of less than 750,000 acre-feet in Trinity Lake is ?problematic? for meeting temperature objectives in the river. As of Monday it sits at 764,271 acre-feet, 31 percent of total capacity. The National Marine Fisheries Service in 2000 issued a biological opinion indicating a minimum pool of 600,000 acre-feet by Sept. 30 is needed to meet Trinity River temperature. An updated NMFS study is reportedly under way.
We?ve pointed out several times before that Trinity Lake (actually a reservoir) serves a multitude of purposes which aren?t always congruent with one another. Besides water storage and flood control, the lake serves as a recreational playground with a positive impact on the county?s tourism economy. Keeping it full keeps recreational businesses happy. It also provides water for the Trinity River and the wildlife and human populations which depend on such. Allowing additional flows as needed keep the fish ? and fishermen ? happy. Sending flows through the tunnel and into the Sacramento River provides cheap electricity for the bulk of Trinity County and meets BOR obligations to farmers and other water contractors.
It?s a delicate balancing act. One the bureau failed miserably to maintain this year.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Aug 20 08:50:05 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 08:50:05 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: Tribes travel to capital to voice
	concerns of Klamath-Trinity fish kills
Message-ID: <1408549805.52724.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26370088/tribes-travel-capital-voice-concerns-klamath-trinity-fish

Tribes travel to capital to voice concerns of Klamath-Trinity fish kills
River advocates talk with feds about water releases
By Will Houston
whouston at times-standard.com?@Will_S_Houston on Twitter
POSTED: ? 08/19/2014 11:46:42 PM PDT0 COMMENTS
UPDATED: ? 08/20/2014 08:34:27 AM PDT

Click photo to enlarge
Hoopa Tribe members and several federal officials toured the Trinity... (Courtesy of Allie Hostler)
Hundreds of North Coast tribal members and river advocates trekked to Sacramento on Tuesday to voice their frustration and try to persuade the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to reconsider its cessation of pre-emptive water releases for fish on the drought-stricken Trinity and Klamath rivers.
Arriving by the busload, members of the Yurok, Karuk and Hoopa Valley tribes and the Klamath Justice Coalition set up their signs in front the bureau's Sacramento office to get the attention of Mid-Pacific Regional Director David Murillo, who made the controversial decision to end the release of preventative flows from Trinity Lake.
"There is going to be no divide-and-conquer strategy," coalition and Karuk tribal member Molli White said. "The time has come that we are all here to stand together and say this is not OK. We're not going to accept that the BOR are going to let our fish die. We're not going to accept the mistreatment of our people. It's not just about the fish. This is a people issue."
The focus of the protestors centers on the bureau's July 31 decision not to make pre-emptive releases from Trinity Lake to cool the waters in the Trinity and Klamath rivers. The tribes state that the low flows and high temperatures caused by the ongoing drought are creating optimal conditions for a fish kill like that of 2002 in the Klamath River when tens of thousands of salmon and other fish died in a matter of days. The water will instead go to the Sacramento River, where the bureau said it will be used to protect federally endangered salmon.
Officers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security informed the protestors that they were not able to set up signs around certain parts of the building. As the number of protestors grew to around 200, Klamath Justice Coalition and Karuk tribal member Chook Chook Hillman said the officers ended up letting them be.
"It was powerful that all these people drove all the way down here," he said. "It took a lot of us nine hours to get down here. I think it is so powerful that we'd drive nine hours and put our hearts into this."
Eventually their voices were heard, and six representatives were invited up to speak with Murillo face to face.
"We yelled at him for what he's been doing and about his decision," coalition member Frankie Myers of the Yurok Watershed Restoration Program said. "He is going to be calling us by this evening to tell us when he'll be making his decision, and then we're gonna go from there."
Hillman said he appreciates Murillo for listening to them, but said he still does not trust the official for his recent decision.
"There are some heavier things to him that tribal councils can't say," Hillman said. "We might have opened his eyes in a different view; put it into perspective to see his place in history. We're going to make sure there is no question whose hands the blood is on."
State, federal and tribal scientists also met with a bureau representative in Arcata at the same time, presenting evidence gathered on the conditions of the two rivers.
Hoopa Tribal Fisheries Director Mike Orcutt said they were urging the bureau to increase the flow to at least the minimum 2,500 cubic feet per second.
"I think we're playing with some pretty high stakes in terms of the resource we're trying to protect," Orcutt said.
Orcutt said the bureau representative will bring the information to the Sacramento office and likely have a final decision by next week.
"I think that an awesome turnout from all three tribes all the way down here in Sacramento," Myers said. "The passion was really awesome. Folks came out and wanted to be heard, and I think they have been by the person who needed to hear them."
Will Houston can be reached at 707-441-0504.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Aug 20 10:46:22 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 10:46:22 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] KCRA vide on Sacramento Protest regarding Klamath
	flows
Message-ID: <1408556782.22400.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

There is a video from KCRA on Sacramento Klamath River Protest:?http://www.kcra.com/news/klamath-tribes-worry-massive-fish-kill-close/27623198?tru=bGRoYJ#ixzz3AwtJR4x3
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Aug 21 16:12:18 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 16:12:18 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: Toxic blue-green algae detected in
	Trinity River
Message-ID: <1408662738.12192.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26377206/toxic-blue-green-algae-detected-trinity-river

Toxic blue-green algae detected in Trinity River
Public warned of health risks, asked to avoid areas
By Will Houston
whouston at times-standard.com?@Will_S_Houston on Twitter
POSTED: ? 08/20/2014 10:20:24 PM PDT0 COMMENTS|?UPDATED: ? ABOUT 18 HOURS AGO

Less than a month after the state issued a health hazard warning of toxic blue-green algae blooming on the Klamath River, the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services has made a similar warning after detecting low levels of toxins at a popular Trinity River swimming spot.
"It's up to the users to exercise their level of comfort and caution in the river. We're just educating them on the risks that are posed," department Division of Environmental Health Director Melissa Martel said.
The samples were taken from a popular swimming area at Kimtu Park near Willow Creek, which found the presence of toxins produced of blue-green algae.
Martel said it is very common for the algae to show up during this time of year, but said the ongoing statewide drought has created optimal conditions for algal blooms to occur.
"Blue-green algae thrives in slower moving water with high temperatures," she said. "With the drought, you're seeing lower water levels, which slows down the water, and the water tends to warm up,"
The initial samples show a low concentration of the toxins at the site, but Kevin Metcalfe, supervising environmental health specialist of the Department of Health and Human Services, said more samples were taken on Wednesday to follow up.
"I would anticipate that additional results will be available next week," he said.
Nearby communities and tribes have been alerted of the recent finding. The Hoopa Valley Tribe's Environmental Program Director Ken Norton said that they have issued their own community advisory and had sent off several samples for testing on Wednesday.
"We have been testing for the presence of microcystin (a toxin produced by blue-green algae) since 2008, and our the latest results were from July 31," he said. "It showed a very minute (amount). With the recent warning from the North Coast Water Board and now this, we have issued a community advisory based on the presence of the blue-green algae."
Metcalfe said microcystin was not detected in the recent sampling, but another toxin called anatoxin was confirmed.
"In general, the blue-green algae may be present in our freshwaters, which is part of our ongoing outreach efforts," he said. "It could be anywhere along the river. Our focus right now is on this particular area."
Blue-green algae may appear as green, blue-green, white or brown scum, foam or mats floating on the water. The department advises the public to consider the risks of exposing themselves to these waters, especially for dogs and children, which are most likely to be affected due to their small body size and tendency to stay in the water for longer periods.
The department recommends the public to follow these guidelines to reduce health risks:
? Keep children, pets and livestock from swimming in or drinking water containing algal scums or mats.
? Adults should also avoid wading and swimming in water containing algal blooms. Try not to swallow or inhale water spray in an algal bloom area.
? If no algal scums or mats are visible, you should still carefully watch young children and warn them not to swallow any water.
? Fish should be consumed only after removing the guts and liver and rinsing fillets in tap water.
? Never drink, cook with or wash dishes with water from rivers, streams or lakes.
? Get medical attention immediately if you think that you, your pet, or livestock might have been poisoned by blue-green algae toxins. Be sure to tell the doctor about possible contact with blue-green algae.
More information can be found athttp://www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/environhealth/water/Pages/bluegreenalgae.aspx.
Will Houston can be reached at 707-441-0504.
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Aug 22 07:46:37 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 07:46:37 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] NPR: California drought has wild salmon competing
	with almonds for water
Message-ID: <1408718797.15596.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/08/21/46157/california-drought-has-wild-salmon-competing-with/

California drought has wild salmon competing with almonds for water
Alastair Bland | NPR?August 21, 11:30 AM
A field of almond trees is reflected in an irrigation canal in Firebaugh, Calif., in the San Joaquin Valley in 2009. The Almond Board of California says that in the past two decades, the industry has reduced its water consumption by 33 percent per pound of almonds produced.ROBYN BECK/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
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The ongoing?California drought?has pitted wild salmon against farmers in a fight for water. While growers of almonds, one of the state's biggest and most lucrative crops, enjoy booming production and skyrocketing sales to China, the fish, it seems, might be left high and dry this summer?and maybe even dead.
Thousands of adult king, or Chinook, salmon are now struggling to survive in the Klamath River of northern California, where waters are running dangerously low and warm due to diversion of river flows into the Central Valley, an intensely farmed agricultural area. If more water isn't let into the Klamath River within the coming days, the salmon, which are migrating upstream toward their spawning grounds, could succumb to a disease called gill rot.
The disease, which played a role in the 2002 Klamath?die-off?of tens of thousands of Chinook, flourishes in warm water and is already creeping through the salmon population. Frankie Myers, a member of the Yurok tribe, a Native American group that lives in the Klamath River basin, tells NPR about 1,000 salmon have already died this summer in a 100-mile stretch of river. Now, the remaining fish, which cannot survive in water much warmer than 70 degrees, are clustering in dense schools around the mouths of cold tributary streams, seeking relief from the sun-warmed river.
Members of local tribes have pleaded with government officials to step in and help by releasing cold water from the federally managed Trinity Lake, a reservoir upstream of the salmon. This would chill the river, stop the disease in its tracks and allow the salmon to continue their spawning migration.
The problem is, most of Trinity Lake's water has been promised by government water managers to other users, including cities and industry.
On Tuesday, members of Klamath basin tribal groups convened in Sacramento to rally officials to save the Klamath's Chinook salmon. "For us, salmon is life," Chook-Chook Hillman, a 30-year-old tribesman who was at the rally, tells NPR. "Without salmon, we'd might as well just pack it up as a people." Hillman says the regional director of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages much of the state's water, promised in a private meeting that his agency would decide sometime Thursday whether or not to give the Klamath salmon more water.
The Klamath River flows into the Pacific Ocean near Oregon and is naturally separated from the interior regions of California by a coastal mountain range. But in the 1960s, the Bureau of Reclamation built an 11-mile tunnel connecting Trinity Lake to the Sacramento River basin to send Klamath-basin water to farmers in the San Joaquin Valley. Today, the arid valley is a major producer of the world's almonds, as well as other nuts and stone fruits, grapes and alfalfa.
But the North Coast tribal people question the fairness of a system by which crops hundreds of miles away depend on their river water at the expense of salmon.
"It's not our fault they have orchards to water in the desert, and it's not the fish's fault, either," Hillman says. "We shouldn't have to pay for that."
While the BOR technically?has not allotted any water?to farmers this year due to drought, producers in the valley whose supplies have been cut may still purchase water from others who didn't experience cutbacks. Others may tap into the state's shrinking groundwater reservoirs. One way or another, most fruit orchards receive the water they need each year.
Almonds are one of California's most important crops, with 80 percent of the crop now exported (mostly to China), according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. From 2004 to 2013, California's almond harvest?exploded?from a billion to 2 billion pounds and?record high production?is forecasted for this year, in spite of ongoing drought.
Jenny Nicolau with the Almond Board of California says almond growers have learned how to use water more efficiently. In the past two decades, she notes, the almond industry has reduced its water consumption by 33 percent per pound of almonds produced. And while production has increased, the industry's water use has remained about the same for at least a decade. She says agriculture uses less than 50 percent of the state's water.
But?David Zetland, a water policy analyst and author, says this is a distortion of facts. He tells NPR that of all the state's water that is diverted from rivers and reservoirs, 80 percent ultimately lands in fields and orchards.
Decades ago, dams built to create reservoirs for agricultural use dented or killed most of California's salmon runs. Relatively healthy runs of Chinook salmon still spawn in the Sacramento and the Klamath rivers, though sustaining them involves a complex life-support system of hatcheries, transporting migrating fish in trucks and boats and constant monitoring of water supplies.
As of Aug. 20, the BOR?was pumping?about 2,100 cubic feet per second of water from Trinity Lake into the Sacramento River system, leaving just 430 cubic feet per second flowing into the Trinity River, a major tributary of the Klamath. Many of the salmon currently at risk are stranded below the confluence of these two rivers, which means higher releases from Trinity Lake could save them.
Janet Sierzputowski, a BOR spokeswoman, says the water currently being diverted from the Trinty-Klamath system is intended to benefit the Sacramento River's own salmon. After all, two of the Sacramento's four distinct salmon runs ? the spring Chinook and the winter Chinook ? are on the endangered species list.
But?Zeke Grader, a board member of the Golden Gate Salmon Association, an environmental group, says the Bureau's claim is "nonsense." He explains that, by this time of year, the Sacramento's threatened spring run and endangered winter run Chinook are already too far upstream to reap any of the benefits of the cool Trinity Lake water, which flows into the Sacramento downstream of where Grader says the fish are now spawning.
"They're not [transferring Trinity water to the Sacramento] for the salmon," he says. "They're doing it for the almonds."
In a statement released on Aug. 19, the Bureau of Reclamation's regional director David Murillo said conditions affecting the health of salmon in the Klamath system would be "monitored on a real-time basis" and, if necessary, addressed with more water released into the river.
But real-time may not be fast enough. That's because it takes three to four days for water to flow from Trinity Lake to the region where the salmon are currently holding, according to Craig Tucker, the Karuk tribe's natural resources advocate.
"They're telling us they'll let water go once they see dead fish," Tucker says. "But once an epidemic starts, it's hard to stop."
For Myers, the government's reluctance to save the salmon his tribe depends on comes as yet another blow to their embattled traditions.
"Not only are they asking the Native Americans to sacrifice their culture, but we're doing it so we can sell almonds to the Chinese," he says.
Alastair Bland is a freelance writer based in San Francisco who covers food, agriculture and the environment.
Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Aug 22 08:03:55 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 08:03:55 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] AP/Redding.com: GPS devices find huge water loss in
	western U.S.
Message-ID: <1408719835.93932.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.redding.com/news/wire-news/gps-devices-find-huge-water-loss-in-western-us
GPS devices find huge water loss in western U.S.
The Associated Press
11:42 PM, Aug 21, 2014
11:43 PM, Aug 21, 2014
SAN DIEGO (AP) ? About 63 trillion gallons of water have been lost to drought in the western United States, enough to blanket the region with 4 inches of water, according to a study published Thursday.
Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, arrived at the conclusion by measuring the level of the earth's crust with a network of GPSstations that is normally used to predict earthquakes.
When water is lost because of a lack of rain and snow, the earth's crust rises. The sensors show that the earth's crust has risen an average of 4 millimeters in the western United States since last year and as much as 15 millimeters in the California mountains.
The earth's crust typically sags in the winter and spring, weighed down by water, and it rises during the dry season in summer and fall, said co-author Adrian Borsa. The authors removed those seasonal factors when analyzing about a decade of data from GPS?stations within the National Science Foundation's Plate Boundary Observatory.
Last year, an area stretching west of the Rocky Mountains witnessed a "massive uplift," Borsa said. The rise was most striking in the Sierra Nevada mountains and California coastal regions, but it was spread over the entire region, unlike previous years when some pockets have gone up and others went down.
"It's just amazing to us that this covers the entire western United States," Borsa said.
The loss of water since last year is equivalent to the annual loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet, according to the study published in the journal Science.
The findings do not appear to raise any serious concerns about earthquake hazards, said Borsa, who hopes authorities use the measurements as a tool to measure the impact of drought. The findings cannot be compared to the severity of earlier droughts because the measurements were not used then.
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Aug 22 10:13:21 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 10:13:21 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Breaking News: Reclamation to increase Trinity River
	flows
Message-ID: <1408727601.73427.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

This just in!

The Bureau of Reclamation will release additional water from Trinity and Lewiston reservoirs into the Trinity to augment conditions in the Lower Klamath River. ? ?

Flows at Lewiston dam will increase to 950 cfs on August 23. ?Flows will be increased to 2,450 cfs on August 25 for 24 hours (a flush spike) then decreased to 950 cfs to maintain a lower Klamath flow of about 2,500 cfs. ?The higher flows will likely continue through at least September 14.


Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Aug 22 10:14:22 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 10:14:22 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Reclamation to Release Additional Water to
	Supplement Flows in the Lower Klamath River
In-Reply-To: <e728e2855f694e8da0837e03f4d5e487@usbr.gov>
References: <e728e2855f694e8da0837e03f4d5e487@usbr.gov>
Message-ID: <1408727662.16113.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Great news for the Trinity and Klamath Salmon!
?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org


On Friday, August 22, 2014 10:06 AM, Janet Sierzputowski <jsierzputowski at usbr.gov> wrote:
 


Reclamation to Release Additional Water to Supplement Flows in the Lower Klamath River
Mid-Pacific Region
Sacramento, Calif.
MP-14-159
Media Contact: Louis Moore, 916-978-5100, wmoore at usbr.gov
For Release On: Aug. 22, 2014
Reclamation to Release Additional Water to Supplement Flows in the Lower Klamath River
Water release from Trinity Reservoir will begin Saturday, Aug. 23, at 7 a.m.; Public urged to take safety precautions on or near the river while flows are high
REDDING, Calif. ? The Bureau of Reclamation will release additional water from Trinity Reservoir to supplement flows in the lower Klamath River to help protect the returning run of adult Chinook salmon. The public is urged to take all necessary precautions on or near the river while flows are high during this period.
?We have determined that unprecedented conditions over the past few weeks in the lower Klamath River require us to take emergency measures to help reduce the potential for a large-scale fish die-off,? said Mid-Pacific Regional Director David Murillo. ?This decision was made based on science and after consultation with Tribes, water and power users, federal and state fish regulatory agencies, and others.?
Several recent factors prevalent in the lower Klamath River are the basis for the decision to provide emergency augmentation flows. Reclamation will increase releases from Lewiston Dam beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23, from approximately 450 cubic feet per second to approximately 950 cfs to achieve a flow rate of 2,500 cfs in the lower Klamath River.
At 7 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 25, releases from Lewiston Dam will begin increasing to approximately 2,450 cfs to achieve a flow rate of approximately 4,000 cfs in the lower Klamath River. This release from Lewiston Dam will be maintained for approximately 24 hours before returning to approximately 950 cfs and will be regulated at approximately that level as necessary to maintain lower Klamath River flows at 2,500 cfs until approximately Sunday, Sept. 14. River and fishery conditions will be continuously monitored, and those conditions will determine the duration.
?We fully recognize that during this prolonged severe drought, every acre-foot of water is extremely valuable, and we are making every effort to conserve water released for fish health purposes to reduce hardships wherever possible,? added Murillo.
Reclamation will continue to work with NOAA Fisheries and other federal agencies to comply with applicable provisions of the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
# # #
Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. ?Visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov.
?


If you would rather not receive future communications from Bureau of Reclamation, let us know by clicking here.
Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825 United States
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From twashburn at usbr.gov  Fri Aug 22 11:11:24 2014
From: twashburn at usbr.gov (WASHBURN, THUY)
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 11:11:24 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Change Order - Trinity River
Message-ID: <CAHdoJTPQ4tV-r=ZCu118wHUWD_0AZnXwoBQO9+fG1RLLwrgavw@mail.gmail.com>

Please make the following release change to the Trinity River.

[image: Inline image 2]

Comment:  Emergency augmentation flows in the Lower Klamath River

Issued by:  Thuy Washburn
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Aug 22 14:54:55 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 21:54:55 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Emergency augmentation flows in the Lower Klamath
	River
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C201AF9@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi Folks,
I have had a few inquiries about flows on the Trinity River over the last couple of weeks.  Here is some news.  A decision to release augmentation flows has been made.  Scheduled release flows from Lewiston Dam will begin to increase on Saturday Aug, 23 and will peak at approximately 2,450 cfs on Aug 27 then decline to about 1,000 cfs until Sep. 14 as shown in the table below.
Be safe,
Steve
[Inline image 2]



Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Aug 22 16:28:48 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 16:28:48 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] SLDMWA Statement on Trinity Flow Augmentation Releases
Message-ID: <1408750128.86575.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

 ? 
 
 
?
San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority
PO Box 2157 - Los Banos, CA 93635 - 209.826.9696

The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority serves 29 member agencies reliant upon water
conveyed through the California Bay-Delta by the United States Bureau of Reclamation's
Central Valley Project. These public water agencies deliver water to approximately
1.2 million acres of prime farmland, 2 million California residents, and millions of
waterfowl dependent upon the more than 100,000 acres of managed wetlands
within the Pacific Flyway. 
?
Contact:??
Dan Nelson, Executive Director
San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority
Office:? 209.826.9696??????  
Release Immediate
Aug. 22, 2014  
?
?
Reclamation announces it will dump water?
while thousands stand in line for food handouts
?
(The following is a statement by Dan Nelson, Executive Director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, regarding the release of water from Trinity Reservoir by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for speculative fishery purposes.)
?
"Today, United States Bureau of Reclamation announced it will dump precious Central Valley Project water while the people of our valley suffer from well-documented and widely reported social and economic destruction as a result of government policies compounded by the drought. While over 2,000,000 acres of farm land throughout the Central Valley, which produces over half of the nation's fruit, nuts and vegetables, continues to have a 0 percent water supply from the Central Valley Project, Reclamation has determined there is somehow enough water available to let it go down the Lower Klamath River in the hope it may help conditions for unthreatened salmon. This decision is wrong - both scientifically and morally.
?
"At issue is fear about a repeat of a fish die-off that occurred in 2002 - the one and only occurrence in recorded history. It is hypothesized that the die-off was caused by a number of co-occurring factors: over-abundance of returning fish, low flows in the river, and the presence of endemic diseases such as Ich. However, since recordkeeping of flows and the number of returning fish began in 1978, there have been six other occasions when conditions have been similar to or worse than today and no fish die-off has ever occurred.
?
"Since the once in history die-off, Reclamation has provided additional flows upon request on occasions when a repeat was feared. Initially, Reclamation acquired the water from willing sellers but more recently they have simply taken the water from CVP water and power customers. Again this year, Reclamation received a request to provide additional flows. However, on July 30 they announced they would not do so because the number of returning fish is far below previous levels of concern and, in light of the severe drought conditions, it is vital to preserve as much water as possible for the future. When Reclamation declined the request they stated they would monitor conditions for the outbreak of disease and if emergency criteria were triggered, they would be prepared to respond rapidly.
?
"Today, none of the environmental conditions upon which all previous decisions have been made support Reclamation's reversal. The number of returning salmon is still well below the established level of concern. In fact, reports from field biologists, fishing guides and fishermen along the Lower Klamath all indicate that the prevalent fish in the river is steelhead, not Chinook salmon. There are no reports of any disease outbreak, which was the requisite condition for change Reclamation established just weeks ago. The only condition that has changed is the increase in volume in the voices of a few special interests.
?
"Sadly, Reclamation and the Trinity Management Council squandered the 369,000 acre-feet of water they had available from Trinity Reservoir for fishery management this year. For years, they have been encouraged to set water aside for contingency purposes. This year, like all others, they have ignored that advice and have once again created a completely avoidable crisis.
?
"No one wants to see a repeat of the fish die-off that occurred in 2002. And, our current understanding of the environmental conditions and science strongly suggests it will not reoccur. This makes the uncertainty that is the basis of today's decision so egregious. Public policy decisions should be based upon a real and substantiated balance of the risks and benefits.
?
"This is what we know - the fish claimed to be of concern are not present in significant numbers. There is no evidence that the disease of concern is present. The emergency criteria developed by Reclamation and federal fish agencies have not been triggered. The potentially bad side effects to other fish and wildlife, some of which are threatened, have not been studied. And, any potential benefits of undertaking this action are purely speculative.
?
"In contrast, the damage being brought to the families, farms, rural communities, and vital wetlands of California's Central Valley by government policies will continue. Reclamation's response to the request from people losing homes, businesses, and hope, for even a little bit of CVP water to lessen the crisis, has been consistently no - there simply is not any more to provide. Until today."
?
###    
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Aug 23 10:20:19 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 10:20:19 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?NY_Times_Opinion=3A_Large_Dams_Just_Aren?=
 =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=99t_Worth_the_Cost?=
Message-ID: <1408814419.69238.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/24/opinion/sunday/large-dams-just-arent-worth-the-cost.html?emc=eta1&_r=0

SundayReview?|?OPINION
Large Dams Just Aren?t Worth the Cost
By?JACQUES LESLIEAUG. 22, 2014
Photo
An aerial view of the Kariba Dam between Zambia and Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, circa 1965.CreditPaul Popper/Popperfoto ? Getty Images
This story is included with an NYT Opinion subscription.

Learn more ?
THAYER SCUDDER, the world?s leading authority on the impact of dams on poor people, has changed his mind about dams.
A frequent consultant on large dam projects, Mr. Scudder held out hope through most of his 58-year career that the poverty relief delivered by a properly constructed and managed dam would outweigh the social and environmental damage it caused. Now, at age 84, he has concluded that large dams not only aren?t worth their cost, but that many currently under construction ?will have disastrous environmental and socio-economic consequences,? as he wrote in a recent email.
Mr. Scudder, an emeritus anthropology professor at the California Institute of Technology, describes his disillusionment with dams as gradual. He was a dam proponent when he began his first research project in 1956, documenting the impact of forced resettlement on 57,000?Tonga?people in the Gwembe Valley of present-day Zambia and Zimbabwe. Construction of the Kariba Dam, which relied on what was then the largest loan in the World Bank?s history, required the Tonga to move from their ancestral homes along the Zambezi River to infertile land downstream. Mr. Scudder has been tracking their disintegration ever since.
Once cohesive and self-sufficient, the Tonga are troubled by intermittent hunger, rampant alcoholism and astronomical unemployment. Desperate for income, some have resorted to illegal drug cultivation and smuggling, elephant poaching, pimping and prostitution. Villagers still lack electricity.
Mr. Scudder?s most recent stint as a consultant, on the Nam Theun 2 Dam in Laos, delivered his final disappointment. He and two fellow advisers supported the project because it required the dam?s funders to carry out programs that would leave people displaced by the dam in better shape than before the project started. But the dam was finished in 2010, and the programs? goals remain unmet. Meanwhile, the dam?s three owners are considering turning over all responsibilities to the Laotian government ? ?too soon,? Mr. Scudder said in an interview. ?The government wants to build 60 dams over the next 20 or 30 years, and at the moment it doesn?t have the capacity to deal with environmental and social impacts for any single one of them.
?Nam Theun 2 confirmed my longstanding suspicion that the task of building a large dam is just too complex and too damaging to priceless natural resources,? he said. He now thinks his most significant accomplishment was not improving a dam, but stopping one: He led a 1992 study that helped prevent construction of a dam that would have harmed Botswana?s Okavango Delta, one of the world?s last great wetlands.
Part of what moved Mr. Scudder to go public with his revised assessment was the corroboration he found in?a stunning Oxford University studypublished in March in Energy Policy. The study, by Atif Ansar, Bent Flyvbjerg, Alexander Budzier and Daniel Lunn, draws upon cost statistics for 245 large dams built between 1934 and 2007. Without even taking into account social and environmental impacts, which are almost invariably negative and frequently vast, the study finds that ?the actual construction costs of large dams are too high to yield a positive return.?
y
The study?s authors ? three management scholars and a statistician ? say planners are systematically biased toward excessive optimism, which dam promoters exploit with deception or blatant corruption. The study finds that actual dam expenses on average were nearly double pre-building estimates, and several times greater than overruns of other kinds of infrastructure construction, including roads, railroads, bridges and tunnels. On average, dam construction took 8.6 years, 44 percent longer than predicted ? so much time, the authors say, that large dams are ?ineffective in resolving urgent energy crises.?
DAMS typically consume large chunks of developing countries? financial resources, as dam planners underestimate the impact of inflation and currency depreciation. Many of the funds that support large dams arrive as loans to the host countries, and must eventually be paid off in hard currency. But most dam revenue comes from electricity sales in local currencies. When local currencies fall against the dollar, as often happens, the burden of those loans grows.
One reason this dynamic has been overlooked is that earlier studies evaluated dams? economic performance by considering whether international lenders like the World Bank recovered their loans ? and in most cases, they did. But the economic impact on host countries was often debilitating. Dam projects are so huge that beginning in the 1980s, dam overruns became major components of debt crises in Turkey, Brazil, Mexico and the former Yugoslavia. ?For many countries, the national economy is so fragile that the debt from just one mega-dam can completely negatively affect the national economy,? Mr. Flyvbjerg, the study?s lead investigator, told me.
To underline its point, the study singles out the massive Diamer-Bhasha Dam, now under construction in Pakistan across the Indus River. It is projected to cost $12.7 billion (in 2008 dollars) and finish construction by 2021. But the study suggests that it won?t be completed until 2027, by which time it could cost $35 billion (again, in 2008 dollars) ? a quarter of Pakistan?s gross domestic product that year.
Using the study?s criteria, most of the world?s planned mega-dams would be deemed cost-ineffective. That?s unquestionably true of the gargantuan Inga complex of eight dams intended to span the Congo River ? its first two projects have produced huge cost overruns ? and Brazil?s purported $14 billion Belo Monte Dam, which will replace a swath of Amazonian rain forest with the world?s third-largest?hydroelectric?dam.
Instead of building enormous, one-of-a-kind edifices like large dams, the study?s authors recommend ?agile energy alternatives? like wind, solar and mini-hydropower facilities. ?We?re stuck in a 1950s mode where everything was done in a very bespoke, manual way,? Mr. Ansar said over the phone. ?We need things that are more easily standardized, things that fit inside a container and can be easily transported.?
All this runs directly contrary to the current international dam-building boom. Chinese, Brazilian and Indian construction companies are building hundreds of dams around the world, and the World Bank announced a year ago that it was reviving a moribund strategy to fund mega-dams. The biggest ones look so seductive, so dazzling, that it has taken us generations to notice: They?re brute-force, Industrial Age artifacts that rarely deliver what they promise.
Jacques Leslie is the author, most recently, of ?Deep Water: The Epic Struggle Over Dams, Displaced People, and the Environment.?
A version of this op-ed appears in print on August 24, 2014, on page SR5 of the?National edition?with the headline: Large Dams Just Aren?t Worth the Cost.?Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Aug 23 10:34:36 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 10:34:36 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to release
	dam water for fish in Trinity, Klamath rivers
Message-ID: <1408815276.72270.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26392147/u-s-bureau-reclamation-release-dam-water-fish

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to release dam water for fish in Trinity, Klamath rivers
Decision comes after weeks of pushback by North Coast tribes, officials
By Will Houston
whouston at times-standard.com?@Will_S_Houston on Twitter
POSTED: ? 08/22/2014 11:49:41 PM PDT0 COMMENTS|?UPDATED: ? ABOUT 10 HOURS AGO

Click photo to enlarge
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Regional Director... (Courtesy of the Two Rivers Tribune)
After weeks of pressure from North Coast tribes, river advocates and government officials, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced Friday that it will change course by releasing flows into the Trinity and lower Klamath rivers starting today.
The decision comes less than a month after the bureau announced in late July that it would not make pre-emptive water releases from Trinity Lake to the two drought-stricken rivers as it had done several times in the past to prevent massive fish die-offs.
In a press conference, Bureau Mid-Pacific Regional Director David Murillo said the agency altered its decision after consulting with tribes, federal and state agencies, and after gathering more evidence of ongoing drought effects over the past few weeks.
"This was our basis for our July 31 decision and is the basis for today's decision," he said.
A STRONG VOICE
Murillo stated that the evidence gathered indicated that water conditions on the lower Klamath River were worse than the 2002 drought, when tens of thousands of fish died on the river due to disease and parasites caused by the low flow and high temperatures.
The Hoopa, Yurok and Karuk tribes applauded the bureau's decision after weeks of efforts to persuade them to reconsider. On Tuesday, hundreds of tribal members and river activists rallied in front of the bureau's Sacramento headquarters to voice how much the North Coast communities care about the fish and the rivers, which Karuk Tribe Klamath Coordinator Craig Tucker believes made a strong impression.
"Nothing really communicates it like a couple hundred community members showing up at their doorstep," he said. "I think that made the difference in the bureau's decision."
Yurok Tribal Council Vice Chairwoman Susan Masten, who was tribal chairwoman during the 2002 fish kill, said she remembered similar efforts that had much different results.
"They didn't listen to us that time," she said. "The conditions are worse this year than they were in 2002. I'm pleased they have responded and looked at the science and saw it was the best science available at this time."
Hoopa Valley Tribal Council Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten said she was also very pleased with the bureau's decision.
"This is about the livelihood of the people, the vessel of life, and protecting our resources to make sure our fish will have water," she said. "I'm excited that the preventative and emergency flows have been honored, and also ecstatic that the Hoopa and Yurok tribes and Humboldt County were able to sign a joint letter to the bureau."
THE RELEASES
The bureau will begin the releases from Trinity Lake's Lewiston Dam starting at 7 a.m. ? going from the current 450 cubic feet of water per second to about 950 cubic feet per second. These releases will increase the flow rate in the lower Klamath River to 2,500 cubic feet per second.
On Monday, Lewiston Dam releases will begin increasing to about 2,450 cubic feet per second, upping the flow rate of the lower Klamath River to about 4,000 cubic feet per second. This release will be maintained for nearly 24 hours and then return back to 950 cubic feet per second, whereafter it will be regulated to keep lower Klamath River flows at 2,500 cubic feet per second until Sept. 14.
Murillo said that the bureau will continue monitoring water flow, temperature, fish health and the presence of blue-green algae ? which can create toxic conditions when blooming ? and take the appropriate actions if those conditions continue past mid-September.
"Those conditions will determine the duration," he said.
Blue-green algae toxins have been detected on both the Klamath and Trinity rivers. With its July 31 decision being made for the purpose of providing more water to the Sacramento River and its tributary, Clear Creek, to help endangered salmon there weather the drought, bureau Central Valley Operations Manager Ron Milligan said Friday's decision would not change those releases.
"There would be no reduction in the amount of water that would come over the Trinity system to the Sacramento Valley," he said. "It won't change the remainder of our operations. It's going to be felt as a reduced storage in the Trinity Reservoir."
Milligan estimated that there will be about a 25,000 acre-foot reduction in stored water in Trinity Lake for the next year.
FUTURE PLANS
When asked whether the bureau was developing a long-term plan to avoid future disasters from occurring, Murillo said it is in the works.
"We were working on it last year, when we had the request for the fall flows," he said. "There was a lawsuit filed last year. That put a hold on that plan. We are going to try and move forward with something soon. ... I don't have a date for you."
Murillo said the bureau will also take into consideration the law passed by Congress in 1955 establishing the Trinity River Division Project, which states that only water other than that needed to protect Trinity River fish can be exported into the Central Valley, and that there was to be 50,000 acre-feet of water released annually for Humboldt County and downstream water users' benefit.
As for the number of fall-run chinook salmon expected in the lower Klamath River this year, Don Reck of the bureau's Northern California Area Office they expect just short of 93,000 fish ? but Murillo said high numbers on the Columbia may mean smaller numbers in the Klamath.
DODGING A BULLET
Though the releases come later than what North Coast tribes had been pushing for since the beginning of the year, Tucker said the rivers and fish will have a well-needed break from the drought.
"It's a biological system so it's difficult to know exactly what's going to happen, but I don't think it's too late," he said. "Fish are just starting to get into the system. We'll start seeing the benefits on the lower Klamath in about two to three days. We'll start seeing the temperatures drop. We still have to dodge a bullet, but we have a really good chance to dodge that bullet now."
Though he said good science and rationales back this decision, Murillo said other areas could file for an injunction to cut off the extra flows.
"There is always that possibility," he said.
California 2nd District Congressman Jared Huffman released a statement Friday saying that he will continue to push the federal agencies to protect the North Coast's water, as well as the people and fish who rely on it.
"There is still a lot of work to do to get the bureau on track to making responsible long-term plans for using one of our critical resources in a way that protects salmon and the people that depend on them while appropriately balancing the need for food production," his statement reads.
Will Houston can be reached at 707-441-0504.
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Sat Aug 23 10:43:27 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 10:43:27 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Reclamation releases additional flows to stop Klamath
	River fish kill!
References: <1408815276.72270.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <25C1FEC2-D25F-4E63-ABF0-07058CE3C780@fishsniffer.com>

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/08/22/18760505.php
"We have determined that unprecedented conditions over the past few  
weeks in the lower Klamath River require us to take emergency measures  
to help reduce the potential for a large-scale fish die-off,? said Mid- 
Pacific Regional Director David Murillo. ?This decision was made based  
on science and after consultation with Tribes, water and power users,  
federal and state fish regulatory agencies, and others.?


800_westlands_sucks_the_t...
original image ( 5184x3456)

Reclamation releases additional flows to stop Klamath River fish kill!

by Dan bacher

After a big protest by the Yurok, Karuk and Hoopa Valley Tribes and  
their supporters at the Bureau of Reclamation offices in Sacramento on  
Tuesday, Reclamation announced Friday morning that it will release  
additional water from Trinity Reservoir to supplement flows in the  
lower Klamath River to help protect the returning run of adult Chinook  
salmon.

?We have determined that unprecedented conditions over the past few  
weeks in the lower Klamath River require us to take emergency measures  
to help reduce the potential for a large-scale fish die-off,? said Mid- 
Pacific Regional Director David Murillo in a news release and at a  
conference call this morning with reporters from throughout the state.  
?This decision was made based on science and after consultation with  
Tribes, water and power users, federal and state fish regulatory  
agencies, and others.?

Murillo said, "several recent factors prevalent in the lower Klamath  
River are the basis for the decision to provide emergency augmentation  
flows."

Reclamation will increase releases from Lewiston Dam beginning at 7  
a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23, from approximately 450 cubic feet per  
second to approximately 950 cfs to achieve a flow rate of 2,500 cfs in  
the lower Klamath River.

At 7 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 25, releases from Lewiston Dam will begin  
increasing to approximately 2,450 cfs to achieve a flow rate of  
approximately 4,000 cfs in the lower Klamath River.

This release from Lewiston Dam will be maintained for approximately 24  
hours before returning to approximately 950 cfs and will be regulated  
at approximately that level as necessary to maintain lower Klamath  
River flows at 2,500 cfs until approximately Sunday, Sept. 14. River  
and fishery conditions will be continuously monitored, and those  
conditions will determine the duration.

?We fully recognize that during this prolonged severe drought, every  
acre-foot of water is extremely valuable, and we are making every  
effort to conserve water released for fish health purposes to reduce  
hardships wherever possible,? added Murillo.

Reclamation will continue to work with NOAA Fisheries and other  
federal agencies to comply with applicable provisions of the  
Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.The  
public is urged to take all necessary precautions on or near the river  
while flows are high during this period.

There is no doubt that this decision would not have taken place  
without the big campaign by Klamath River Tribal activists and  
fishermen to stop a fish kill by urging the Bureau to release more  
water from Trinity Reservoir and Lewiston Dam. Congratulations go to  
everybody who made this possible!

Over 200 Tribal members and their allies from the Trinity and Klamath  
river watersheds held a four-hour protest at the Bureau of Reclamation  
offices in Sacramento on August 19 to urge them to release more water  
from upriver dams to stop a massive fish kill.

Members of the Yurok, Hoopa Valley and Karuk tribes, as well as  
leaders of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, displayed an array of signs and  
banners with slogans including ?Fish Need Water,? ?Let The River  
Flow,? "Give Us Our Water, " "Save The Salmon," "Tribal Rights Are Non  
Negotiable," "Release The Dam Water," "Undam the Klamath - Free the  
Trinity," "Fish Can't Swim In Money," and "Westlands Sucks The Trinity  
Dry."

"Thank you, all of the people that fight for the water/fish and our  
ways of life!" said Dania Colegrove, organizer for Got Water? and  
Hoopa Valley Tribal Member after hearing of the victory.

The Karuk Tribe issued a statement praising the Bureau's decision:

"The Karuk Tribal Council is extremely thrilled to announce the Bureau  
of Reclamation has announced they will be releasing additional water  
from the Trinity Reservoir to supplement flows in the Lower Klamath  
River. Flows will be released beginning on Saturday morning at 7 a.m.,  
causing a flow rate of approximately 2,500 cfs in the lower Klamath.

Hopefully the release of water is not too late, and it will prevent a  
major fish kill like we saw in 2002. Over 60,000 fall Chinook were  
lost in 2002, due to low flows and warm water temperatures which  
allowed disease and other trauma to negatively impact the fish.

The Tribal Council would like to personally thank all of the strong  
advocates for the fish and the rivers, including both the Trinity  
River and the Klamath River. Your dedication and commitment to  
grassroots activism coupled with strong science is what led to these  
vital releases of water. We are thankful for all of your prayers and  
we are grateful that your actions yielded positive results. During  
this time of ceremony and healing for the Tribe, our Tribal Members  
and communities should not have had to go to such great lengths to get  
results. We are glad that they are now able to relax for the moment  
and focus on strength and healing for our important ceremonies."

Corporate agribusiness leaders, including Dan Nelson, Executive  
Director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, weren't  
happy with the release of water from Trinity Reservoir, claiming it  
was for "speculative fishery purposes," in a press release entitled,  
"Reclamation announces it will dump water while thousands stand in  
line for food handouts."

"Today, United States Bureau of Reclamation announced it will dump  
precious Central Valley Project water while the people of our valley  
suffer from well-documented and widely reported social and economic  
destruction as a result of government policies compounded by the  
drought," said Nelson. "While over 2,000,000 acres of farm land  
throughout the Central Valley, which produces over half of the  
nation's fruit, nuts and vegetables, continues to have a 0 percent  
water supply from the Central Valley Project, Reclamation has  
determined there is somehow enough water available to let it go down  
the Lower Klamath River in the hope it may help conditions for  
unthreatened salmon. This decision is wrong - both scientifically and  
morally."

It's ironic that agribusiness interests, who have imposed a system of  
institutional poverty on farmworkers on the west side of the San  
Joaquin Valley for many decades, are claiming "social and economic  
destruction" to be the "result of government policies compounded by  
the drought." For more information, see Lloyd Carter's 2010 article in  
the Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal: http://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033&context=gguelj

For more information about the Tuesday rally in Sacramento, go to: https://intercontinentalcry.org/tribal-members-rally-sacramento-stop-klamath-river-fish-kill-25355/
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Aug 24 09:11:06 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 09:11:06 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Time running out for California water bill
Message-ID: <1408896666.31565.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/23/6647180/time-running-out-for-california.html#mi_rss=Latest%20News?

Time running out for California water bill

By Michael Doyle
McClatchy Washington Bureau
Published: Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014 - 9:00 pm
Last Modified: Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014 - 10:34 pm
WASHINGTON -- Secret negotiations over a California water bill are nearing a make-or-break moment, after a long, dry summer that?s tested some political alliances.
The state?s Democratic senators are struggling to balance sympathy for Central Valley farmers with concern for environmental protection. The Obama administration has sometimes moved slowly. Some regional conflicts remain unreconciled.
And time is short.
?We?re going back and forth,? Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein said in Lake Tahoe recently. ?It?s difficult, obviously, because the situation continues to worsen, not get better. And hopefully we will have something in the next couple weeks.?
Once it surfaces, the California water bill would be the most explicit congressional response to the drought that has dominated the state and decimated some farms. It could redirect water deliveries, authorize new dams and ease environmental rules. Or, it might be more modest.
Either way, the legislation would be the compromise between a 68-page version passed by the Republican-controlled House in February and a 16-page version passed by the Senate in May.
?The House and Senate continue to negotiate throughout the August recess,? noted Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., adding that ?it is critical that the Senate and House put in place both immediate and long-term solutions to this water crisis.?
Diligently enforced secrecy shields the talks so far.
House Democrats who represent the 1,100 square-mile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta say they aren?t privy to the negotiations. Participants have effectively imposed a gag order on themselves. Normally friendly staffers zip their lips. Normally clued-in lobbyists are cut out.
?If there are negotiations underway in secret, we would be concerned and troubled,? said Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif.
Underscoring the political calculations, Republicans say the Delta-area Democrats like Garamendi aren?t going to vote for the California water bill anyway, so it makes no sense to engage them.
Substantively, delicate balancing acts abound. House Republicans, for instance, have insisted on the necessity of authorizing new water storage projects. Some Senate Republicans, though, are leery of any bill with dollar signs attached.
One California Democrat who is participating in the talks, Rep. Jim Costa, said Friday that ?there is a possibility? that the final bill includes a specific project like raising the earthen dam at San Luis Reservoir west of Los Banos, as part of a larger repair job.
?I think the discussions have been positive,? Costa said, adding that ?we?re working hard, and we understand there is a critical timeline.?
The clock certainly adds challenges.
Congress returns from its August recess on Sept. 8, with but 10 legislative work days set for the month. By Oct. 4, lawmakers will depart again until, at least, after the November elections. Prospects for a post-election lameduck session remain uncertain.
Consequently, House and Senate staffers must essentially finish their grunt work this month so that members can settle any final differences and find floor time for voting.
Legislative proposals has been swapped on specific ideas; although not yet, apparently, as a complete package.
Kiel P. Weaver, long-time staff director of the House water and power subcommittee, is a key House negotiator. Feinstein is primarily represented in the negotiations by her legislative director John Watts, an attorney. A Republican staffer from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is involved, as are individual offices like those of Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., the original author of the House bill. Newly elected House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield adds heft.
Some progress has been reported, particularly between Feinstein and House Republicans. The still-complicated dynamics, though, include potential differences between Feinstein and Boxer. Feinstein is significantly closer to the state?s agricultural community than Boxer.
Donors affiliated with agribusiness ranked third among Feinstein?s campaign contributors between 2009 and 2014, records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics show. Farm-related donations did not rank among the 20 industries contributing to Boxer.
Boxer, in turn, is chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and is protective of the Endangered Species Act, a law that can steer California water away from farms.
?Senator Boxer has been giving her ideas and opinions throughout this process to make sure we are on the right track,? Boxer?s press secretary Peter True said.
At least one mid-August deadline for the Obama administration to deliver written proposals or responses came and went, according to one informed source. Costa, though, said Friday he didn?t know of any missed deadlines, and he indicated the administration is engaged and giving feedback.
A bill?s passage by the House would be simpler than in the Senate, where individual members can gum up the works. The Senate?s political future further thickens the plot, as a number of prognosticators predict Republicans could reclaim control following the November election. That prospect, in turn, could either accelerate or decelerate momentum for the package that?s still being worked out.
?I want to be careful here,? Costa said Friday, when asked for some details. ?I don?t want to box us in.?

Email: mdoyle at mcclatchydc.com; Twitter: @MichaelDoyle10.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/23/6647180/time-running-out-for-california.html#mi_rss=Latest%20News#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Aug 24 12:31:35 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 12:31:35 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Congressman_Huffman_applauds_the_Bureau?=
 =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=99s_decision_to_finally_release_water_to_salmon_struggli?=
 =?utf-8?q?ng_in_the_Klamath_and_Trinity_rivers=2E?=
Message-ID: <1408908695.97367.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

From?Congressman Jared Huffman:
Congressman Huffman applauds the Bureau?s decision to finally release water to salmon struggling in the Klamath and Trinity rivers.
>WASHINGTON??Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) released the following statement after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced that it will release water to protect Trinity River salmon:
>?I applaud the Bureau?s decision to finally release water to salmon struggling in the Klamath and Trinity rivers. While it is abundantly clear that the Bureau?s water management plans have been consistently shortsighted and that the irresponsible excessive diversion of water to the Sacramento River forced us into this difficult situation, the decision announced today indicates that the Bureau at least kept listening to the growing evidence of a looming disaster for salmon and is now doing the right thing.
>?I appreciate the Bureau?s and the U.S. Interior Secretary?s willingness to listen to the Yurok, Hoopa and Karuk tribes and to demands from my office, and to change course from their original decision which would have needlessly imperiled vital salmon stocks in one of the driest years on record. I especially appreciate the tribes? tenacity in demanding protection for these important public resources, and to the other deeply committed stakeholders who have spoken up on this issue.
>?There is still a lot of work to do to get the Bureau on track to making responsible long-term plans for using one of our critical resources in a way that protects salmon and the people that depend on them while appropriately balancing the need for food production. I will apply consistent pressure on the agency to move in that direction, and I will stand with federal agencies when they do the right thing ? because we know that litigious and powerful San Joaquin Valley interests will at every turn file legal challenges against salmon protection as they seek to divert more of our north coast water.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Aug 25 08:42:58 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 08:42:58 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Weaverville fire news
Message-ID: <1408981378.18840.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_25bf3d78-2bef-11e4-97c3-0017a43b2370.html
Mandatory evacuations now "advisory"
Trinity Journal staff | Posted: Sunday, August 24, 2014 6:15 pm
Weaverville fire
A helicopter carries a full bucket of water north of Trinity High School Sunday evening.
Firefighters reported good progress on the Oregon fire that caused evacuations in Weaverville Sunday, and this morning all mandatory evacuations were changed to advisory, the Trinity County Sheriff's Office said.
The shelter at the First Baptist Church in Weaverville will remain open until further notice.
Only one structure has burned in the fire, a large metal shop building on Weaver Bally Road that was lost Sunday night.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but at a briefing this morning one of the firefighting supervisors described it as a "vehicle collision."
****
Firefighters hope to block the Oregon fire that threatens Weaverville with a dozer line by Monday morning, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Dave Hotchkiss said.
"The wind let up which helped immensely," Hotchkiss said at approximately 10:30 p.m. Sunday. At that point he said the fire was about 10 percent contained, and with more equipment ordered he was "optimistic" the dozer line could be completed by morning.
With aggressive aircraft use, the fire was basically held in check just above the Weaverville Airport, he said.
"It's going better," he said, but added that the fire still has "a lot of potential... Weaverville was and is threatened."
Firefighters were attempting to determine if any structures had been lost.
Evacuations are still in effect.
*****
The Oregon fire north and west of Weaverville is now estimated at 650 acres.
The Trinity County Sheriff?s Office is issuing a mandatory fire evacuation for the following Weaverville areas:
Leslie Lane, Weaver Bally Road, Weaver Bally Estates, Fisher Price Lane, Ridge Road, Easter Avenue, Barbara Avenue, Garden Gulch, Browns Ranch Road, Squires Lane, East Weaver Creek Road, Airport Road, Brooks Lane and Squires Lane.
Additional mandatory evacuations as of 7:45 p.m. Sunday are as follows:
Kelso Street, Mulligan Street, Willow Avenue, Manzanita Street, Reservoir Road, Town Reservoir Road, Tom Bell Road, Angel Hill Road, Brashaw Road, Benoist Lane.
The Red Cross evacuation center is located at the Weaverville Elementary School.
The fire, which began Sunday afternoon, Aug. 24, is? headed toward the Weaverville Airport.
Highway 299 is open with a pilot car over Oregon Mountain.
On August 25, 2014 starting at 8:00AM, the Red Cross evacuation center will be moving to the Weaverville First Baptist Church located on Highway 299 across from Mountain View Rd.
* * *
A wildfire west of Weaverville is causing evacuations.? A dispatcher said notifications are being made along Weaver Bally Road and Leslie Lane. Easter Avenue, Ridge and Barbara Ave. may be evacuated as well.
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From sari at sisqtel.net  Mon Aug 25 10:50:10 2014
From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom)
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 10:50:10 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] CBB: PARASITE-DRIVEN DISEASE HITTING KLAMATH SALMON
	HARD ALSO FOUND TO LESSER DEGREE IN COLUMBIA BASIN
Message-ID: <019301cfc08d$0430ea30$0c92be90$@sisqtel.net>

http://www.cbbulletin.com/431827.aspx

 


Parasite-Driven Disease Hitting Klamath Salmon Hard Also Found To Lesser
Degree In Columbia Basin 
Posted on Friday, August 22, 2014 (PST) 


Some spring chinook salmon adults returning to the Willamette and Deschutes
river basins have been found to be infected by Ceratomyxa shasta (c.
shasta), a parasite-driven disease that is contracted by the fish while in
the river and that can kill adults before they spawn.

 

While it's not unusual for the parasite to reside in rivers of the Columbia
River basin-- such as the Lewis, Cowlitz, Willamette and Deschutes rivers
and up through the Snake River basin --this year with warmer water and lower
flows, the damage to spring chinook is more severe.

 

Since 2002, c. shasta has devastated salmon in the Klamath River in southern
Oregon and Northern California, where this year, due to extremely low flows
and warm water, the parasite has invaded more than three quarters of
juvenile out-migrants. 

 

While the severity does not match that of the Klamath River, researchers are
still finding infected adult fish in at least two Columbia River basin
streams, according to Craig Banner, senior fish health specialist, Fish
Health Services, Department of Microbiology, Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife.

 

Banner said that fewer spring chinook salmon than expected have returned
this year to Warm Springs and Round Butte fish hatcheries on the Deschutes
River in Central Oregon and that some that did return had signs that c.
shasta was taking its toll. He was hesitant to point to the parasite as the
cause of the overall poor return of fish on the Deschutes River. Many of the
fish, he said, had rough gills as a result of another pathogen. "The bottom
line is that not as many fish came back this year," he said.

 

However, Willamette River spring chinook salmon are showing signs of harsher
physical damage.

 

"c. shasta is always present and we always find it in a portion of the adult
fish," Banner said. "However, this year, in a portion of our adult fish, the
parasite seems to be causing more dramatic pathogenic damage."

 

The parasite usually settles in the intestines of fish, both juvenile and
adult fish that have been exposed. This year, he said, biologists studying
adult spring chinook salmon in the Willamette River are also seeing more of
the parasite in livers, spleens and kidneys of the fish, even though chinook
salmon are "somewhat resistant" to the effects of the parasite.

 

"Resistance, however, is related to how much the fish is exposed to the
parasite," he said. "Unusually high exposure leaves them less resistant to
the disease." 

 

He is not sure why there would be a higher exposure of the parasite to
salmon this year, but pointed to stream conditions, warmer water and lower
flows, as having the potential to increase the presence of c. shasta. 

 

"These are bad conditions for fish, but good conditions for the parasite,"
he said.

 

For adult salmon, there is little visual indication to the lay person that
c. shasta parasites reside within the fish, nor is there any particular
damage to the flesh of the fish, and eating the fish is not harmful to
humans, Banner said. 

 

Once the salmon picks up c. shasta from the water, incubation to
full-fledged parasite takes 14 to 40 days before a salmon could die. The
fish could have picked up the parasite anywhere along their journey to
spawning after they arrive in the fresh water of the Columbia River. Or,
they may have been exposed in the Willamette River or the Deschutes River,
where warmer water and lower flows are more conducive to the parasite's
presence.

 

ODFW has not completed field studies to determine the full impact this year
of the parasite on adult or juvenile salmon populations in the Willamette
River. However, it is collecting pathology samples from the intestines,
liver, spleen and kidneys of fish in the river. 

 

In addition, one of the leading authorities on c. Shasta is collecting water
samples in the Willamette River, looking at the presence of c. shasta in the
water. Professor Jerri Bartholomew, director of the John L. Fryer Salmon
Disease Laboratory at Oregon State University, did graduate work on the
parasite in the late 1980s. For more than a decade she has been especially
busy leading research of c. shasta in the Klamath River Basin, where the
parasite is far more prevalent and damaging to fish runs.

 

Bartholomew confirmed that temperature and flow has a lot to do with the
severity of the infection, pointing to conditions in the Klamath River,
where extreme low flows and high water temperatures caused by an
exceptionally poor snow pack this winter, are devastating salmon. 

 

Nick Hetrick, supervisory fish biologist (Fisheries Program Lead), at the
U.S. Fish& Wildlife Service's Arcata, Calif. office, said the snow pack in
the upper Klamath River was as low as 15 percent of normal this year, but
the Trinity River's snowpack, which flows into the Klamath River further
downstream, was near zero. 

 

A survey this summer of juvenile fall chinook out-migrants in the Klamath
River found that c. shasta was present in 76.5 percent of chinook salmon
juveniles and that another parasite, Parvicapsula minibicornis, was detected
in 86 percent of juveniles (
<http://www.fws.gov/Arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates/FishHealthMonitoring/Kla
math%20Juvenile%20Salmonid%20Health%20Update%20July%2028%202014.pdf>
http://www.fws.gov/Arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates/FishHealthMonitoring/Klam
ath%20Juvenile%20Salmonid%20Health%20Update%20July%2028%202014.pdf). Last
year, c. shasta was present in just 5 percent of fish. The impact of the
parasite on juveniles is more visually apparent than in adult fish, as they
develop soft flesh and distended stomachs since the parasite inhabits the
intestines of fish.

 

Neither Hetrick nor Bartholomew would predict the impact of the infection in
juvenile fish on actual adult returns, but both said it could be
significant.

 

Bartholomew also has conducted water surveys in the Klamath River, similar
to the surveys she is conducting in the Willamette River. In 2013, her crew
of researchers found c. shasta in the water six out of the 12 weeks of the
survey. This year they found the parasite in each of the 12 weeks. On the
Klamath River, when parasite abundance is greater than 10 parasites for
every liter of river water, it triggers a pulse of water from upstream dams
to cool the river and reduce what are ideal conditions for the parasite.
That occurred this year in May, but it was a small pulse of water and the
basin has very little water to continue these pulses, she said.

 

c. shasta has long been a presence in the Columbia River watershed (see
"Geographic distribution of Ceratomyxa shasta in the Columbia River basin
and susceptibility of salmonid stocks" by Bartholomew at
<https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/handle/1957/21962>
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/handle/1957/21962

 

However, this is the first time that researchers have collected water
samples in the Willamette River and there isn't any river in the Columbia
River basin in which c. shasta abundance would automatically trigger a pulse
of water to cool the river as in the Klamath River.

 

 

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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Aug 25 12:18:42 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 12:18:42 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fwd: Tonight: Hear about the vulnerability of Mt.
	Shasta's water supply
In-Reply-To: <F85B91BA-AE1F-4DEA-8291-48CE37DC5057@shastavisions.com>
References: <61fd4d6c0df764094a12b3192552742bc2a.20140825190815@mail227.atl121.mcsv.net>
	<F85B91BA-AE1F-4DEA-8291-48CE37DC5057@shastavisions.com>
Message-ID: <1408994322.67252.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Monday, August 25, 2014 12:10 PM, Richard Lucas <richard at shastavisions.com> wrote:








 
>View this email in your browser    
> 
>? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?    
>  
>Mt. Shasta Area Water Supply?Vulnerability Study  
>Dear?richard at shastavisions.com,
>On?Monday, August 25th, at 5:30 PM, local residents Dan?Axelrod, Frank Toriello and Raven Stevens will present a Mt. Shasta Area Water Supply Vulnerability Study to the Mt. Shasta City Council.
>>>>?
>>>>A slide?presentation?will be given along with a discussion of the ways precipitation (both rain and snow) affects?the availability of?our?water supply and our area?s vulnerability to drought.
>>>>?
>>>>Their report will include historic information on well levels on Crystal Geyser?s property, current sampling information on neighborhood wells, and data on the flows in Big and Cold Springs (Cold Spring is Mt. Shasta City?s?water source).
>>>>?
>>>>This report will provide relevant information to citizens who may wish to comment on the upcoming "scoping"?for the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process for the Crystal Geyser bottling facility, near the headwaters of the Sacramento River.
>>>>?
>>>>A Question and Answer session with the City?Council members is expected. The public will be allowed to briefly?comment?or ask questions if they are specific to the presentation. We encourage you to join this informative presentation and we will keep you updated on the scoping process for the Crystal Geyser EIR!
>>>>?
>>>>?
>>>>5:30 PM?at the Mt. Shasta Community Center,
>>>>626 Alder Street      
>  
> 
>Facebook 
> 
>Twitter 
> 
>Website    
>Copyright ? 2014 Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center, All rights reserved.?
>You are receiving this email because you opted to receive electronic news and updates from the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center.?
>
>Our mailing address is:?
>
>Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center
>P O Box 1143Mount Shasta,?CA?96067
>Add us to your address book
>
>unsubscribe from this list????update subscription preferences??
>
>     
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From sari at sisqtel.net  Mon Aug 25 14:23:19 2014
From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom)
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 14:23:19 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] SiskDailyNews: Scott River salmon rescue draws
	attention from national news
Message-ID: <01eb01cfc0aa$cb1c5a40$61550ec0$@sisqtel.net>

By David Smith
dsmith at siskiyoudaily.com 

August 21. 2014 10:33AM

Scott River salmon rescue draws attention from national news

The effort to rescue and relocate coho salmon in the Scott River is winding down, but it will soon be featured on the national stage. 


Scott Valley rancher and Executive Director of the Scott River Water Trust Preston Harris said Wednesday that a crew from ABC?s Nightline series visited July 31 to cover the salmon rescue efforts. 
According to Harris, the seeds of the plan started forming in late 2013 as it became evident that there would be a ?perfect storm??on the  horizon ? a historic salmon run right in the middle of an extreme drought. 
Last year approximately 3,000 coho salmon returned to the Scott River system, constituting one of the largest runs of the Southern Oregon/
Northern California coho region and an estimated 54 percent of that evolutionary unit?s numbers. 
Coinciding with the salmon run were the ongoing drought conditions in Siskiyou County, bringing little precipitation and leaving the mountains with very little snowpack. 
According to Harris, the conditions forced approximately 95 percent of the returning coho to spawn in the mainstem Scott instead of the tributaries they have used historically. 
With little to no water coming into the system, Harris said, the SRWT, Siskiyou Resource Conservation District and area irrigation districts formed a working group and began to explore strategies for protecting the estimated 4 million salmon fry from drying up.
As it became more clear that the situation was not getting  better, Harris said, the working group was joined by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the United States Forest Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, as well as local consultants and biologists. 
In April, the group and agencies came up with a large-scale monitoring and relocation plan to address the pressing issue, Harris said. He explained that conditions were monitored to identify parts of the river in danger of drying up and the large density of young salmon populations that would most likely die from losing the water. 
According to Harris, identifying the highest-risk populations was only the first part of the effort ? once rescued, they had to go somewhere. 
He said that many of the tributaries the salmon normally use to spawn flow through private property, and landowner approval was crucial to the effort to find new places for the coho to rear. 
According to Harris, approximately 18 landowners stepped in to allow the threatened salmon to be placed on their land, and the state and federal agencies fast-tracked a deal to keep those landowners from being targeted if the fish die. 
The USFS?also agreed to allow relocations on its lands as part of the collaborative effort.
The exchange allows landowners to engage in their normal practices, including agricultural work, as long as ?best management practices??are used. Harris said that that could be water sharing agreements or the landowner agreeing to shut off irrigation at certain times. 
Now at the tail end of the effort, Harris said that about 120,000 coho have been relocated to their natural rearing and spawning grounds, where they are expected to grow until their outmigration in the spring. 
According to Gary Curtis of the CDFW, this year?s coho brood will be back from its trek to the ocean in about three years.
Curtis called the effort a good collaboration, stating that everyone came together to help save the beleaguered fish. 
?We?ve done what we could to mitigate the effects of the drought,??he said. 
According to Harris, those actions caught the attention of ABC?s Nightline program, and the crew that came to Siskiyou County looked at numerous aspects of how the drought is affecting salmon and agriculture in the area. 
For Harris, the hope is that the biggest message to come out of the national story is that landowners played a crucial role in making sure the rescue worked. 
?We knew we were going to be able to do it because the landowners supported it,??he said, lauding participating landowners? willingness to alter their operations to accommodate the salmon and provide a refuge.
?You hope they tell the story you gave them,??Harris said of the Nightline coverage, noting that he feels the crew seemed to focus on the positive aspects of the drought efforts, leaving politics aside. 
Thus far, a date has not been given for the airing of the program, but Curtis said that it could be soon. ABC?was contacted for information but was unable to respond by press time.  
 

http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20140821/NEWS/140829921  <http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20140821/NEWS/140829921> 

 

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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Aug 25 18:52:09 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 18:52:09 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Bring our Water Home Multicultural Rally,
	Lewiston Hatchery, Weds Aug 27, noon
Message-ID: <1409017929.97630.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

See attached flyer.
 
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Aug 26 08:10:44 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 08:10:44 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Friant Water Users on Trinity-Klamath flow releases
Message-ID: <1409065844.1211.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://friantwaterline.org/reclamations-klamath-decision-and-its-cvp-harm/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=reclamations-klamath-decision-and-its-cvp-harm


STATE AND FEDERAL WATER ISSUES, UNITED STATES BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
Reclamation?s Klamath Decision and its CVP Harm
by Online Publisher ? August 25, 2014 ? 0 Comments
August 22, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information, Please Contact: 
RONALD D. JACOBSMA, GENERAL  MANAGER Office:  (559) 562-6305  or  Mobile:  (559) 799-0700
Reclamation?s Klamath Decision and its CVP Harm
Statement by
RONALD D. JACOBSMA,
General Manager, Friant Water Authority
Today the Department of the Interior has again chosen to have the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation utilize Central Valley Project water for a speculative benefit to a fish population in the Klamath river system, which is outside of the CVP, while seemingly disregarding the serious social and environmental consequences this policy decision will have in the Central Valley. This wholly unacceptable action is beyond inflammatory to the Friant Water Authority, its member agencies, the Friant Division?s small family farmers and growers, the cities that are dependent on Friant water, and the other water users who pay for the operation of the CVP?s infrastructure and have been denied any water supply allocation this year. Additionally, water and power contractors are waiting to hear how the lost water supplies and power generation will be made up for these actions this year as well as last year.
Reclamation has now chosen to take emergency actions to allow for releases from the Trinity River to the Klamath River system even though last spring Reclamation steadfastly refused to take emergency actions to avoid the known water supply impacts of regulatory requirements imposed on CVP operations to the people of the Valley. This discretionary action appears to be inconsistent with Reclamation?s contractual obligations to its Central Valley Project contractors. Additionally, when water users requested releases from Shasta this summer to meet critical water needs, Reclamation informed the water users that flows and temperature requirements for Sacramento River salmon precluded such releases. Now it appears such water is available to move to another river system without impact. That is inconsistent on its face. As a result, a Central Valley economic catastrophe continues to unfold as fields are fallowed, orchards are torn out, irrigation and domestic
 wells are going dry and small family farms face financial hardship. Social and environmental impacts such as increased risk of Valley fever, loss of honeybee colonies and diminished air quality due to topsoil loss, are also occurring.
Again this year, the fishery water management plan for the Trinity River ? largest tributary of the Klamath River and an important source of CVP water ? did not include contingency water for fall flow requirements. CVP agricultural and urban contractors efficiently and effectively manage water supply allocations whereas it appears environmental water management is not held to the same level of accountability.
We need common-sense water management and efficiency to be applied to all environmental uses. Poor decisions such as this have caused the Friant Division to this year receive ZERO percent of its contract supply for the first time in more than 60 years. These are all indicators of the need for the House-Senate conference now under way in Congress to reconcile the bills each house has passed into one measure that truly restores balance to Central Valley Project operations. Federal agencies cannot continue to ignore the known damage they are causing to the people, economy and environment of the Central Valley.
The Friant Water Authority is a public joint-powers agency representing 21 water agencies that deliver Central Valley Project water from the Friant Division. The Friant Division consists of 15,000 mostly small family farms on 1.2 million acres along the southern San Joaquin Valley?s East Side. The Authority operates and maintains the Friant-Kern Canal for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Aug 26 08:18:24 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 08:18:24 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Redding.com: Weaverville fire dies down through the
	day
Message-ID: <1409066304.39218.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.redding.com/news/fires/weaverville-fire-dies-down-through-the-day_65987072

Weaverville fire dies down through the day
Damon Arthur
5:58 PM, Aug 25, 2014
12:39 AM, Aug 26, 2014
WEAVERVILLE, California - A day after ripping through 580 acres in just three hours, the Oregon Fire near Weaverville slowed considerably Monday, enabling crews to build more fire line around the blaze.
?Crews are making really good progress on the fire,? California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Eric Hill said. ?The fire laid down substantially.?
The fire broke out shortly after 4:30 p.m. Sunday just west of Weaverville near Oregon Mountain, and pushed by strong winds it made a run through steep terrain to the east toward the north side of Weaverville. But as the winds died down, so did the fire, which did not grow overnight or through the burn period Monday afternoon.
Hill said there have been several fires in the Oregon Mountain area over the 15 years, with the most recent again burning through an area still recovering from fire.
?It pretty much burned through old burn scars,? Hill said.
Cal Fire spokeswoman Cheryl Buliavac said a trailer came unhitched from a vehicle towing a boat on a trailer. The trailer threw off sparks as it was dragged across the pavement, starting the fire on Highway 299 near the Oregon Summit.
Firefighters were able to get a line around the fire Sunday night as the winds died, creating favorable conditions for crews, Buliavac.
On Monday morning, the fire was estimated at 650 acres and 25 percent contained, but by Monday evening officials recalculated its size at 580 acres and 45 percent contained. One building, described as a large barn off Weaver Bally Road, was destroyed by the fire, Cal Fire officials said.
Hill said one firefighter was treated for a heat-related injury. As of 6 p.m. today, all evacuation orders had been lifted and the Red Cross Shelter at Weaverville First Baptist Church closed.
Alex Cousins, manager of the Trinity County Resource Management District, said the fire burned through much of the 13,000-acre Weaverville Community Forest, which surrounds the town. The community forest serves as a demonstration area in which a collaboration of Weaverville residents, Forest Service and other agencies thin the forest regularly.
The fire may have been slowed as it went through the forest due to thinning and prescribed burns, he said.
This past spring crews burned about 70 acres north of Weaverville to thin out the forest to improve forest health and reduce fire intensity. Cousins said he wasn?t sure if the fire burned through or near the prescribed fire.
He was sure the fire was slowed by some thinning done in 2010 near homes in the neighborhood around Trinity High School. A fire that burned through the area in 2001 torched 1,600 acres over a period of several days, compared to Sunday?s 580 acres in one day, which may be due to the thinning done in the area, Cousins said.
Officials also assigned nine air tankers to the fire, which according to one Weaverville resident made up a ?constant stream? of aircraft dropping retardant and water on the fire shortly after it started.
Hill said with the strong winds pushing the fire toward Weaverville, fire officials sent in a large number of aircraft early on because they didn?t want to take any chances of having the fire burn through town.
Cathy Anderson of Weaverville said she and others were sitting outside Tops Market off Highway 299 on Sunday night watching the fire move toward town.
?The fire was moving fast,? said Anderson, who has seen many fires burn the hills around Weaverville. ?What was different about this one was we could watch how fast it was growing.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Aug 26 10:05:02 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 10:05:02 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Maven's Notebook: SLDMWA and Westlands file for TRO
	against releases of water for Klamath salmon
Message-ID: <1409072702.80955.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://mavensnotebook.com/2014/08/26/this-just-in-san-luis-delta-mendota-water-authority-westlands-file-for-temporary-restraining-order-against-releases-of-water-for-klamath-salmon/

This just in ? San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority & Westlands file for Temporary Restraining Order against releases of water for Klamath salmon
Other news,?Sliderbox Posts
by?Maven
The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority and the Westlands Water District has filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in U.S. District Court against Reclamation's release of water for the Klamath salmon.
The legal memorandum spells out the details of their case.? All spring and summer, San Joaquin Valley farmers have pleaded with Reclamation for water and have been told that there is no water to spare.? ?They have been told that it cannot be helped, that their trees and crops, their livelihoods, their communities, cannot be spared from the consequences of a terrible drought, that sending them even 10,000 acre-feet would be ?irresponsible.? Even Reclamation?s mandatory obligations to exchange contractors and wildlife refuges are going unfulfilled,? the memorandum states.? ?But it turns out there is stored CVP water available for release this year after all, just not for them.?
On Friday, August 22nd, Reclamation reversed their previous decision and announced it would release 30,000 AF of water or more to increase flows in the lower Klamath River to protect against possibility of a fish die-off, an event that has only happened once in recorded history, the memorandum points out.? ?The risk to endangered salmon in the Sacramento River that for months has been cited by Reclamation as the primary bar to using any more water form storage for farmers is somehow no impediment at all for this speculative use,? the memorandum states.
The plaintiffs are seeking a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to stop the releases.? The memorandum states that while the Court ultimately allowed similar releases to proceed last year, there are key differences this year.? The projected run size of the salmon returning to the river is about a third of what was projected last year, and new data collected within the last weeks shows that there is enough water currently to disrupt the spread of disease, they say.? With the continued drought, CVP carryover storage will be even lower than it was last year, threatening the cold water pool needed for listed salmon species, the memorandum points out.
The memorandum alleges that the releases of water are unlawful as they violate sections of the?Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA)?and section 8 of the Reclamation Act, as well as failing to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. The releases ?will cause irreparable harm by denying water users 20k,000 acre-feet or more of desperately needed water.? The balance of hardships favors injunctive relief, especially given certain harm from water shortages compared to the speculative necessity of releases to prevent disease in the lower Klamath River.?
Read the entire legal memorandum here:??Trinity TRO Memorandum ISO of TRO-PI Motion
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Aug 27 08:34:58 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2014 08:34:58 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: Updated: Deja vu: Irrigators ask
	judge to cut off water for salmon
Message-ID: <1409153698.27853.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/breakingnews/ci_26409592/deja-vu-irrigators-ask-judge-cut-off-water

Updated: Deja vu: Irrigators ask judge to cut off water for salmon
By JEFF BARNARD
Associated Press
POSTED: ? 08/26/2014 12:26:01 PM PDT0 COMMENTS
UPDATED: ? 08/26/2014 12:53:17 PM PDT

Agricultural water providers in the Central Valley of California asked a federal judge to stop releases of extra water intended to help salmon in the Klamath Basin survive the drought.
The petition for a temporary injunction was filed late Monday in U.S. District Court in Fresno by Westlands Water District and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, which supply farmers.
At issue is water held in a reservoir on the Trinity River, which has been divided between the Trinity and Sacramento river basins for more than 50 years.
To prevent a repeat of a 2002 fish kill that left tens of thousands of Klamath River salmon dead, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation started increasing flows into the Trinity River on Saturday.
The flows are intended to prevent the spread of disease and get adult salmon to start moving upstream. The fish are a source of commercial and subsistence fisheries by Klamath Basin tribes and sport fishing by the public.
The water districts argued that the releases for salmon are not authorized by laws governing the apportionment of Trinity River water, and that releasing extra water for salmon will cause harm to the districts.
The bureau did not reduce the amount of water going to irrigators, but if the drought continues, there will be less water in the reservoir next year.
In a memo filed with the court, the bureau wrote that Interior Secretary Sally Jewell based her decision to release extra water on a 1955 law that allows for export of some of the Trinity's water to the Central Valley, as well as the federal government's responsibility to protect tribal resources such as salmon.
A longstanding lawsuit over how the water is shared is nearing a ruling. Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill wrote that he expected to issue a ruling on the injunction request by Thursday.
Hoopa Valley Tribe Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten said the injunction petition by the districts made her feel like she was in a David-Goliath fight.
"They have deep pockets, and we are a tribe that works off a little subsidy from the federal government,' she said.
Water district lawyer Dan O'Hanlon said in an email he had no comment.?


?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Aug 27 09:27:06 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2014 09:27:06 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: eNewsletter: Lead Agencies to Publish Partially
	Recirculated Draft BDCP, EIR/EIS, and Implementing Agreement
In-Reply-To: <34af1e1ad420807a39b3724f6998ba54393.20140827160734@mail55.wdc03.rsgsv.net>
References: <34af1e1ad420807a39b3724f6998ba54393.20140827160734@mail55.wdc03.rsgsv.net>
Message-ID: <1409156826.78092.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

It will be interesting to see how they address the Trinity River, especially given the events of the past week.

TS

On Wednesday, August 27, 2014 9:11 AM, Bay Delta Conservation Plan <info at BayDeltaConservationPlan.com> wrote:






eNewsletter: Lead Agencies to Publish Partially Recirculated Draft BDCP, EIR/EIS, and Implementing Agreement  
      
August 27, 2014     
    
Lead Agencies?to?Publish?Partially Recirculated Draft BDCP, EIR/EIS, and Implementing Agreement
?
The?Department of Water Resources and the other state and federal agencies leading the Bay Delta Conservation Plan will publish a Recirculated Draft BDCP, Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS), and Implementing Agreement (IA)?in early 2015.? The agencies are currently reviewing the comments received through the public comment period that ended on July 29, 2014.? The scope of the partially recirculated draft documents will be announced in approximately six to eight weeks. The recirculated documents will include those portions of each document that warrant another public review prior to publication of final documents. ?The public will also have the opportunity to review the final documents prior to their adoption and any decisions about the proposed actions.          
                           
Copyright ? 2014 Bay Delta Conservation Plan, All rights reserved.

Contact Us:
bdcp.comments at noaa.gov ?| ?866.924.9955 ?| ?baydeltaconservationplan.com

unsubscribe from this list????update subscription preferences?
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Wed Aug 27 12:13:04 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2014 19:13:04 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek 34
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C202F8D@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi All,
Please see attachment for the Jweek 34 Trinity River trapping summary update.  The Junction City weir was removed from the river on Aug 22 to prevent any damage to it from the release of augmentation flows that will peak at 2450 cfs today Aug. 27th.  We plan to re-install the weir as flows subside on Aug 29.  Installation of the Willow Creek weir is planned for Sept. 2nd.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Aug 27 16:33:22 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2014 16:33:22 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Breaking News: WWD/SLDMWA Denied TRO for
	Trinity/Klamath flows!
Message-ID: <1409182402.61216.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

I just heard that Judge O'Neill denied the request for a temporary restraining order. ?I will post more news as I get it.?
?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Aug 27 16:40:52 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2014 16:40:52 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Judge O'Neill's ruling
Message-ID: <1409182852.94103.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Great news! ?The judge's ruling is attached.
?
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Aug 28 07:45:00 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 07:45:00 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: Judge won't stop water releases for
	Klamath salmon
Message-ID: <1409237100.26597.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26422594/judge-wont-stop-water-releases-klamath-salmon

 
Judge won't stop water releases for Klamath salmon
Flows to continue under ruling that finds fish would be harmed
Jeff Barnard and Kimberly Wear
The Associated Press and the Times-Standard
POSTED: ? 08/27/2014 11:11:59 PM PDT0 COMMENTS

Click photo to enlarge
Hoopa Tribe members rally at Lewiston Dam. A federal judge on Wednesday... (Courtesy of Viv Orcutt)
A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request by irrigation suppliers in California's Central Valley to stop emergency water releases ordered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that are intended to prevent another fish kill on the Klamath River.
U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill in Fresno denied the temporary injunction sought by Westlands Water District and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority. Westlands is the nation's largest supplier of water for agricultural use.
"The Court finds that, although Reclamation has not presented an entirely consistent approach to determining the need for FARs, the circumstances justify the planned 2014 FARs as a measure needed to prevent a fish kill that could significantly impact this year's fall-run Chinook in the lower Klamath," he wrote.
O'Neill noted that the request came as he comes close to a ruling on similar challenges to the 2013 Flow Augmentation Releases, or FARs.
"The Court concludes that, even though Plaintiffs are likely to (and in all likelihood soon will) succeed on the merits of at least one of their claims against Reclamation in connection with the 2013 FARs, the balance of the harms does not warrant an injunction at this time," O'Neill wrote. "Even if the Court were prepared immediately to issue a final ruling on the merits in favor of Plaintiffs, an injunction would not be automatic. The potential harm to the Plaintiffs from the potential, but far from certain, loss of added water supply in 2015 does not outweigh the potentially catastrophic damage that 'more likely than not' will occur to this year's salmon runs in the absence of the 2014 FARs."
Dan O'Hanlon, attorney for the irrigation suppliers, did not immediately respond to a telephone call and email seeking comment. The bureau routinely refuses to comment on pending litigation.
At issue is water in a Trinity River reservoir, which has long been shared with farmers in the Central Valley. The river is the main tributary of the Klamath River, where sharing scarce water between fish and farms has long been a tough balancing act marked by lawsuits and political battles.
For local tribes that have been fighting for years to keep river flows at healthy levels for fish, Hoopa Tribe Fisheries Department Director Mike Orcutt said Wednesday's ruling was another step forward.
"The good news for fish is that the courts didn't find enough evidence or supporting evidence to halt the flows that started on Saturday," he said.
Orcutt added that evidence of health concerns for fish, including blue-green algae, stress to fish and movement of fish entering the lower Klamath River, proved the need for water to continue to be released into the Trinity River.
"The outcome that we were trying to prevent is a fish kill on the lower Klamath, like what happened in 2002," Orcutt said. "It would have been devastating if the courts would have halted the flows."
The Bureau of Reclamation ordered the emergency releases last week. The agency has said the salmon releases were not expected to reduce the amount of water exported to the Sacramento River this year, but would likely mean less water stored for next year.
Tribes that depend on the salmon for subsistence, ceremonial and commercial fisheries had pressed the bureau to reverse an earlier decision to only release more water once significant numbers of fish began to die.
"The court again recognized the scientific basis for the supplemental releases, and the best decision was made for the resource and the fishery," said Susan Masten, vice chairwoman of the Yurok Tribe, in a release. "Klamath (Basin) water is meant to support Klamath River fish, not industrial agriculture in the Central Valley."
In his ruling, O'Neill cited a statement from tribal fisheries consultant Joshua Strange that the extra water was needed to prevent an outbreak of disease from a parasite known as Ich, short for Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, that attacks fish crowded together in drought conditions. The parasite was the prime killer of salmon in the 2002 drought.
O'Neill noted that the fish expert for the irrigation suppliers, Charles Hanson, asserted that higher, colder flows in the Trinity would harm other protected species, such as the Western pond turtle, yellow-legged frog and lamprey.
Staff writer Juniper Rose contributed to this report.
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Aug 28 08:18:42 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 08:18:42 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Redding.com: Indian tribes rally to support salmon
Message-ID: <1409239122.20363.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.redding.com/news/local-news/indian-tribes-rally-to-support-salmon_92347628

Indian tribes rally to support salmon
Damon Arthur
7:38 PM, Aug 27, 2014
7:45 PM, Aug 27, 2014
?
Copyright 2014 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
ANDREAS FUHRMANN
SHOW CAPTION
LEWISTON, California - More than 200 members of North State American Indian tribes and their supporters gathered near Lewiston Dam on Wednesday to rally for the fish they say are at the center of their cultures.
?This brings all the water warriors together to show them we have a united front,? said Danielle Vigil-Masten, chairwoman of the Hoopa Valley Tribe.
The Hoopa were joined by members of the Yurok, Karuk, Winnemum Wintu and Nor Rel Muk tribes at the Trinity River Fish Hatchery near the dam. Members at a barbecue lunch and listened to traditional songs and watched tribal dancing.
Vigil-Masten said they were celebrating a decision made last week to send more water out of Lewiston Dam and down the Trinity River, a tributary to the Klamath River, where tribes and others were worried about low water levels causing a die-off among spawning salmon.
?We were bracing for another catastrophic die-off,? said Trinity County Supervisor Debra Chapman, who attended Wednesday?s rally.
In 2002 more than 30,500 fish died in the lower Klamath River under similar low, warm water conditions.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation agreed last week to send pulse flows of water down the river to prevent an outbreak of fish disease. But on Monday two San Joaquin Valley agricultural water agencies, the Westlands Water District and the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority, sued the agency to stop the higher flows.
The two agencies argued the bureau did not have the authority to increase water flows, and that sending more water downstream would further harm agricultural communities in the San Joaquin Valley that are already suffering from the effects of the drought.
A little more than half the water in Trinity Lake is piped over the mountains to Whiskeytown Lake and eventually ends up in the Sacramento River, which flows through the San Joaquin Delta on its way to the Pacific Ocean.
But a federal judge on Wednesday denied the agencies? request. It was the second year in a row a judge had ruled against the water agencies.
Vigil-Masten said the high water flows were due to a recent visit to the North State from Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewel. Members of her tribe held a small rally in Redding when Jewell visited Redding on Aug. 12. Two days after Jewell?s visit, members of her staff visited her tribe and traveled out to the Klamath River, where they were shown fish dying in the water, Vigil-Masten said.
The following week, the bureau agreed to increase water levels in the river, she said.
Earlier this week, dam releases were scheduled to be more than 2,000 cubic-feet second. On Wednesday, the flow was at 950 cfs. The pulse flows are to continue until at least Sept. 14.
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Aug 28 12:13:30 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 12:13:30 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] TAMWG Agenda Sept 9-10 Weaverville
Message-ID: <1409253210.8631.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Please note there is no call in available for this meeting!
?
Trinity River Adaptive Management Working Group
AGENDA
Meeting of September 9-10, 2014
NOTE: Times Subject to Change
?
In-Person ONLY Location: Weaverville
Fire Hall (2051 Main Street, Weaverville, CA 96093)
?
Tuesday September 9, 2014 
Time Agenda Item Presenter 
9:00 AM Welcome, Introductions, Approve Agenda & Minutes TAMWG 
9:15 AM Public Comment
Note: In accordance with traditional meeting practices, TAMWG will not act on any public comment item during its current business meeting ? 
9:30 AM Designated Federal Officer Items (including Action Tracker Update) Joe Polos 
10:00 AM TMC Chair Update (including Drought and Flows Update) Brian Person 
10:30 AM Executive Director Update Robin Schrock 
11:00 AM TRRP Workgroups Update Ernie Clarke 
12:00 PM Lunch ? 
1:00 PM Implementation Update (Including Phase II Channel Rehab, Hatchery Reach Site and SRH2D-Logic Model) DJ Bandrowski 
2:00 PM Presentation-TMC Phase 1 Review Workshop Robin Schrock/ Ernie Clarke 
3:00 PM Discussion-TRRP Program Goals (Objectives Refinement) Ernie Clarke 
4:00 PM Adjourn ? 
?
?
Wednesday September 10, 2014 
Time Agenda Item Presenter 
9:00 AM Discussion-Follow-Up From May 15 Joint TMC/TAMWG Meeting TAMWG 
10:00 AM Discussion/Presentation-Watershed Work Including Trinity South Fork Alex Cousins/ Ernie Clarke 
11:00 PM Discussion of Reduction to CVPIA Restoration Fund TBD 
12:00 PM Set Next Meeting: Date & Location; Brainstorm Possible Agenda Items TAMWG 
12:30 PM Adjourn ? 
?
*Discussion Postponed-Vision of a Restored River to Help Guide Restoration
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Thu Aug 28 12:20:45 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 12:20:45 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Bay Delta Conservation Plan Delayed!
In-Reply-To: <74235422284233ce874b3c4a6706423c@ofa0.bounce.bluestatedigital.com>
References: <74235422284233ce874b3c4a6706423c@ofa0.bounce.bluestatedigital.com>
Message-ID: <F3D26D37-87A9-4A59-9EE4-9140CF27AE5A@fishsniffer.com>

  http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/bay-delta-conservation-plan-delayed/

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/08/28/18760835.php
Photo: Caleen Sisk, Chief and Spiritual Leader of the Winnemem Wintu  
Tribe, and Jessica Lopez, Chair of the Concow Maidu Tribe, at a  
protest against the Bay Delta Conservation Plan to build the  
peripheral tunnels at the State Capitol in Sacramento on July 29.  
Photo by Dan Bacher.


800_caleen_sisk_and_jessi...

Bay Delta Conservation Plan Delayed!

by Dan Bacher

State officials announced Wednesday that the Bay Delta Conservation  
Plan (BDCP) to build the peripheral tunnels will be delayed and a new  
plan, EIR/EIS and implementing agreement will be drafted, followed by  
the beginning of a new public comment period.

The decision was made after the state and federal agencies received an  
avalanche of thousands of public comments, the vast majority sharply  
criticizing the plan and accompanying environmental documents for an  
array of flaws.

"The Department of Water Resources and the other state and federal  
agencies leading the Bay Delta Conservation Plan will publish a  
Recirculated Draft BDCP, Environmental Impact Report/Environmental  
Impact Statement (EIR/EIS), and Implementing Agreement (IA) in early  
2015," according to yesterday's announcement on the BDCP website. "The  
agencies are currently reviewing the comments received through the  
public comment period that ended on July 29, 2014. The scope of the  
partially recirculated draft documents will be announced in  
approximately six to eight weeks."

The recirculated documents will include those portions of each  
document that "warrant another public review" prior to publication of  
final documents. The public will also have the opportunity to review  
the final documents prior to their adoption and any decisions about  
the proposed actions.

Restore the Delta and other opponents of the environmentally  
destructive peripheral tunnels hailed the delay and redrafting of its  
Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan EIR/EIS and a new public comment  
period. The opponents said the delay and redrafting of the governor?s  
water tunnels plan shows it is "fatally flawed, does not meet state or  
federal standards, and lacks a financing plan."

?The delay in the BDCP shows that it is fatally flawed. There is no  
financing plan. They cannot finance it because the water is not  
there,? said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of RTD.  
?Delaying the BDCP will not change the fundamental flaws underlying  
it: it doesn?t pencil out, there is no surplus water for export, and  
you can?t restore the San Francisco-San Joaquin Delta estuary by  
draining water from it. The delay shows the power of public  
engagement. Thousands of pages of comments were turned in, everything  
from simple statements from citizens to complex analyses by experts.?

Barrigan-Parrilla said the EIR/EIS is "fatally flawed" due to its  
failure to include a viable funding plan, exclusion of any true no- 
tunnels alternatives, failure to comply with the Endangered Species  
Act as evidenced by numerous scientists? red flags, misrepresenting  
taking water to be a ?conservation? plan, secret BDCP planning with  
the exporters and their consultants, and lack of public outreach to  
non-English speakers.

Tom Stokely, Water Policy Analyst with the California Water Impact  
Network (C-WIN), said he was not surprised with the delay in the BDCP  
and accompanying federal documents.

"This is not unexpected because we knew the environmental documents  
were fatally flawed," said Stokely. "The problem is that that they  
can't fix the BDCP because the project can't meet the requirements of  
the Endangered Species Act and other state and federal environmental  
laws."

The Bay Delta Conservation Plan to build the peripheral tunnels will  
hasten the extinction of Sacramento River Chinook salmon, Central  
Valley steelhead, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other  
fish species, as well as imperil salmon and steelhead populations on  
the Trinity and Klamath rivers. Under the guise of habitat  
"restoration," The $67 billion project will take vast tracts of Delta  
farmland, among the most fertile on the planet, out of production in  
order to deliver subsidized water to corporate agribusiness interests  
irrigating toxic, drainage impaired land on the west side of the San  
Joaquin Valley. 
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Aug 29 07:55:42 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 07:55:42 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?EPA_says_California=E2=80=99s_Delta_water?=
 =?utf-8?q?_tunnel_project_could_violate_federal_law?=
Message-ID: <1409324142.85077.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/28/6662668/epa-says-californias-delta-water.html

EPA says California?s Delta water tunnel project could violate federal law

By Matt Weiser
mweiser at sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014 - 7:36 pm
Last Modified: Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014 - 9:16 pm
The pair of giant water diversion tunnels proposed in the Delta could violate the federal Clean Water Act and increase harm to endangered fish species, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which released its formal comment on the project Thursday.
In a 43-page letter sent Tuesday to the National Marine Fisheries Service and released publicly on the EPA?s website Thursday, the EPA said its research found that by diverting freshwater from three new intakes proposed on the Sacramento River ? farther upstream from existing intakes ? the project is likely to increase concentrations of salinity, mercury, bromide, chloride, selenium and pesticides in the estuary.
The letter was submitted as part of the formal comment process for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, a $25 billion proposal by the state of California to re-engineer water diversions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The most controversial element of the plan is a massive pair of tunnels, 40 feet in diameter and 30 miles long, that would divert a portion of the Sacramento River?s flow at three intakes proposed near Courtland, routing the water to existing diversion pumps near Tracy. The goal is to avoid reverse flows in the estuary caused by the current diversion pumps, which are one source of ecological trouble in the Delta. The new intakes also would have modern fish screens, whereas the current intakes near Tracy do not.
The California Department of Water Resources had announced Wednesday that environmental studies for the project would be delayed so that certain portions could be rewritten. Officials at the department have not yet revealed what portions need more work. They had hoped to finalize the plan by the end of this year, but the delay is likely to push that timeline to mid-2015.
Richard Stapler, a spokesman for the state Natural Resources Agency, which oversees DWR, said the delay was not triggered by the EPA letter alone.
?As for the specifics, we?re not ready to comment on them point by point,? said Stapler. ?There are a number of adjustments and improvements we?re working on. We?re going to continue to work with the EPA on improving the project.?
In the EPA letter, the agency?s regional administrator, Jared Blumenfeld, wrote: ?While (the project) would improve the water quality for agricultural and municipal water agencies that receive water exported from the Delta, water quality could worsen for farmers and municipalities who divert water directly from the Delta.?
The agency also notes that the project failed to analyze environmental effects both upstream and downstream of the Delta, particularly on San Francisco Bay. And it warns that overall harm to several native fish species, including endangered Delta smelt and longfin smelt, could increase relative to existing conditions because juvenile fish could become trapped by the new Sacramento River intakes or because their aquatic habitat could shrink.
The Bay Delta Conservation Plan proposes to offset these effects by restoring 150,000 acres of habitat for fish and other species. But the EPA notes there is no evidence that much land is available to restore, or that restoration would be effective.
?We are concerned over the sole reliance on habitat restoration for ecosystem recovery,? the letter states. ?We recommend that the (environmental impact studies) consider measures to ensure freshwater flow that can meet the needs of those populations and the ecosystem as a whole.?
The Bay Delta Conservation Plan has been in the works for more than seven years. It aims to stabilize water diversions and repair ecological health in the estuary, a source of freshwater for 25 million Californians and 3 million acres of farmland.

Call The Bee?s Matt Weiser at (916) 321-1264. Follow him on Twitter @matt_weiser.
? Read more articles by Matt Weiser
The comment letter can be found at http://mavensnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/USEPA-Comments-on-BDCP-EIR_S.pdf

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/28/6662668/epa-says-californias-delta-water.html#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Aug 29 14:57:27 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 14:57:27 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] California Assembly passes historic groundwater
	legislation
Message-ID: <1409349447.39759.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_26433548/california-assembly-passes-historic-groundwater-legislation?source=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

California Assembly passes historic groundwater legislation
By Jessica Calefati jcalefati at bayareanewsgroup.com
POSTED:   08/29/2014 01:47:40 PM PDT0 COMMENTS

SACRAMENTO -- The state Assembly today narrowly approved a package of bills designed to regulate the pumping of groundwater in California for the first time in state history and make the most significant changes to state water law in 50 years.Democrats acted on the bills over the strong objections of lawmakers from both parties who represent the Central Valley, where farmers who are struggling to survive the current drought have been pumping an increasing amount of groundwater to irrigate their crops."Mark Twain famously said, 'Whisky is for drinking and water is for fighting over.' Certainly we have had our fair share of fights over water," said Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, the sponsor of one bill."But every single member on this floor recognizes we've been overdrafting groundwater in this state ? not just this year, not just since the drought started, but for decades," he said.Two of the three bills in the package still need Senate approval, though
 they're expected to pass in the upper house easily.Although landowners who seek to divert water from reservoirs and rivers have been required to get a permit to do so since 1914, farmers and cities who tap underground aquifers have always been allowed to pump as much as they want. As a result, water tables in places such as the San Joaquin Valley and Paso Robles have dropped dangerously low.The bills requires local government officials to bring "high" or "medium" priority groundwater basins up to sustainable levels by 2040. It aims to address the fact that the Central Valley consumes twice as much groundwater as nature is returning through rain and snow, recent studies have found.Still, lawmakers who represent the Central Valley urged their colleagues to oppose the groundwater pumping legislation because it will harm farmers and the thousands of Californians those farmers employ.
Assemblyman Henry Perea, D-Fresno, said the bill aims to change too much, too fast. And Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway, R-Tulare said accused lawmakers who represent areas not affected by the proposed regulations of rushing to judgement on the bill. "A rushed decision in my opinion is never a good decision," Conway said.
Contact Jessica Calefati at 916-441-2101. Follow her at Twitter.com/calefati. Read the Political Blotter at IBAbuzz.com/politics.
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From kgant at tds.net  Tue Sep  2 09:47:09 2014
From: kgant at tds.net (Kelli Gant)
Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 09:47:09 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Kokanee Salmon Die-off in Trinity and Lewiston Lakes
Message-ID: <5405F48D.3030703@tds.net>

There is always another side to every story. Just because there is a 
dam, the entire length of water is still ALL Trinity River. Coffee Creek 
and all other pre-dam streams remain listed as a tributary to the 
Trinity River.


  Drought impacting salmon in Trinity Lake


KRCR News Report video: 
http://www.krcrtv.com/news/local/drought-impacting-salmon-in-trinity-lake/27765616


    Kokanee Salmon Die-off Prompts Questions; No Official Explanation

**ByBill Siemer <http://anewscafe.com/author/bill-siemer/>**August 31, 2014

Thousands of dead and dying Kokanee salmon were floating on the upper 
end of Lewiston Lake this week after increased flows were initiated to 
save this fall?s run of adult Chinook salmon in the lower Klamath River.

<http://anewscafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/dead-fish-another-view.jpg>

Thousands of dead Kokanee salmon float on Lewiston Lake. Photo by Bill 
Siemer.

The dead Kokanee fingerlings, floating belly side up, were killed by the 
rapid change in pressure which occurred when they were sucked into 
Trinity Dam?s intake shafts when water was released downstream into 
Lewiston Lake, according to a knowledgeable source who asked not to be 
named.

The four-to-six inch Kokanee were washing up on the Lewiston Lake shore 
for a quarter of a mile on Tuesday evening when this reporter kayaked 
by. Early estimates, given to the Trinity Journal, had the losses 
between 200 to 400. The source estimated the die-off at 2,000. However, 
dead fingerlings were scattered on the Lake?s bottom and caught in the 
marshy grasses. Eagles, buzzards and crows dined from the shore. It was 
a smelly mess.

<http://anewscafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/dead-fish-food-for-vultures.jpg>

Vultures and other creatures feast on the dead fish at Lewiston Lake. 
Photo by Bill Siemer.

Kokanee need cold water to survive and the land-locked Kokanee are 
forced deeper into Trinity Lake as the water is released downstream. The 
Lake dropped 5.84 feet during the week ending August 25, according to 
the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, which made the decision to increase the 
flows last week.

The Bureau?s website reported that releases from Lewiston Dam began at 7 
a.m. on August 23.

Initially, the release was raised from 450 cubic feet per second (cfs) 
to 950 cfs. At 7 a.m. on August 25, releases from Lewiston Dam were 
increased to 2,450 cfs for a period of 24 hours, then dropped to 950 
cfs. The goal, according to the Bureau, is to keep the lower Klamath at 
approximately 2,500 cfs until September 14.

Trinity Lake?s depth, as of August 25, was 316.27 feet, according to the 
Bureau?s website, with the Lake being 29 percent full. As of the end of 
that week, the average release to Whiskeytown and the Carr Powerhouse, 
was 2,119 cfs, while the Trinity River release averaged 1,650 cfs.

The Bureau?s decision to increase the flow of water for the lower 
Klamath salmon was met immediately by lawsuits from several water 
districts in the Sacramento Valley. A federal judge denied their request.

<http://anewscafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Dead-floating-fish.jpg>

Thousands of dead fish litter Lewiston Lake in Trinity County. Photo by 
Bill Siemer.

Calls to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in Redding, and 
the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, seeking answers to questions regarding 
how many Kokanee are actually dying and whether the die-off is expected 
to have an impact on the Kokanee fishery, were not returned.


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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Sep  3 07:27:18 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2014 07:27:18 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Locals challenge dead fish estimates
Message-ID: <1409754438.50990.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_13320fee-3303-11e4-8f15-0017a43b2370.html

Locals challenge dead fish estimates
Posted: Wednesday, September 3, 2014 6:15 am
By AMY GITTELSOHN The Trinity Journal | 0 comments
Agency estimates grossly understate the number of kokanee salmon from Trinity Lake that died when they were swept through the power plant and into Lewiston Lake, according to people who spend a considerable amount of time at Lewiston Lake.State Department of Fish and Wildlife information officer Andrew Hughan, quoted in last week?s article in the Journal, said estimates ranged from 200 to 400. From the federal Bureau of Reclamation, Area Manager Brian Person said agency estimates range from a few hundred to 2,000.
The dead fish are the result of the low level of Trinity Lake. The fish were apparently seeking cooler water in the smaller pool and were sucked into the intakes for the power plant, Person said.
Both sources are way off base on the numbers, according to residents who have watched the die-off.
Tom Gannon, who works at Pine Cove Marina on Lewiston Lake, said he saw the dead fish floating past for several weeks.
?I bet any given day I saw at least 2,000 go by and that went on for four weeks I?m sure,? he said, adding that the number would be in the ?multiple thousands.?
The parade of small, dead fish seems to have let up, Gannon said. He speculated that perhaps all of the smaller fish that can?t escape were sucked through the power plant.
The fish died as a result of the sudden pressure change from being in deeper water in Trinity Lake to the surface of Lewiston, Person said.
The kokanee are landlocked sockeye salmon that are not native to the area and may have been planted in the lake, according to the DFW. The situation does not appear to still be ongoing, Person said, and there isn?t a good solution other than the lake refilling. Power plant intakes are typically not screened, and to do so would be a ?significant engineering challenge,? he said.
There have only been two years in history when the lake has been this low, Person said.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Sep  3 07:32:49 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2014 07:32:49 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Officials: Recent prescribed burn
	helped stop fast-moving Oregon fire
Message-ID: <1409754769.17016.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_6f5b9620-3306-11e4-8225-0017a43b2370.html
Officials: Recent prescribed burn helped stop fast-moving Oregon fire
By Sally Morris The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, September 3, 2014 6:15 am
A prescribed burn
A prescribed burn (in off-white) slowed the Oregon fire so that firefighters could get a handle on it.
Damage assessments under way
Firefighters who tamed the wind-driven flames of the Aug. 24 Oregon fire at the doorsteps of town are crediting last fall?s prescribed fire treatment within the Weaverville Community Forest and the Weaver Basin Trail System for helping them to stop the fire?s advance on Trinity High School and the many homes in harm?s way until the wind calmed.
With fire crews still on scene in mop-up mode, the damage assessments began immediately. Hiking up the Garden Gulch trail north of Taylor Street, it is easy to see where prescribed burning was conducted last November and where it wasn?t.
Uphill on the treated side of the trail, grasses were scorched, but the trees are green and undamaged. Downhill where heavy brush was not treated, the recent fire burned hot and fast, resulting in blackened earth and greater tree mortality.
Touring the area immediately after the flames were out, Shasta-Trinity National Forest Fuels Specialist Tim Ritchey of Weaverville estimated tree mortality of approximately 10 percent where the fire ran through areas that had been treated with prescribed burning to reduce the buildup of fuels. It is closer to 60 percent where no treatment occurred.
?The treated areas really slowed the fire down so the crews could get in. The intensity decreased and the rate of spread slowed which aided us in getting around and ahead of the fire,? Ritchey said, pointing to a section where there were 20- to 30-foot flames on the wildfire side of the trail and flames of less than a foot on the treated side.
?It?s really nice to see defensible space in action,? said the Shasta-Trinity?s acting Public Affairs Officer Debra Ann Brabazon, noting that prescribed burns are not always popular with the public in the short-term, ?so it?s important for the community to see there is a positive, long-term effect.?
Having existing trails in place also provided quick access for firefighters ?who didn?t have to cut and bulldoze their way into the fire here,? she said.
The U.S. Forest Service and Weaverville Volunteer Fire Department last November conducted the prescribed burn on 76 acres north of Taylor Street involving Community Forest land accessed by the Weaver Basin Trail System and some private acreage owned by the Snyder Highland Foundation.
The burning was done as part of the Weaverville Community Fire Protection Plan and to enhance wildlife habitat by increasing forage for deer. The Trinity County Resource Conservation District assisted and grant funding was received from the California Deer Association.
Some sections of the Weaver Basin Trail System sustained severe damage in the recent wildfire, primarily in the vicinity of Weaver Bally Road near the fire?s origin along Highway 299. Ritchey noted the McKenzie Gulch trail ?really took some heat and there?s not much left there,? but he said that overall, ?the trails will be OK? for upcoming bike races in October and flames didn?t reach as far up as the Howe Ditch section.
Trail damage assessments also began immediately following the fire as did restoration work to repair bulldozer lines, prevent erosion and replace tread torn up by suppression efforts.
?The goal is to return the area as much as possible to its pre-fire condition,? Ritchey said.
Trinity County Resource Conservation District Director Alex Cousins said the RCD will staff a couple of extra summer positions through the winter to focus on the anticipated trail work needed to clear out water bars, remove hazards and replace bridges that were burned.
He said Sept. 27 happens to be National Trails Day and a community bike ride/volunteer trail cleanup event is being planned, adding ?our trails will be fine. Next spring this will all be green grass again.?
As far as doing more prescribed burning in the area, Ritchey said there are plans being made to treat about 230 acres in the East Weaver Creek drainage this fall for community protection and wildlife enhancement as well as a Jackass Ridge project involving about 90 acres to expand on a smaller burn conducted there in January.   
n n n
The Watershed Center is looking for private landowner partners for future Rx Fire projects. The center can provide assistance with landscape assessments, burn plans and implementation. The center works with you to help you achieve your objectives for your land, while also completing ecosystem restoration and enhancement.
Learn more about the many benefits of Rx Fire and programs at the center?s Rx Fire workshop.
For more information contact George Chapman or Dave Jaramillo at the Watershed Center Office, 628-4206.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Sep  3 07:37:29 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2014 07:37:29 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Trinity_Journal=3A_Judge_won=E2=80=99t_ha?=
 =?utf-8?q?lt_added_flows=2C_for_now?=
Message-ID: <1409755049.8290.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_715a6abe-3306-11e4-9874-0017a43b2370.html
Judge won?t halt added flows, for now
By AMY GITTELSOHN The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, September 3, 2014 6:15 am
A federal judge refused to stop increased Trinity River flows now under way to prevent a fish kill in the lower Klamath River, but indicated he could decide differently in the future if the situation continues to be treated as a regular emergency.
The request for temporary restraining order to stop the higher flows was filed Aug. 25 in the U.S. District Court in Sacramento by the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority and Westlands Water District. They filed suit to stop the flows last year and were unsuccessful at that time as well.
In his decision issued Aug. 27, Judge Lawrence J. O?Neill said, ?The potential harm to the plaintiffs from the potential, but far from certain, loss of added water supply in 2015 does not outweigh the potentially catastrophic damage that ?more likely than not? will occur to this year?s salmon run in the absence of the 2014 (flow augmentation releases).?
Citing poor conditions and fish behaving as if they were stressed in the lower Klamath River, the federal Bureau of Reclamation on Aug. 23 increased the release of water from Lewiston Dam to the Trinity River that flows into the Klamath. The release increased from the 450 cubic feet per second that had been scheduled to 950 cfs. On Aug. 25 the release was increased again for a 24-hour spike flow of approximately 2,450 cfs. Currently the release is approximately 950 cfs, to be maintained until around Sept. 14, as needed to keep the flow in the lower Klamath at 2,500 cfs.
This will take approximately 25,000 acre-feet of water more than originally planned from Trinity Lake, and Reclamation has said planned diversions of water for Central Valley Project uses will not be changed to compensate.
Similar flow augmentations have been implemented in 2003, 2004, 2012, 2013 and 2014 ? following the deaths of tens of thousands of fall chinook salmon prior to spawning in 2002 due to crowded conditions and disease.
Although he has twice refused to block the flow augmentations, Judge O?Neill?s decisions so far don?t apply to future years.
In fact, in last week?s ruling he put Reclamation on notice that the court will view future flow augmentations and requests to stop them in light of all circumstances, ?including the fact that federal defendants repeatedly have treated as an ?emergency? circumstances that appear to merit a consistent, reasoned policy rationale.?
?Failure to heed this notice may disappoint defendants in future orders,? O?Neill wrote.
From Reclamation, Area Manager Brian Person said the agency began work last year on a long-term plan. The draft will discuss the biological need and the augmentation releases that have been implemented, water sources and means of acquiring the additional water. The goal is to have a draft available for stakeholder review by the end of this calendar year, he said.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Sep  3 07:48:13 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2014 07:48:13 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: FISHING THE NORTH COAST: Big kings
	continue to pour into Klamath; Klamath spit fishery to close Sunday
Message-ID: <1409755693.43821.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/fishingthenorthcoast/ci_26424858/fishing-north-coast-big-kings-continue-pour-into?source=most_viewed


 FISHING THE NORTH COAST: Big kings continue to pour into Klamath; Klamath spit fishery to close Sunday
Klamath spit fishery to close on Sunday
By Kenny Priest
kenny at fishingthenorthcoast.com
POSTED:   08/28/2014 12:01:07 PM PDT
0 COMMENTS
UPDATED:   08/28/2014 01:15:59 PM PDT

Santa Rosa residents Brianna Walton, left, and Cat Kaiser had a ball landing this pair of Klamath River kings earlier this week. The fished weighed 22 and 26-lbs and were caught side-drifting roe, a Fish Pill and a Mad River Drifter while fishing with guide Mike Stratman of Redwood Coast Fishing. (Photo courtesy of Redwood Coast Fishing/Mike Stratman)
Click photo to enlarge 
Santa Rosa residents Brianna Walton,... (Photo courtesy of Redwood Coast Fishing/Mike Stratman)

The North Coast continues to be the king salmon capital of the coast ? though the crown is now sitting proudly atop the Klamath River instead of the Eureka coastline.
For several weeks now, large king salmon have been pouring through the estuary and making their way upriver, this despite the low flows that plagued the river until earlier this week.
Now that the extra water has arrived from the Trinity, the fishing should only get better, which is no easy feat. Conditions should be ideal for the weekend, but as always with the Labor Day holiday weekend, expect a very crowded river.

QUOTA REACHED ? KLAMATH SPIT FISHERY TO CLOSE SUNDAY

The Klamath River spit area, which is the area within 100 yards of the channel through the sand spit formed at the Klamath River mouth, will close to fishing at sunset on Sunday, Aug. 31.
According to Sara Borok, an Environmental Scientist on the Klamath River, 436 adult fall run Chinook salmon had been harvested as of Tuesday, with the likelihood of the 619 adult salmon quota being met sometime prior to the Sunday evening. The estuary will remain open to fishing; only the spit area will close.
The Lower Klamath adult quota, which runs from the ocean to the Highway 96 bridge at Weitchpec, is 2,064. As of Tuesday, sport anglers had harvested 1,208 adults. The number of jacks that have entered the river this past week is encouraging. To date, 440 have been harvested from the 96 bridge down, compared to 146 at this time last year.

TRINITY RIVER OPENS TO FALL CHINOOK FISHING ON SEPT. 1

The Trinity River will open to fall-run Chinook salmon fishing Sept. 1 and run through Dec. 31, with a sport quota of 1,362 adults. The quota will be split evenly, 681 adults from the main stem downstream of the Old Lewiston Bridge to the Highway 299 West bridge at Cedar Flat and the main stem downstream of the Denny Road bridge at Hawkins Bar to the confluence with the Klamath. The main stem downstream of the Highway 299 bridge at Cedar Flat to the Denny Road bridge in Hawkins Bar is closed to all fishing Sept. 1 through Dec. 31.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Sep  3 07:50:22 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2014 07:50:22 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] ACWA News: Public Comment Period Opens on Prop. 1
	Water Bond Ballot Arguments
Message-ID: <1409755822.78788.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.acwa.com/news/state-budget-fees/public-comment-period-opens-prop-1-water-bond-ballot-arguments 


Public Comment Period Opens on Prop. 1 Water Bond Ballot Arguments

Submitted by Pamela Martineau on Tue, 09/02/2014 - 2:54pm in 	* State Budget, Fees 	* All 	* 2014 Water Bond 	* Water News
Draft ballot arguments on Proposition 1 ? a $7.5 billion water bond set to go before voters Nov. 4   ? are now posted for public review on the Secretary of State?s website until Sept. 12.
The ballot arguments for and against the $7.5 billion water bond are available here. The arguments are part of the draft copy of the Official Supplemental Voter Information Guide for the Nov 4 election.
The $7.5 billion bond contains $2.7 billion continuously appropriated for above and below ground storage projects, funds for regional water reliability, safe drinking water, water recycling, water conservation, groundwater management and cleanup, watershed protection and statewide flood management.
On Aug. 13, the Legislature approved the bond and Gov. Jerry Brown signed the measure placing the bond before voters in November.
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Wed Sep  3 08:30:06 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2014 08:30:06 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Water Warriors Rally at Trinity River Fish Hatchery
In-Reply-To: <1409755822.78788.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1409755822.78788.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <AF31624C-A7D1-4D03-A0EC-6EC8EA7082C6@fishsniffer.com>

  https://www.indybay.org/admin/article/article_edit.php?id=18761084
Photo of a traditional Hoopa/Yurok/Karuk Brush dance demonstration at  
the celebration at the Lewiston Fish Hatchery on August 27. Photo by  
Dan Bacher.

800_traditional_hoopa_yur...
original image ( 960x640)

Water Warriors Rally at Trinity River Fish Hatchery

By Dan Bacher

On a very hot day, August 27, over 200 Tribal Members and Leaders,  
river advocates and politicians attended a day of celebration on the  
Trinity River below Lewiston Dam.

It was a day that the Bureau of Reclamation designated as a  
?Multicultural Day,? so the Hoopa Valley Tribe organized an event to  
demonstrate the impacts of water diversion on their culture and the  
river communities.

It was also a day for giving thanks and celebrating culture and  
tradition. Tribal Officials talked of a sense of relief for having  
water flowing in decent amounts down the Trinity River, providing  
cooler water for spawning salmon to make their epic journeys back to  
the places of their birth.

The celebration took place next to the fish hatchery where Chinook and  
coho salmon and steelhead are spawned and reared by the California  
Department of Fish and Wildlife. Not lost on those present was the  
significance of that choice: a fish hatchery, a place of birth and  
release, something the Tribes have been doing for centuries.

The event began right before noon when the ?Water Warriors,? those who  
have protested in defense of the Trinity in recent weeks, walked from  
the gate at the entrance into the hatchery where they convened at a  
stage. The ?Water Warriors? wore t-shirts donated by Hoopa Valley  
Tribal Fisheries with ?Free Our River? emblazoned on the front and  
carried an array of signs and colorful banners.

Members of the Yurok, Hoopa Valley and Karuk tribes, as well as  
leaders of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, displayed signs and banners with  
slogans including ?Fish Need Water,? ?Let The River Flow,? "Give Us  
Our Water, " "Save The Salmon," "Tribal Rights Are Non Negotiable,"  
"Release The Dam Water," "Undam the Klamath - Free the Trinity,"  
"Central Valley agri-giants are killing salmon", "Fish Can't Swim In  
Money," and "Westlands Sucks The Trinity Dry."

Many of those ?Water Warriors? had participated in a direct action  
protest at the Bureau of Reclamation Offices in Sacramento the week  
before, organized by the Klamath Justice Coalition and Got Water?,  
that helped pressure Reclamation to increase releases into the Trinity  
River below the dam to avert a fish kill on the lower Klamath, (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/08/20/18760371.php 
)

The opening walk was in honor of the Water Warriors? ?strong battle to  
preserve and protect our sovereignty, water rights, and salmon,?  
according to Hoopa Tribal Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten.

After a welcome address by Bob Burns, Vice-Chair of Nor Rel Muk Wintu  
Nation, tribal members conducted traditional dance and singing  
demonstrations.These included a traditional Hoopa/Yurok/Karuk Brush  
dance demonstration by Boyd Ferris and Clarence Hostler Sr.

Hoopa Tribal Member sisters Kee-yah and Kisdyante Joseph sang a  
powerful water song, followed by a beautiful Flower Dance  
demonstration and ?Water is Life? connection story led by Melody  
George-Moore.

After a prepared barbecued lunch where the Hoopa Valley Youth Council  
served the elders, teachers and students in the NDN Hupa Language  
Program presented their ?Youth Water Songs for Healing.?

Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Hydrologist Robert Franklin provided a  
detailed update on water flows, fish health and legal proceedings.

Hoopa Tribal Chairwoman, Danielle Vigil-Masten then reviewed the  
recent campaign by grassroots tribal and environmental activists that  
culminated in the victory, emphasizing the need for unity among the  
tribes and other river people fighting for the restoration of the  
Trinity.

?This rally today brings all the Water Warriors together to show them  
we have a united front,? she said. ?This all happened within a two  
week time frame. We were able to bring the tribes and river people  
together from the dam to the mouth.?

"Water is our lifeblood ? without water we won?t have salmon,? she said.

She emphasized that everybody should be ?proud of who you are. Don?t  
put each other down ? lift each other up!?

?Our fish need water to live and survive,? she emphasized. ?Two weeks  
ago the Bureau said they couldn?t allow increased releases down the  
river, even though fish were dying. We called our Sister, the Chief of  
the Winnemem Wintu, to do the fire and water dance. We called  
everybody and said we can?t fight this battle with egos ? we have to  
be united.?

Vigil-Masten said the high river releases from the dam that splashed  
into the air behind her were the result of a recent visit to Redding  
by Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewel. After finding out about the  
visit the night before, Hoopa tribal members including Dania  
Colegrove, Vivienna Orcutt and Allie Hostler and river activists  
including Regina Chichizola and Stormy Salamander quickly mobilized to  
organize a protest in Redding where Jewell was meeting with local  
officials about the fires.

Fortunately, Vigil-Masten and other tribal members were able to talk  
to her. ?We had one shot to do this ? and we showed up! The most  
important thing is showing up,? she emphasized.

Two days after Jewell?s visit, members of her staff traveled out to  
the Klamath and Trinity rivers to see the reality of the situation,  
with fish dying and the waters choked with algae in sections.

Buster Attebury, Karuk Tribal Chairman, also emphasized the need for  
unity in working to bring back the salmon to the Klamath and Trinity  
rivers.

?If we work together, we can accomplish a lot,? said Attebury. ?We  
have different ways of doing things, but we are stronger if we stick  
together.?

He pointed out the irony of how fish ladders were constructed on the  
Pacific Corp dams in Oregon, but not below Iron Gate Dam in  
California. For over 70 years, Iron Gate has blocked salmon from  
ascending the Klamath River and its tributaries to spawn.

?What we want is a brighter future, ? he said. ?We lived in harmony  
with the environment for generations. This is not an inferior way of  
life, as the settlers said. Only in the short time the settlers came  
to the region they raped the earth. THAT is an inferior lifestyle.?

Jeannie McCovey, Yurok Tribal Member, said state and federal  
authorities are "not managing the river properly. We?re dealing with  
ecocide... We have to fight for our air, water and land.?

McCovey urged people to fight for the river and salmon with every  
avenue available, including going to protests and hearings, writing  
letters and ?folding hands in prayer. Humans are the only ones that  
can pray.?

Debra Chapman, Trinity County Supervisor, said, ?We were bracing for  
another catastrophic die-off? before the Bureau decided to release  
water.

She talked about how when she was in high school, her mentor was a  
teacher who taught an environmental conservation class. In 1973, they  
put up a sign in Douglas City, ?Entering the Trinity River. Studied to  
death and mismanaged to death.?

"Over forty years later we still have a problem with flows on the  
Trinity River," she stated.

?They treat the Trinity as if it is a tributary of the Sacramento. The  
Trinity is not a tributary of the Sacramento,? she emphasized.

Caleen Sisk, Chief and Spiritual Leader of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe,  
who gave the final prayer and song, emphasized, ?We are a salmon  
state, not a watermelon or pistachio state. It will take Indian people  
all over the state to bring the salmon back.?

?We are one of a handful willing to speak for the salmon. We have to  
speak up, to support one another? Make sure that we carry the salmon  
in our hearts so we know what to say. If you?re on a tribal council,  
please speak up,? she said.

Other speakers and performers at the event included Miss Natini-xwe?  
Kayla Brown, Hoopa Valley Tribe Member, who sang the Salmon Prayer  
Song, Rick Dowd, Resighini Rancheria Tribal Chairman, and Brian  
Person, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Area Manager.

After the rally ended, Tribal members got word that a federal judge in  
Fresno that afternoon had rejected a motion by San Joaquin Valley  
agribusiness interests to block preventative water releases to avert a  
fish kill on the Klamath River.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill denied the temporary  
restraining order (TRO) sought by Westlands Water and the San Luis and  
Delta-Mendota Water Authority after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation  
increased releases on the Trinity River below Lewiston Dam on  
Saturday, August 23.

O?Neill ruled that potential harm to salmon facing low and warm water  
conditions at this time outweighs the potential harm to irrigators,  
who receive Trinity River water through the Central Valley Project,  
next year. For more information on the decision, go to: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/08/28/18760861.php

Statement By Hoopa's Negotiation Team On Court Decision:

Below is the statement from the Hoopa Valley Tribe?s Negotiation Team  
on the recent court decision by Judge Lawrence J. O?Neill:

"At issue is water in a Trinity River reservoir, which has long been  
shared with farmers in the Central Valley. The river is the main  
tributary of the Klamath River, where sharing scarce water between  
fish and farms has long been a tough balancing act marked by lawsuits  
and political battles for local tribe's that have been fighting for  
years to keep river flows at healthy levels for fish," Hoopa Tribal  
Fisheries Director Mike Orcutt said, "We're happy and thankful that  
the Court did the right thing this year. The Court is interpreting  
what the law says, which is, the assurances given to the residents of  
the basin including the Hoopa Tribe. That water would be used first  
and foremost here to protect the fish in the Klamath and Trinity  
river, not all of these other things that the Trinity River water is  
being used for in the Central Valley."

In the response to the TRO (Temporary Restraining Order), the court  
mentions only one argument - the trust responsibility to manage the  
project for the trust assets.

Councilman Ryan Jackson stated, "The release of the additional water  
into the Klamath Basin is a victory for Indian people and preservation  
of the Indian trust resource. However we shouldn't lose sight of how  
we managed to get to where we are today. The BOR continues to manage  
the Klamath basin in a irresponsible manner. Maximum deliveries of  
water out of the basin and into the California Central Valley continue  
to put a strain on an already stressed situation. The biggest problem  
we see is within the Klamath River and the over allocation of water to  
upper basin junior interest irrigators. This requires the BOR to rely  
on Trinity River water to bail out the Lower Klamath. Now we find  
ourselves in a lawsuit trying to defend an action that shouldn't have  
occurred in the first place. The basin needs to be managed responsibly  
or we will inevitably see a catastrophe in the basin that is entirely  
avoidable."
?Young Water Warriors
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_photo_by_vivienna_orc...
original image ( 960x720)

Young Water Warriors rally at the Trinity River Fish Hatchery on  
August 27. Photo by Vivienna Orcutt.
?Water Warriors march
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_water_warriors_march_...
original image ( 5184x3456)

The Water Warriors march from the entrance of the fish hatchery. Photo  
by Dan Bacher.
?Young brush dancer
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_young_brush_dancer_1....
original image ( 5184x3456)

The brush dance is traditionally done for healing a sick child - or in  
this case, for healing a river system. Photo by Dan Bacher.
?Melody Moore
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_melody_moore_1.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

Melody Moore, Hoopa Valley Tribe Member, led a beautiful Flower Dance  
demonstration and ?Water is Life? connection story. Photo by Dan Bacher.
?Children Songs for Healing
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_kids_singing_close_up...
original image ( 5184x3456)

Students in the NDN Hupa Language Program presented their ?Youth Water  
Songs for Healing.? Photo by Dan Bacher.
?Danielle Vigil-Masten
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_danielle_vigil-masten...
original image ( 960x640)

Danielle Vigil-Masten, Hoopa Valley Chairwoman, recounted how Tribal  
members and river advocates from throughout the Klamath and Trinity  
watersheds united to stop a fish kill. Photo by Dan Bacher.
?Buster Attebury
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_buster_attebury___1.jpg
original image ( 960x640)

Buster Attebury, Karuk Tribal Chair, speaks out the need for unity in  
fighting for the salmon and the river. Photo by Dan Bacher.
?Caleen Sisk
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_caleen_sisk_1.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

Caleen Sisk, Chief of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, said that California  
needs to recognize its role as a salmon state. Photo by Dan Bacher.
?Jeannie McCovey
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_jeannie_mccovey_1.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

Jeannie McCovey, Yurok Tribal Member, urged people to fight for the  
river with an array of methods, including protests, writing letters  
and prayer. Photo by Dan Bacher.
?Kayla Brown
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_kayla_sings_1.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

Miss Natini-xwe? Kayla Brown (L), Hoopa Valley Tribe Member, sang the  
Salmon Prayer Song. Photo by Dan Bacher.
?Supervisor Chapman
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_supervisor_photo_1.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

Debra Chapman, Trinity County Supervisor, said, "The Trinity River is  
not a tributary of the Sacramento." Photo by Dan Bacher.
?Water Warriors at Dam
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_water_warriors_1.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

The Water Warriors line up in defense of the salmon and the river at  
Lewiston Dam. Photo by Dan Bacher.
?Undam the Klamath
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_undam_the_klamath_fre...
original image ( 5184x3456)

Undam the Klamath, Free the Trinity River! Photo by Dan Bacher.
?Caleen Sisk leads the final prayer
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_caleen_leads_the_fina...
original image ( 5184x3456)

Chief Caleen Sisk of the Winnemem Wintu leads the final prayer and  
song at Lewiston Dam. Photo by Dan Bacher.

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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Thu Sep  4 10:03:59 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2014 10:03:59 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River salmon spawn survey update September 4,
	2014
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRuevpq6HKmg_HwwyQ1qx1EqeGPxkJNPkzBjvjAtAXwcZQ@mail.gmail.com>

Our fall 2014 Trinity River salmon spawning survey is underway again!
 Where did the last year go?!!

Yesterday, spawning survey crews from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the
California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program,
Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and Shasta Trinity National
Forest all met at the Trinity River Hatchery to kick off our fall 2014
spawn survey season with a training day.  The day was spent familiarizing
all field staff with our survey equipment, protocols, safety
considerations, and discussion of topics such as sharing the river with
other users.  As part of the training we conducted a floating survey of our
reach 1 from Lewiston Dam to Old Bridge.  It's early yet and no redds or
carcasses were discovered.  Hopefully the redd count at the end of our 2014
season CRUSHES 2013's total!

[image: Inline image 2]

Look for us out on the river and say "Hi".  As the data start coming in
this fall I'll post weekly updates to the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office
fisheries website in my signature below and announce those through
env-trinity <http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity> and a blind
cc list.  Please let me know if you wish to be removed from my blind cc
list.

I hope to see you out there!
Charlie

Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Sep  5 13:45:31 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2014 13:45:31 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?No_On_Prop_1_Poll=3A_Majority_of_Voters_D?=
 =?utf-8?q?on=E2=80=99t_Support_=2415_Billion_Debt_for_Dams=2C_Conservanci?=
 =?utf-8?q?es=2C_Subsidies_for_Huge_Agribusiness?=
Message-ID: <1409949931.49204.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.noonprop1.org/news-media-releases/


No on Prop. 1 Poll: Majority of Voters Don?t Support $15 Billion Debt for Dams, Conservancies, Subsidies for Huge Agribusinessadmin September 5, 2014
Sacramento ? Opponents of Proposition 1, the State Water Bond, today released results of a statewide poll finding that the $15 billion spending package for dams, bike trails in conservancies, and subsidies for huge agribusiness water-takers ?has a tenuous path to passage.? The poll of 600 likely November voters was conducted by the respected national firm of Lake Research Partners at the end of August. No on Prop. 1 consultant Steve Hopcraft said, ?Our findings show voters strongly doubt Prop. 1?s misplaced spending, and taking on billions more in debt. Voters understand that spending Prop. 1?s $15 billion on building dams that don?t pencil out, funding bike trails and hiking trails takes that money away from other essential services like education, public safety and health care. Prop. 1 has already squeezed education by pushing a school construction bond off the ballot. Prop. 1 is the wrong investment.?
Prop. 1?s cost is too high, much of the spending is misplaced, and spending on those things takes away funding from sustainable water investments, including fixing our leaking urban water systems, as well as education and other essential services.
Proposition 1 is a giveaway of taxpayer money. The State of California is a staggering seven-hundred-and-seventy BILLION dollars in debt. Prop. 1 will cost taxpayers $360 million per year for the next 40 years. Passing Prop. 1 will expand our debt and will take funds away from schools, health care, and other programs and increases the need to dip into the General Fund.
If Prop. 1 passes, the State will spend $360 million per year for the next 40 years to build projects that will NOT solve our water problems, but WILL benefit wealthy agriculture corporations who want more access to California?s water. California taxpayers should not go into debt to build projects for billion-dollar farming conglomerates.
Prop. 1 goes too far and will have unintended consequences that are bad for Californians. We simply cannot account for what could happen if we divert more water from our rivers and streams AND build the massive Delta tunnels, as the governor fully intends to do. Prop. 1 will make our environment less stable and expose us to new problems.
Click below to download the document
Release No on Prop 1 poll results 9.5.14
Public memo: Polling on California Proposition One0 comments
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Sep  8 09:05:29 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2014 09:05:29 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Editorial: Brown needs to answer EPA on Delta tunnels
Message-ID: <1410192329.88987.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/07/6682725/editorial-brown-needs-to-answer.html


Editorial: Brown needs to answer EPA on Delta tunnels

By the Editorial Board
Published: Sunday, Sep. 7, 2014 - 12:00 am
Some scientists and environmentalists have been contending that water quality would suffer, pollution would increase and aquatic life would be harmed if California goes forward with plans to build twin tunnels in the Delta. Now, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has strongly reinforced those concerns and called for changes in the multibillion-dollar plan.
Gov. Jerry Brown and other proponents of the twin tunnels need to answer the EPA directly and publicly, and either debunk the agency?s claims, or significantly alter the proposal.
As currently envisioned, the 40-foot-wide, 30-mile-long tunnels would draw water from the Sacramento River and pipe it to the southern part of the Delta. In its review of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, the EPA said the tunnels ?would contribute to increased and persistent violations of water quality standards? under the Clean Water Act.
The federal agency, in a recently released letter, recommended that an alternative plan be developed that would allow for ?greater freshwater flows through the Delta.? That?s an unwelcomed analysis for water agencies south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that rely on water exports and already have ponied up millions for environmental studies as a prelude to building the tunnels.
Stressing that more water should pass through the Delta ? resulting in less water for exports to farms and cities to the south ? brings into question whether the $25 billion plan will pencil out for agricultural districts and municipal water agencies that would pay for the project.
The letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service, and submitted to the California Department of Water Resources, enumerated a variety of problems and recommended alternatives. It questioned whether plans to restore Delta habitat would help fish populations recover, and called for more analysis of the impacts upstream from the Delta and downstream to the San Francisco Bay.
?This is not the first time and likely won?t be the last time that there is close scrutiny of the project,? Richard Stapler, a spokesman for the California Natural Resources Agency, said in an interview. ?This is part of the critical process.?
Will Stelle, West Coast administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, said the letter responding to a draft environmental impact statement ?raises genuine issues about water quality, strategy and compliance.?
He also was confident about satisfying the EPA?s concerns. ?We will deal with those issues,? he said in an interview. ?It may require adjustments in operating terms. ? The biggest challenge for this project is getting the details right on operations.?
The Bay Delta Conservation Plan calls for tunnels to export water more directly to Central Valley farms and Southern California cities. The goals would be to help restore the Delta?s collapsing ecosystem and provide a more reliable supply of fresh water to 25 million Californians and 3 million acres of farmland.
The EPA letter says that while the tunnel diversions would ?improve the water quality for agricultural and municipal water agencies that receive water exported from the Delta, water quality could worsen for farmers and municipalities who divert water directly from the Delta.?
The letter, signed by EPA regional administrator Jared Blumenfeld, recommended changes in the project to deal with potential increases in concentrations of salinity, chloride, bromide, mercury, pesticides and selenium. Blumenfeld suggested alternatives, such as better ?integrated water management, water conservation, levee maintenance and decreased reliance on the Delta.?
The California Department of Water Resources has delayed final environmental studies until next year.
In his debate on Thursday with Republican challenger Neel Kashkari, Brown said the tunnel project wasn?t fully cooked. That clearly is true.
When Kashkari cited the EPA criticism, and noted it came from President Barack Obama?s administration, Brown shot back: ?That doesn?t make it right, by the way.? To satisfy skeptics, Brown will need to provide a far more detailed analysis about the affect on the ecological health of the Delta.
? Read more articles by the Editorial Board
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/07/6682725/editorial-brown-needs-to-answer.html#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Sep  8 13:01:11 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2014 13:01:11 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Mgmt Council meeting Agenda Sept 17-18,
	Weitchpec
Message-ID: <1410206471.13281.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://odp.trrp.net/Data/Meetings/MeetingDetails.aspx?meeting=1497




 TRINITY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL 
Draft Agenda 
Libby Nix Community Center, Yurok Tribal Office 
11500 State Hwy 96, Weitchpec, CA 95546 (530) 625-4130 
September 17-18, 2014 
Wednesday, September 17, 2014 
Time Topic, Purpose and/or Decision to be Made Discussion Leader 
Regular Business: 
9:30 Introductions: Brian Person, Chair 
? Approval of Agenda 
? Approval of June 2014 Minutes 
? Dinner Plans 

9:45 Open Forum: Comments from the public Brian Person 
10:00 Report from TMC Chair Brian Person 
? Federal/Regional updates 
? Water outlook 
? Supplemental Flows 
? TAMWG update 

10:45 Report from TAMWG Chair Tom Stokely 
11:15 Report from Executive Director Robin Schrock 
? Action Tracker 
? 2015 Overview 
? TRRP Outreach 

11:45 Communication Process Justin Day 
12:15 Lunch ? provided by our hosts the Yurok Tribe 
Information / Decision Items: 
1:00 Science Update Ernie Clarke 
? TRRP Program Workshop 
? Workgroup Updates 
? Trinity Basin Watershed Efforts 
? TMC Watershed discussion 

2:00 Future Restoration Actions near Trinity River Hatchery Seth Naman 
? Memorandum 
? TMC deliberation 

3:00 Implementation Update DJ Bandrowski 
? Implementation /Design Update for 2014/2015 
? Phase II Rehabilitation Project Prioritization 2016 
? TMC 2016 project prioritization deliberation 

4:30 Public comments 
4:45 Adjourn 
Thursday, September 18, 2014 
Time Topic, Purpose and/or Decision to be Made Discussion Leader 
Information / Decision Items: 
Regular Business: 
9:00 Lewiston Temperature Mngmnt Intermediate Tech. Memo. Mike Orcutt 
10:00 Gravel WG - Long Term Sediment Management Plan Krause/Clarke 
10:30 Public Forum Brian Person 
11:00 Adjourn 
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Sep  8 15:56:21 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2014 15:56:21 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] (no subject)
Message-ID: <1410216981.32424.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Payments to the CVPIA Restoration Fund is a topic for the 9/10 TAMWG meeting in Weaverville.
For Immediate Release:
September 4, 2014
Contact:
Jane Cirrincione
916-781-4203 / jane.cirrincione at ncpa.com
NCPA Files Complaint Against Bureau of Reclamation
Agency Seeks to Recover Millions in Overcharges on Behalf of Ratepayers
 
(Sacramento, Calif.) ? The Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) and the cities of Redding, Roseville, and Santa Clara have filed a complaint in the United States Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. seeking recovery of more than $45 million in overcharges imposed by the Bureau of Reclamation for the Restoration Fund established by the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA).
The CVPIA created the Restoration Fund to address the environmental impacts of the Central Valley Project, and called for funding to be provided from four sources: contributions from water and power customers of the Central Valley Project, and state and federal funding.
The law states that payments from the water and power beneficiaries ?shall, to the greatest degree practicable, be assessed in the same proportion? as their Central Valley Project allocation. The Bureau has ignored the funding instructions in the statute, and has billed and collected from power users a vastly disproportionate share of the overall collections for the Restoration Fund.
NCPA is committed to paying its share for mitigation and restoration of environmental impacts of the Central Valley Project. The Bureau, however, is not following the proportional funding formula prescribed by Congress in the statute. For over a decade, NCPA has worked with Congress and with the Bureau directly to try to find a remedy to this growing problem. Today, overcharges to NCPA and the three cities have reached approximately $200,000 a week.
?As a public, not-for-profit entity, we have a fiduciary responsibility to our members and their ratepayers to ensure that they are not overpaying their share as prescribed by Congress,? said Jim Pope, General Manager of the Northern California Power Agency.
The CVPIA also established that the Bureau would publish five year budgets for the Restoration Fund, and would provide an annual accounting to Congress regarding the use of the funds. The Agency has not fully complied with the spirit and letter of the transparency and reporting requirements, and it is unclear as to what progress has been made toward completing the projects and achieving the goals established in the Act.
NCPA is not alone in its criticism of the way the CVPIA has been implemented. In a 2008 report, entitled Listen to the River: An Independent Review of the CVPIA Fisheries Program, commissioned by the Bureau itself, an expert review panel concluded, ?We recommend that the agencies take a fresh and comprehensive look at their CVPIA authorities and their manner of implementation,? adding, ?such a reform is consistent with our recommendation that the agencies rethink the conceptual foundation and framework for the program and overhaul program organization and management.?
?This complaint filed with the Court of Federal Claims by NCPA and the three cities will allow for a careful, legal deliberation regarding the Bureau?s administration of this program, and whether the Bureau?s funding of the CVPIA Restoration Fund does or does not comport with the statute as prescribed by Congress,? added Pope. ?We strongly believe that it does not.?
The Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) was founded on the principle of environmental stewardship, and is a recognized national leader in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable generation, and carbon reduction. NCPA has a long tradition of investment in conservation projects, and supports the mitigation and restoration goals of the Central Valley Project Improvement
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Mon Sep  8 19:17:35 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2014 19:17:35 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Article Submission: Governor Brown makes false claims
	about tunnel plan during debate
In-Reply-To: <8D199AE8D067BB1-F84-3100C@webmail-vm082.sysops.aol.com>
References: <8D199AE8D067BB1-F84-3100C@webmail-vm082.sysops.aol.com>
Message-ID: <598DBAC2-AD45-495B-831E-BF331A2632BE@fishsniffer.com>

http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/kashkari-clashes-with-brown-over-twin-tunnels/

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/09/07/18761244.php

Photo: The Raging Grannies sing at a rally against Jerry Brown's Bay  
Delta Conservation Plan to build the peripheral tunnels at the State  
Capitol on July 29. Photo by Dan Bacher.

800_raging_grannies_again...

Governor Brown makes false claims about tunnel plan during debate

by Dan Bacher

The Republican and Democratic Party establishments have been steadfast  
supporters of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the  
peripheral tunnels, so Neil Kashkari, the Republican challenger to  
Governor Jerry Brown, surprised many when he attacked Brown's tunnel  
plan during the debate in Sacramento on September 4.

Kashkari said, ?The Obama EPA is saying your tunnel program is  
fundamentally flawed. That?s your own president, President Obama  
saying that, not me.?

Brown replied: ?That doesn?t make it right, by the way.?

The clash began after the debate moderator asked Brown how the tunnels  
project could proceed after the Environmental Protection Agency issued  
a scathing comment letter stating that the tunnels would violate the  
Clean Water Act.

Brown, clearly on the defensive, used the debate to tout the false  
claim that the Delta is uniquely threatened by an earthquake or other  
disaster, even though the exported Delta water goes through hundreds  
of miles of aqueducts and canals in earthquake and disaster prone  
areas to reach its destination.

"We have a Delta system that protects the fresh water that goes to the  
farms, not just to Southern California but to Alameda County and Santa  
Clara County, and that salt water is only protected by dirt levees. We  
have to find a way to make sure the conveyance through the Delta will  
withstand an earthquake or rising sea levels or extreme weather  
events. That?s why for 50 years people have been trying for either a  
peripheral canal or tunnels or some other kind of conveyance," Brown  
contended.

Consulting Engineer Dr. Robert Pyke strongly disagrees with Brown?s  
claim that a peripheral canal or tunnels are needed to ?protect? fresh  
water in the Delta. In a letter to the State Water Resources Control  
Board on November 23, 2013, Pyke wrote, ?The ?earthquake bogey? is a  
red herring that has been used for some years by the Metropolitan  
Water District and others to try to scare people into supporting what  
is now the curiously named Bay Delta Conservation Plan  
(BDCP).? (http:// nodeltagates.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/ 
pyke_comments_on_cwap.pdf)

He also noted, ?In the unlikely but nonetheless possible event of the  
failure of one or more Delta levees in a major flood, the Delta will  
be awash with fresh water and, while the demand for exports would  
likely be small at that time, there would be no reason for exports to  
be interrupted because of salinity intrusion."

Brown also made the false contention that the Delta tunnels would  
somehow prevent saltwater intrusion into the Delta when a myriad of  
scientific studies and reports, including the recent EPA letter  
slamming the tunnel proposal for potential violations of the Clean  
Water Act, demonstrate that the Delta salinity would increase - and  
freshwater outflows to the estuary would actually decrease - if the  
tunnels were in place.

"If that salt water intrudes, half the water to Silicon Valley will  
disappear in a matter of days. That would be a catastrophe for the  
economy of California and I don?t think this man really understands,"  
opined Brown.

Actually, the EPA diagnosis pointed out that operating the proposed  
conveyance facilities ?would contribute to increased and persistent  
violations of water quality standards in the Delta, set under the  
Clean Water Act,? and that the tunnels ?would not protect beneficial  
uses for aquatic life, thereby violating the Clean Water Act." (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/08/29/18760890.php 
)

The EPA also criticized the failure to analyze upstream/downstream  
impacts and observed that there is broad scientific agreement that  
?existing freshwater flow conditions in the San Francisco Estuary are  
insufficient to protect the aquatic ecosystem and multiple fish  
species, and that both increased freshwater flows and aquatic habitat  
restoration are needed to restore ecosystem processes in the Bay Delta  
and protect native and migratory fish populations.?

Brown also used the discussion of the tunnels during the debate to  
promote the water bond, Proposition 1, a measure that is strongly  
opposed by a broad coalition of fishing groups, environmental and  
consumer organizations and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe.

Brown stated, "But I?m telling you the way we protect the water in the  
middle of California and in the south while balancing what is right  
for the north and the water rights of the Northern California rights- 
holders, it?s going to take something like the Proposition 1 that will  
be on your ballot (in November) and, by the way, I hope people will  
vote for Proposition 1, the water bond.?

The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) and other  
environmental and fishing groups strongly disagree with Brown's  
contention that Proposition 1 would "protect the water in the middle  
of California and in the south while balancing what is right for the  
north and the water rights of the Northern California rights-holders."

On September 2, the CSPA released a 14-Point Statement of Opposition  
to Proposition 1. After reviewing the provisions of the Water Quality,  
Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, the group concluded  
that Proposition 1 "represents a grave and insidious threat to core  
environmental values and principles buttressing protection for  
fisheries and the environment."

"Among the numerous reasons the water bond is bad for California is  
that Proposition 1 undermines: the public trust doctrine by purchasing  
water the public already owns, at inflated prices, to protect the  
public?s rivers and environment; the principle of beneficiary pays by  
subsidizing projects that benefit special interests and the core  
principle that projects should be responsible for mitigating their  
adverse impacts," according to CSPA.

Furthermore, CSPA says Proposition 1 paves the way for a new era of  
big dam building; is a pork-filled barrel of special interest  
subsidies, including BDCP; provides little near-term drought relief;  
eliminates public oversight; crowds out other critically needed  
investments in roads, schools and public health and safety; is  
fiscally irresponsible and sabotages efforts to meaningfully address  
California?s continuing water crisis.

?Proposition 1 is a poster-child of why California is in a water  
crisis; it enriches water speculators but accomplishes little in  
addressing the drought, solving California?s long-term water needs,  
reducing reliance on the Delta or protecting our rivers and  
fisheries," said CSPA Executive Director Bill Jennings. "When the  
public focuses a critical eye on Prop. 1, they?ll realize that it?s  
just another expensive pork-filled gift basket to special interests.?

Opponents of Proposition 1 include the CSPA, the Pacific Coast  
Federation of Fishermen?s Associations, San Francisco Crab Boat  
Association, Restore the Delta, Center for Biological Diversity,  
California Water Impact Network, Food & Water Watch, Southern  
California Watershed Alliance, South Delta Water Agency, Central Delta  
Water Agency, Concerned Citizens Coalition of Stockton, Winnemem Wintu  
Tribe, Small Boat Commercial Salmon Fisherman?s Association and  
numerous other fishing, environmental, water and civic organizations.

As the November election draws closer and closer, you can expect Jerry  
Brown, a strong supporter of the environmentally destructive practice  
of fracking, to deliver more Pinocchio lines about the budget-busting  
peripheral tunnels and Proposition 1.

To read the complete 14-Point Statement, go to: http://www.calsport.org

Here is the transcript of the section of the debate focusing on the  
peripheral tunnels, courtesy of Alex Breitler of the Stockton Record (http://blogs.esanjoaquin.com/san-joaquin-river-delta/#sthash.8zSY2UDw.dpuf 
)

Brown: ?I?ve lived in Southern California and I have a ranch in  
Northern California. I was born in San Francisco. It is true a lot of  
our water is in the north, and a lot of the people are in the south.  
That?s why my father passed Proposition 1 on the 1960 ballot and  
that?s been a marvel for California. It has created jobs and abundant  
agriculture, ranking California No. 1 in fruits and vegetables. But we  
have a problem here. We have a Delta system that protects the fresh  
water that goes to the farms, not just to Southern California but to  
Alameda County and Santa Clara County, and that salt water is only  
protected by dirt levees. We have to find a way to make sure the  
conveyance through the Delta will withstand an earthquake or rising  
sea levels or extreme weather events. That?s why for 50 years people  
have been trying for either a peripheral canal or tunnels or some  
other kind of conveyance. We now have a plan and the plan is going  
through the environmental impact process. Very extensive. 75,000 pages  
of analysis. It?s not cooked yet. We?re still taking comments. So over  
the next year we will go over that and look for if anyone else has  
another suggestion. But I?m telling you the way we protect the water  
in the middle of California and in the south while balancing what is  
right for the north and the water rights of the Northern California  
rights-holders, it?s going to take something like the Proposition 1  
that will be on your ballot (in November) and, by the way, I hope  
people will vote for Proposition 1, the water bond.?

Kashkari: ?I?m very concerned about the tunnels. $25 billion for these  
tunnels and the Obama administration has serious concerns. Look, if  
you look at Gov. Brown?s legacy of infrastructure projects ? take the  
Bay Bridge, many billion dollars over budget, many years late ? if  
that?s the track record this thing is going to cost $50 or $75 billion  
by the time we?re done with it. I?m an aerospace engineer. When I look  
at a big engineering project that?s way over budget and way over- 
delayed I have real concerns about mismanagement. I?m not going to  
plow ahead with $25 to $50 billion into the tunnels. We?re going to  
put a brake on it, study it and make sure we get it right.?

Moderator John Myers: ?So no tunnels??
Kashkari: ?No tunnels.?

Myers: ?And no tunnels, then, governor??

Brown: ?This has been on the table for 50 years. If that salt water  
intrudes, half the water to Silicon Valley will disappear in a matter  
of days. That would be a catastrophe for the economy of California and  
I don?t think this man really understands ? ?

Kashkari: ?The Obama EPA is saying your tunnel program is  
fundamentally flawed. That?s your own president, President Obama  
saying that, not me.?

Brown: ?That doesn?t make it right, by the way.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Sep  9 13:40:32 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2014 13:40:32 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] TAMWG meeting will not be held Weds Sept 10.
Message-ID: <1410295232.25990.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

All,

All business for the TAMWG meeting scheduled for Sept 9 and 10 is being concluded today, Sept. 9 due to getting through the entire agenda in one day. 

Therefore, there will not be a TAMWG meeting held on Weds. Sept 10.
 
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Sep  9 17:42:22 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2014 17:42:22 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Press Release from Winnemem Wintu Tribe: WAR
	DANCE AT SHASTA DAM
In-Reply-To: <BE886B32-170D-44A6-87B8-005856B4B6EA@fishsniffer.com>
References: <4DD7C7CF-A0D2-4FD5-84A7-F2BF094C25D8@gmail.com>
	<BE886B32-170D-44A6-87B8-005856B4B6EA@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <1410309742.53011.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Tuesday, September 9, 2014 5:16 PM, Dan Bacher <danielbacher at fishsniffer.com> wrote:






Winnemem Wintu Tribe                      www.winnememwintu.us.
Media Contact: Charlotte Berta
Cell: 916-207-2378
Email: char at ranchriver.com
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
NOTE: PRESS CONFERENCE: 3 PM 9/10/14 AT SHASTA DAM SITE
 
 
DAM THE INDIANS ANYWAY ? WAR DANCE at SHASTA DAM
 
Redding, CA September 11, 2014 ?The Winnemem (McCloud River) Wintu Tribe will hold a ?War Dance? at Shasta Dam, north of Redding, Calif., beginning September 11th through September 15th.   The War Dance is in response to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation?s proposal to raise the dam, which threatens to submerge many Winnemem sacred sites and village areas. The Winnemem lost much of their homelands and their salmon when the dam was first constructed. ?Any raising of the dam, even a few feet, will flood some of our last remaining sacred sites on the McCloud River ? sites we still use today,? says Caleen Sisk , Winnemem Chief and Spiritual Leader.  "We can't be Winnemem any place else but the McCloud River. The dam raise is a form of cultural genocide."
The Winnemem invoked the War Dance in 1887 against a fish hatchery on the McCloud River that threatened the salmon and theWinnemem way of life. . Again The Winnemem held a War Dance at the dam in 2004 to commit themselves to the protection of their land and their salmon.  Now, the Winnemem face even more of their sacred sites and culture being submerged by the dam  ?We gave up a lot of our homeland for the sake of the California people, and got nothing in return.  Now the government wants to take our sacred places, and again we get nothing in return.  How is this fair, over and over again??  ?This is not right Chief Sisk said.  ?This is too much to ask of a people.?
 
On September 11, 2014 at a site near Shasta Dam, just before dusk, a sacred ceremonial fire will be lit, and the Winnemem War Dancers will fast for the full four days of the ceremony.. For the next 4 days, the fire, the drum, the songs and the dance will carry the prayers of the Winnemem people. The dance is being held under a permit issued by The Bureau of Reclamation. (BOR)  The Tribe has held numerous meetings with the BOR to raise questions about the feasibility of the BOR?s plans, the impacts it will have on the tribe and their way of life, and the troubled history between the tribe and the BOR.  Yet, BOR is going ahead with plans to raise the dam and will submit its final EIS/EIR to the Secretary of Interior in December, and anticipates the final project plan will be submitted to Congress for approval no later than March 2015.
          When Shasta Dam was first proposed, Congress passed a law (55 Stat 612) authorizing the federal government to take the lands and burial grounds that the Winnemem had for a thousand years. Promises were made to the Tribe in 55 Stat 612 that still have not been kept. The Tribe is asking that the BOR fulfill 55 Stat 612 to resolve these long standing debts as well as fully comply with NEPA, NHPA, and other laws that protect sacred and historic sites. The Tribe has consistently requested that the BOR, study alternatives to raising the dam such as better management practices for existing reservoirs and conservation options, as well as better protection of the fish populations. Raising the dam will damage, destroy and inundate cultural resources along the McCloud River, sites that are vital to future generations and are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places as Traditional Cultural Properties.
For more information, visit www.winnememwintu.us.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE PRESS CONFERENCE, INTERVIEWS, or PHOTOGRAPHY:
CALL Charlotte Berta  - Cell: 916-207-2378  or email: char at ranchriver.com
 
War Dance Location Information:
Shasta Dam Bureau of Reclamation
16349 Shasta Dam Boulevard
Shasta Lake, California 96019
Lat/Long 40.7140, -122.4176

Show address on Google Map 
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Sep 10 11:19:28 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 11:19:28 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Chronicle- Field Poll results show support for $7.5
	billion state water bond
Message-ID: <1410373168.91146.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

The California Water Impact Network (C-WIN, online at www.c-win.org) is opposed to the Water Bond, Proposition 1.  C-WIN's initial press release is attached. 


Some notes on the Field Poll Results
 
The Field Poll found a slightly higher level of support than the No On 1 pollster did:
52 to 27 with 21 percent undecided
VS.
42 to 24 with 34 undecided
 
A couple of points:

The Field Poll interviewed 150 fewer voters than the No On 1 poll, so No On 1 numbers have greater reliability.

The Field Poll did not read the ballot label exactly as voters will see it on the ballot as they vote, but read a slightly more voter-friendly summary of the measure ? close, but not the official language.

The margin of error for the Field Poll is 4.5 points and the No On 1 margin of error is 4 points ? so the findings are close to that broad range.
 
The two polls combined found that support is still weak, barely over 50% and voters know very little about the measure.
 
Most ballot measures are decided by the Independent voters. The Field Poll found them below 50%, at 47 to 30 with 23 percent undecided. 

Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Field-Poll-results-show-support-for-7-5-billion-5745392.php

Field Poll results show support for $7.5 billion state water bond
Melody Gutierrez Sacramento --Updated 9:17 am, Wednesday, September 10, 2014
California voters are likely to approve a $7.5 billion water bond on the November statewide ballot, according to a Field Poll released Wednesday.
By nearly 2 to 1, voters indicated they support the water bond, a somewhat surprising result given that the majority of people polled reported at first that they were not familiar with Proposition 1.
"That's interesting to me," said poll Director Mark DiCamillo. "I would have guessed there would be more awareness among likely voters. These are the people we believe will show up on election day. ... It's almost like many voters aren't aware an election is coming up."
Fifty-two percent of likely voters said they would vote yes for the water bond, while 27 percent planned to vote no and 21 percent were undecided. Among voters who indicated they were already familiar with the water bond, support was 57 percent in favor and 25 percent against.
DiCamillo said that's a favorable result in the poll, indicating that as people learn about the water bond, their support for it increases.
Welcome news
"The prospects are pretty good at this point," he said.
That will be welcomed news for state officials, who said the water bond will provide critical improvements to California's water delivery system and help combat the effects of the current drought and those that follow.
Measures withdrawn
Lawmakers voted last month to swap out an $11 billion water bond with the scaled-back $7.5 billion version, which was renamed Prop. 1 to improve its chances by moving it to the top of the November ballot.
Lawmakers pulled the $11 billion water bond from the ballot in 2010 and 2012 due to low voter approval ratings. That larger bond was often criticized as being "pork-laden," with millions directed to nonessential programs to garner enough votes to pass the Legislature.
The revised bond includes $2.7 billion for water storage projects, $900 million for groundwater cleanup and monitoring, $725 million for water recycling and $1.5 billion for watershed restoration programs. Prop. 1 asks voters to approve $7.12 billion in new bond debt and reallocates $425 million in existing unspent bond funds to bring the total spending plan to $7.5 billion.
Drought a factor
The state anticipates it would cost $360 million annually over 40 years to pay off the bond debt.
In the Field Poll, DiCamillo said there is no doubt that California's drought is driving some of the support for Prop. 1. Previous polls that focused on the state's water shortage showed nearly all voters surveyed describe the current drought as serious.
"The drought is clearly on voters' minds and they recognize it as a serious situation," he said.
Despite Prop. 1 clearing the state Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support, the poll showed Republican voters lining up against it. Democrats support the water bond 66 percent yes to 13 percent no, while Republican voters were 35 percent yes and 49 percent no.
The Bay Area showed significant support for the bond, with 62 percent of likely voters approving of it. Despite a long history in California of water issues falling on regional - not partisan - lines, DiCamillo said the poll didn't reflect that.
"There isn't a major region of the state showing opposition," he said. "That's a story in and of itself."
The Field Poll surveyed 467 registered voters in California between Aug. 14 and 28 about whether they were aware of the water bond listed on the November ballot as Prop. 1 and whether they supported it.
The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.8 percentage points.
Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: mgutierrez at sfchronicle.com Twitter:@MelodyGutierrez
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Sep 10 11:46:37 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 11:46:37 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal Editorial: Future flow augmentations
	require long-term plan
Message-ID: <1410374797.76559.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/editorials/article_f5aba408-3889-11e4-868c-001a4bcf6878.html 

Future flow augmentations require long-term plan
Posted: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 6:15 am
So recent augmented flows down the Trinity River into the Klamath appear to have succeeded in their goal ? provide additional flows and cooler water temperatures to avoid a fish die-off similar to 2002 and to signal the fish to get moving upriver.
That thanks to a federal court ruling denying a request for a temporary restraining order to stop the higher flows by the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority and Westlands Water District.
While Judge Lawrence J. O?Neill was correct in allowing the added flows to go forward this year, he was also correct in saying the situation cannot continue to be treated as a regular emergency. Flow augmentations have been implemented in 2003, 2004, 2012, 2013 and 2014 ? following the deaths of tens of thousands of fall chinook salmon prior to spawning in 2002 due to crowded conditions and disease.
In fact, he put the Bureau of Reclamation on notice that the court will view future flow augmentations and requests to stop them in light of all circumstances, ?including the fact that federal defendants repeatedly have treated as an ?emergency? circumstances that appear to merit a consistent, reasoned policy rationale.?
The judge is correct. Augmented flows in five of the past 12 years can hardly be described as an emergency. Whether climate change, cyclical drought or whatever, the need for augmented flows has become a regular occurrence.
The Bureau of Reclamation reports the agency began work last year on a long-term plan to incorporate such flows as needed. Any such plan needs to account, first and foremost, for a vibrant and healthy Trinity River watershed and fishery.
Easier said than done.
As we?ve pointed out numerous times before, Trinity Lake serves a number of purposes, all in conflict with one another. A full lake serves area recreation needs and brings much-need tourism to Trinity County. Water flowing through the Central Project tunnel generates inexpensive electricity for the Trinity Public Utilities District and other entities, and provides CVP water to farms and the Delta (not to mention keeping Whiskeytown Lake full). Water flowing down the Trinity River provides a healthy watershed and a healthy fishery, which provides for additional recreation and again draws much-needed tourism dollars.
Reclamation will need to take all of those functions into account, as well as the needs of Trinity and Klamath river tribes, when developing its long-term plan.
While everyone will undoubtedly have to give a little, a vibrant watershed and fishery should remain atop the list.
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From john.mckeon at noaa.gov  Wed Sep 10 12:58:16 2014
From: john.mckeon at noaa.gov (John McKeon - NOAA Federal)
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 12:58:16 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] env-trinity Digest, Vol 128, Issue 10
In-Reply-To: <mailman.25.1410375610.14434.env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
References: <mailman.25.1410375610.14434.env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>
Message-ID: <CAAxWyN3Ef9dRf+FOUH2CUnO_xXCXztchq7v81kCcQABYEMpZ+w@mail.gmail.com>

Is there some reason why this comes up as all undecipherable Chinese
characters, rather than in English?  This is the third digest bulletin I
have received this way.  Are other subscribers having the same problem?

2014-09-10 12:00 GMT-07:00 <env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us>:

> ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
> ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
> ???????????????????????????????????????????????????
> ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
> ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????




-- 

John McKeon
Natural Resource Management Specialist,
Anadromous Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region

U.S. Department of Commerce

777 Sonoma Ave., Rm 325

Santa Rosa, CA 95404

Office: 707-575-6069

john.mckeon at noaa.gov


 Find us online

Web <http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/>

Flickr <http://www.flickr.com/photos/nmfs_northwest/sets/>

Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/westcoastfisheries>

Instagram <http://www.instagram.com/noaafisheries>

Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/NOAAFish_WCR>

YouTube <http://www.youtube.com/usnoaafisheriesgov>
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From twashburn at usbr.gov  Thu Sep 11 09:05:20 2014
From: twashburn at usbr.gov (WASHBURN, THUY)
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 09:05:20 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Change Order - Trinity River
Message-ID: <CAHdoJTPRdunrAcRLRRv=GTTR-rKMaFM3_-YTBU=pLMWHhpJKyQ@mail.gmail.com>

Please make the following release change to the Trinity River.

*    Date           Time          From (cfs)           To (cfs)*

09/13/2014        0001            950                    850
                        0800            850                    750
                        1200            750                    650
                        1600            650                    550
                        2000            550                    450




Comment:  Conserve Storage

Issued by:  Thuy Washburn
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Sep 11 10:14:21 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 10:14:21 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] News Release: Friends of the River Opposes
	Proposition 1
Message-ID: <1410455661.36978.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

NEWS RELEASE
September 10, 2014 Contact: Eric Wesselman: 510-775-3797
Ron Stork: 916-442-3155 x220
Friends of the River Opposes Proposition 1
Water Bond Takes California Back to the Era of Big Dam Building
The Friends of the River Board of Directors has voted to oppose the State Water Bond which will
appear as Proposition 1 on the ballot this November. At least 36% of the $7.5 billion bond would go
toward new storage, ushering in a new era of taxpayer-subsidized dam building in California that FOR
helped to end with the Campaign to Save the Stanislaus River forty years ago.
?We support cleaning up groundwater, providing safe drinking, water conservation and ecosystem
restoration,? said Eric Wesselman, Executive Director of Friends of the River. ?But Proposition 1 is
unnecessarily weighted down by funding for deadbeat dams that would destroy rivers and cost
taxpayers billions.?
Friends of the River supported a proposal for a pared-down $6B water bond that included priority
projects that would improve water security for all Californians, ensure fiscal responsibility in
allocating bond funds and eliminate the special-interest investments. Instead, the legislature passed a
$7.5 billion package that caters to large corporate agribusiness.
?In a state that already has more than 1,250 dams, dedicating 36% of a $7.5 billion bond to build more
is bad public policy,? said Ron Stork, Policy Director for Friends of the River. ?Making billions of
dollars available for dams breaks faith with a half a century of State Water Project policy: these
projects are paid for by the beneficiaries, not the taxpayers of California.?
Proposition 1 is a slimmed-down version of the bond the legislature pulled from the ballot in 2009
when polls showed voters would likely oppose it. Legislators cut funding for water quality,
conservation and restoration programs to make room for storage which would be continuously
appropriated while the rest of the funds would be subject to the annual budget process.
If approved by the voters, funding for dams in Proposition 1 would help leverage additional funding as
members of Congress look to funnel federal dollars to two projects in particular: Temperance Flat on
the San Joaquin River gorge and Sites Reservoir on Antelope Creek, alongside the Sacramento River.
These projects, along with other proposed dams, would cost $9 billion (before cost overruns and debt
financing) and increase California?s total annual water supply by less than 1%.
?California needs real water solutions that diversify our water supply and reduce our dependence on
rivers that are already dammed and degraded,? said Wesselman. ?On balance, Proposition 1 is a bad
investment for California that takes us back to the bygone era of big dam building.?
###
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Sep 11 12:23:56 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 12:23:56 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Grants and Agreement Technician annoucement
In-Reply-To: <CAP6bShJnBPSLBZP4KqrbZAHhURq4_zpzhJH8vfQESXOsKGexGA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAP6bShJnBPSLBZP4KqrbZAHhURq4_zpzhJH8vfQESXOsKGexGA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1410463436.96867.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Thursday, September 11, 2014 11:50 AM, "Schrock, Robin" <rschrock at usbr.gov> wrote:






Please circulate as widely as possible.

The DEU Announcement BR-MP-2014-288 open to All U.S. Citizens: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/380624700 



Robin M. Schrock
Executive Director
Trinity River Restoration Program
PO Box 1300, 1313 South Main Street
Weaverville, CA 96093
TEL: (530) 623-1800
FAX: (530) 623-5944
CELL: (530) 945-7489
www.trrp.net
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Sep 11 12:41:11 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 12:41:11 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] An E&E Publishing Service WATER POLICY: Western
	irrigators owe $1.6B for past Reclamation projects
Message-ID: <1410464471.1408.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060005565
An E&E Publishing Service
WATER POLICY: Western irrigators owe $1.6B for past Reclamation projects -- GAO  (Wednesday, September 10, 2014)
Annie Snider, E&E reporter
With many Western lawmakers clamoring for expanding reservoirs amid an entrenched drought, a government watchdog issued a report yesterday showing farmers and ranchers still owe on their tab for dams and reservoir projects done decades ago.
The Government Accountability Office report says irrigation districts still owe $1.6 billion, roughly a quarter of their tab for the 130 projects built for irrigation by the Bureau of Reclamation.
Irrigators have paid off construction costs in 54 of those projects, but they still owed payments on 76 projects as of the end of fiscal 2012. Many of those projects were built during the 1960s.
Many Reclamation projects serve multiple purposes, and construction costs are allocated among them. In addition to irrigation, reservoirs provide water for cities, industries and power generators.
Irrigation beneficiaries only have to pay back their share of the construction costs, while power generation and municipal and industrial users must pay back those costs with interest. In some cases, irrigators can prove they lack the ability to pay, in which case other users often subsidize irrigation assistance.
According to GAO, of $6.4 billion in construction costs that irrigators owed for projects they had a stake in, more than $3 billion was covered by financial assistance from other revenue sources.
The report comes as House Republicans are looking to grease the skids for new water storage projects. This afternoon, a House Natural Resources Committee subpanel is holding a hearing on a measure to accelerate environmental reviews of water storage projects (E&E Daily, Sept. 8).
Democratic lawmakers who requested the GAO report pointed to its findings as a reason to oppose the legislation.
"Irrigators haven't paid for projects that were built forty years ago and Congress isn't allocating money for projects already approved. Yet, House Republicans insist on a hearing that ignores these real issues," Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) and Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said in a statement.
"At a time when the federal government could use $1.6 billion for all kinds of pressing needs, this committee should focus on serious fixes to our water problems, and stop wasting time with legislation that amounts to a giveaway of public money and will do nothing to solve this issue," they said.
The GAO also found that Reclamation isn't doing a good job of making repayment information available to the public. The bureau prepares repayment statements annually, but they are not posted on its website.
"With population, agricultural production, and development in the West projected to continue to increase, Reclamation may be called upon to modify or expand existing capacity for water storage or delivery," the report says. "In considering potential new work and affiliated funding arrangements, Congress, as well as water users and the public, may benefit from evaluating information on past water projects." 
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Sep 11 14:06:41 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 14:06:41 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] E&E Publishing Service WATER POLICY: Western
	irrigators owe $1.6B for past Reclamation projects
In-Reply-To: <1410464471.1408.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1410464471.1408.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1410469601.64673.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060005565



An E&E Publishing Service
WATER POLICY: Western irrigators owe $1.6B for past Reclamation projects -- GAO  (Wednesday, September 10, 2014)
Annie Snider, E&E reporter
With many Western lawmakers clamoring for expanding reservoirs amid an entrenched drought, a government watchdog issued a report yesterday showing farmers and ranchers still owe on their tab for dams and reservoir projects done decades ago.
The Government Accountability Office report says irrigation districts still owe $1.6 billion, roughly a quarter of their tab for the 130 projects built for irrigation by the Bureau of Reclamation.
Irrigators have paid off construction costs in 54 of those projects, but they still owed payments on 76 projects as of the end of fiscal 2012. Many of those projects were built during the 1960s.
Many Reclamation projects serve multiple purposes, and construction costs are allocated among them. In addition to irrigation, reservoirs provide water for cities, industries and power generators.
Irrigation beneficiaries only have to pay back their share of the construction costs, while power generation and municipal and industrial users must pay back those costs with interest. In some cases, irrigators can prove they lack the ability to pay, in which case other users often subsidize irrigation assistance.
According to GAO, of $6.4 billion in construction costs that irrigators owed for projects they had a stake in, more than $3 billion was covered by financial assistance from other revenue sources.
The report comes as House Republicans are looking to grease the skids for new water storage projects. This afternoon, a House Natural Resources Committee subpanel is holding a hearing on a measure to accelerate environmental reviews of water storage projects (E&E Daily, Sept. 8).
Democratic lawmakers who requested the GAO report pointed to its findings as a reason to oppose the legislation.
"Irrigators haven't paid for projects that were built forty years ago and Congress isn't allocating money for projects already approved. Yet, House Republicans insist on a hearing that ignores these real issues," Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) and Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said in a statement.
"At a time when the federal government could use $1.6 billion for all kinds of pressing needs, this committee should focus on serious fixes to our water problems, and stop wasting time with legislation that amounts to a giveaway of public money and will do nothing to solve this issue," they said.
The GAO also found that Reclamation isn't doing a good job of making repayment information available to the public. The bureau prepares repayment statements annually, but they are not posted on its website.
"With population, agricultural production, and development in the West projected to continue to increase, Reclamation may be called upon to modify or expand existing capacity for water storage or delivery," the report says. "In considering potential new work and affiliated funding arrangements, Congress, as well as water users and the public, may benefit from evaluating information on past water projects." 
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Sep 11 17:04:17 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 00:04:17 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek 36
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C21161D@057-SN2MPN1-043.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi All,
Please see attachment for the Jweek 36 (Sep 3-9) Trinity River trapping summary update.  This week's update includes trapping results from the Junction City weir, Willow Creek weir and the Trinity River Hatchery.  After the augmentation flow subsided to safe operation levels on Sep 3, the Junction City weir was reinstalled and the Willow Creek weir began to trap fish.  The hatchery began to process fish on Sep. 2.
Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Sep 12 08:59:01 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 08:59:01 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] E&E: Western irrigators owe $1.6B for past
	Reclamation projects
Message-ID: <1410537541.56722.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060005565

An E&E Publishing Service
WATER POLICY: Western irrigators owe $1.6B for past Reclamation projects -- GAO  (Wednesday, September 10, 2014)
Annie Snider, E&E reporter
With many Western lawmakers clamoring for expanding reservoirs amid an entrenched drought, a government watchdog issued a report yesterday showing farmers and ranchers still owe on their tab for dams and reservoir projects done decades ago.
The Government Accountability Office report says irrigation districts still owe $1.6 billion, roughly a quarter of their tab for the 130 projects built for irrigation by the Bureau of Reclamation.
Irrigators have paid off construction costs in 54 of those projects, but they still owed payments on 76 projects as of the end of fiscal 2012. Many of those projects were built during the 1960s.
Many Reclamation projects serve multiple purposes, and construction costs are allocated among them. In addition to irrigation, reservoirs provide water for cities, industries and power generators.
Irrigation beneficiaries only have to pay back their share of the construction costs, while power generation and municipal and industrial users must pay back those costs with interest. In some cases, irrigators can prove they lack the ability to pay, in which case other users often subsidize irrigation assistance.
According to GAO, of $6.4 billion in construction costs that irrigators owed for projects they had a stake in, more than $3 billion was covered by financial assistance from other revenue sources.
The report comes as House Republicans are looking to grease the skids for new water storage projects. This afternoon, a House Natural Resources Committee subpanel is holding a hearing on a measure to accelerate environmental reviews of water storage projects (E&E Daily, Sept. 8).
Democratic lawmakers who requested the GAO report pointed to its findings as a reason to oppose the legislation.
"Irrigators haven't paid for projects that were built forty years ago and Congress isn't allocating money for projects already approved. Yet, House Republicans insist on a hearing that ignores these real issues," Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) and Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said in a statement.
"At a time when the federal government could use $1.6 billion for all kinds of pressing needs, this committee should focus on serious fixes to our water problems, and stop wasting time with legislation that amounts to a giveaway of public money and will do nothing to solve this issue," they said.
The GAO also found that Reclamation isn't doing a good job of making repayment information available to the public. The bureau prepares repayment statements annually, but they are not posted on its website.
"With population, agricultural production, and development in the West projected to continue to increase, Reclamation may be called upon to modify or expand existing capacity for water storage or delivery," the report says. "In considering potential new work and affiliated funding arrangements, Congress, as well as water users and the public, may benefit from evaluating information on past water projects." 
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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Sat Sep 13 14:04:42 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 14:04:42 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Mainstem Trinity River spawning survey update through
	Sept 11
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRvNiewbj8omguRnpPjf9jUX62=q2nVmAXo-w=XTyA6HBA@mail.gmail.com>

HI all,
This week our mainstem Trinity River spawning survey crews surveyed from
Lewiston Dam to North Fork.  We mapped 3 redds and 2 carcasses.  Activity
should start to build quickly in the coming weeks.  I'll get weekly reports
posted to our web address in my signature beginning September 22.

[image: Inline image 1]


Please let me know if you wish to be removed from my blind cc list.

I hope to see you out there!
Charlie


Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Sep 15 09:00:08 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 09:00:08 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] California poised to restrict groundwater pumping
Message-ID: <1410796808.17670.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/15/6706392/california-poised-to-restrict.html 

California poised to restrict groundwater pumping

By Matt Weiser
mweiser at sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Sep. 15, 2014 - 7:17 am
For as long as California has been a state, groundwater has remained its most exclusively private natural resource. Property owners, in many cases, can drill a well and extract all the water they want, without so much as a friendly wave to neighbors or any government agency.
California is the only state in America so completely lacking in groundwater regulation. The effects have been contentious in this drought year: Aquifers statewide are being rapidly depleted, according to available data, in some cases causing vast swaths of the overlying land to collapse and causing millions of dollars in damage to surface infrastructure, such as roads and canals.
All this may swiftly change, pending the governor?s signature.
On Aug. 29, the Legislature passed a package of bills that impose sweeping new regulations on groundwater extraction. If signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, the laws would create new local agencies with broad powers to restrict groundwater pumping, shut down harmful wells and impose fines and criminal penalties for failing to allow inspections.
Existing state agencies, including the Department of Water Resources and State Water Resources Control Board, would be granted new powers to oversee these local agencies and take over their programs, if deemed inadequate.
The overarching goal, according to the legislation, is to ensure California?s groundwater is managed sustainably, generally defined as avoiding ?chronic lowering? of aquifer levels.
It is not a small issue: Groundwater makes up about 60 percent of all fresh water consumed in California during drought years, and about 40 percent in average years.
?In terms of the culture of water management in California, it?s a major cultural shift,? said Graham Fogg, a UC Davis professor of hydrogeology and groundwater expert. ?I?ve worked at UC Davis for almost 26 years, and I never thought in my lifetime I would see this in California, frankly. But it has been sorely needed.?
Dozens of agricultural groups opposed the legislation, saying it would add burdensome regulation and cost, and potentially undermine the economic health of farms. The laws are written to exempt small domestic well owners who pump less than 2 acre-feet of water per year. But thousands of larger extractors will fall under the new regulations.
Among the opponents is the Northern California Water Association, a group that represents property owners, water agencies and farmers in the Sacramento Valley. The group?s president and CEO, David Guy, said there are probably 50,000 landowners in the Central Valley alone who would be affected by the new laws.
Under the legislation, each of these landowners eventually would come under the jurisdiction of a new local ?groundwater sustainability agency.? These agencies would prepare a groundwater plan, which, for the first time, will set rules on when and how much water each well owner can pump. The local agency could be a county government or a new entity formed by residents specifically to comply with the law.
If no local agency emerges, the state would prepare a groundwater plan for the area.
Either way, in basic terms, the government would be telling farmers how to operate their wells.
?You just start thinking about it, and the magnitude of this is pretty large,? said Guy. ?In certain parts of the state, there?s probably going to be some major sea changes as part of this.?
For example, many wells, because they have never been regulated, lack flow meters to measure how much water is extracted. Local groundwater agencies are likely to require well owners to install flow meters as a first step to understand the demand on aquifers. An agricultural flow meter can cost several thousand dollars to buy and install, and many farms have several wells. There are ongoing costs involved in collecting data from these meters.
Local agencies would be empowered to impose fees on well owners to cover the costs of preparing a sustainability plan, monitoring pumping and carrying out enforcement. The agencies could undertake long-term water management activities. For example, they would be able to buy water to recharge aquifers and buy land to construct lakes or settling basins where that water could be pooled to soak into the ground.
In addition, the agencies would be charged with protecting the quality of groundwater and have the ability to take actions to prevent pollution.
?The unanswered question is going to be the cost,? said Guy. ?I think there?s going to be some significant expenses that might go into developing some of these plans.?
The legislation empowers local agencies to enter private land to inspect wells and pumps within their jurisdiction through a court-issued inspection warrant. Failure to heed such a warrant would be considered a misdemeanor crime.
In most cases, Fogg said, local agencies are likely to develop complex computer models to monitor their aquifers. These would be used to help predict how changes in pumping, land use and other factors affect groundwater levels. In many areas, significant research would be required before aquifers are well understood.
?In most cases, there is an ongoing need for improving the understanding of the groundwater hydrology in these basins,? said Fogg. ?They?ll have to determine what the future sustainable yield is so that these basins don?t drift into an unsustainable condition. It?s a problem that unfolds on a time scale of decades or centuries.?
The new laws require local agencies to address the interaction between groundwater basins and creeks and rivers in the vicinity, a connection long neglected in California water management. For example, a local agency could decide that ?sustainable? groundwater management includes depleting surface water to some degree. Whether that would pass muster with state officials, and with wildlife agencies, remains to be seen.
The Department of Water Resources and State Water Resources Control Board, if the laws are enacted, would ramp up new programs to oversee local groundwater agencies. The bills require them to periodically review the sustainability plans. If a plan is found to be inadequate, the water board can take over groundwater management in a local area after holding hearings.
Local agencies would have five to seven years to submit a groundwater plan. DWR would have two years to conduct an initial plan review and must review the plans again every five years. In each case, it could recommend corrective actions. Each local agency would have 20 years to achieve the sustainability goals in its plan.
Richard Frank, a professor of environmental law at UC Davis, said these time frames are too long.
?By the time this process cranks up in five, 10 or 20 years, the damage may long have been done,? said Frank.
He also is concerned about a clause in the legislation that forbids public disclosure of personal information in reports on groundwater extraction. The clause cites a section of the Public Records Act that prohibits disclosure of information about utility customers, including name, address and ?utility usage data.? If this is applied broadly in the case of groundwater, researchers and the public would not be able to access information about the location of wells and the rate of groundwater extraction.
This is a level of privacy not extended to Californians who hold rights to divert surface water from streams. The annual reports they file with the state are posted on the Internet in undiluted form and are readily available to the public.
?I think it?s a problem,? Frank said. ?That effort at confidentiality would seem to have the potential to undermine the whole purpose and utility of this groundwater extraction data.?

Call The Bee?s Matt Weiser at (916) 321-1264. Follow him on Twitter @matt_weiser.


Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/15/6706392/california-poised-to-restrict.html#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Sep 15 17:12:21 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 17:12:21 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Interstate 5 closed at Weed due to extreme wildfire
Message-ID: <1410826341.99430.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

At least 75 structures have burned.  See http://yubanet.com/CAFires/Boles.php for updates.
 
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Sep 16 07:53:14 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 07:53:14 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Reclamation will make an emergency release of
	3400 cfs from Lewiston beginning at 10 am
In-Reply-To: <CAP6bShKUP5vdp7AARkfZjWpbdFuJGYA0dFhGWHj6sef+JOLatQ@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAP6bShKUP5vdp7AARkfZjWpbdFuJGYA0dFhGWHj6sef+JOLatQ@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1410879194.51332.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>





On Tuesday, September 16, 2014 6:57 AM, "Schrock, Robin" <rschrock at usbr.gov> wrote:
 


Please alert your staff who may be in the field.

-- 

Robin M. Schrock
Executive Director
Trinity River Restoration Program
PO Box 1300, 1313 South Main Street
Weaverville, CA 96093
TEL: (530) 623-1800
FAX: (530) 623-5944
CELL: (530) 945-7489
www.trrp.net
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Sep 16 08:28:41 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 08:28:41 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Lewiston Dam releases go to 3400 cfs at 1 pm today,
	Tuesday Sept 16
Message-ID: <1410881321.74675.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

I previously sent a message to env-trinity, but I didn't see it come through.  Please be advised and let people know!
 
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From frank.t.emerson at gmail.com  Tue Sep 16 08:51:47 2014
From: frank.t.emerson at gmail.com (Frank Emerson)
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 08:51:47 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Lewiston Dam releases go to 3400 cfs at 1 pm
 today, Tuesday Sept 16
In-Reply-To: <1410881321.74675.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1410881321.74675.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <CAMYcJM1vNGBcYquzmJtca_Zea4rJ5gmfaUuhVaR5aEhifECnZw@mail.gmail.com>

I did get it and forwarded it on to people who may be fishing.

On Tue, Sep 16, 2014 at 8:28 AM, Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net> wrote:
> I previously sent a message to env-trinity, but I didn't see it come
> through.  Please be advised and let people know!
>
> Tom Stokely
> Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
> California Water Impact Network
> V/FAX 530-926-9727
> Cell 530-524-0315
> tstokely at att.net
> http://www.c-win.org
>
> _______________________________________________
> env-trinity mailing list
> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
>


From tstokely at att.net  Tue Sep 16 09:15:53 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 09:15:53 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Flows to go up to 3400 cfs at 10 am, not 1 pm!
Message-ID: <1410884153.32219.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Please note that Trinity River flows will go up at 10 am to 3400 cfs, not 1 pm.  I misread the original e-mail.

As I find out more, I'll let you know.
 
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Sep 16 09:17:43 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 09:17:43 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] News release from trrp.net
Message-ID: <1410884263.73362.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trrp.net/ 

News!
	* NEW SEPT. 16, 2014! Reclamation is making an emergency release from Lewiston Dam of 3400 cfs with the purpose of doubling flows in the Lower Klamath River to abate poor fish health conditions. The increased flows are expected to continue for several days. Please go tohttp://www.kbmp.net/collaboration/kfhat for more information on fish health monitoring in the Klamath River.

	* You may subscribe to Automated Flow Release Notifications (click here).
	* 
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From twashburn at usbr.gov  Tue Sep 16 09:38:23 2014
From: twashburn at usbr.gov (WASHBURN, THUY)
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 09:38:23 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Change Order - Trinity River
Message-ID: <CAHdoJTO1t3auq6hZxQZVfUacFK7Yz56-S3oqHi8bsDY5r3n5Ag@mail.gmail.com>

Please make the following release change to the Trinity River.

[image: Inline image 2]

Comment:  Lower Klamath River fish needs
Issued by:  Thuy Washburn
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Sep 16 12:06:49 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 12:06:49 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Daily Kos- Dan Bacher:Bureau makes emergency water
	release to avert Klamath fish kill
Message-ID: <1410894409.76950.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/16/1330164/-Bureau-will-make-emergency-water-release-to-avert-Klamath-fish-kill#

TUE SEP 16, 2014 AT 09:53 AM PDT
Bureau makes emergency water release to avert Klamath fish kill
byDan BacherFollow
	*  
	*  
	* 4 Comments / 4 New
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will make an emergency release of 3400 cfs from Lewiston Dam into the Trinity River in order to double flows in the Lower Klamath River to "abate poor fish health conditions" including an outbreak of the fish disease "Ich."
Starting at 10 am today,  Trinity River releases will begin increasing from 450 cfs at a rate of 250 cfs per every 2 hours until the total release from The Trinity reaches 3400 cfs, according to Vivienna Orcutt of the Hoopa Valley Tribe. For specific river release information, call the river release recording at (530) 246-7594.
"The increased flows are expected to continue for several days," according to a news release from the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP). Please go to: http://www.kbmp.net/...for more information on fish health monitoring in the Klamath River.
The emergency release of water would not have taken place without the Hoopa Valley Tribe taking swift action responding to the Klamath River fish kill and contacting the Bureau of Reclamation Regional Director, Dave Murillo.  
"A potentially catastrophic outbreak of disease among fall Chinook salmon has today commenced in the lower Klamath River," according to a news release from the Hoopa Valley Tribe on Monday. "Samples examined by Dr. Scott Foott show infection with ich of at least nine fish, including six with 'severe' infestations."
Consequently, the Tribe said an emergency doubling of flows at the USGS ?KNK? gage from pre-existing levels for a period of 7 consecutive days, woul be required in an attempt to avoid a massive fish kill.  
The Tribe asked David Murillo of the Bureau of Reclamation to take action immediately to release emergency flows.  
?The Hoopa Valley Tribe is very appreciative of the earlier action that Reclamation took by releasing preventative flows," Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten said yesterday. "However, we are in another stage that we did not anticipate and we shouldn?t deviate from what the science tells us to do. We expect that Reclamation will take the right action, which is to release the emergency flows that are called for under the criteria.?  
Regina Chichizola, river advocate, explained that Ich was the disease that caused the 2002 Klamath River fish kill, when over 68,000 salmon perished in low and warm water conditions that spurred the Ich outbreak.
"Let's hope the releases stop the spread of Ich, and that fish headed up river from the Trinity River (including the Salmon, Scott and Shasta River salmon) survive without additional water," said Chichizola. "Imagine how much worst the situation would be if preventive flows were not released last month due to the pressure put on the BOR."

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO DAN BACHER ON TUE SEP 16, 2014 AT 09:53 AM PDT.
ALSO REPUBLISHED BY CLIMATE CHANGE SOS.
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Sep 16 12:35:04 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 12:35:04 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] HVT Press Release
Message-ID: <1410896104.10427.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://lostcoastoutpost.com/2014/sep/15/ich/



?The fear is that all the fish might die in the Lower Klamath like they did in 2002?Kym Kemp / Yesterday @ 7:12 p.m. / News
 
Hoopa Valley Tribe press release:
Dr. Scott Foott, a pathologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, discovered severe ich (ichthyophthirius multifiliis) infestations in fall run Chinook salmon taken from the Lower Klamath River. 
>Massive ich infestations among overcrowded fish led to a massive fish die-off in 2002, which left tens of thousands of fish dead and dying along the Klamath and Trinity Rivers. 
>Robert Franklin, senior hydrologist with Hoopa Tribal Fisheries, said, ?The fear is that all the fish might die in the Lower Klamath like they did in 2002.? 
>This year, like in 2002, massive amounts of water have been diverted from the Klamath and Trinity Rivers to agricultural users hit by severe drought, leaving only a small portion of the rivers? natural flows to sustain their ecosystems. 
>As more water is diverted away from local rivers, lower water flow leads to higher temperatures in the water, and diseases and parasites spread among fish crowded into the few deep pools along the river. 
>Franklin said only an immediate doubling of flows on the Trinity could prevent the infection from spreading rapidly. ?It needs to take place immediately because the water will take several days to reach the Lower Klamath.? 
>Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten requested this afternoon that the Bureau of Reclamation immediately double the flows released into the Trinity from Lewiston Dam. 
>?We expect that the Bureau of Reclamation will take the right action and release the emergency flows that are called for,? Vigil-Masten said.
Previously:
	*  ?There are fish missing the scales on their bellies and rolling on the bottom of the river?
	* 
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Sep 16 13:52:35 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 13:52:35 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: TRRP fish biologist position is now being
	announced by the USFWS on USAjobs
In-Reply-To: <CAP6bSh+f3czgYpgDJGZ2ja9aHt2-KKe7BS+V4HhTqpioFOte+g@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAP6bSh+f3czgYpgDJGZ2ja9aHt2-KKe7BS+V4HhTqpioFOte+g@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1410900755.5873.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Please note that two announcements exist for the position.  Please circulate the announcement as widely as possible.






Job Title:Fish Biologist
Department:Department Of The Interior
Agency:Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Job Announcement Number:R8-14-1214984-JC
SALARY RANGE: $47,923.00 to $75,376.00 / Per Year 
OPEN PERIOD: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 to Tuesday, October 7, 2014 
SERIES & GRADE: GS-0482-09/11 
POSITION INFORMATION: Full Time - Permanent 
PROMOTION POTENTIAL:11 
DUTY LOCATIONS: 1 vacancy in the following location:
Weaverville, CA View Map
 
WHO MAY APPLY: United States Citizens 
SECURITY CLEARANCE: Q - Nonsensitive 
SUPERVISORY STATUS: No


and



 
Job Title:Fish Biologist
Department:Department Of The Interior
Agency:Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Job Announcement Number:R8-14-1214993-JC
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Sep 16 14:35:24 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 14:35:24 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Reclamation Releases Additional Water to Address
	Fish Health in Lower Klamath River
In-Reply-To: <3921c5b2b53b4edf98dfe16cd98af4a4@usbr.gov>
References: <3921c5b2b53b4edf98dfe16cd98af4a4@usbr.gov>
Message-ID: <1410903324.98847.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Tuesday, September 16, 2014 2:06 PM, Janet Sierzputowski <jsierzputowski at usbr.gov> wrote:






Reclamation Releases Additional Water to Address Fish Health in Lower Klamath River
Mid-Pacific Region
Sacramento, Calif.
MP-14-182
Media Contact: Erin Curtis, 916-978-5100, eccurtis at usbr.gov
For Release On: Sept. 16, 2014
Reclamation Releases Additional Water to Address Fish Health in Lower Klamath River
New water releases from Trinity Reservoir began today
REDDING, Calif. ? In response to the discovery of a parasite infection in Chinook salmon in the lower Klamath River, the Bureau of Reclamation began today to release additional water from Trinity Reservoir.
On Monday, Sept. 15, scientists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?s Fish Health Center captured and examined 20 fish from the lower Klamath River mainstem. Of those 20, nine tested positive for Ich parasites, with six of those nine determined to be severe. Ich was the primary pathogen responsible for the fish die-off in 2002.
The Fish Health Center?s findings are well above the emergency response criteria described in an August 2013 joint memorandum from USFWS and NOAA Fisheries. The recommended response is an immediate doubling of the flow rate in the lower Klamath River for seven days. Accordingly, releases from Lewiston Dam were increased beginning at 10 a.m. today.
?This is the only possible means of preventing or reducing the severity of a parasite outbreak,? said Mid-Pacific Regional Director David Murillo. ?We are greatly concerned about the impact today?s decision may have on already depleted storage levels, particularly the cold water pool in Trinity Reservoir. We must, however, take all reasonable measures to prevent a recurrence of the fish losses experienced in 2002.?
Today?s decision comes on the heels of Reclamation?s decision on August 22 to supplement flows in the lower Klamath River in an effort to stave off a large-scale fish die-off. While fish health had initially appeared to be improving following the August augmentations, Reclamation received reports late last week that fish in the river were exhibiting possible signs of Ich parasites, prompting further investigation.
Starting today and for the next seven days, the flow rate from Lewiston Dam will be increased to a maximum of about 3,400 cubic feet per second (cfs), which will provide a flow rate of approximately 5,000 cfs in the lower Klamath River. This is double the 2,500 cfs flow sustained since August 23. It will require approximately 35,000-40,000 acre-feet to accomplish the flow doubling. The public is urged to take all necessary precautions on or near the river while flows are high during this period.
Reclamation will continue to work with NOAA Fisheries and other federal agencies to comply with applicable provisions of the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
# # #
Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits.  Visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov.


If you would rather not receive future communications from Bureau of Reclamation, let us know by clicking here.
Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825 United States
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Tue Sep 16 16:13:08 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 16:13:08 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Feds release emergency flows to avert fish kill on
	Klamath River (updated)
In-Reply-To: <1410900755.5873.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <CAP6bSh+f3czgYpgDJGZ2ja9aHt2-KKe7BS+V4HhTqpioFOte+g@mail.gmail.com>
	<1410900755.5873.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <99C1B027-9790-4500-B4E3-2E36B51CB905@fishsniffer.com>

  http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/09/16/18761706.php
?While there has not been a confirmation that any fish have died as a  
result of Ich, we are extremely concerned that there could be another  
fish kill in the coming weeks if additional flows are not released. We  
appreciate that the Bureau of Reclamation heeded our request to send  
emergency flows down the Klamath River,? said Thomas P. O?Rourke Sr.,  
Chair of the Yurok Tribe.

800_lewiston_dam_1.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

Feds release emergency flows to avert fish kill on Klamath River

by Dan Bacher

The Bureau of Reclamation at 10 a.m. today began to release additional  
water from Trinity Reservoir in response to the discovery of an Ich  
parasite infection in Chinook salmon in the lower Klamath River and at  
the request of the Yurok and Hoopa Valley tribes.

A massive ich infestation among overcrowded fish led to a massive fish  
die-off in September 2002 in the lower Klamath River. Over 68,000 fish  
perished in the largest adult salmon die off in U.S. history.

Starting today and for the next seven days, the flow rate from  
Lewiston Dam on the Trinity river will be increased to a maximum of  
about 3,400 cubic feet per second (cfs), which will provide a flow  
rate of approximately 5,000 cfs in the lower Klamath River. This is  
double the 2,500 cfs flow sustained since August 23.

It will require approximately 35,000-40,000 acre-feet to accomplish  
the flow doubling, according to a news release from Reclamation. The  
public is urged to take all necessary precautions on or near the river  
while flows are high during this period.

"On Monday, Sept. 15, scientists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife  
Service?s Fish Health Center captured and examined 20 fish from the  
lower Klamath River mainstem. Of those 20, nine tested positive for  
Ich parasites, with six of those nine determined to be severe. Ich was  
the primary pathogen responsible for the fish die-off in 2002," the  
Bureau stated.

The Fish Health Center?s findings are well above the emergency  
response criteria described in an August 2013 joint memorandum from  
USFWS and NOAA Fisheries. The recommended response is an immediate  
doubling of the flow rate in the lower Klamath River for seven days -  
and those increased releases began today.

?This is the only possible means of preventing or reducing the  
severity of a parasite outbreak,? said Mid-Pacific Regional Director  
David Murillo. ?We are greatly concerned about the impact today?s  
decision may have on already depleted storage levels, particularly the  
cold water pool in Trinity Reservoir. We must, however, take all  
reasonable measures to prevent a recurrence of the fish losses  
experienced in 2002.?

The Yurok Tribe applauded the release of increased flows down the  
Trinity River to avert a fish kill on the lower Klamath.

?While there has not been a confirmation that any fish have died as a  
result of Ich, we are extremely concerned that there could be another  
fish kill in the coming weeks if additional flows are not released. We  
appreciate that the Bureau of Reclamation heeded our request to send  
emergency flows down the Klamath River,? said Thomas P. O?Rourke Sr.,  
Chair of the Yurok Tribe.

Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten requested Monday  
afternoon that the Bureau of Reclamation immediately double the flows  
released into the Trinity from Lewiston Dam, according to a news  
release from the Hoopa Valley Tribe issued Monday.

"The Hoopa Valley Tribe is very appreciative of the earlier action  
that Reclamation took by releasing preventative flows," Vigil-Masten  
stated. ?We are in another stage that we did not anticipate and we  
shouldn?t deviate from what the science tells us to do. We expect that  
Reclamation will take the right action, which is to release the  
emergency flows that are called for under the criteria.?

Below are the press releases from the Yurok and Hoopa Valley Tribes  
regarding the increased flows:

Yurok Tribe Press Release:

At the Tribe?s Request, the BOR is sending emergency flows down the  
Klamath

Tribal biologists find Ich, the pathogen responsible for the 2002  
fish, for the first time in 11 years

Today, following the discovery of a significant number of salmon  
infected with the deadly parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis or Ich  
and at the request of the Yurok Tribe, emergency flows will be sent  
down the Klamath River.

On Monday, September 15, the Yurok Fisheries Program, along with the  
U.S Fish and Wildlife Service?s California-Nevada Fish Health Center,  
examined several Klamath River Chinook salmon and confirmed the  
presence of the deadly parasite, which was responsible for the 2002  
fish kill.

Ich was found in 11 of the 26 fish that the Yurok Fisheries Program  
sampled yesterday. Six of the salmon were severely infected with the  
ciliated protozoan parasite. This is the first time Ich has been  
detected since the Yurok Fisheries Program began monitoring for it in  
2003, following the 2002 fish kill.

The prevalence of Ich exceeded a threshold identified by USFWS/NMFS  
during 2013 for releasing emergency flows to prevent a major disease  
outbreak. BOR?s decision today to double the flow in the Lower Klamath  
will help minimize the risk of a major fish kill.

?While there has not been a confirmation that any fish have died as a  
result of Ich, we are extremely concerned that there could be another  
fish kill in the coming weeks if additional flows are not released. We  
appreciate that the Bureau of Reclamation heeded our request to send  
emergency flows down the Klamath River,? said Thomas P. O?Rourke Sr.

If the additional flows were not released back in August, it is highly  
likely there would have already been a massive fish kill on the  
Klamath River.

Last Friday, the Yurok Fisheries Program hand-delivered slides, made  
from imprints of the gills of salmon believed to be sickened by Ich,  
to the USFWS Fish Health Center in Anderson, Ca. Over the weekend  
Fisheries crews continued to collect fish, many of which later tested  
positive Ich. On Monday, the Fisheries Program and Dr. Scott Foote  
from the center examined the 26 fish for Ich.

?This quick response from the BOR and USFWS Fish Health Center will  
greatly lessen the chance of another fish kill,? Chairman O?Rourke said.

The Yurok Tribe will continue to monitor fish health in the Lower  
Klamath River until the fall run has subsided.

Ich outbreaks are the result of a combination of three factors, which  
consist of low flows, warm water and high fish densities. The Klamath  
River Basin is suffering through three years of extreme drought and is  
seeing a larger than predicted run of salmon in a relatively low  
flowing river.

Prior to this year?s fall run of Chinook salmon, the Yurok Tribe,  
anticipating unhealthy river conditions that could trigger a fish  
kill, submitted two formal requests to the Secretary of Interior  
asking that additional flows be sent down the Klamath River from  
August 26 to September 21. Originally, the BOR declined to implement  
the Yurok Tribe?s proposal for additional flows to lessen the  
likelihood of another fish kill. At the Yurok Tribe?s request, the BOR  
reconsidered its decision to not provide these additional flows from  
August 23 ? mid-September to protect fish.

?We are glad that BOR reconsidered our request and most likely the  
earlier releases prevented a large-scale fish kill similar to what  
took place on the Yurok Reservation in 2002,? Chairman O?Rourke said.

Based on the observations of Yurok fisheries biologists and tribal  
fishers, it is likely that this year?s run of Chinook salmon was  
substantially under predicted. During crowded conditions, such as  
during a large escapement year, Ich is more readily passed from one  
fish to the next. In order to reduce fish densities and the chance of  
another catastrophic fish kill, the Yurok Tribe plans reopen the  
subsistence fishery for two weeks, with a 2-day closure each week for  
the protection of Coho.

Hoopa Valley Tribe Press Release:

The Hoopa Valley Tribe took swift action responding to the Klamath  
River fish kill and contacted the Bureau of Reclamation Regional  
Director, Dave Murillo. A potentially catastrophic outbreak of disease  
among fall Chinook salmon has today commenced in the lower Klamath  
River. Samples examined by Dr. Scott Foott show infection with ich of  
at least nine fish, including six with ?severe? infestations.

Consequently, an emergency doubling of flows at the USGS ?KNK? gage  
from pre-existing levels for a period of 7 consecutive days, will be  
required in an attempt to avoid a massive fish kill. They asked Mr.  
Murillo to please take action immediately to release emergency flows.  
Our leadership is currently in discussion with Mr. Murillo on the  
proposed action.

Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten stated that, ?The Hoopa Valley Tribe  
is very appreciative of the earlier action that Reclamation took by  
releasing preventative flows. We are in another stage that we did not  
anticipate and we shouldn?t deviate from what the science tells us to  
do. We expect that Reclamation will take the right action which is to  
release the emergency flows that are called for under the criteria.?

Dr. Scott Foott, a pathologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife  
Service, discovered severe ich (ichthyophthirius multifiliis)  
infestations in fall run Chinook salmon taken from the Lower Klamath  
River.

Massive ich infestations among overcrowded fish led to a massive fish  
die-off in 2002, which left tens of thousands of fish dead and dying  
along the Klamath and Trinity Rivers.

Robert Franklin, senior hydrologist with Hoopa Tribal Fisheries, said,  
?The fear is that all the fish might die in the Lower Klamath like  
they did in 2002.?

This year, like in 2002, massive amounts of water have been diverted  
from the Klamath and Trinity Rivers to agricultural users hit by  
severe drought, leaving only a small portion of the rivers? natural  
flows to sustain their ecosystems.

As more water is diverted away from local rivers, lower water flow  
leads to higher temperatures in the water, and diseases and parasites  
spread among fish crowded into the few deep pools along the river.

Franklin said only an immediate doubling of flows on the Trinity could  
prevent the infection from spreading rapidly. ?It needs to take place  
immediately because the water will take several days to reach the  
Lower Klamath.?

Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten requested this  
afternoon that the Bureau of Reclamation immediately double the flows  
released into the Trinity from Lewiston Dam.

?We expect that the Bureau of Reclamation will take the right action  
and release the emergency flows that are called for,? Vigil-Masten  
said. 
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Wed Sep 17 10:20:21 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 17:20:21 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Lewiston flow increase to 3400 cfs
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C213D5D@057-SN2MPN1-043.057d.mgd.msft.net>

In case you have not heard, starting 10 am Tuesday (Sep 16) morning Bureau of Reclamation is ramping up Trinity River flows released from Lewiston Dam to 3,400 cfs.   The emergency release is intended to help minimize the spread ich, a potentially fatal disease recently observed on salmon in the lower Klamath River.  Please be careful on the river.

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From twashburn at usbr.gov  Thu Sep 18 09:42:41 2014
From: twashburn at usbr.gov (WASHBURN, THUY)
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 09:42:41 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Change Order - Trinity River
Message-ID: <CAHdoJTPQ54pEVothCCJLPpneGPqTuHtJfi=MboqTXX=FkdP1aw@mail.gmail.com>

Please make the following release change to the Trinity River.

[image: Inline image 1]

Comment:  Conserve Storage

Issued by:  Thuy Washburn
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Sep 18 10:07:37 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 17:07:37 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River ramp down schedule
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C21408E@057-SN2MPN1-043.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Many folks have asked about the duration of the 3400 cfs emergency flow release from Lewiston Dam.  Please see the table below for the ramp down schedule planned to start on Sep. 22.

[Inline image 1]

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Sep 19 09:01:36 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 09:01:36 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Congress keeps California water talks flowing
Message-ID: <1411142496.9391.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/18/6718833/congress-keeps-california-water.html 

Congress keeps California water talks flowing
By Michael Doyle
McClatchy Washington Bureau
Published: Thursday, Sep. 18, 2014 - 4:03 pm
WASHINGTON -- Secret California water bill negotiations have a ?55 percent to 60 percent chance? of success during the fast-fading 113th Congress, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer said Thursday.
In her first extended public comments on the closely held water talks, Boxer voiced cautious optimism even as she criticized House Republicans for trying to exclude Northern California Democrats.
?I?m very hopeful,? Boxer told reporters. ?I would say the discussions are going well.?
Some negotiators convened as recently as Sunday in an effort to narrow remaining differences, Boxer revealed. Like everyone else involved in the ongoing negotiations, she carefully avoided discussing any specifics and declined to identify what the major sticking points might be.
But with so little time remaining, Boxer could find herself holding the key card in what she described as ?pretty good, often intense? negotiations.
The negotiators are trying to resolve significant differences between House and Senate bills that respond to California?s drought. The GOP-controlled House passed a far-reaching bill in February. It would roll back a landmark 1992 law that directed more water to protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, remove wild-and-scenic protections from a half mile of the Merced River and authorize new water storage projects, among other provisions.
The Senate countered in May with a slimmed-down bill passed by unanimous consent, also without a committee hearing. Since then, there are muffled suggestions that Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California and House Republicans have moved closer together, while Boxer and the Obama administration have continued to hold concerns about the legislation?s potential impact on the Delta and on protected salmon populations, among other issues.
?Water needed for listed salmon runs greatly helps the non-listed runs us humans on the coast and along the Sacramento River depend on,? John McManus, executive director of the Golden Gate Salmon Association, said in an e-mail last week.
Democrats who voted against the 68-page House bill, and whose congressional districts span part of the Delta, complain that they have been shut out of the subsequent negotiations. Republicans say the Democrats are never going to vote for the final bill anyway; an argument Boxer does not share.
?I think it?s foolish,? Boxer said of the exclusion. ?A recipe for success is everyone sitting around a table and being sincere. . . . We have to be respectful of everyone who has a stake.?
Boxer?s enhanced role stems, in part, from the congressional calendar and in part from the way the Senate works.
During August, negotiators indicated that a final package would probably have to be wrapped up in September. But September suddenly became shorter when congressional leaders this week declared that both chambers of Congress will effectively depart Friday and not return until Nov. 12.
This means any final package will have to be completed in a lame-duck, post-election session, where the political dynamics can get more complicated. The Senate, in particular, could get even more unpredictable than usual if Republicans gain six additional seats that would give them the majority in January.
Senate rules, moreover, can both help and hinder a bill.
Boxer noted Thursday that if all differences are ironed out, the final California water bill could be passed by unanimous consent, a lickety-split procedure used in May to move the Senate?s initial 16-page version. The unspoken converse is that, particularly when time is short, individual senators can stop anything.
?Our goal is to move water where it?s most needed, without doing anyone harm,? Boxer said.
Separately, the House Natural Resources Committee on Thursday approved a bill by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., to streamline the approval of Bureau of Reclamation water storage projects. Its long-term prospects are unclear.
________________________________

Email: mdoyle at mcclatchydc.com; Twitter: @MichaelDoyle10.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/18/6718833/congress-keeps-california-water.html#storylink=cpy
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Sep 19 09:22:58 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 16:22:58 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Update Jweek 37
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C21426A@057-SN2MPN1-043.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi All,
Please see attachment for the Jweek 37 (Sep 10-16) Trinity River trapping summary update.  Due to the high flows in the river, the Junction City and Willow Creek weirs will not trap fish until flows subside to safe operating levels.
Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Sep 19 16:42:55 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 16:42:55 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Proposition 1 Debate on KQED
Message-ID: <1411170175.14325.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Hear a debate on Proposition 1 at 
 
http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201409191000 



Craig Miller/KQED
A section of the California Aqueduct.
Water is always a hot political topic in California, and this drought-plagued year is no exception. Proposition 1 on the November ballot would authorize $7.5 billion for what supporters say are critical water quality and infrastructure projects. We'll discuss what's in the bond and hear from opponents who claim that it's too costly and won't solve the state's water needs.
Host: Joshua Johnson
Guests:
	* Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta and spokesperson for the No on Prop. 1 Campaign
	* Jay Ziegler, director of external affairs and policy for The Nature Conservancy and a supporter of Prop 1
	* Paul Rogers, managing editor of KQED Science and environmental reporter for the San Jose Mercury News

I am curious what somewhat unbiased people think about the debate.  I am hearing from allies at No On 1 that Barbara Barrigan-Parilla did a much better job than Jay Ziegler.  Please let me know privately what you think. 

Thank you! 

Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Wed Sep 24 15:57:28 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 15:57:28 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Mainstem Trinity River spawning survey update through
	Sept 15
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRugD1hid411RjypFZmcNorGSxGqEaBsjcE6ZXccGtF60A@mail.gmail.com>

Hello,
I was out last week and am just catching up with you all on our weekly
report.  It was a crazy week with high flows that cut our spawning survey
short.  We were only able to survey on Monday 9/15 and only got looks at
Lewiston Dam to Bucktail and Round House to Pigeon Point.  We mapped 16 new
redds in our shortened survey.

[image: Inline image 1]

A weekly update has been posted to our website
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries

Lewiston Dam discharge returned to base flow this morning so our crews are
hard at it again.  I look forward to having more info to share with you
this weekend.

Talk to you soon,
Charlie

Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Sep 25 10:35:44 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 10:35:44 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily: Klamath dam,
	restoration agreements could terminate Dec. 31
Message-ID: <1411666544.56974.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Klamath dam, restoration agreements could terminate Dec. 31

	* By David Smith
dsmith at siskiyoudaily.com 
Posted Sep. 25, 2014 @ 9:23 am 


Opposition to the Klamath dam agreements is still going strong as the date for termination of those agreements approaches.
The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement is a long-term compact between numerous groups that sets forth a variety of river restoration activities, and the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement makes possible the potential removal of four dams along the Klamath River.
Dr. Richard Gierak, long a vocal opponent of both agreements, recently shared with the Siskiyou Daily News correspondence between himself and Senator Dianne Feinstein regarding the Klamath issue.
Asking Feinstein to reconsider her support for dam removal, Gierak?s letter to the California senator covers a list of concerns familiar to many who have followed the agreements over the past four years.
Those concerns include the potential effects of releasing tons of sediment trapped behind the dams, the loss of reservoirs and their provision of water for fighting wildfires, potential disruption of Yreka?s water supply ? the pipe for which runs under Iron Gate Reservoir ? and allegations that the act will violate laws from the Federal Endangered Species Act to the United States Constitution.
Open about her support for dam removal, Feinstein?s response letter highlights the pending deadline for congressional authorization of the agreements.
As they are currently written, both agreements will terminate on Dec. 31 if Congress does not pass authorizing legislation.
In May, Feinstein co-sponsored The Klamath Basin Water Recovery and Economic Restoration Act of 2014 from Oregon Senator Ron Wyden. The bill would provide the necessary authorization, but Feinstein notes that the bill is currently awaiting consideration by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
According to Craig Tucker, Klamath coordinator for the Karuk Tribe ? one of the signatories to the agreements ? the agreements will terminate if the authorization is not obtained.
However, the parties involved can convene and set a new termination date if they so desire.
He stated that if a consensus is not reached and the agreements are terminated, dam owner PacifiCorp will have to return to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission process that first prompted groups to seek an alternative solution.
Tucker said that the FERC?process would require PacifiCorp to seek a 401 permit from California?s State Water Board in order to fulfill water quality obligations.
Tucker predicted Wednesday that regardless of the board?s decision, the 401 process would likely result in years of litigation.
Whether or not the process reaches that stage depends on the fate of Wyden?s bill, which is listed on the govtrack.us website as having an 18 percent chance of moving beyond committee and a 5 percent chance of passing.
>
	* 

Read more: http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20140925/News/140929834#ixzz3ELlBr21Q
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Sep 25 15:03:06 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 22:03:06 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Update for Jweek 38
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C214932@057-SN2MPN1-043.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi All,
Please see attachment for the Trinity River trapping summary update for Jweek 38 (Sep 17-23). The Junction City and Willow Creek weirs were out of operation during jweek 38 due to the emergency augmentation flow release from Lewiston Dam. The Junction City Weir is done trapping for the season and will not be re-installed.  The Willow Creek weir will resume trapping on the evening of Sep 24. The Trinity River Hatchery continued to trap and process fish during the high flow event.
Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov<mailto:steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov>

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Sep 26 07:25:23 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 07:25:23 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times Standard: Klamath dam owner allots water to
	feds for drought mitigation
Message-ID: <1411741523.20055.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26610097/klamath-dam-owner-allots-water-feds-drought-mitigation?source=most_viewed 

Klamath dam owner allots water to feds for drought mitigation
16,000 acre-feet of water from two reservoirs in Klamath Basin
By Will Houston
whouston at times-standard.com @Will_S_Houston on Twitter
POSTED:   09/25/2014 11:46:04 PM PDT0 COMMENTS| UPDATED:   ABOUT 8 HOURS AGO

Click photo to enlarge
The Iron Gate dam spanning the Klamath River is... (Jeff Barnard ? The Associated Press)
Dam owner and northwestern power giant PacifiCorp announced Thursday that it will allot 16,000 acre-feet of water from two of its Klamath Project reservoirs to the federal government over the next month to ease effects of drought on irrigators in the Klamath Basin and possibly those of fish in the main stem Klamath River.
The allotment was made as part of the company's August agreement with the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation to adjust operation of its Klamath project to make 20,000 acre-feet of reservoir water available. The extra water will help the bureau meet its mandate to ensure that the Upper Klamath Lake remains above its minimum water elevations required to benefit endangered and threatened fish as well as to extend irrigation water supplies.
"The government does control flows on the Klamath," PacifiCorp public affairs specialist Bob Gravely said. "What we've agreed to is to adjust our operations so that we're using less water than we normally would now for power generation, and in effect, they would return the water to the reservoirs later this fall when there is not such a need for it. ... We've agreed that this is an unusual year in there are lots of communities up and down the basin that are not doing so well because of the water shortage. We're just happy to make this small adjustment to contribute."
The company already released 4,000 acre-feet to the Klamath River in mid-September for the Yurok Tribe's Boat Dance ceremony.
Bureau river operations manager Jason Cameron said the 16,000 acre-feet is now available, but may not be used.

"How much of that will be utilized and where that water will go specifically has yet to be determined," he said. "There are ongoing discussions where that water would be used."
Should the bureau end up retaining water in Upper Klamath Lake, Gravely said Siskiyou County residents will notice a decrease in water elevation in the Iron Gate dam reservoir and the Copco 1 dam reservoir. The reduction in water will result in less power generated by the dams, but Gravely said the Klamath project only makes up about 2 percent of total power generated by the company.
After the ich parasite, also known as gill rot disease, was detected in the main stem Klamath River by Karuk Tribe fisheries biologists earlier this month, Karuk Tribe Klamath coordinator Craig Tucker said they are gathering more data to present to the bureau next week.
"Everything is really happening in real time," he said. "Right now, the Karuk and Yurok fisheries guys are out catching fish and trying to figure out if the ich infections are getting worse, getting better, and where that is happening. ...The bureau has to figure out how to balance the need to protect fish and what the demands are with the tribes with contractual obligations up there in the upper basin. From the bureau's perspective, they want something that will be legally defensible. What we don't think would be legally defensible is if there is another fish kill."
Tucker said the tribe has not determined an amount it wants to request as data is still being gathered. Unlike the lower Klamath, which can receive flows from the Trinity Lake reservoir, he said the middle Klamath River does not have a large water supply it can draw from ? and a cool water supply at that. Since ich infection can spread more easily in warmer water, Tucker added the shallow reservoir water from Iron Gate dam may be too hot to help.
"It's this balance of flows and also worrying about water temperature," he said.
PacifiCorp requested in on Sept. 23 that the bureau return 12,000 acre-feet by the end of November, but Cameron said that may have to wait.
"We have made it clear on the hydrology and the precipitation between now and then, all of the water may not be able to be returned until spring of next year," Cameron said. "If we're lucky, we'll get a little bit of wet weather. A great rain storm would solve all these problems. I think we have to be prepared to take management action if necessary to ensure the fish have enough cold water."
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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Fri Sep 26 18:49:12 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 18:49:12 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Mainstem Trinity River spawning survey update through
	Sept 26
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRsZEK6dc68CGr2UA+0opNRtuJATMjM4SwYD35XYO5J64Q@mail.gmail.com>

Trinity River fans,
Our latest in-season report from the Trinity River Salmon Spawning Survey
is available from the Fisheries web page of the Arcata Fish and Wildlife
Office:
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries

Trinity River flows came back down to base on Wednesday 9/24 and our crews
got out there to survey Lewiston Dam to Pigeon Point.  They mapped the
locations of 154 redds and 26 carcasses over three days.  Now that flows
are back down, hopefully activity will ramp up quickly and we can start to
catch back up.  The figure below is clipped from our weekly report
available at the link above.

[image: Inline image 1]


It was great to see some rain this week - I hope there's a lot more of that
on the way this fall and winter!


*Fun fact for the week...  *Courtesy Nicholas Van Vleet - AFWO
Did you know.... The American Dipper is a songbird commonly sighted along the
Trinity River. They prey on small fish, fish eggs, and aquatic
invertebrates.  They can dive up to 20 ft deep and scour the river bottom
for food!  An oil gland helps waterproof their feathers. Dippers are
territorial and their population density on a stream can be a reflection of
the stream's water quality and food availability. A couple of the links
below report that the American Dipper's forays into deep water occasionally
make it prey for a trout!

http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/birds/american-dipper.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_dipper

https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v055n03/p0158-p0158.pdf


Gotta go.  I need to see what the fly shop has for Dipper Imitations!

Please let me know if you wish to be removed from my blind cc list for
these updates.
Charlie

Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Sep 29 08:54:23 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 08:54:23 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Ken Vogel Guest view: Real solutions needed for Delta
Message-ID: <1412006063.33210.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Well said Mr. Vogel!

http://www.recordnet.com/article/20140926/Opinion/140929685 

By Ken Vogel
San Joaquin County Supervisor
September 26. 2014 4:53PM
Guest view: Real solutions needed for Delta
Ken Vogel RECORD FILE
With seven years of planning plus $250 million of irreplaceable water ratepayer dollars already spent, the state is left with a 40,000-page deficient Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) that needs to go back to the drawing board. Delta farmers, homeowners and businesses have plenty to be angry about especially when you consider San Joaquin County ? and other Delta counties were deliberately excluded by state water officials from the BDCP process at the outset only to now have our concerns be vindicated by the federal government.
The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently raised an almost insurmountable barrier in front of the State Department of Water Resources (DWR), which has led the long-term charge to win favor for the governor?s controversial $25 billion (nearly $64 billion including financing costs) twin tunnels project. On the heels of EPA?s determination that the BDCP could be in violation of federal law along with ongoing public backlash against the plan, Governor Brown was forced to concede that his over-hyped BDCP legacy project wasn?t quite ?fully cooked.?
As citizens committed to the protection of the precious Delta and the Bay Estuary, we are proud of the strong stand we took against the governor?s proposed construction of massive twin tunnels to divert water to the south through new intakes. State water experts were confident this re-routing would stabilize water flows in the estuary, prevent salt water intrusion into the Delta and save threatened fish habitat. But now the EPA has stated basically the opposite ? warning that the disruption in flows farther upstream from the existing intakes ?would contribute to increased and persistent violations of water quality standards in the Delta? and the tunnels ?would not protect beneficial uses for aquatic life, thereby violating the federal Clean Water Act.?
In essence, federal officials were only reinforcing what San Joaquin County has been saying all along ? that the BDCP never was based on sound science and is devoid of adequate information and analysis to address its potentially significant environmental impacts. The tunnels would take too much water from the Delta, causing persistent water-quality violations. Sure, water quality would improve for the southern water contractors, but at the expense of degraded water conditions for Delta residents and farmers.
The DWR ? while stopping short of admitting the BDCP should be revamped ? did agree to a delay and to revisit certain areas of the plan for further study. This could result in a postponement of several months. With the money for the planning phase depleted, the remaining scarce dollars will be spent on revising the document and re-releasing it for public comment in early 2015.
This delay should be used as a welcome break in the state?s ongoing water wars between north and south, agricultural versus environmental and pro-BDCP against Delta and Bay Estuary protectors. But with plans now on hold for the BDCP, time can heal all wounds. We should agree to set aside our differences, reflect on the wrongs and make things right.
Here?s a genuine start toward a truly statewide solution to California?s water crisis:
? The BDCP is not a comprehensive plan that will address California?s water needs and a narrowly focused, single-shot solution surely will be destined for failure. If a plan is to work for today and future generations, it must include groundwater recharge, recycling and reuse, desalination and an investment in a variety of statewide water storage systems, similar to the state?s proposed water bond.
? The tunnels clearly won?t produce a single drop of new water. Conservation is a far less expensive solution than asking taxpayers and ratepayers to fund one of the largest public works projects in history.
? The Delta will be ground zero for any adverse impacts from the BDCP and as a critical stakeholder in the process; the Delta counties require a seat at the table for any statewide water solution to have a chance of succeeding.
? Any new proposals must meet the requirements of federal environmental laws and conform to the 2009 Delta Reform Act, which mandated major water policy reforms to save endangered species on the brink of extinction.
? San Joaquin County and the Delta counties continue to advocate that protecting the Delta, as sought in the Delta Reform Act, is all about adequate flows. The BDCP should follow, not precede, the State Board?s determination of necessary flows into and out of the Delta.
For the past seven years, San Joaquin County and our Delta partners have been consistent in our opinion that the BDCP is a gigantic boondoggle that would effectively destroy the Delta as it exists today. And now we have the nation?s authority on the environment, the EPA, agreeing with us. Rather than reallocating water shortages, we should examine ways to sustainably create clean, new water supplies both locally and regionally. Anything short of that is disingenuous, a colossal waste of time and resources and will ultimately fail.
Supervisor Ken Vogel serves on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors representing District 4. He farms cherries and walnuts in Linden and serves as Chairman of the Delta Conservancy.
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Sep 30 15:15:07 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 15:15:07 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Media Release- Salmon Fishermen to Oppose Prop. 1 at
	event October 3 in SF
Message-ID: <1412115307.43224.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Media
Advisory for Friday, Oct. 3, 2014 
Contact:
Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; steve at hopcraft.com; Twitter: @shopcraft;
Sandra Lupien, Food & Water
Watch, slupien at fwwatch.org, 510-681-3171
 
Salmon
Fishermen to Oppose Prop. 1
Would Destroy Salmon, Crab
& Other Fisheries;
Harm Bay Area Community
& Economy
 
San Francisco ?
Bay Area fishermen announced today they will oppose Proposition 1, the State
Water Bond, at a San Francisco Bay news conference on Friday, Oct. 3. ?Prop. 1
is one more shovel of dirt on the grave of our salmon, crab and other Pacific
fisheries,? said Larry Collins, of the San Francisco Crab Boat Association. ?Building
more dams to hold water we don?t have is misplaced spending and harms the
businesses, families and communities that depend upon our salmon, crab and
other fisheries.?
 
WHAT:      Bay Area Fishermen to Oppose Prop. 1 ?
Harms Salmon Fisheries
 
WHEN:       Friday, October 3, 2014 10:30 am 
 
WHO:        Larry Collins, San Francisco Crab Boat
Association; Mike Hudson, Small Boat Commercial Salmon Fishermen?s Association; Zeke Grader, Pacific Coast Federation of
Fishermen?s Associations
 
WHERE:   Pier 45, Shed D5, San Francisco Bay
 
Notes:
Visuals will include signs, fishermen and possibly fishing boats (depending on
weather)
 
For
more information, please visit www.noonprop1.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Sep 30 15:32:28 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 15:32:28 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Fw=3A_Gov_signs_Chesbro_bill_to_protect_f?=
 =?utf-8?q?isheries_from_genetically_modified_=E2=80=98frankenfish?=
 =?utf-8?b?4oCZ?=
In-Reply-To: <2F727A014522E04DB08154A8C8BAE5F60850429D@ASMMSX11.calegis.net>
References: <2F727A014522E04DB08154A8C8BAE5F60850429D@ASMMSX11.calegis.net>
Message-ID: <1412116348.30185.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Tuesday, September 30, 2014 3:28 PM, "Weseloh, Tom" <Tom.Weseloh at asm.ca.gov> wrote:






 
Please see below for a press release from Assemblyman Chesbro and a related article from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
 
 
 
 
Second Assembly District
Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro
Chair, Assembly Natural Resources Committee
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 29, 2014
Contact:  Andrew Bird, Communications Director, (916) 319-2002
Gov signs Chesbro bill to protect fisheries from genetically modified ?frankenfish? 
SACRAMENTO ? Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill by Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) that protects California?s native salmon and steelhead by banning the commercial production of genetically altered, or ?transgenic,? non-native salmon. 
?I thank Governor Brown for understanding the importance of protecting California wild salmon and steelhead from the threat of transgenic modification,? Chesbro said. ?The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing an application by a company that seeks to produce a farmed salmon in the United States that has been genetically altered to grow faster than native salmon. If these ?frankenfish? were to escape into our waters, they could destroy our native salmonid populations through interbreeding, competition for food and the introduction of parasites and disease. The only way to ensure this never happens is to ban commercial hatchery production, cultivation or stocking of transgenic salmonids in California.?
Specifically, AB 504:
	* Codifies the regulatory definition of ?transgenic.?
	* Extends the prohibition of spawning, incubation, or cultivation of transgenic salmonids in the Pacific Ocean to all waters of the state. The hatchery production and stocking of transgenic salmonids would be expressly prohibited. 
	* Prohibits research or experimentation for the commercial production of transgenic salmonids.
	* Authorizes the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) to issue a specified permit for medical or scientific research conducted on transgenic finfish species by accredited California academic institutions or private entities for research only and not for commercial production. DFW is required to notify the Legislature?s Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture and the California Fish and Game Commission upon receipt of a specified permit application at least 30 days prior to the approval or disapproval of the permit.
	* Requires that any research activities be conducted in a closed system that has eliminated the risk of escape of transgenic fish species and any potential disease they may transmit. It also requires a permit application to include a research plan specifying the objectives and goals of the proposed research.
AB 504 also contains language extending the current law regulating sea cucumber fishing permits, which was due to expire in 2015, to 2020.
?As chair of the Legislature?s Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture since 2010, every year I have authored an ?omnibus? bill to protect California fisheries and enhance commercial and sport fishing in the state,? Chesbro said. ?The idea for this year?s bill ? to protect our irreplaceable salmon and steelhead fisheries ? came out of the annual Fisheries Forum that the Joint Committee hosted at the Capitol earlier this year. Over the past four decades, this Forum has produced a number of pieces of legislation that have proven to be vital to California?s fisheries. I hosted my last forum in April and this will be my last fisheries bill. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with fishermen and women, organizations dedicated to protecting the state?s fisheries and Native American tribes in the effort to restore and protect this important California resource.?
AB 504 was sponsored by Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman?s Associations and supported by California Aquaculture Association, CalTrout, Golden Gate Salmon Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, Northcoast Environmental Center, Ocean Conservancy, Sierra Club California and the Southern California Trawlers Association.
 
-30-
 
Governor signs bill banning commercial production of genetically modified salmon 
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/2901588-181/governor-signs-bill-banning-commercial
BY DEREK MOORE THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
September 29, 2014, 5:35PM 
 
Gov. Jerry Brown signed a North Coast lawmaker?s bill banning the commercial production of genetically altered salmon. 
 
AB 504, authored by Assemblyman Wes Chesbro, D-Arcata, extends the prohibition of spawning or cultivating so-called ?transgenic salmonids? in the Pacific Ocean to all waters of the state. The hatchery production and stocking of such fish also is prohibited. 
 
The legislation protects the state?s native steelhead trout and salmon populations, Chesbro said. He noted that federal food and drug regulators are reviewing an application by a company, AquaBounty Technologies, that seeks to raise genetically altered salmon in the United States. 
 
?If these ?frankenfish? were to escape into our waters, they could destroy our native salmonid populations through interbreeding, competition for food and the introduction of parasites and disease,? Chesbro stated in a news release. ?The only way to ensure this never happens is to ban commercial hatchery production, cultivation or stocking of transgenic salmonids in California.? 
 
The legislation prohibits research or experimentation for the commercial production of genetically-altered salmonids. 
 
The bill was sponsored by the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations.
 
# # # 
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Oct  1 08:06:58 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2014 08:06:58 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: Local water wholesaler mulls
	trans-county pipeline
Message-ID: <1412176018.26896.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26640385/local-water-wholesaler-mulls-trans-county-pipeline 

Local water wholesaler mulls trans-county pipeline
Board of directors: Sales would decrease local rates, pay for upgrades
By Will Houston
whouston at times-standard.com@Will_S_Houston on Twitter
POSTED:   10/01/2014 12:21:44 AM PDT
0 COMMENTS
| UPDATED:   ABOUT 8 HOURS AGO



The Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District is considering a pipeline to sell water in and out of the county ? a plan proponents say would lower rates for existing customers and help finance the replacement of a 60-year-old water system.
During a special meeting on Tuesday, the district's board of directors continued discussion on a pipeline reconnaissance study it completed in August. The study looked at the feasibility of several scenarios for pipeline construction, but the board had three main options in mind at its meeting: an east-west pipeline, a north-south pipeline or both.
The board stated that the pipeline would transport 20 to 40 million gallons of water per day depending on the size of pipes used.
"We have begun a process touching base with potential users that we identified in Northern California," Division 4 Director J. Bruce Rupp said. "Our goal was to try to partner up with a municipal agency, water agency in the Northern California region."
As the cost would be more than the district could manage alone, the board is seeking to work with other water districts to construct it.
"We're not going to build a pipeline. We need to have a partner," board President and Division 5 Director Aldaron Laird said.
The district's wholesale water demand from Ruth Lake decreased by about 80 percent ? about 60 million gallons of water per day ? after the 2009 closure of the Samoa pulp mill, which followed the closure of another mill. Laird said this drop had an opposite effect on the seven municipal water suppliers to which the district sells water.
"The big thing is that when the mills closed down, 50 percent of paying for the cost of running this water district all of a sudden got added on to the municipals," he said. "Now the municipals pay 100 percent. So obviously they would like us to find some new customers so that their water rates can go down."

As to who these potential customers will be, the board decided at its meeting to consult with its advisory committee ? made up of two-dozen local stakeholders ? in the coming months on what direction the pipeline should run, as well as to share the results of the feasibility study. Once a plan is decided on, the board plans to speak with potential customers before the end of the year. Division 3 Director Barbara Hecathorn said the board should pursue suppliers in both the east and the south.
"Because so far we haven't received positive interest from anybody yet, but that may change," she said, adding that the continuation of the drought may increase the chance of obtaining customers.
Laird said the north-south pipeline would mainly be limited to Sonoma, Mendocino and Marin counties, while the east-west pipeline would be much broader.
"If we go to the east .... all of a sudden our customer is all of California," he said. "We'd tie into a system that's connected all the way to Las Vegas. If we go south, we have a discrete customer. If we tie into the system on the east, it doesn't matter where the water ends up once you plug in."
Other transport methods were mulled including transport of water by ship, but the costs for that ? which ranged from $8,000 to $10,000 per acre foot ?were "substantial," Rupp said.
Revenue generated from the pipeline would also go toward replacing the district's nearly 60-year-old domestic water system, which would cost $40 million to $60 million over a 20-year period.
"That's above and beyond what our water rates could cover," Laird said.
The project is racing against the clock, as the district's water rights permit is due to go back to the state for renewal in 2029. Though this may seem far off, Laird said the review and processing period can last from 10 to 15 years.
"If you work back from that, we need to have a water rights applications together in the next two to four years," he said. "If we can't find customers down in Sonoma or Marin in two to four years that are interested in pursuing this with us, then we wouldn't be able to apply for a water right to do that because we'd have nobody to sell it to. We need to, in a sense, eliminate different options as soon as we can so we can focus our energy on the options that look promising that we can pursue."
The board is also considering other options in its water rights application, including dedicating water to in-stream flows to benefit plant and wildlife in the Mad River estuary and upriver as well as local water demands, such as supplying water to the business park being set up by the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation & Conservation District at the Samoa pulp mill.
Should these options fail, Laird said their application would only be limited to 10 million to 20 million gallons a day to supply the local municipalities.
Will Houston can be reached at 707-441-0504.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Oct  1 11:09:03 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2014 11:09:03 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Al Jazeera: The battle in California to save
	waterfowl from ending up as dead ducks
Message-ID: <1412186943.10513.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

This article explains the disease problems for waterfowl in the Pacific Flyway due to the drought, including the Klamath basin.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/10/1/the-battle-in-californiatosavewaterfowlfromendingupasdeadducks.html 

 
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Oct  1 11:51:57 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2014 11:51:57 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] SONCC Recovery Plan released by NMFS
Message-ID: <1412189517.56933.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

See 

http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/protected_species/salmon_steelhead/recovery_planning_and_implementation/southern_oregon_northern_california_coast/recovery_plans.html
 
 
And you can read how pot growing is a threat to coho salmon:
 
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/09/30/3406956/biologists-identify-pot-gardens.html
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From vina_frye at fws.gov  Wed Oct  1 16:15:29 2014
From: vina_frye at fws.gov (Frye, Vina)
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2014 16:15:29 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] TAMWG Meeting
Message-ID: <CANiLmTJkCNrmqDp_so53i=H1-h+OT7dBgTh+gjvPxe_C+Qtw4g@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Folks,

The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group has scheduled a public
meeting and teleconference on October 30-31, 2014.

 [Federal Register Volume 79, Number 190 (Wednesday, October 1, 2014)]

[Notices]
[Pages 59290-59291]
>From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office
[www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-23385]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R8-FHC-2014-N207; FXFR1334088TWG0W4-123-FF08EACT00]


Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group; Public Meeting and
Teleconference

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce a public
meeting of the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG). The
TAMWG is a Federal advisory committee that affords stakeholders the
opportunity to give policy, management, and technical input concerning
Trinity River (California) restoration efforts to the Trinity
Management Council (TMC). The TMC interprets and recommends policy,
coordinates and reviews management actions, and provides organizational
budget oversight.

DATES: Public meeting: TAMWG will meet from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific
Time on Thursday, October 30, 2014, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific
Time on Friday, October 31, 2014. Deadlines: For deadlines on
submitting written material, please see ``Public Input'' under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: The in-person meeting will be held at the Trinity County
Library, 351 Main Street, Weaverville, CA 96093.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To participate in the teleconference
contact Elizabeth W. Hadley, Redding Electric Utility, 777 Cypress
Avenue, Redding, CA 96001; telephone: 530-339-7327; email:
ehadley at reupower.com or Joseph C. Polos, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521; telephone: 707-822-7201;
joepolos at fws.gov. Individuals with a disability may request an
accommodation by sending an email to the point of contact, and those
accommodations will be provided.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the requirements of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App., we announce that the
Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) will hold a meeting.

Background

    The TAMWG affords stakeholders the opportunity to give policy,
management, and technical input concerning Trinity River (California)
restoration efforts to the Trinity Management Council (TMC). The TMC
interprets and recommends policy, coordinates and reviews management
actions, and provides organizational budget oversight. A workshop will
be held to build a common understanding among TRRP policy makers (TMC),
stake holders (TAMWG), and staff about what has been learned over the
past 10 years of the Program's Implementation and how that information
will influence future management and restoration actions. The general
agenda items for this workshop are listed below.

Meeting Agenda

     Review of the ROD,
     SAB review and recommendations,
     Evolution of channel rehabilitation strategy, and
     Public Comment.
    The final draft agenda will be posted on the Internet at
http://www.fws.gov/arcata when available.

Public Input

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    You must contact
Elizabeth Hadley  (FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
                 If you wish to
CONTACT) no later than
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submit written information or questions for the   October 23, 2014.
 TAMWG to consider during the teleconference.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 59291]]

Submitting Written Information or Questions

    Interested members of the public may submit relevant information or
questions for the TAMWG to consider during the meeting. Written
statements must be received by the date listed in ``Public Input,'' so
that the information may be available to the TAMWG for their
consideration prior to this meeting. Written statements must be
supplied to Elizabeth Hadley in one of the following formats: One hard
copy with original signature, one electronic copy with original
signature, and one electronic copy via email (acceptable file formats
are Adobe Acrobat PDF, MS Word, PowerPoint, or rich text file).
    Registered speakers who wish to expand on their oral statements, or
those who wished to speak but could not be accommodated on the agenda,
may submit written statements to Elizabeth Hadley up to 7 days after
the meeting.

Meeting Minutes

    Summary minutes of the meeting will be maintained by Elizabeth
Hadley (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). The draft minutes will be
available for public inspection within 14 days after the meeting, and
will be posted on the TAMWG Web site at http://www.fws.gov/arcata.

    Dated: September 25, 2014.
Joseph C. Polos,
Supervisory Fish Biologist, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, Arcata,
California.
[FR Doc. 2014-23385 Filed 9-30-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

Best Regards,

Vina


Vina Frye
Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Arcata FWO
1655 Heindon Road
Arcata, CA  95521
Telephone: (707) 822-7201
Fax: (707) 822-8411
vina_frye at fws.gov
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Oct  2 07:48:02 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2014 07:48:02 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Times-Standard=3A_Judge=3A_Water_for_Klam?=
 =?utf-8?q?ath_salmon_legal_=E2=80=94_this_time?=
Message-ID: <1412261282.96673.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26647663/judge-water-klamath-salmon-legal-this-time

Judge: Water for Klamath salmon legal ? this time
Tribes split on reaction to federal ruling
By Juniper Rose and Jeff Barnard
The Times-Standard and the Associated Press
POSTED:   10/01/2014 10:59:10 PM PDT0 COMMENTS
UPDATED:   10/01/2014 10:59:11 PM PDT

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a federal water agency did not violate the law when it made special reservoir releases last year to help salmon in the Klamath River survive the drought, rather than save the water for farms.
But U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill in Fresno wrote in his ruling Wednesday that the next time the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation wants to release Trinity Reservoir water for Klamath River salmon, it needs to cite a better legal authority.
The Westlands Water District and the San Louis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority in the San Joaquin Valley had sued the bureau to stop the releases, arguing the water should have been saved for farms facing the drought. Irrigation has been shut off to farms in the region this year.
The bureau again made special releases for Klamath salmon this year as the drought continued, which the judge also refused to stop, finding that the drought's potential harm to salmon right now was greater than the potential harm to farms next year.
The Pacific Federation of Fishermen's Associations and the Hoopa and Yurok Tribes share interests in keeping the water in the rivers to protect salmon and the local fishing industry.
"The effort by the Central California water users to take more water from the Trinity, regardless of how it affects the fish, have failed," said Glen Spain, North West Regional Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations.
"The Klamath is home to the third largest salmon run on the West Coast," he said. "The loss of those fish can close down fisheries from the Oregon-Washington border to Monterey."
The Trinity River is the biggest tributary of the Klamath River, where tens of thousands of adult salmon died from disease in low water conditions in 2002. Since the 1960s, a major portion of the water from Trinity Reservoir has been diverted to the Central Valley Project, where it helps to irrigate farms. The 1955 law authorizing the diversion contains a provision that the government maintain a minimum flow in the Trinity to sustain fish and wildlife.
In the 1984, another law was enacted to restore fish and wildlife in the Trinity to a level roughly equivalent to those before so much water was diverted to Central Valley farms.
O'Neill wrote that the bureau had not violated any laws in making the special releases for salmon, but the authority of the 1955 law ? the only authority cited by the bureau ? only applied to the Trinity River, and not the Klamath River downstream.
Danielle Vigil-Masten, chair of the Hoopa Tribal Council, said there are positives and negatives to the ruling.
"They reaffirmed our rights on the Trinity basin," she said. "However, they shorted us on the Klamath."
The solution is not complete without allowing emergency releases for the benefit of the salmon on the Klamath, Vigil-Masten said.
"The fish have to come through the mouth of the Klamath to get to the Trinity ? it is all one river."
The Hoopa tribe plans to appeal the decision, she said.
"If the decision stands, it will gut a 60-year old federal law that protected Trinity River water use for tribal fisheries," said Mike Orcutt, Hoopa fisheries director.
Other tribes praised the positive aspects of the ruling.
"Straight up, if the Bureau of Reclamation did not make the decision to augment flows on the Klamath, we would be right now cleaning up thousands of salmon carcasses on the river," Yurok Tribal Chairman Thomas P. O'Rourke said in a statement.
Westlands Water District public affairs representative Gayle Holman said that, in her understanding of the ruling, the claims made by Westlands had not been dismissed.
"We are pleased that the court agreed with us that Reclamation had no authority to make these releases," she said.
The Westlands Water District had no further comment at this time, Holman said.
"We are still studying the ruling for its full implications."
A lawyer for Westlands, the nation's largest water provider, did not respond to a telephone call and email seeking comment.
Earthjustice attorney Jan Hasselman, who represented salmon fishermen and the Yurok Tribe as interveners in the case, said the lack of a specific authority for the releases was a technicality which the bureau should have no trouble overcoming in the future.
Bureau spokeswoman Erin Curtis said the agency had not reviewed the ruling, and had no immediate comment.
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Oct  2 11:36:38 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2014 18:36:38 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek 39
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C215234@057-SN2MPN1-043.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi All,
Please see attachment for the Jweek 39 Trinity River trapping summary update.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Thu Oct  2 10:53:14 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2014 10:53:14 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Judge rejects agribusiness lawsuit over Trinity River
	flows - Tribes disagree about decision's implications
In-Reply-To: <02c701cfde43$84061540$8c123fc0$@gmail.com>
References: <02c701cfde43$84061540$8c123fc0$@gmail.com>
Message-ID: <74BC7254-2EC9-4448-BA2E-FA1310384AE6@fishsniffer.com>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/02/1333865/-Judge-rejects-agribusiness-lawsuit-over-Trinity-River-flows

https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/10/01/18762297.php
Photo of Lewiston Dam on the Trinity River by Dan Bacher.

800_lewiston_dam.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

Judge rejects agribusiness lawsuit over Trinity River flows

Tribes disagree about decision's implications

by Dan Bacher

A federal judge in Fresno Wednesday dismissed almost all claims in a  
lawsuit brought by a coalition of corporate agribusiness interests  
seeking to block the protection of salmon in the Trinity and Klamath  
rivers, but the Yurok Tribe, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's  
Associations (PCFFA) and Earthjustice disagree with the Hoopa Valley  
Tribe over the implications of the decision.

The Yurok Tribe, PCFFA and Earthjustice issued a joint news release  
stating that Judge Lawrence O?Neill "largely upheld" the Bureau of  
Reclamation?s ability to provide additional flows in the Trinity, the  
largest tributary of the Klamath, to prevent harm to salmon, but at  
the same time indicated that "different legal authorities need to be  
invoked."

"Straight up, if the Bureau of Reclamation did not make the decision  
to augment flows on the Klamath, we would be right now cleaning up  
thousands of salmon carcasses on the river,? said Thomas P. O'Rourke,  
Sr., Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. ?We applaud Judge O'Neill's  
decision. We need to do everything possible to ensure in-basin fish  
needs are met and to prevent another heartbreaking tragedy on the  
Klamath River."

On the other hand, the Hoopa Valley Tribe said that the judge's  
decision actually "cut off water needed for salmon in the Klamath  
River."

"If the decision stands, it will gut a 60-year old federal law that  
protected Trinity River water use for tribal fisheries,? said Mike  
Orcutt, Hoopa Fisheries Director.

The San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority and Westlands Water  
District, representing agribusiness interests that irrigate drainage- 
impaired land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, brought the  
case last year against the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency  
that controls water releases from the Trinity Reservoir to the Trinity  
and Lower Klamath rivers.

These rivers support huge runs of Chinook salmon that the commercial  
fishing industry and the Yurok and Hoopa Valley Tribes depend on for  
sustenance. These salmon runs also support an economically vital  
recreational fishing industry in the ocean and on the Klamath and  
Trinity rivers.

The water districts brought the case after the Bureau proposed in 2013  
to increase flow levels in the Trinity to avoid another massive fish  
kill in the Lower Klamath like the one that took place in September  
2002, when over 68,000 salmon perished.

The PCFFA, represented by Earthjustice, and the Hoopa and Yurok Tribes  
intervened in defense of the Bureau to protect salmon and the local  
fishing industry.

After an evidentiary hearing in August 2013, Judge O?Neill rejected  
the irrigators? request to block the flow program. Judge O?Neill  
rejected a similar request with respect to the 2014 program. "Today?s  
ruling represents the final resolution of the legal issues in this  
case," according to Earthjustice.

"Ultimately this case is also about preserving the California salmon  
fishing industry,? said Glen Spain, NW Regional Director of the  
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, which represents  
commercial fishing families coastwide. ?It makes no sense to sacrifice  
thousands of fisheries jobs over 700 miles of coastline to provide  
just a little bit more water to a voracious California Central Valley  
agribusiness system that has already sucked up far more than its share  
in a major drought."

Spain said this ruling will impact the salmon populations, coastal  
fishing communities and tribes who rely on salmon. During drought, the  
Bureau?s water releases from the Trinity River to the Lower Klamath  
are critical to the survival of salmon as thousands of them return to  
the river to spawn in late summer.

?Any second-grader can tell you that fish need water,? said Jan  
Hasselman, an Earthjustice attorney based in Seattle. ?The court  
largely affirmed the government?s ability to manage water in the basin  
to protect fish and the people who rely on them. We will continue to  
work to ensure that good science is the touchstone of water management  
in the Trinity basin.?

Hasselman said the court "rejected a wide number of claims brought by  
the irrigators in the case, but did find for the irrigators that the  
1955 statute that the government relied on as authority for  
supplemental flows did not actually provide such authority. The Bureau  
will need to invoke different legal authority if additional releases  
are required in the future."

In contrast, Danielle Vigil-Masten, Chairwoman of the Hoopa Valley  
Tribe, slammed Judge O'Neill's decision for not protecting the Trinity  
River and vowed to appeal the decision.

?With the stroke of a pen the court severed the Klamath River?s  
largest tributary and sutured it onto the Sacramento River. The  
lifeblood of our people will now flow south to industrial  
agriculture," said Vigil-Masten.

She said the court has "twisted the text and context of federal  
legislation to produce this tragic outcome."

?But this decision cannot stand and it will not stand,? said Council  
Member Ryan Jackson. ?We will appeal. Ten years ago the Hoopa Valley  
Tribe persuaded the court of appeals in San Francisco to reverse  
another decision of this same federal court for these same plaintiffs  
that would have destroyed the Hoopa fishery."

?We fought and won then,? said Jackson, ? and we will win again.?

According to the Tribe, the judge blamed this outcome in part on the  
United States for its ?refusal to invoke the trust responsibility? as  
a reason to provide water for our fishery, which the United States  
holds in trust."

?We expect our trustee to be a much stronger advocate for our rights  
and resources on appeal than it was in this court,? said Hoopa Vice  
Chair Wendy George.

The Tribe also said "It is terribly ironic that just days ago, the  
United States paid a more than $500 million to the Navajo Nation for  
mismanagement of tribal trust resources. It is devastating to think  
that while some federal lawyers were putting the final touches on that  
settlement, others were filing papers in our case to perpetrate the  
same kind of mismanagement all over again."

?All should now be on notice,? said Chairwoman Vigil-Masten. ?The  
Hoopa Valley Tribe will oppose any legislation that benefits the  
predatory and avaricious Central Valley Project contractors that  
brought this suit against us, including the pending California drought  
bill and the San Luis Drainage settlement that is expected to be  
introduced in the next Congress.?

The Tribe noted, "The people on the Klamath River in Oregon also are  
on notice: This decision creates a dilemma for the federal government.  
If the government does not appeal the court?s decision and win, the  
Secretary of the Interior may have no more Central Valley Project  
water available to protect and preserve fish in California?s lower  
Klamath River.

The only other sources of water now subject to federal regulation  
besides the CVP?s Trinity River Division are the Bureau of  
Reclamation?s Klamath Irrigation Project and the federally licensed  
PacifiCorp Dams in Oregon and Californian. The Klamath water rights  
settlement now pending in the U.S. Senate will have to be revised to  
take water from those facilities to protect lower Klamath tribal trust  
resources."

A phone call and email to Gayle Holman, Westlands Water District  
public affairs representative, about the district's position on the  
ruling hadn't been returned as of press time.

However, Holman told the Eureka Times Standard that in "her  
understanding of the ruling, the claims made by Westlands had not been  
dismissed."

"We are pleased that the court agreed with us that Reclamation had no  
authority to make these releases," she said. (http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26647663/judge-water-klamath-salmon-legal-this-time 
)

You can read the decision on the Earthjustice website: http://earthjustice.org/documents/legal-document/court-decision-judge-dismisses-bulk-of-agribusiness-lawsuit-over-trinity-river-flows

BACKGROUND:

In 2013, there were extremely low flow conditions in the Lower Klamath  
occurring at the same time fisheries managers expected the second- 
largest run of Chinook salmon on record. Federal, state and tribal  
salmon biologists were concerned that the confluence of high runs and  
low flows would lead to another disaster like the ?Fish Kill of 2002.

In September 2002, Bush Administration?s water management policies in  
the basin that favored irrigators led to a fish kill of over 68,000  
salmon in the Lower Klamath, the largest fish kill of adult salmon in  
U.S. history. The die-off resulted in coast-wide closures of  
commercial, recreational and tribal fishing, dealing a huge blow to  
the local economy, resulting in over $200 million in losses.

To avoid the projected die-off, the Bureau of Reclamation developed a  
plan to release extra water from dams along the Trinity River, a  
tributary of the Klamath, to improve the Klamath?s water conditions.  
In response, San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority and Westlands  
Water District filed a lawsuit in an attempt to declare unlawful the  
Bureau?s authority to release water from the Trinity River.





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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Fri Oct  3 13:25:30 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2014 13:25:30 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Mainstem Trinity River spawning survey update through
	Oct 2
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRu9LZYm0Z-MfHX9i4Gm1AoQa2EWVUxJs=_YzErpGspxZg@mail.gmail.com>

Hi all,
Our latest in-season report from the Trinity River Salmon Spawning Survey
is available from the Fisheries web page of the Arcata Fish and Wildlife
Office:
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries

We surveyed from Lewiston Dam to Pigeon Point and Big Bar to Cedar
Flat Monday-Thursday this week.  Our crews mapped the location of 294 redds
and 110 carcasses.  The figure below is clipped from our weekly report
available at the link above.  Activity is picking up and folks are
reporting seeing MANY fish throughout the surveyed reaches so I'm hopeful
of a rebound "into the blue" soon.

[image: Inline image 1]



*Fun fact for the week...  *

*Did you know*....  Redd dewatering can influence a salmon fry's success or
failure to hatch and emerge from a redd, but determining the influence
isn't as cut and dry as one might think - no pun intended :)   River levels
that recede through a spawning season can put redds at risk of dewatering.
We thankfully weren't able to locate any dry redds after this latest
emergency flow release.  Even if we had though, a redd with exposed gravels
doesn't necessarily indicate mortality of the eggs within.  The average
depth of Trinity River Chinook Salmon egg pockets is about 9 to 12 inches
below the original bed surface (Evanson 2001
<http://odp.trrp.net/Data/Documents/Details.aspx?document=278>).  Most or
all of a redd's mound can be exposed before the water drops below the egg
pockets within.  A number of studies and experiments have observed survival
of eggs, even when water level receded below that of the egg pocket!  In
those cases, capillary action alone was enough to keep eggs moist and
alive.  Early life stages within a redd are more tolerant of occasional
dewatering.  Eggs and embryos respire through diffusion across moist cell
membranes.  Tolerance decreases as a fish hatches and comes to depend on
its gills for respiratory needs (Reiser and White 1983
<http://scholarworks.umass.edu/fishpassage_journal_articles/294/>, Becker
and Neitzel 1985 <http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00007708>).


I'll check in with you again next week,
Charlie

Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From sari at sisqtel.net  Fri Oct  3 16:07:49 2014
From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom)
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2014 16:07:49 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] CBB: Celebration of Columbia River basin salmon
	returns, recovery efforts
Message-ID: <011c01cfdf5e$da6a4070$8f3ec150$@sisqtel.net>

THE COLUMBIA BASIN BULLETIN: Weekly Fish and Wildlife News

www.cbbulletin.com

October 3, 2014                Issue No. 722

 

Officials, Others Gather At Bonneville Dam To Celebrate, Discuss Recent
Salmon Returns, Recovery Efforts

 

Endangered Species Act "recovery" of beleaguered Columbia River basin salmon
stocks is in sight, say federal, state and tribal officials, as the result
of past and ongoing collaborative efforts.

 

Fish recovery agency officials gathered Tuesday at Bonneville Dam with
invited media representatives to celebrate upward trending fish returns to
the region.

 

"The extraordinary has become the ordinary," Northwest Power and
Conservation Council Chairman Bill Bradbury, Oregon, said of salmon returns
to the Columbia River basin that have repeatedly set records in recent years
after falling to depths in the 1980s and early 1990s that required ESA
listing of 13 Columbia-Snake-Willamette salmon and steelhead stocks.

 

"We know that salmon are really making a recovery," Bradbury said, even
taking into account that recent favorable Pacific Ocean conditions helped
nurture stocks, and will inevitably, as is the cycle, turn bad.

 

Building peaks, and reducing valleys, has been made possible through
collaborative efforts to improve tributary habitat and up and downstream
passage conditions, ease harvest stresses, and reduce hatchery impacts -
indeed benefiting wild fish production - on listed fish, the celebrants
said.

 

"These returns are the result of everyone's commitment to rebuild stronger
salmon populations and provide a glimpse into what the region can accomplish
when we work together," said Paul Lumley, executive director of the Columbia
River Inter-tribal Fish Commission. CRITFC represents the Nez Perce,
Umatilla, Warm Springs and Yakama tribes. 

 

"We can safely say we have reversed the decline," Lumley said. "They should
also remind us of the work that remains and give us renewed hope and purpose
to fight for those populations that continue to struggle."

 

This year's run of about 2.3 million salmon and steelhead exceeds the
previous modern-day (since the first hydro project was built on the lower
Columbia in 1938) record of 2.1 million set in 2011. This year also brought
a new single-day record, when 67,521 adult fall chinook passed by Bonneville
Dam on September 8, 2014 - the highest one-day total in more than seven
decades.

 

The work done in the Columbia to improve fish survival, and in tributaries,
should help buffer populations that have historically, even before human
encroachment, had to deal with the ups and downs of nature in freshwater and
the ocean, according to Barry Thom, deputy administrator for NOAA Fisheries
West Coast Region. NOAA Fisheries is charged with both evaluating what fish
populations might need ESA protections, and guiding efforts to recover
listed species.

 

That work starts at the dams, but extends to tributary habitat, improved
harvest strategies and hatchery management, and takes into account Mother
Nature's manipulations of Pacific Ocean conditions and the freshwater
environment.

 

"The fish are resilient," Thom said of recent signs that, if given a boost
in freshwater, salmon populations can survive, if not thrive "even when
conditions aren't so favorable."

 

"Salmon runs are cyclical and their success or failure depends on so many
factors, every single year," Bradbury said. "Some of those factors, like
ocean conditions, are beyond our control. 

 

"But many are not, and they are critically important to salmon survival.
Through our Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program, we are working
to improve conditions for salmon in the places we can impact - connecting
areas of good habitat, removing fish-passage barriers, improving water
quality, and carefully using hatcheries with our tribal and state partners
to boost depleted stocks and, over time, rebuild naturally spawning runs,"
Bradbury said. 

 

"In short, we are working to provide a welcoming place for the salmon to
come home to." The NPCC's fish and wildlife program is funded by the
Bonneville Power Administration, which is obligated to mitigate for
Columbia-Snake hydro system impacts on fish and wildlife. BPA markets power
generated in the Federal Columbia River Power System. BPA has estimated that
overall costs to the system in recent years have exceeded $700 million
annually.

 

The building Snake River sockeye runs, boosted through the NPCC program and
BPA funding for a crucial Idaho Department of Fish and Game hatchery
broodstock program, "demonstrate the incredible resiliency of salmon,"
Bradbury said Tuesday.

 

"With a little help. they will find their way home."

 

Thom echoed that sentiment.

 

"The salmon are showing us that when the region works together and
conditions cooperate, we have all the right ingredients for them to
flourish."

 

The salmon are "back in numbers that are unheard of" in recent times, said
Greg Delwiche, BPA deputy administrator.

 

He said in the past few decades, the collaborative efforts of federal
agencies, states and tribes have helped reverse the impacts to salmon of
more than 150 years of human development.

 

"It's a real success story," he said. He noted that in the 1980s fish were
so few that tribal fishing seasons were limited to only five days in some
years. In 2014, the four lower Columbia treaty tribes have fished for the
most part from April through September.

 

Total salmon and steelhead returns this year to the mouth of the Columbia
have totaled more than 2 million.

 

".not too long ago that was considered a pipe dream," Delwiche said.

 

Hydro system operations have also played a role.

 

"The Corps of Engineers and action agencies, working with regional
sovereigns, are developing a new generation of advanced hydroelectric
turbines for lower Snake and lower Columbia dams to provide safer passage
for fish," said Brig. Gen. John Kem, commander of the Corps of Engineers
Northwestern Division.

 

"Many fish now pass the dams through spill and surface passage where they
naturally migrate, decreasing fish travel time through the system with fewer
than 10 percent passing through the turbines."

 

N. Kathryn "Kat" Brigham said Tuesday that collaboration has been the key. 

 

With the signing of so-called "fish accords" in 2008 by the Columbia River
Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and three of its member tribes, the Colville
Tribes and the states of Idaho and Montana with BPA, the Corps and the
Bureau of Reclamation, the parties decided to "work on things we agree on,
and disagree respectfully on things we don't," said Brigham, who has served
on the Commission since its inception in 1977. She also serves on the
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation's Board of Trustees
and is the chairwoman of her tribe's Fish & Wildlife Committee, regularly
fishes on the Columbia River mainstem with her family. The Corps and Bureau
operate the eight lower Columbia-Snake river mainstem hydro projects, as
well other dams in the Columbia, Snake and Willamette river basins.

 

Like others participating in Tuesday's salmon "celebration," Brigham said
"there's still a lot of work to do."

 

Representatives of BPA customers, who ultimately pay most of the salmon
recovery bills, too say that collaboration is the key to recovering salmon
and steelhead populations.

 

"As we celebrate the salmon's incredible return home, it reminds us that
these fish, our rivers and the dams can coexist, with the benefits flowing
to all of our homes: the power that gives us light and creates jobs, the
water for farmers to feed us and the world, and the cleanest renewable
energy system in the nation that keeps our skies clear," said Terry Flores,
executive director of Northwest RiverPartners, an alliance of farmers,
utilities, ports, businesses and other river users.

 

"We who enjoy the benefits of the largest hydropower system in the nation
responsibly pay to mitigate the damage it does to fish and wildlife through
the Council's fish and wildlife program, the largest of its kind in the
nation," Bradbury said. "The impressive 2014 runs demonstrate the incredible
resiliency of salmon and give us hope that our collaborative efforts to
improve salmon habitat and build up salmon runs will be successful in the
long run."

 

Tuesday's gathering at Bonneville Dam was intended to celebrate recent
year's abundance of salmon. 

 

Notably, tribal biologists are excited about the increasing number of
natural origin fall chinook returning to spawning grounds throughout the
Columbia River Basin. For Snake River fall chinook specifically, returns of
natural origin fish are setting modern-day records -- returning in recent
years in the highest numbers since Snake River dam construction began in the
1960s. This year's fall chinook run should be close to last year's record
return.

Invited guests included congressional staff, decision-makers, biologists and
others deeply involved in salmon restoration efforts. During brief remarks,
agency and tribal leaders and other river users explained how working
together for salmon, along with favorable ocean conditions, improved
passage, successful hatchery programs, and a number of other factors are
contributing to this year's abundant returns.

Guests toured two areas that normally are closed to the public: the Adult
Fish Sampling Facility, where tribal fish technicians identify, measure and
tag returning salmon, and the juncture at which Tanner Creek meets the
Bonneville Fish Hatchery, where salmon swim from the creek into the
hatchery.

The total 2014 fish counts include chinook, sockeye, steelhead and coho
salmon, although chinook and sockeye account for the majority of the
returns. Individual runs of Columbia and Snake River sockeye also set new
records, returning in the highest numbers since fish counting 

 

NOTE: Video and still photography from high-count days in September, showing
abundant salmon as they swim and jump from Tanner Creek into the hatchery
and as they pass by Bonneville Dam, is available at http://bit.ly/1pCVHnz

 

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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Oct  7 08:41:08 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2014 08:41:08 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?b?Q0JTOiDigJhFYm9sYeKAmSBMZXZlbCBUaHJlYXQg?=
 =?utf-8?q?To_Northern_California_Salmon_Forces_Release_Of_More_Water?=
Message-ID: <1412696468.50102.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



?Ebola? Level Threat To Northern California Salmon Forces Release Of More Water
October 6, 2014 2:23 PM
WILLOW CREEK  (CBS SF) ? Federal officials have released water reserves to combat the growing threat from a drought-fed parasite that a fisheries spokesman called the ?Ebola? of salmon and which could result in a ?die-off? to the state?s fragile salmon population.
The Bureau of Reclamation began releasing additional water from PacifiCorp?s Iron Gate Dam Saturday morning because of an outbreak of the Ich parasite in Coho and Chinook salmon in the upper Klamath River.
?Recent fish sampling in the Klamath River indicate that a fish disease outbreak is occurring?significant additional sampling of fish has occurred since Ich was first identified in mid-September. Recent sampling shows that the majority of fish collected in the mainstem Klamath River, upstream of the confluence with the Trinity River, are infected with Ich, with most of the cases classified as severe,? the Bureau said in a press release about the move.
Ich is known to thrive in stagnant water. It attacks the gills of fish, suffocating them.
?Think of Ich as the Ebola of the Klamath basin salmon fishery,? said Hoopa Valley Tribe Fisheries Director Michael Orcutt.
The plan calls for roughly 16,000 acre-feet of water to be released from reservoirs, but should have ?no effect? on Upper Klamath Lake elevations, according to the Bureau. Members of the Hoopa said in a release to the press that the added water likely comes too late.
?What we have now in the Klamath River is dead fish swimming,? said Robert Franklin, a Fisheries Hydrologist with the Hoopa.
Tribe members say the federal government should have acted much earlier to protect the fish, and claim that the problem stems for ?unsustainable and unlawful? commitments of water to Central Valley irrigation, a long-running political issue in the region.
In September, the Bureau of Reclamation released additional water from the Lewsiton Dam on the Trinity River, which feeds the Klamath, after discovery of the parasite on that waterway.
Thousands of salmon died as a result of the parasite in 2002 during similar drought conditions, according to the Associated Press.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Oct  8 07:41:58 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2014 07:41:58 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Flow ruling gets mixed reactions
Message-ID: <1412779318.53859.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_a66712b8-4e98-11e4-ad7b-0017a43b2370.html

Flow ruling gets mixed reactions
By AMY GITTELSOHN The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, October 8, 2014 6:15 am
A federal judge in Fresno dismissed most but not all claims from Central Valley Project irrigators opposing the federal Bureau of Reclamation?s release of additional water to the Trinity River to protect fish in the lower Klamath River.
Reclamation has released the additional flows in some years following a die-off of fall chinook salmon in the lower Klamath in 2002 due to disease from overcrowding. The Trinity River is the largest tributary to the Klamath.
Basically, U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence J. O?Neill laid out what arguments and legal authorities work for each side in his decision issued Oct. 1.
In his decision looking at Reclamation?s flow augmentation in 2013 that the plaintiffs Westlands Water District and San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority sued over, Judge O?Neill ruled as follows:
He dismissed the plaintiffs? claims that the augmented flows violated the Endangered Species Act, the CVP Improvement Act and the Trinity River Record of Decision.
However, he did find that Reclamation?s citation of the 1955 act that authorized construction of the Trinity River Division and gives precedence to in-basin needs should not be used when the water is intended to improve conditions in the lower Klamath.
The ruling has caused mixed reaction even among parties that have been on the same side on the issue.
The Yurok Tribe, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations and Earthjustice issued a joint news release stating that Judge O?Neill ?largely upheld? the Bureau of Reclamation?s ability to provide the additional flows in the Trinity but at the same time indicated that Reclamation must invoke different legal authorities.
However, the Hoopa Valley Tribe said it will appeal the decision.
Hoopa Tribal Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten said, ?With the stroke of a pen the court severed the Klamath River?s largest tributary and sutured it onto the Sacramento River. The lifeblood of our people will now flow south to industrial agriculture.?
Reclamation should have invoked its tribal trust responsibilities to protect the fish, the tribe said.
From Earthjustice, attorney Jan Hasselman said, ?We?re all happy these flow releases have happened, and we think they?ve averted disaster the last two years.?
He added that there is a sense that Reclamation ?hasn?t really gone to bat in every way possible for the fish and the people that care about them.?
One example is a provision in the 1955 act that gives 50,000 acre-feet of water from the Trinity reservoir to Humboldt County and downstream users. Reclamation did not invoke that authority although Humboldt has asked the agency to do so, he said.
A spokesperson for Westlands Water District said any comment on the judge?s decision would need to be from General Manager Tom Birmingham. He was traveling and did not return the Journal?s calls on Monday and Tuesday.
What the judge?s decision means for future flow augmentations is not spelled out in his ruling. One thing all the interveners in the lawsuit that support the flow augmentations and the plaintiffs agree on is that Reclamation needs a long-term plan for addressing these situations, Hasselman said, ?and the judge is clear he expects them to do that.?
?We would all like to see and start work today on a long-term water management plan that provides a little more certainty for everybody,? he said.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Oct  8 07:51:48 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2014 07:51:48 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: Congressman urges legal opinion on
	Trinity releases
Message-ID: <1412779908.30116.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26662708/congressman-urges-legal-opinion-trinity-releases

Congressman urges legal opinion on Trinity releases
Tribes, supervisors seek clarity on water rights
By Juniper Rose
jrose at times-standard.com @juniperjrose on Twitter
POSTED:   10/03/2014 11:50:01 PM PDT0 COMMENTS
UPDATED:   10/03/2014 11:50:02 PM PDT

A day after a federal judge ruled on reservoir releases for Klamath River salmon, North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman demanded immediate clarification of Humboldt County's water rights from federal officials.
Humboldt County and the Hoopa Valley Tribe have been vying for consistent water releases for salmon in the Trinity and Klamath rivers since the death of more than 70,000 adult salmon in 2002. Westlands Water District and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority took the issue to court in 2013, arguing that water should be reserved for Central Valley agriculture.
Wednesday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill in Fresno rejected this claim, but added that the next time the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation wants to release Trinity Reservoir water for Klamath River salmon, it would need to cite a better legal authority.
Huffman wrote Thursday to acting Bureau Commissioner Lowell Pimley, requesting a prompt legal response.
"It is imperative that Reclamation release the Interior Solicitor's opinion regarding Humboldt County's contract for 50,000 acre feet of water annually from Trinity Reservoir, which dates to the same 1955 Act authorizing the Trinity River division," Huffman wrote.
Huffman's letter asserts that while he believes the bureau is moving forward to protect salmon on the Trinity and Klamath rivers, the process is too slow for a drought-stricken region. Plans are not expected to be released by the bureau until late winter, Huffman's letter states.
Calls to Pimley's office and to bureau spokeswoman Erin Curtis were not returned by deadline.
Wednesday's ruling added a new sense of urgency to the dispute over Humboldt County's water rights, Humboldt County 5th District Supervisor Ryan Sundberg said.
"I think Congressman Huffman hit the nail on the head and is on point with his letter," he said. "I very much appreciate him stepping up and pushing the bureau to give us the water we were promised decades ago."
Sundberg said that when he and 3rd District Supervisor Mark Lovelace visited Washington, D.C., last month and spoke with Pimley about the contract, they were told that there was a legal opinion already developed but just not released to the public.
They were also told that a long term plan is in the works, and hope it will include the disputed 50,000 acre feet, Sundberg said.
"I think it would help them ? they would be doing the right thing by honoring the contract," he said. "It is something that was promised and needs to happen, and it needs to happen soon."
Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Director Mike Orcutt said tribal leaders, who have been working with Humboldt County on the issue and plan to appeal the judge's Wednesday ruling, were also pleased by Huffman's letter.
"You need to know the playing field," Orcutt said. "If the county owns the water and the county has authority, then we should know that."
Contact Juniper Rose at 441-0506.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Oct  8 09:22:32 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2014 09:22:32 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] ACWA: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Increasing Flows in
	Klamath River to Fight Parasite Attacking Salmon
Message-ID: <1412785352.55861.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.acwa.com/news/water-news/us-bureau-reclamation-increasing-flows-klamath-river-fight-parasite-attacking-salmon

Home ? News ? Water News
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Increasing Flows in Klamath River to Fight Parasite Attacking Salmon
Submitted by Emily Allshouse on Tue, 10/07/2014 - 1:29pm in 	* Water News
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Saturday began releasing additional water from PacifiCorp?s Iron Gate Dam near Hornbrook, California in an effort to combat a parasite outbreak in coho and Chinook salmon in the upper Klamath River.
Flows at the Iron Gam Dam will increase from 1,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 1,750 cfs. The 75% increase will continue for 10 days and is expected to make the river current too strong for the parasite to swim through to reach the salmon.
The Bureau first observed the parasite Ichtypthirius multifilis, known as Ich, attacking salmon in mid-September. However, after additional sampling showed the majority of fish in the Klamath with severe infections it was feared that a massive fish die-off, similar to an outbreak of the parasite in 2002 that killed tens of thousands of salmon, would occur.
The releases will come from water stored in PacifiCorp?s Klamath River Hydroelectric Reservoirs. The utility agreed to release the water from its reservoirs to avoid releases from the Upper Klamath Lake. It is anticipated that the increased flow will use about 16,000 acre-feet from PacfiCorp?s reservoirs and will have no effect on Upper Klamath Lake levels.
The Bureau?s press release on the increased flows is available here. 
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Mon Oct  6 08:41:13 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2014 08:41:13 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Article submission: Ocean Fishermen Say Proposition 1
	Would Destroy Salmon Fishery
In-Reply-To: <54323613.8000700@riseup.net>
References: <20141005232258.d9ec61baa6ed49a3d5d7d96ab66f9d89.638aa28b83.wbe@email09.secureserver.net>
	<54323613.8000700@riseup.net>
Message-ID: <3956A5F3-94A6-4014-8633-126C58962244@fishsniffer.com>



Photo of Larry Collins with a salmon at the press conference courtesy  
of the No on Prop. 1 campaign.



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/04/1334311/-Ocean-Fishermen-Say-Proposition-1-Would-Destroy-Salmon-Fishery

Ocean Fishermen Say Proposition 1 Would Destroy Salmon Fishery

by Dan Bacher

If you think that the November election doesn?t have anything to do  
with salmon and other ocean fishing, please think again. The results  
of this year?s vote on Proposition 1, Governor Jerry Brown?s water  
bond that bails out corporate agribusiness interests, has EVERYTHING  
to do with the future of ocean (and freshwater) fishing!

To get this message across, ocean salmon fishermen on Friday, October  
3 announced their opposition to Proposition 1, the State Water Bond,  
at a news conference at Fisherman?s Wharf in San Francisco.

?Prop. 1 is one more shovel of dirt on the grave of our salmon, crab  
and other Pacific fisheries,? said Larry Collins, of the San Francisco  
Crab Boat Association. ?Building more dams to hold water we don?t have  
is misplaced spending and harms the businesses, families and  
communities that depend upon our salmon, crab and other fisheries. The  
salmon and crab that are essential to our Northern California diet and  
culture will eventually disappear from our dinner plates if  
Proposition 1 passes in the November election.?

Proposition 1 is a bad investment for California and a $14 billion  
burden to taxpayers, according to Collins. It does not mitigate the  
effects of drought, and it does nothing to establish long-term water  
self-sufficiency. It takes needed funds away from education, health  
and other priorities.

?Prop. 1 will not solve our water problems. Proposition 1 continues  
down the road of overpromising water for big ag, over-pumping the  
Delta to serve unsustainable mega-farms and robbing our fisheries of  
the water needed to sustain our seafood production,? said Mike Hudson,  
of the Small Boat Commercial Salmon Fishermen?s Association.

?Prop. 1 will divert more water from our rivers and streams, and make  
our environment less stable. Bay and coastal fisheries are dependent  
on good water quality and fresh water flows from the Delta. Prop. 1?s  
dam construction starves the Sacramento River, the Delta, and San  
Francisco Bay of the water flows they need. This will crash our salmon  
and other fisheries," noted Hudson.

?Prop. 1 continues to have taxpayers subsidize excessive water  
diversions from the SF Bay Delta estuary. These water diversions have  
a massive negative impact on San Francisco Bay and coastal fisheries.   
Too much water is pumped from the Delta for use by big agribusiness on  
the west side of the San Joaquin Valley,? said Hudson.

As Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing  
Protection Alliance, said, Prop. 1 "is a poster-child of why  
California is in a water crisis: it enriches water speculators but  
accomplishes little in addressing the drought, solving California's  
long-term water needs, reducing reliance on The Delta, or protecting  
our rivers and fisheries."

?Vote NO on Proposition 1,? added Zeke Grader, Executive Director of  
the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman?s Associations. ?Demand a  
water bond that invests in the sustainable solutions we need, not  
deadbeat dams.?

For more information, please visit http://www.noonprop1.org

It is crucial to understand that Governor Jerry Brown, the primary  
proponent of Proposition 1, is no friend of salmon, salmon fishermen  
and fisherwomen, the ocean and the public trust. In addition to his  
support for this budget-busting Festival of Pork, Brown has  
relentlessly promoted the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build  
the peripheral tunnels, the most environmentally destructive project  
in California history.

Brown also forged ahead with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's  
privately funded Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative. The oil  
industry lobbyist-overseen Initiative created a network of fake  
"marine protected areas" that fail to protect the ocean from offshore  
oil drilling, fracking, pollution, corporate aquaculture, military  
testing and all human impacts on the ocean other than fishing and  
gathering.

To make matters worse, a federal judge in May sentenced Ron LeValley,  
co-chair of the MLPAI "Science" Advisory Team for the North Coast, to  
10 months in federal prison for conspiracy to embezzle $900,000 from  
the Yurok Tribe.

For a complete, updated review of Brown's environmental policies, go  
to: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/09/24/big-oils-favorite-governor-jerry-brown/ 
  
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Oct  9 09:50:49 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2014 09:50:49 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Billions of Gallons of Oil Industry Wastewater
	Illegally Injected into Central California
In-Reply-To: <7ECFB704-6E5B-46E1-97FF-88D1317B1FF5@fishsniffer.com>
References: <0ae001cfe30f$5834e5b0$089eb110$@gmail.com>
	<F7DD51B472CD7347A075C0D5F6EB520502F9E217@FOTRSBS01.fotr.local>
	<7ECFB704-6E5B-46E1-97FF-88D1317B1FF5@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <1412873449.32250.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Why approve a water bond for more groundwater storage when our groundwater is being contaminated by fracking?
 
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org


On Thursday, October 9, 2014 9:43 AM, Dan Bacher <danielbacher at fishsniffer.com> wrote:
 


 
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/10/06/18762523.php

Billions of Gallons of Oil Industry Wastewater Illegally Injected into Central California
by Center for Biological Diversity 
Monday Oct 6th, 2014 4:42 PM
SAN FRANCISCO? Almost 3 billion gallons of oil industry wastewater have been illegally dumped into central California aquifers that supply drinking water and farming irrigation, according to state documents obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity. The wastewater entered the aquifers through at least nine injection disposal wells used by the oil industry to dispose of waste contaminated with fracking fluids and other pollutants.
The documents also reveal that Central Valley Water Board testing found high levels of arsenic, thallium and nitrates ? contaminants sometimes found in oil industry wastewater ? in water-supply wells near these waste-disposal operations. 

?Clean water is one of California?s most crucial resources, and these documents make it clear that state regulators have utterly failed to protect our water from oil industry pollution,? said Hollin Kretzmann, a Center attorney. ?Much more testing is needed to gauge the full extent of water pollution and the threat to public health. But Governor Brown should move quickly to halt fracking to ward off a surge in oil industry wastewater that California simply isn?t prepared to dispose of safely.? 

The state?s Water Board confirmed beyond doubt that at least nine wastewater disposal wells have been injecting waste into aquifers that contain high-quality water that is supposed to be protected under federal and state law. 

Thallium is an extremely toxic chemical commonly used in rat poison. Arsenic is a toxic chemical that can cause cancer. Some studies show that even low-level exposure to arsenic in drinking water can compromise the immune system?s ability to fight illness. 
?Arsenic and thallium are extremely dangerous chemicals,? said Timothy Krantz, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Redlands. ?The fact that high concentrations are showing up in multiple water wells close to wastewater injection sites raises major concerns about the health and safety of nearby residents.? 

The Center obtained a letter from the State Water Resources Control Board to the Environmental Protection Agency. The letter says that the Central Valley Regional Water Board has confirmed that injection wells have been dumping oil industry waste into aquifers that are legally protected under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The state Water Board also concedes that another 19 wells may also have contaminated protected aquifers, and dozens more have been injecting waste into aquifers of unknown quality. 

The Central Valley Water Board tested eight water-supply wells out of more than 100 in the vicinity of these injection wells. Arsenic, nitrate and thallium exceeded the maximum contaminant level in half the water samples. 

While the current extent of contamination is cause for grave concern, the long-term threat posed by the unlawful wastewater disposal may be even more devastating. Benzene, toluene and other harmful chemicals used in fracking fluid are routinely found in flowback water coming out of oil wells in California, often at levels hundreds of times higher than what is considered safe, and this flowback fluid is sent to wastewater disposal wells. Underground migration of chemicals like benzene can take years. 

In July the state?s Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources shut down 11 Kern County oil field injection wells and began scrutinizing almost 100 others that were potentially contaminating protected groundwater. The Environmental Protection Agency, which has ultimate legal authority over underground injection, ordered state officials to provide an assessment of the water-contamination risk within 60 days, and the letter from the state Water Board confirms that illegal contamination has occurred at multiple sites. 

California?s oil and gas fields produce billions of gallons of contaminated wastewater each year, and much of this contaminated fluid is injected underground. California has an estimated 2,583 wastewater injections wells, of which 1,552 are currently active. Wastewater injection wells are located throughout the state, from the Chico area in Northern California to Los Angeles in the south, and even include offshore wells near Santa Barbara. 

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 775,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. 


October 6, 2014 
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2014/fracking-10-06-2014.html 


Center for Biological Diversity 
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Oct  9 11:00:01 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2014 11:00:01 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Rep. Huffman Letter on Solicitors Opinion for
	Humboldt County 50k AF
In-Reply-To: <CAJY-U4xzXg-tZbKmoTXWnoTjJXwB92rwdxMFkAFhL+LD2n-5kw@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAJY-U4xzXg-tZbKmoTXWnoTjJXwB92rwdxMFkAFhL+LD2n-5kw@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1412877601.6069.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

>From Rep Huffman:



Here is the full text of my letter yesterday to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation regarding their poor management and inadequate defense of the Klamath and Trinity Rivers in the face of continuous litigation by Westlands Water District:
Dear Acting Commissioner Pimley:
It is my understanding that the Bureau of Reclamation is now developing long-term plans to protect salmon in the Klamath River Basin. This planning is essential and long overdue. Even after three years of drought, my office has learned that this long-term plan will not be released until late winter, and that Reclamation has so far failed to engage the National Marine Fisheries Service and other agencies with jurisdiction over affected fisheries. This delay is unacceptable.
Moreover, I am concerned that your agency is using a long-term planning process as an excuse to avoid making necessary decisions in the immediate term. As you know, the authority for emergency water releases to the Trinity River like those provided in recent years has needlessly been brought into question during litigation from Central Valley water interests. It is imperative that Reclamation release the Interior Solicitor?s opinion regarding Humboldt County?s contract for 50,000 acre feet of water annually from Trinity Reservoir, which dates to the same 1955 Act authorizing the Trinity River division. Continuing to withhold that legal opinion ? and continuing to be silent or coy on the subject, even in the face of litigation where this water contract can and should be raised as part of a vigorous defense -- threatens the success of any long-term plan for the watershed. Your position has essentially invited the assertion in the court?s most
 recent ruling that ?the statutory text is ambiguous as to Federal Defendants? asserted authority.?
It is past time for USBR to acknowledge, and to fully and vigorously assert, its legal obligation to make that 50,000 acre-feet of Trinity River water available for the benefit of Humboldt County and downstream interests, including salmon fisheries in the Trinity and Lower Klamath Rivers.
This is clear from the law authorizing the Central Valley Project?s Trinity Division (P.L. 84-386), which requires the Secretary of the Interior to release annually from the Trinity Reservoir and make available to Humboldt County and downstream water users not less than 50,000 acre-feet of water. It is also clear from the inclusion of that mandate in the State Water Board?s permit No. 11968 issued in 1959 for construction and operation of the Trinity Division. And it is clear from the contract, executed by the United States and Humboldt County on June 19, 1959, for permanent delivery of that water.
In December of 2013, I sent a letter to you concerning the water contract between Humboldt County and Reclamation. In April, Reclamation?s Regional Director David Murillo acknowledged that the Office of the Solicitor had issued a legal opinion, but declined to release it even though the department is apparently using the legal opinion to inform the development of a long-term plan for managing water and protecting fish in the lower Klamath River.
In a Natural Resources Oversight Committee hearing in September, Interior Solicitor Hilary Tompkins acknowledged to me that her office had provided Reclamation with legal advice regarding the 1955 Act in a written format, but noted she could not waive the attorney-client privilege to provide that memo without your approval. Only Reclamation can make this legal reasoning public and help put to rest the legal authority question posed by the court.
Accordingly, I ask that you immediately advise the Solicitor that you intend to waive the privilege and make the legal advice publicly available. Numerous legal opinions from the Office of the Solicitor pertaining to the Trinity Division have been made public over the years. Members of Congress and federal courts need to understand the department?s legal views if we are to make informed and effective decisions affecting our citizens and natural resources. Under the current circumstances in the Klamath River basin, and given California?s broader water struggles, continuing to maintain secrecy on this issue simply makes no sense. You should exercise your authority to release this opinion and resolve the confusion and uncertainty that is putting the Klamath and Trinity River salmon fisheries at risk and costing Reclamation and other parties substantial legal fees.
Moreover, since the solicitor?s opinion is being used in long-term planning for fisheries flows, that opinion should be shared with the National Marine Fisheries Service, which has jurisdiction over commercial fisheries and regulatory authority of salmon and steelhead listed under the ESA. If Reclamation has provided this opinion to another department, the attorney-client privilege no longer applies and the opinion should be made available. If, on the other hand, Reclamation is refusing to share both the opinion and the long-term plan with agencies whose collaboration is required, then it would appear that Reclamation is not on a path to developing a serious and viable plan for fisheries flows.
As this drought continues, powerful San Joaquin Valley interests will continue to file legal challenges against the necessary and legally mandated water releases that protect tribal and other fishery obligations in the Trinity and lower Klamath Rivers. Failure to develop the record and authority regarding the 50,000 acre feet for Humboldt County and downstream users leaves the Bureau of Reclamation open to continual litigation, and inhibits the federal government?s ability to respond to and prevent fish kills.
We have been waiting too long for clarity and leadership on this issue. I respectfully request your expeditious reply, and look forward to reviewing the Solicitor?s Opinion.
Sincerely,
JARED HUFFMAN
Member of CongressCC: Hilary Tompkins, Solicitor, U.S. Department of the Interior
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Oct  9 10:56:16 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2014 10:56:16 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Save the American River Association: Vote No on Prop.
	1!/Judge rejects agribusiness lawsuit over Trinity River
	flows - Tribes disagree about decision's implications
In-Reply-To: <7DD11A41-E3D9-4C90-B5EF-0B5FA06B085E@fishsniffer.com>
References: <1412216454.67711.YahooMailNeo@web181704.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
	<3EBCBA428CF245ED98E0E1B6B308B4EA@OwnerPC>
	<7DD11A41-E3D9-4C90-B5EF-0B5FA06B085E@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <1412877376.35515.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/save-the-american-river-association-vote-no-on-prop.-11/  





Photo of Nimbus Fish Hatchery Weir on the American River by Dan Bacher.

640_img_0665_1-1.jpg

SAVE THE AMERICAN RIVER ASSOCIATION: VOTE NO ON PROP. 1!

by Dan Bacher, October 3, 2014

The Save the American River Association (SARA) Board of Directors has issued an action alert urging all of their members and supporters to Vote NO on Proposition 1, the water bond measure on this November's ballot. 

SARA listed the following reasons for voting No on the water bond: 

? Prop. 1 does nothing to address drought relief in the near future. 

? Prop. 1 adds $7.12 billion to California's debt, debt that will cost taxpayers $14.4 when the principal and interest is paid. 

? Prop. 1 dedicates only 13% of its funding forconservation, stormwater capture and treatment, and recycling. 

? Prop. 1 allocates $2.7 billion for three dams that would increase the state's water supply by only 1%. The money would flow under the provision that allows "continuous funding," meaning there would be no legislative oversight. A number of dam projects that had been abandoned because of low water yield or would not be cost-effective are now being revived. 

? When the State Water Project was approved in 1960, it provided that beneficiaries of water projects -- not taxpayers statewide -- would pay for new projects. Prop. 1 reverses that principle. Taxpayers would pay the lion's share of new projects. Taxpayers, for example, would pay 73% of the cost of the proposed Temperance Flat Dam on the San Joaquin River while the beneficiaries -- agribiz and the City of Fresno -- would pay most of the balance. 

? Prop. 1 requires taxpayers to buy water the public already owns to protect fish. It's a retread of programs in force for years that allow speculators who reap huge profits by selling the public's water back to the public. And it will have the additional impact of making more water available to export from The Delta. 

? Prop. 1 does nothing to address factors that have worsened the water crisis in California during the current drought: the overdrafting of major reservoirs in Northern California, inequitable distribution of limited water supplies and the failure to balance the Public Trust. 

? Prop. 1 contains $1.5 billion for "conservancies" without any language governing how the money is to be spent. Nothing would prevent the conservancies from spending the money on projects that have no impact on water supplies such as bike trails or administrative costs. Critics are calling it "pork." 

? Promoters of Prop. 1 note that about 6.9% of the bond will spent to provide safe drinking water and clean water programs to disadvantaged communities. That long overdue initiative should have been presented to the voters years ago as a standalone proposition. It is shameful that California government has never addressed the water problems of disadvantaged communities. 

There are more reasons to vote NO ON PROP. 1. As Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance has said, Prop. 1 "is a poster-child of why California is in a water crisis: it enriches water speculators but accomplishes little in addressing the drought, solving California's long-term water needs, reducing reliance on The Delta, or protecting our rivers and fisheries." 

Organizations and Tribes opposing the water bond include the following:
AFSCME District Council 57
Ballona Institute
Butte Environmental Council
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance
California Striped Bass Association
California Water Impact Network
Coast Action Group
Center for Biological Diversity
Central Delta Water Agency
Concerned Citizens Coalition of Stockton
Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC)
Environmental Water Caucus 
Factory Farm Awareness Coalition
Friends Committee on Legislation of California
Friends of the Eel River
Friends of the River
Food and Water Watch
Foothill Conservancy
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations
Potrero Hill Democratic Club
Pulga Rancheria Concow Maidu Indians
Restore the Delta
Sacramento River Preservation Trust
San Francisco Crab Boat Association
Save the American River Association
Small Boat Commercial Salmon Fishermen?s Association
Sherman Island Duck Hunters Association
Sonoma County Conservation Action
South Delta Water Agency
Southern California Watershed Alliance
Tar Sands Action
Wetlands Defense Fund
Wild Heritage Planners
Winnemem Wintu Tribe

BECOME A SARA MEMBER: 
SARA realizes that we must strengthen our base by increasing our membership, not only to maintain our visibility, but to fund our Parkway outreach, education and advocacy efforts via membership donations. If you are reading this and are not a member, please join SARA now by going to: http://www.sarariverwatch.org/how_to_help.php. SARA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

For more information about the No on Prop. 1 campaign, go to: http://www.noonprop1.org/



2. Trinity and Klamath River Court Decision Article


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/02/1333865/-Judge-rejects-agribusiness-lawsuit-over-Trinity-River-flows

https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/10/01/18762297.php 
Photo of Lewiston Dam on the Trinity River by Dan Bacher.

800_lewiston_dam.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

Judge rejects agribusiness lawsuit over Trinity River flows 

Tribes disagree about decision's implications 

by Dan Bacher 

A federal judge in Fresno Wednesday dismissed almost all claims in a lawsuit brought by a coalition of corporate agribusiness interests seeking to block the protection of salmon in the Trinity River, but the Yurok Tribe, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA) disagree with the Hoopa Valley Tribe over the implications of the decision. 

The Yurok Tribe, PCFFA and Earthjustice issued a joint news release stating that Judge Lawrence O?Neill "largely upheld" the Bureau of Reclamation?s ability to provide additional flows in the Trinity, the largest tributary of the Klamath, to prevent harm to salmon, but at the same time indicated that "different legal authorities need to be invoked." 

"Straight up, if the Bureau of Reclamation did not make the decision to augment flows on the Klamath, we would be right now cleaning up thousands of salmon carcasses on the river,? said Thomas P. O'Rourke, Sr., Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. ?We applaud Judge O'Neill's decision. We need to do everything possible to ensure in-basin fish needs are met and to prevent another heartbreaking tragedy on the Klamath River." 

On the other hand, the Hoopa Valley Tribe said that the judge's decision actually "cut off water needed for salmon in the Klamath River." 

"If the decision stands, it will gut a 60-year old federal law that protected Trinity River water use for tribal fisheries,? said Mike Orcutt, Hoopa Fisheries Director. 

The San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority and Westlands Water District, representing agribusiness interests that irrigate drainage-impaired land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, brought the case last year against the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency that controls water releases from the Trinity Reservoir to the Trinity and Lower Klamath rivers. 

These rivers support huge runs of Chinook salmon that the commercial fishing industry and the Yurok and Hoopa Valley Tribes depend on for sustenance. These salmon runs also support an economically vital recreational fishing industry in the ocean and on the Klamath and Trinity rivers. 

The water districts brought the case after the Bureau proposed in 2013 to increase flow levels in the Trinity to avoid another massive fish kill in the Lower Klamath like the one that took place in September 2012, when over 68,000 salmon perished.
 The PCFFA, represented by Earthjustice, and the Hoopa and Yurok Tribes intervened in defense of the Bureau to protect salmon and the local fishing industry. 

After an evidentiary hearing in August 2013, Judge O?Neill rejected the irrigators? request to block the flow program. Judge O?Neill rejected a similar request with respect to the 2014 program. "Today?s ruling represents the final resolution of the legal issues in this case," according to Earthjustice. 

"Ultimately this case is also about preserving the California salmon fishing industry,? said Glen Spain, NW Regional Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, which represents commercial fishing families coastwide. ?It makes no sense to sacrifice thousands of fisheries jobs over 700 miles of coastline to provide just a little bit more water to a voracious California Central Valley agribusiness system that has already sucked up far more than its share in a major drought." 

Spain said this ruling will impact the salmon populations, coastal fishing communities and tribes who rely on salmon. During drought, the Bureau?s water releases from the Trinity River to the Lower Klamath are critical to the survival of salmon as thousands of them return to the river to spawn in late summer. 

?Any second-grader can tell you that fish need water,? said Jan Hasselman, an Earthjustice attorney based in Seattle. ?The court largely affirmed the government?s ability to manage water in the basin to protect fish and the people who rely on them. We will continue to work to ensure that good science is the touchstone of water management in the Trinity basin.? 

Hasselman said the court "rejected a wide number of claims brought by the irrigators in the case, but did find for the irrigators that the 1955 statute that the government relied on as authority for supplemental flows did not actually provide such authority. The Bureau will need to invoke different legal authority if additional releases are required in the future." 

In contrast, Danielle Vigil-Masten, Chairwoman of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, criticized Judge O'Neill's decision for not protecting the Trinity River and vowed to appeal the ruling. 

?With the stroke of a pen the court severed the Klamath River?s largest tributary and sutured it onto the Sacramento River. The lifeblood of our people will now flow south to industrial agriculture," said Vigil-Masten. 

She said the court has "twisted the text and context of federal legislation to produce this tragic outcome." 

?But this decision cannot stand and it will not stand,? said Council Member Ryan Jackson. ?We will appeal. Ten years ago the Hoopa Valley Tribe persuaded the court of appeals in San Francisco to reverse another decision of this same federal court for these same plaintiffs that would have destroyed the Hoopa fishery." 

?We fought and won then,? said Jackson, ? and we will win again.? 

According to the Tribe, the judge blamed this outcome in part on the United States for its ?refusal to invoke the trust responsibility? as a reason to provide water for our fishery, which the United States holds in trust." 

?We expect our trustee to be a much stronger advocate for our rights and resources on appeal than it was in this court,? said Hoopa Vice Chair Wendy George. 

The Tribe also said "It is terribly ironic that just days ago, the United States paid a more than $500 million to the Navajo Nation for mismanagement of tribal trust resources. It is devastating to think that while some federal lawyers were putting the final touches on that settlement, others were filing papers in our case to perpetrate the same kind of mismanagement all over again." 

?All should now be on notice,? said Chairwoman Vigil-Masten. ?The Hoopa Valley Tribe will oppose any legislation that benefits the predatory and avaricious Central Valley Project contractors that brought this suit against us, including the pending California drought bill and the San Luis Drainage settlement that is expected to be introduced in the next Congress.? 

The Tribe noted, "The people on the Klamath River in Oregon also are on notice: This decision creates a dilemma for the federal government. If the government does not appeal the court?s decision and win, the Secretary of the Interior may have no more Central Valley Project water available to protect and preserve fish in California?s lower Klamath River. 

The only other sources of water now subject to federal regulation besides the CVP?s Trinity River Division are the Bureau of Reclamation?s Klamath Irrigation Project and the federally licensed PacifiCorp Dams in Oregon and Californian. The Klamath water rights settlement now pending in the U.S. Senate will have to be revised to take water from those facilities to protect lower Klamath tribal trust resources." 

A phone call and email to Gayle Holman, Westlands Water District public affairs representative, about the district's position on the ruling hadn't been returned as of press time. 

However, Holman told the Eureka Times Standard that in "her understanding of the ruling, the claims made by Westlands had not been dismissed." 

"We are pleased that the court agreed with us that Reclamation had no authority to make these releases," she said. (http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_26647663/judge-water-klamath-salmon-legal-this-time) 

You can read the decision on the Earthjustice: http://earthjustice.org/documents/legal-document/court-decision-judge-dismisses-bulk-of-agribusiness-lawsuit-over-trinity-river-flows 

BACKGROUND: 

In 2013, there were extremely low flow conditions in the Lower Klamath occurring at the same time fisheries managers expected the second-largest run of Chinook salmon on record. Federal, state and tribal salmon biologists were concerned that the confluence of high runs and low flows would lead to another disaster like the ?Fish Kill of 2002. 

In September 2002, Bush Administration?s water management policies in the basin that favored irrigators led to a fish kill of over 68,000 salmon in the Lower Klamath, the largest fish kill of adult salmon in U.S. history. The die-off resulted in coast-wide closures of commercial, recreational and tribal fishing, dealing a huge blow to the local economy, resulting in over $200 million in losses. 

To avoid the projected die-off, the Bureau of Reclamation developed a plan to release extra water from dams along the Trinity River, a tributary of the Klamath, to improve the Klamath?s water conditions. In response, San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority and Westlands Water District, serving the interest of powerful agribusiness, filed a lawsuit in an attempt to declare unlawful the Bureau?s authority to release water from the Trinity River.
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Thu Oct  9 15:34:12 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2014 15:34:12 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Agribusiness dumps $850,
	000 into Prop. 1!/Walton Family gave $9, 234,
	866 to NGOs backing water bond/Moore Foundation spent $18 million on
	MLPA Initiative
In-Reply-To: <1412873449.32250.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <0ae001cfe30f$5834e5b0$089eb110$@gmail.com>
	<F7DD51B472CD7347A075C0D5F6EB520502F9E217@FOTRSBS01.fotr.local>
	<7ECFB704-6E5B-46E1-97FF-88D1317B1FF5@fishsniffer.com>
	<1412873449.32250.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <2A1270BB-14F9-4DF1-A731-F19D27013727@fishsniffer.com>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/09/1335459/-Corporate-Agribusiness-dumps-850-000-into-Proposition-1




Corporate agribusiness dumps $850,000 into Prop. 1!

by Dan Bacher

Opponents of Proposition 1, the controversial State Water Bond, today  
blasted Governor Jerry Brown and the backers of Prop. 1 for taking  
$850,000 in contributions from big agribusiness donors to pass public  
funding for water transfers to enrich them - and to enable the biggest  
dam-building program in California history.

Stewart Resnick, the Beverly Hills billionaire ?farmer? who has made  
millions off of reselling environmental water to the public, has  
donated $150,000 to the Yes on Prop 1 campaign. Resnick and his wife,  
Lynda, have been instrumental in promoting campaigns to eviscerate  
Endangered Species Act protections for Central Valley Chinook salmon  
and Delta smelt populations and to build the fish-killing peripheral  
tunnels. (http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/rally-outside-the-resnick-mansion-on-october-2-luncheon-with-the-koch-broth/ 
)

Adam Scow from Food and Water Watch noted, ?Corporate agribusiness  
giants, including Stewart Resnick, are spending big to pass  
Proposition 1, a bloated $7.5 billion bond measure that would funnel  
more water to big agribusinesses at taxpayer expense. Prop 1 is a  
measure to quench their greed?it will not solve California?s water  
problems."

The Western Growers Association, the California Farm Bureau  
Federation, and the California Cotton Alliance have contributed a  
total of $700,000 to the Prop. 1 campaign to ensure the construction  
of Sites Reservoir and Temperance Flat dam.

?Proposition 1 burdens taxpayers with debt to build projects for  
billion-dollar farming conglomerates that make up groups like Western  
Growers and the California Cotton Alliance," said Barbara Barrigan- 
Parrilla of Restore the Delta, who is the No on Prop 1 field director.  
"It includes the largest appropriation for new dams in California?s  
history that will benefit these corporate farmers who refuse to fund  
the dam projects themselves. Prop 1 will drive California and its  
taxpayers even further into debt for illusory and largely bogus  
?environmental benefits?. Prop. 1 shifts the financial burden from  
those who directly benefit from building new dams to the taxpayers.?

These groups are making large contributions as an investment to make  
sure that their pet projects are passed through the California Water  
Commission, according to Prop. 1 opponents.

?Prop 1 will not ?save water? as Gov. Brown claims in ads paid for by  
these special interests.  It?s a boondoggle to enrich his big ag  
contributors,? said Barrigan-Parrilla.

Governor Jerry Brown?s Proposition 1 and 2 campaign has raised  
$6,621,946 and has spent $817,276 as of October 6, 2014, according to  
Ballotpedia:
http://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_1,_Water_Bond_(2014)

The following are the donors who contributed $150,000 or more to the  
Yes on Prop.  and 2 campaign as of October 6, 2014:
Sean Parker  $1,000,000
California Alliance for Jobs - Rebuild California Committee  $500,000
Health Net  $445,600
Laborers Pacific Southwest Regional Organizing Coalition PAC  $400,000
California American Council of Engineering Companies  $250,000
California Farm Bureau Federation  $250,000
California Association of Hospitals and Health Systems  $250,000
Northern California Carpenters Regional Council Issues PAC  $250,000
Reed Hastings  $250,000
SW Regional Council Of Carpenters  $250,000
Western Growers Service Corporation  $250,000
Doris F. Fisher  $245,000
John J. Fisher  $245,000
Robert J. Fisher  $245,000
William S. Fisher  $245,000
California Cotton Alliance  $200,000
Northern California District Council Of Laborers Issues PAC  $200,000
Stewart A. Resnick  $150,000
The State Building And Construction Trades Council of CA   $150,000

For more information on Proposition 1, go to http://www.noonprop1.org



2. Walton Family Foundation gave $9,234,866 to NGOs backing water bond

Photo: Protesters block an intersection at an anti-Walmart protest in  
Roseville on November 29, 2013. Photo by Dan Bacher.

800_blocking_the_street.jpg

Walton Family Foundation gave $9,234,866 to NGOs backing water bond

by Dan Bacher

An analysis of environmental grants that the Walton Family Foundation  
gave to conservation organizations in 2013 reveals that NGOs  
supporting Proposition 1, the water bond on California's November 4  
ballot, received $9,234,866 in grants while opponents of the  
controversial measure received none.

The Walton Family Foundation is governed by the descendants of Sam and  
Helen Walton, the founders of retail giant Walmart.

?The Walton Family Foundation continues a philanthropic vision begun  
by Walmart founders Sam and Helen Walton,? according to the Foundation  
website. ?Across diverse areas of giving that include education  
reform, freshwater and marine conservation and community and economic  
development, Walton family members carry forward the timeless Walton  
value of creating opportunity so that individuals and communities can  
live better in today?s world.?

Supporters of the water bond getting money from the Walton Family  
Foundation in 2013 include the Nature Conservancy, National Audubon  
Society (the parent organization of Audubon California, a bond  
backer), Trout Unlimited, American Rivers, Defenders of Wildlife and  
Ducks Unlimited. The Foundation lists their environmental  
contributions in three categories: freshwater conservation, marine  
conservation and other conservation grants. (http://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/2013-environment-grants 
)

The Nature Conservancy received a total of $5,482,699 from the Walton  
Family Foundation in 2013. This includes $1,545,963 for freshwater  
conservation on the Colorado River, $1,437,986 for freshwater  
conservation on the Mississippi River. $475,000 for marine  
conservation, and $2,023,750 for other conservation grants.

National Audubon Society, the parent organization of Audubon  
California, received $2,570,767, including $312,100 for freshwater  
conservation on the Colorado River, $2,058,667 for freshwater  
conservation on the Mississippi River and $200,000 for marine  
conservation.

Trout Unlimited was awarded $610,650 for freshwater conservation on  
the Colorado River.

American Rivers received $424,400 for freshwater conservation on the  
Colorado River.

Defenders of Wildlife got $100,058 for freshwater conservation on the  
Mississippi River.

Finally, Ducks Unlimited, Inc. received $46,292 for freshwater  
conservation on the Mississippi River from the Walton Family Foundation.

On the other side, opponents of the water bond include the California  
Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Striped Bass Association,  
California Water Impact Network (C-WIN), Center for Biological  
Diversity, Central Delta Water Agency, Concerned Citizens Coalition of  
Stockton, Factory Farm Awareness Coalition, Friends of the River, Food  
and Water Watch, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations,  
Restore the Delta, San Francisco Crab Boat Association, Sherman Island  
Duck Hunters Association, Small Boat Commercial Salmon Fishermens?  
Association, Save the American Association , South Delta Water Agency,  
Southern California Watershed Alliance and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe.

Guess how much money the Walton Family donated to these organizations  
in 2013? Zero.

Zeke Grader, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of  
Fishermen's Associations, said, ?It is highly troubling to see the  
impact that Walmart and a few big foundations are having on the  
conservation of our resources, as well as the protection of our  
artisanal and traditional fisheries including tribal fisheries.?

The Walton Family Foundation is known for dumping millions of dollars  
every year into corporate environmental NGOs, including the  
Environmental Defense Fund, Conservation International, Nature  
Conservancy and the Ocean Conservancy, that promote the privatization  
of the oceans through "catch shares," questionable "marine protected  
areas" and other projects.

For more information about the Walton Family Foundation and the  
environmental NGOs that it funds, go to: http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/11/29/walmarting-the-rivers-and-oceans/

For more information on Proposition 1, go to http://www.noonprop1.org



3. From Hawaii to California, Moore Foundation Violates Indigenous  
Rights

http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/gordon-and-betty-moore-foundation-spent-over-18-million-on-mlpa-initiative/

GORDON AND BETTY MOORE FOUNDATION SPENT OVER $18 MILLION ON MLPA  
INITIATIVE
Written By: Dan Bacher, October 8, 2014

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the foundation that was  
established by Intel founder Gordon Moore and his wife Betty,  
contributed $18,086,716, through the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation,  
to fund the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative in California  
from 2004 to 2012.
The MLPA Initiative was a controversial process that created a network  
of alleged "marine protected areas" in California, including "State  
Marine Reserves" that continue to violate traditional tribal gathering  
and fishing rights.

The foundation gave the first grant of $2,714,946 to fund the MLPA  
process in 2004. The foundation then contributed $3,305,628 for Phase  
2 of the MLPA Initiative Phase in May 2007, $7,066,142 for Phase 3 in  
July 2008, and $5,000,000 for Phase 4 in February 2012. (http://www.moore.org/grants/list/GBMF589 
)
In one of the biggest conflicts of interest in California  
environmental history, Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the President of the  
Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), chaired the Marine Life  
Protection Act Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force that created so- 
called "marine protected areas" in Southern California.
These alleged "Yosemites of the Sea" fail to the protect the ocean  
from fracking, oil drilling, pollution, military testing, corporate  
aquaculture and all human impacts on the ocean other than fishing and  
gathering.
In spite of claims by MLPA Initiative advocates that the Initiative  
"protects" tribal rights, the State Marine Reserves created under the  
process in fact attempt to ban members of the Yurok Tribe and other  
North Coast Tribes from fishing and gathering in their traditional  
gathering areas.
?Whether it is their intention or not, what the Marine Life Protection  
Act does to tribes is it systematically decimates our ability to be  
who we are,? said Frankie Joe Myers, Coastal Justice Coalition  
organizer and Yurok Tribe member, on the day of a peaceful direct  
action takeover by over 300 members of 50 Indian Nations and their  
allies at a MLPA Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force meeting in Fort  
Bragg in July 2010. ?That is the definition of cultural genocide.? (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/07/22/18654513.php 
)
More recently, in the 2014 election edition of the Yurok Today  
newsletter (http://www.moore.org/grants/list/GBMF589), Yurok Tribe  
Vice Chairperson Susan Masten said:
"The State of California is beginning to implement the so-called  
Marine Life Protection Act. From the very start, the Tribe has not  
supported this initiative because it does not recognize the Tribe?s  
inherent hunting and gathering rights. Also, the Act lacked the  
sophistication required to properly steward the diverse ecosystems on  
the Yurok coastline.
Since time immemorial, the Yurok Tribe has practiced a highly  
effective method of marine resource management, which has ensured an  
abundance of sea life to sustain our people. The Creator gave us the  
right to properly harvest marine resources in the coastal areas within  
Yurok Ancestral Territory. With this right, comes a great duty to  
protect and conserve these resources. To that end, we are developing  
our own marine life management program, based on our traditional  
knowledge of ocean ecosystems as well as western science."
The MLPA Initiative officials also failed to appoint any Tribal  
scientists to the MLPA "Science Advisory Team" for the North Coast.  
Meanwhile, the Co-Chair of the "Science Advisory Team," Ron LeValley,  
was sentenced this May by a federal judge to 10 months in federal  
prison for conspiracy to embezzle over $852,000$ from the Yurok Tribe.  
(http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/former-mlpa-science-co-chair-sentenced-to-10-months-in-federal-prison/ 
)
In an apparent attempt to manipulate the science, the same Ron  
LeValley and his cohorts on the "Science Advisory Team" rejected  
studies and presentations by Yurok Tribe scientists  that challenged  
the terminally flawed and incomplete "science" that the MLPA  
Initiative was based upon.
For more information on the Moore Foundation's funding of the MLPA  
Initiative, go to: http://www.moore.org/grants/list/GBMF589. To read  
about the MLPA Initiative's Inconvenient Truths, go to: https://intercontinentalcry.org/the-five-inconvenient-truths-about-the-mlpa-initiative/
The Moore Foundation is also the largest private funder of the Thirty  
Meter Telescope (TMT), a project that will desecrate Mauna Kea, a  
sacred mountain on the Big Island of Hawaii. The foundation provided  
an early investment of $50 million towards designing the TMT in 2003.  
In 2007 they pledged an additional $200 million toward completion of  
the design phase and partial cost of early construction near the  
summit of the Maunakea volcano in Hawaii. (http://www.moore.org/programs/science/thirty-meter-telescope 
)

Mauna Kea is sacred to the Hawaiian people, who maintain a deep  
connection and spiritual tradition there that goes back millennia.  
Native Hawaiian activist and singer Hawane Rios says the Thirty Meter  
telescope will be 18 stories tall and cover 6 acres of the top of  
Mauna Kea.

?The TMT is an atrocity the size of Aloha Stadium,? said Kamahana  
Kealoha, a Hawaiian cultural practitioner and organizer of those who  
held a successful protest at Mauna Kea on October 7. ?It is like  
building a sky-scraper on top of the mountain, a place that is being  
violated in many ways culturally, environmentally and spiritually.?

The blocking of the access to the summit by protesters disrupted a  
planned groundbreaking ceremony, forcing officials to delay the  
groundbreaking to another time. (http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/278457291.html 
)
 From the summit of Mauna Kea to the shores of California's North  
Coast, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation appears to be committed  
to descecrating sacred sites and violating the rights of Indigenous  
Peoples.
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Oct 10 16:43:21 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 23:43:21 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek40
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C22B5F2@057-SN2MPN1-042.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi Folks,
Please see attachment for the Trinity River trapping summary Jweek 40 update.
Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Fri Oct 10 18:04:30 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 18:04:30 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Mainstem Trinity River Spawn survey update through
	October 9
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRu5gzAoAqo7+5qEK+Gsc2jJ0nHnpvKGGX=FuVCKxJv_dw@mail.gmail.com>

Hi all,
Our latest weekly update for the Trinity River Spawning survey is posted on
the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Fisheries website
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries

We surveyed from Lewiston Dam to Pigeon Point and from Hawkins Bar to the
mouth at Weitchpec this week.  Our crews mapped 351 redds and 466
carcasses.  The figure below is clipped from our report this week.  We're
still "flirting" with the blue -  Hopefully we'll be well in there in the
coming weeks.

[image: Inline image 1]


I've added a page and graph to our weekly report related to interest in the
outbreak of *Ichthyophthirius multifilis* (Ich) observed in the lower
Klamath
<http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates/FishHealthMonitoring/Ich%20finding%20initial%20memo%20CNFHC%209-16-2014.pdf>
this year, and the flows that were released
<http://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/newsrelease/detail.cfm?RecordID=47908> to
hopefully decrease it's severity.  From this week forward our weekly report
will include a graph like the one pasted here showing how 2014's observed
salmon pre-spawn mortality rate thus far compares to those of recent years.

[image: Inline image 2]


I won't normally paste the graph directly into these future email
announcements as two graphs makes the message size electronically large
enough to require moderator intervention for the env-trinity listserv
<http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity>.  The graphs will
however be included in the full weekly versions available for download on
the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Fisheries website.


*Fun fact for the week...  *

*Did you know*....   The proximity of where a salmon carcass is encountered
in the river to where that salmon spawned can vary greatly by sex.  A
Chinook Salmon female usually constructs a single redd to deposit her eggs
into.  After spawning she'll guard her nest until her condition
deteriorates to a point that she can no longer hold her position, and
she'll die soon thereafter.  Her carcass usually settles on the river
bottom a short distance from the redd she constructed.  A male salmon
however, often spawns with more than one female, and sometimes on redds
many kilometers apart.  He'll guard and fight for a female against other
males on the spawning grounds, but he does not exhibit nest guarding
behavior when spawning is done.  When he's completed spawning he can drift
with the river current considerable distance as his condition deteriorates
until he dies.  The location that a male's carcass is encountered on the
river bottom therefore makes for a relatively poor indicator of where that
fish spawned.  In the Trinity River, female carcasses often outnumber males
in the highest most reach from Lewiston Dam to Old Lewiston Bridge (our
survey's reach 1).  Males often outnumber females in the reach from Old
Lewiston Bridge to Bucktail River Access (our survey's reach 2) because
many have drifted there from the reach above.


Until next week,
Charlie

Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From twashburn at usbr.gov  Tue Oct 14 09:29:54 2014
From: twashburn at usbr.gov (WASHBURN, THUY)
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 09:29:54 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Change Order - Trinity River
Message-ID: <CAHdoJTOCrA7Es=EWiCcS8mR5Ouq3zFOz8P+tcoVi6wCtWhScyw@mail.gmail.com>

Please make the following release change to the Trinity River.

      *Date*            *Time*              *From (cfs)*            *To
(cfs)*

10/15/2014           0100                  450                     400
10/16/2014           0100                  400                     350
10/17/2014           0100                  350                     300

Comment:  Trinity River ROD winter base flow

Issued by:  Thuy Washburn
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Oct 15 16:16:21 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 16:16:21 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] EPIC: Overview of the Klamath-Trinity Flow
	Augmentation Release Decision
Message-ID: <1413414981.64170.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.wildcalifornia.org/blog/overview-of-the-klamath-flow-augmentation-release-decision/

- Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) - http://www.wildcalifornia.org -
Overview of the Klamath-Trinity Flow Augmentation Release Decision
Posted By Lucy Allen On October 8, 2014 @ 2:46 pm In Blog | Comments Disabled
Judge Lawrence O?Neill recently issued a decision in San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority v. Jewell, a case dealing with the Flow Augmentation Releases to the Klamath River since August of 2013. Click here to view the full decision. [1]
What comes out of the decision is that the Trinity River Record of Decision, which sets limits on flows to restore fish and wildlife, is geographically limited to the mainstem Trinity River, and therefore does not limit Klamath River flows. However, the law that the Federal Government relied on to make the releases (the ?1955 Act?) is also geographically specific to the mainstem Trinity River and thus does not provide authority for these releases. The court dodged the tribal trust obligation arguments, so no precedent comes out of the case related to that, which at least means that there is no negative precedent related to tribal trust obligations. Each claim is discussed individually in more detail below.
Parties and procedural overview
The San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority and Westlands Water District (?Plaintiffs?) sued the Department of Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation over Flow Augmentation Releases starting in August 2013, asserting claims under a number of different laws. The Hoopa Tribe, Yurok Tribe, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations and Institute for Fisheries Resources were Defendant-Intervenors, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife filed an amicus brief.
Endangered Species Act claim
Plaintiffs asserted that the Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau) violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to engage in formal consultation procedures before carrying out the Flow Augmentation Releases. This claim was dismissed on the procedural grounds that Plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the claim.
NEPA claim
Plaintiffs claimed that the Bureau failed to conduct an environmental assessment, in violation of NEPA. Instead of doing an environmental assessment, the Bureau had invoked an ?emergency? exception to NEPA. The court held that the Bureau?s action was ?not a continuing practice and unlikely to repeat itself,? and the claim was dismissed as moot.
 
Central Valley Project Improvement Act Claims:
These claims are complicated, as they involve numerous laws passed over time. The court had to determine how these laws relate to one another and their geographical scope (see below for a list of these laws).
Question 1: Were the releases prohibited?
Plaintiffs asserted that the 1999 Trinity River Record of Decision (TRROD) prohibited the releases at issue, because the TRROD set an upper limit for releases for fishery purposes, and the releases at issue exceeded those limits. The court rejected Plaintiffs? argument, stating that the Flow Augmentation Releases were not prohibited by the TRROD because the TRROD is geographically specific to the mainstem Trinity River, and thus did not apply to the releases at issue, which were releases to improve conditions in the Lower Klamath River.
Question 2: Were the releases authorized?
While these releases were not prohibited by law, whether the Bureau had the authority to make the releases is a separate question. The Bureau relied on the ?1955 Act? as the source of its authority. This act created authority to integrate the Trinity River Diversion with the other features of the Central Valley Project; section 2 of the act authorized the Secretary of Interior to adopt appropriate measures to ensure preservation and propagation of fish and wildlife on the Trinity River. The court held that the 1955 Act is also limited to the mainstem Trinity River, and thus didn?t supply authority for the releases to the lower Klamath.
The Tribes raised tribal trust obligations as an alternative source of federal authority for the releases. The court basically dodged this argument because the Bureau and Department of Interior weren?t asserting it themselves. The Federal Defendants took the position that their trust obligation was ?complementary authority? to the 1955 Act, and the court said that it would not consider the tribal trust obligation since the Bureau and Department of Interior wouldn?t assert it as an independent basis of authority for the releases.
California water rights claim
Plaintiffs also asserted that the Flow Augmentation Releases constituted a use of water outside of its permitted place of use, violating California water rights and the Central Valley Project Improvement Act. The court held that the Bureau has authority under California law to release water to improve instream conditions for fish and wildlife, and thus the releases did not violate California water law, or the Central Valley Improvement Act, which the court said, just incorporates California water law by reference, as opposed to creating independent federal water law.
 
Public trust doctrine argument
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife filed an amicus brief  in the case, which is a way for a non-party to a lawsuit to express their opinion to the court, if the court grants permission. In its brief, the Department argued that the Flow Augmentation Releases were consistent with, and authorized by, California?s public trust doctrine. While the court agreed that the releases were consistent with the public trust doctrine, it stated that that doctrine does not affirmatively authorize federal (in contrast to state) action. The judge stated that, ?[w]hile the public trust doctrine is relevant, it is not dispositive of any claim in this case.?
Partial list of laws/events at issue:
?1955 Act?: created authority to integrate the Trinity River Diversion with the other features of the CVP; section 2 authorized the Secretary of Interior to adopt appropriate measures to ensure preservation and propagation of fish and wildlife.
1981: Trinity River Flow Evaluation Study was initiated to determine flows appropriate to restore the Trinity River?s fishery.
1984 Trinity River Basin Fish and Wildlife Management Act: directs the Secretary of Interior to implement a management program for the Trinity River Basin to ?restore fish and wildlife populations?to levels approximating those which existed before? the diversion.
1992 Central Valley Project Improvement Act: includes purpose of protecting, restoring and enhancing fish and wildlife in the Central Valley and Trinity River Basin.
1996 Reauthorization of the Trinity River Basin Fish and Wildlife Management Act: reauthorizes and amends the 1984 Trinity River Basin Fish and Wildlife Management Act.
1999 Trinity River Flow Evaluation Study (TRFES) completed: this study recommends dynamic flows, specifically flows ranging from 368,800 acre feet in critically dry years to 815,200 acre feet in extremely wet years, along with seasonal flow variability. This went through NEPA review, resulting in a ?Trinity River Record of Decision? (TRROD) that prescribed certain flows depending on the type of water year.
In conclusion, the Bureau?s decision to release flows into the Trinity River to improve conditions in the Lower Klamath River did not violate any laws, but was not specifically authorized. The next step is finding a permanent solution to remedy the need for regular ?emergency? flows. In dry water years, the health of the Klamath and Trinity Rivers are reliant upon the choice of a few decision-makers, and a few narrow thresholds that only trigger emergency releases if a fish kill is already well underway. Until the dams come out, we need to develop a system that prioritizes the health of the rivers and the fish, ensuring that we have healthy rivers, before we divert bulk water out of the basin.
________________________________

Article printed from Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC): http://www.wildcalifornia.org
URL to article: http://www.wildcalifornia.org/blog/overview-of-the-klamath-flow-augmentation-release-decision/
URLs in this post:
[1] Click here to view the full decision. : http://www.wildcalifornia.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TrinitySJDecision10.1.14.pdf
Click here to print.
Copyright ? 2010 Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC). All rights reserved.
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Oct 16 09:25:09 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 09:25:09 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Media Release: Obama Selling Out California to
	Westlands Water District- Secret Deal Forgives Government Debt
Message-ID: <1413476709.9980.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

https://www.c-win.org/content/media-release-obama-selling-out-california-westlands-water-district-secret-deal-forgives-gov

Media Release: Obama Selling Out California to Westlands Water District- Secret Deal Forgives Government Debt
October 16, 2014
For Immediate Release
Obama Selling Out California to Westlands Water District
Secret Deal Forgives Government Debt, Allows Continued Pollution, and Locks in Subsidized Water Deliveries to Corporate Farms
Obama administration officials have reached a settlement with the largest irrigation district in the United States that forgives nearly $400 million in debt, provides massive quantities of subsidized water to corporate agriculture without acreage limitations, and allows continued pollution of state waterways. The agreement is still subject to approval by Congress, but it appears that California Senator Dianne Feinstein will shepherd the legislation through Congress.
The deal is the result of the settlement of a lawsuit filed by Westlands Water District against the federal government for failing to provide agricultural drainage service. For decades, the district ? which consists of fewer than 600 corporate farms but uses more water than the city of Los Angeles? has irrigated its holdings with taxpayer-subsidized water delivered by the federal Central Valley Project.
The district?s croplands contain large amounts of selenium ? a toxic element that leaches from the soil when farmers flush their lands with CVP water to remove excess salt. The district then discharges this tainted runoff to Central Valley waterways.   When the federal government prepared an Environmental Impact Statement in 2007 to stop this pollution, environmentalists and fisheries advocates were heartened by the prospect of permanent land retirement.   Of the several alternatives presented, federal officials seemed to favor those that would retire significant portions of seleniferous lands. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supported an alternative that would have retired 379,000 acres of poisoned land. The settlement?s draft Environmental Impact Statement identified an option that would retire 306,000 acres as the environmentally preferred alternative, although the final number was reduced to 194,000 acres.
Unfortunately, the land retirement program folded after about 115,000 acres were retired.  Continued litigation by Westlands and some of its landowners resulted in the federal courts? acknowledgement that the federal government has a duty to provide drainage service.  As a consequence, the deal reached behind closed doors looks nothing like that promoted by the draft EIS; indeed, it is worse for taxpayers, fisheries and the environment than proposals offered by the George W. Bush administration, which was hardly an advocate for equitable water distribution and environmental protection.
The high (or rather, low) points of the agreement include:
- Forgiveness of nearly $400 million owed by Westlands to the federal government for capital repayment of Central Valley Project debt.
- Minimal land retirement consisting of 100,000 acres; the amount of land Westlands claims it has already retired (115,000 acres) will be credited to this final figure. Worse, the Obama administration has stated it will be satisfied with 100,000 acres of ?permanent? land retirement.
- A permanent CVP contract for 890,000 acre-feet of water a year exempt from acreage limitations.
- The public has no input over the settlement other than influencing Congress to change it.
Water policy reform advocates have condemned this secret agreement, which was reached without their participation.
?This ?settlement? is essentially a wish list by Westlands,? said Tom Stokely, spokesman for the California Water Impact Network. ?It?s as though Westlands general manager Tom Birmingham dictated his terms to the federal government. It locks in the destructive practices of the district, it continues to subsidize Big Agriculture with taxpayer money, and it poses a long-term threat to both California?s environment and the state?s water supply. It is crony capitalism at its worse, and it demonstrates once again the corrosive power of money and corporate influence in Washington.?
Bill Jennings, the chairman and executive director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, observed the deal is bad for many water contractors, not just fisheries and the environment.
?It would give Westlands a permanent water contract before all Endangered Species Act litigation is completed,? said Jennings. ?In effect, this gives Westlands a leg up over other south-of-Delta contractors.?
Summing up the case against the pact, AquAlliance executive director Barbara Vlamis said congressional approval of the deal ?will create a permanent demand for northern California water that will be used to create devastating pollution from land that never should have been irrigated in the first place. It assures continuation of a policy that is destructive, beneficial only to the few and powerful, and ultimately unsustainable.?
 
#
Contacts:
 
Tom Stokely, California Water Impact Network 530-926-9727 cell 524-0315; www.c-win.org
Bill Jennings, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance 209-464-5067 cell 938-9053; www.calsport.org
Barbara Vlamis, AquAlliance 530-895-9420 cell 519-7468; www.aqualliance.net
 
A copy of the settlement agreement can be found at http://www.c-win.org/webfm_send/453.
 
A backgrounder on the issue of Westlands? and San Luis Drainage issues can be found at http://www.c-win.org/webfm_send/454. 
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Oct 16 11:59:46 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 11:59:46 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] NPR: How Too Many Trees Contribute To California's
	Drought
Message-ID: <1413485986.49292.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.npr.org/2014/10/14/356045082/how-too-many-trees-contribute-to-california-s-drought?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=environment 

How Too Many Trees Contribute To California's Drought
by LAUREN SOMMER
October 14, 2014 5:09 AM ET
fromKQED
Listen to the Story
Morning Edition
3 min 53 sec
	* Playlist
	* Download
As the historic drought drags on, just about everyone wishes the state had gotten more water this year. That's largely up to snow and rainfall, but it also depends on trees in the state's mountains.
Copyright ? 2014 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: 
Here's a breathtaking fact about California's drought - human beings are now competing for water against trees, and the trees are winning. The trees are in the Sierra Nevada, the mountains above San Francisco. And we have a report from Lauren Sommer of member station KQED.
LAUREN SOMMER, BYLINE: OK, at face value, it's a pretty strange idea. Why would turning on a shower in Los Angeles be related to pine forests more than 300 miles away?
ROGER BALES: We call the Sierra Nevada our water towers for California.
SOMMER: Roger Bales is a hydrologist with the University of California Merced, and we're in a forest about 20 miles west of Lake Tahoe. There's usually 10 feet of snow here in the winter, snow that becomes California's drinking water.
BALES: About 60 percent of our consumable water comes from the Sierra Nevada. The snow melt really enters the soil and flows down slope to the nearest stream channel.
SOMMER: It joins rivers and goes into reservoirs, canals, reaching cities and farms in the bay area all the way to Southern California. Bales is working to measure that runoff with hundreds of sensors here in the forest.
BALES: Let's take this mast down and...
SOMMER: His team is checking one of them on a 15-foot pole. It records snow depth and soil moisture.
BALES: OK, good, got it.
SOMMER: Bales says we aren't the only ones using this water. Pine trees consume huge amounts of water, which means it doesn't run off and end up in reservoirs.
BALES: That water travels up the tree trunk and then goes out through the leaves to the atmosphere.
SOMMER: The more trees, the more water they use. And there are a lot more trees in the Sierra Nevada than there used to be. Decades of Smokey Bear and putting out fires has allowed forests to grow denser - twice as dense in some places. Bales says that leads to a basic question.
BALES: If there were half as many trees, would there be more runoff?
SOMMER: The answer is yes, he says, potentially a lot more.
BALES: Is it 20 percent, 30 percent or 40 percent? We're sort of in that range, but that's a hypothesis.
SOMMER: That amount of water could make a big difference in a record drought like this one.
SCOTT STEPHENS: I think the water piece is really huge. I think it's underappreciated, but it's massive.
SOMMER: Scott Stephens is a professor of fire science at the University of California Berkeley. He says one way to help forests look like they once did - with fewer trees - is to let more naturally caused fires burn. But there are homes and communities to consider.
STEPHENS: Letting fire work in those lands is risky. Sometimes it's going to go as expected, and once in a while, it goes wrong.
SOMMER: Meaning the fire gets out of control. Timber companies could cut small trees, thinning the forest, but that's expensive in remote areas and often faces environmental opposition. Stephens says there's no easy answer here. Both options have downsides, but both will be needed. And climate change isn't helping, he says.
STEPHENS: If we don't act today, our grandkids' grandkids are going to have so few options.
SOMMER: A recent study from the University of California Irvine found California's forests will be using even more water by the end of the century because warming temperatures will make the growing season longer.
STEPHENS: It's going to be warmer. It's going to be more difficult to do this work, and they're going to be basically chasing their tails.
SOMMER: Stephens says the good news is that California water districts are joining the conversation about how to manage forests. The connection between the drought, the state's water supply and trees is becoming hard to ignore. For NPR News, I'm Lauren Sommer.
Copyright ? 2014 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Oct 17 07:25:45 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 14:25:45 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek 41
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C237190@057-SN2MPN1-041.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi All,
Please see attachment for the Jweek 41 Trinity River trapping summary update.
Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Oct 17 13:36:49 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 13:36:49 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal Editorial: No on Proposition 1;
	it fails to protect North State waters
Message-ID: <1413578209.99413.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/editorials/article_4f7bf1d0-5410-11e4-83a2-0017a43b2370.html 

No on Proposition 1; it fails to protect North State waters
Posted: Wednesday, October 15, 2014 6:15 am
There?s a lot to like in Proposition 1 on the November ballot. The bond measure would provide $2.7 billion to help finance new water storage, including the Sites Reservoir in Colusa County. It would provide billions for groundwater cleanup and management, watershed restoration, water recycling projects, advanced water treatment and seawater desalinization projects.
What it doesn?t do is provide any protection for North State waters and fisheries. Like the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and Gov. Jerry Brown?s ill-fated twin tunnel proposal, there?s nothing in the measure that protects the reservoirs and rivers of the North State.
That alone would have us encouraging a ?No? vote, but there?s much more to dislike:
? It adds billions in debt at a time California can scarcely afford it.
? It burdens taxpayers across the state to mostly benefit Central Valley farms and communities, in violation of State Water Project policies and common sense.
? In a twist of logic that only government can conceive, the measure requires taxpayers to buy water the public already owns to protect fish and the environment. We?ve argued long and hard that water speculators should not benefit by selling excess North State water without some benefits returning north. A transfer fee on resale, perhaps?
? Roughly 7 percent of the bond will be spent to provide safe drinking water and clean water programs to disadvantaged communities. This is good, but far too little, too late, and represents a pittance of what is needed.
? Likewise, not enough of the bond targets the long-lasting, sustainable regional projects which would be a better answer to California?s water woes.
Bill Jennings, executive director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, has said Proposition 1 ?is a poster-child of why California is in a water crisis: it enriches water speculators but accomplishes little in addressing the drought, solving California?s long-term water needs, reducing reliance on The Delta, or protecting our rivers and fisheries.?
For all of the above reasons, we urge a ?No? vote on Proposition 1.
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From sari at sisqtel.net  Fri Oct 17 14:19:59 2014
From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom)
Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 14:19:59 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] CBB: NOAA Winter Outlook: Warm Winter For Pacific
	Northwest, Below-Average Precipitation
Message-ID: <005001cfea50$1bbe8df0$533ba9d0$@sisqtel.net>

THE COLUMBIA BASIN BULLETIN: Weekly Fish and Wildlife News

www.cbbulletin.com

October 17, 2014   Issue No. 724

 

NOAA Winter Outlook: Warm Winter For Pacific Northwest, Below-Average
Precipitation

 

Below average temperatures are favored in parts of the south-central and
southeastern United States, while above-average temperatures are most likely
in the western U.S., Alaska, Hawaii and New England, according to the U.S.
Winter Outlook, issued this week by NOAA?s Climate Prediction Center.

 

While drought may improve in some portions of the U.S. this winter,
California's record-setting drought will likely persist or intensify in
large parts of the state. Nearly 60 percent of California is suffering from
exceptional drought ? the worst category ? with 2013 being the driest year
on record.

 

Also, 2012 and 2013 rank in the top 10 of California?s warmest years on
record, and 2014 is shaping up to be California?s warmest year on record.

 

Winter is the wet season in California, so mountainous snowfall will prove
crucial for drought recovery. Drought is expected to improve in California?s
southern and northwestern regions, but improvement is not expected until
December or January.

 

?Complete drought recovery in California this winter is highly unlikely.
While we?re predicting at least a 2 in 3 chance that winter precipitation
will be near or above normal throughout the state, with such widespread,
extreme deficits, recovery will be slow,? said Mike Halpert, acting director
of NOAA?s Climate Prediction Center. ?This outlook gives the public valuable
information, allowing them to make informed decisions and plans for the
season. It's an important tool as we build a Weather-Ready Nation.?

 

El Ni?o, an ocean-atmospheric phenomenon in the Tropical Pacific that
affects global weather patterns, may still develop this winter.

 

Climate Prediction Center forecasters announced on Oct. 9 that the ocean and
atmospheric coupling necessary to declare an El Ni?o has not yet happened,
so they continued the El Ni?o Watch with a 67 percent chance of development
by the end of the year.

 

While strong El Ni?o episodes often pull more moisture into California over
the winter months, this El Ni?o is expected to be weak, offering little
help.

 

The Precipitation Outlook favors above-average precipitation across the
southern tier, from the southern half of California, across the Southwest,
South-central, and Gulf Coast states, Florida, and along the eastern
seaboard to Maine. Above-average precipitation also is favored in southern
Alaska and the Alaskan panhandle.

 

Below-average precipitation is favored in Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest and
the Midwest.

 

Last year?s winter was exceptionally cold and snowy across most of the
United States, east of the Rockies. A repeat of this extreme pattern is
unlikely this year, although the Outlook does favor below-average
temperatures in the south-central and southeastern states.

 

In addition, the Temperature Outlook favors warmer-than-average temperatures
in the Western U.S., extending from the west coast through most of the
inter-mountain west and across the U.S.-Canadian border through New York and
New England, as well as Alaska and Hawaii.

 

The rest of the country falls into the ?equal chance? category, meaning that
there is not a strong enough climate signal for these areas to make a
prediction, so they have an equal chance for above-, near-, or below-normal
temperatures and/or precipitation.

 

The U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook, updated this week and valid through
January, predicts drought removal or improvement in portions of California,
the Central and Southern Plains, the desert Southwest, and portions of New
York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. 

 

Drought is likely to persist or intensify in portions of California, Nevada,
Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Washington state.

 

New drought development is likely in northeast Oregon, eastern Washington
state, and small portions of Idaho and western Montana.

 

This seasonal outlook does not project where and when snowstorms may hit or
provide total seasonal snowfall accumulations. Snow forecasts are dependent
upon the strength and track of winter storms, which are generally not
predictable more than a week in advance.

 

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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Mon Oct 20 07:54:30 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 07:54:30 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River spawn survey update for October 13-17
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRvcUzziYOPh1HPeDxBc3V349OqcfgtyALzRLtJ-qR-n6g@mail.gmail.com>

Hi all,
Spawning salmon, autumn colors, fall rains, and post-season baseball -
There is no better time of year!

The weekly update for our mainstem Trinity River spawning survey is posted
and available for download from the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office
fisheries page
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries

We covered the river last week from Lewiston Dam to Pigeon Point and from
Big Bar to Cedar Flat, and mapped the locations of 584 redds and 439
carcasses.  The figure below is clipped from our weekly report.  It's nice
to see our running total "back in the blue" and climbing!

[image: Inline image 1]


*Fun fact for the week...  courtesy Aaron David - Arcata Fish and Wildlife
Office*

*Did you know*....   Salmon runs can influence the distribution of numerous
other fish and wildlife that follow the migrations of spawning salmon to
capitalize on the resources they provide.  A good return of salmon delivers
massive quantities of nutrients from the ocean to the river where they
spawn.  This pulse of energy and nutrients charges the river ecosystem and
surrounding forest.  In Alaska, resident trout, bears, and sea gulls
"track" runs of spawning salmon and feast on salmon eggs and tissue in
locations with high spawning activity.  Diversity in run timing and
location extends the banquet.  As spawning activity decreases in one area
and picks up in another, dependent fish and wildlife follow the feast into
other portions of the same watershed, or even into neighboring basins.  In
this way they capitalize on the bounty far longer than they would be able
to if all spawning only occurred in a confined location or only in a
compressed period.
Ruff et al. 2011 <http://www.esajournals.org/doi/full/10.1890/10-1762.1>
Schindler et al. 2013
<http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/9/3/20130048.full?sid=71022c85-e1c6-49bc-bdd4-1d4ca9e27b24>


If you wish to be removed from my blind cc list please let me know.
Talk to y'all soon,
Charlie

Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Oct 21 11:02:16 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 11:02:16 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] LA Times: Amid California's drought,
	a bruising battle for cheap water
Message-ID: <1413914536.81696.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-westlands-20141021-story.html#page=1 
Amid California's drought, a bruising battle for cheap water
In 1960, President Eisenhower signed legislation expanding the Central Valley Project to the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. The San Luis Reservoir, which stores water for the Westlands Water District, was built as part of that expansion. (Brian van der Brug)
By BETTINA BOXALLcontact the reporter
Environmental IssuesEnvironmental ScienceLaws and LegislationAgricultureScientific ResearchDianne FeinsteinU.S. Congress
Westlands Water District hopes a larger water allotment, repurposing land will pull the dust bowl out of debt
Westlands is carved out of a region so parched it was long considered uninhabitable desertThe signs appear about 200 miles north of Los Angeles, tacked onto old farm wagons parked along quiet two-lane roads and bustling Interstate 5.
"Congress Created Dust Bowl." "Stop the Politicians' Water Crisis." "No Water No Jobs."
They dot the Westlands Water District like angry salutations, marking the territory of California's most formidable water warrior. Their message is clear: Politicians and environmental laws are more to blame for Westlands' dusty brown fields than the drought that has parched California for the last three years.
In truth, neither is to blame for Westlands' woes so much as the simple fact that the nation's largest irrigation district is in the wrong place.
In a state where three-quarters of the water use is by agriculture, powerful farm districts such as Westlands play an outsized role in the rough-and-tumble world of water politics.
Westlands and its wealthy farmers are exercising their considerable clout to maintain a flow of cheap water from the north despite a harsh truth. In all of California, there may be no worse place to practice the kind of industrial-scale irrigated agriculture that Westlands is famous for than the badly drained, salt-laden lands that make up roughly half the district.
Westlands has persevered for decades by battling other farmers for supplies, repeatedly suing the U.S. government and spending millions of dollars trying to roll back environmental restrictions on water deliveries ? all while planting lucrative nut crops that can't survive a season without water.lRelated 
SCIENCE
198 drought maps reveal just how thirsty California has becomeSEE ALL RELATED
8
Now it is a driving force behind the most ambitious water project proposed in California in decades, the $25-billion plan to send Sacramento River supplies south to Westlands and elsewhere through two giant water tunnels burrowed under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The water would help Westlands for a time. But the expensive tunnels would merely delay the inevitable: The more Westlands is irrigated, the more its land will be ruined.
::
The district is roughly twice the size of Los Angeles, stretching like a crooked finger for some 70 miles along the San Joaquin Valley's sun-blasted west side.
Carved out of a region so parched it was long considered uninhabitable desert, Westlands was formed in 1952 by a group of landowners desperate for new water supplies.
They were pumping so much groundwater to irrigate crops that west-side fields were sinking like a partially baked cake. Well drillers were burrowing down more than 2,000 feet to reach steady flows. The cost of the deepest wells had hit $75,000.It's a whole sequence of events culminating with irrigation and drainage. Decisions were made to use land totally unsuited for that purpose.- Walter Swain, scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey
The politically connected growers decided their salvation would be to get Congress to extend the Central Valley Project, the huge federal irrigation system that serves California, to the west side. President Dwight Eisenhower signed authorizing legislation for the expansion in 1960, and major deliveries from the delta, more than 150 miles to the north, started spilling into district canals eight years later.
A public agency governed by landowners within its borders, Westlands has an annual budget of more than $100 million and 111 employees. It contracts with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for taxpayer-subsidized irrigation supplies, which it sells to growers.
The sheer size of that contract reflects agriculture's hold on California water supplies. The 600,000-acre, thinly populated irrigation district is entitled to more than 1.1-million acre feet of water annually ? or roughly twice what the nearly 4 million residents of Los Angeles use in a year.cComments
	* A central valley cherry farmer now running for office (Vidak) co-wrote the water bond. The water bond is designed to allow central valley farmers to continue their profligate ways but urban rate payers, mostly in Southern California, will pay for it. The drought has helped sell it. I will be...
DFERGUSONSART
AT 10:25 AM OCTOBER 21, 2014ADD A COMMENTSEE ALL COMMENTS
26
A half-century ago, boosters predicted that thousands of small family farms would blossom with the arrival of federal water. That vision never materialized. The few scruffy little towns within Westlands' borders struggle with chronically high unemployment and poverty.
Large tracts were broken up to meet federal acreage limits on the delivery of taxpayer-subsidized water, but the cropland was often spread among extended family members and their trusts. Though Westlands at various times has said it serves 600 or 700 farms, University of California researchers in 2011 found that there were 350 farm networks "grouped by common ownership."
Growers include some of the powerhouses of California agribusiness. Harris Farms Inc., Woolf Enterprises, Tanimura & Antle and other operations have made the district a highly efficient food factory that produces more than $1 billion of crops a year.
Even in this year of withering drought, the almond and pistachio trees and fields of melons, tomatoes and onions go on and on, broken only by an occasional cluster of farm buildings. With an unprecedented zero allocation of federal water, growers kept two-thirds of Westlands green by pumping groundwater and buying supplies from other districts.
In the complicated world of federal water deliveries, the west side of the San Joaquin Valley is among the first in line for cuts, whether due to drought or fish and wildlife protections that restrict deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Since 1993, Westlands has gotten its full water allotment only three times.
"They're taking our water ? in the name of helping fish. It hasn't worked," Westlands Chief Deputy General Manager Jason Peltier lamented last year at a Los Angeles public forum.
Growers served by Westlands boast that they have adjusted to shrinking supplies by adopting highly efficient irrigation practices. But they are also planting more profitable, permanent crops, leaving farms increasingly vulnerable to water shortages. District records show that the amount of almond and pistachio acreage has jumped sevenfold in the last two decades.
"It's the lemmings rushing over the cliff," said Tom Zuckerman, an attorney, delta landowner and veteran of state water politics. "They're painting themselves into an increasingly small corner."
Westlands' strength comes via its political savvy. Peltier, who helped shape the Department of the Interior's water policy under President George W. Bush, is one of several former federal officials who fill out Westlands' well-paid management.
The district's general counsel, Craig Manson, served as an assistant U.S. Interior secretary under Bush. Before going to work for Westlands, Deputy General Manager Sue Ramos was an assistant regional director for the Reclamation Bureau.
Their boss, General Manager Tom Birmingham, who helped forge Westlands' aggressive reputation, declined to be interviewed for this article. In 2012, he was paid nearly $367,000, according to the state controller's office.
A few years ago Birmingham and former board president Jean Sagouspe stormed out of a Washington meeting with high-ranking U.S. Interior and state officials after complaining about the work of federal biologists who were critiquing the delta tunnel proposal. One person in attendance likened the incident to Nikita Khrushchev's shoe-thumping during a Cold War debate at the United Nations.
Last year, Westlands grower Mark Borba was forced to resign as chairman of a San Joaquin Valley hospital system after the Fresno Bee newspaper published an email exchange with Birmingham in which Borba referred to President Obama as "Blackie" and harangued Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and the Obama administration for not doing more to increase water deliveries.

Westlands' powerplays have periodically angered Feinstein, but she usually lends Birmingham and the board a sympathetic ear. In the email string, Birmingham assured Borba "that I have been working very closely with Senator Feinstein's office.... Senator Feinstein and her staff have been pushing Interior and Reclamation behind the scenes." This year Feinstein has been negotiating federal drought legislation that would, among other things, make it easier for Westlands to ship water through the delta that it has purchased from other districts.
In what critics complain is the latest example of the district's political influence, the Reclamation Bureau is proposing to let Westlands off the hook for $360 million it still owes U.S. taxpayers for construction of its portion of the Central Valley Project. The move would be part of a deal to resolve a lingering legal fight over the broad swath of the district that is badly drained and laced with salts.
::
The dry bottom of Panoche Creek crunched beneath Walt Swain's feet. Crusted in white sodium sulfate, the creek bed resembled a giant ribbon of salt cod strung across the rumpled hills that rise on the other side of I-5 from Westlands.
It has been nearly 30 years since Swain first scoured this harsh country, hunting for the origins of an environmental horror story.lRelated 
SCIENCE
198 drought maps reveal just how thirsty California has becomeSEE ALL RELATED
8
In the early 1980s, grotesque deformities appeared in waterfowl that had nested in Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge ponds that were filled with wastewater from Westlands. The coots, grebes and ducks had been poisoned by toxic levels of selenium, a naturally occurring trace element harmful to wildlife but not to crops, that entered the refuge food chain from water drained from beneath Westlands' fields.
Swain and other scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey found the ultimate source in the ancient sediments of the coast ranges.
For eons storm runoff had washed salts, selenium and another trace element, boron, into Panoche Creek , depositing them on land that spreads across Westlands' northern half. There they built up in the soil over millennia, making Westlands California's selenium hot spot.
Irrigation raised the groundwater table and stirred up what UC Davis plant scientist Stephen Grattan called the "monster that lurked below."
To keep the damaging salts and boron out of the crop root zone, growers installed subterranean drains and pumped the water into a government drain that was originally intended to run all the way to the delta.
But it stopped at Kesterson for lack of money and because of concerns about discharging agricultural wastewater into the delta.
After discovery of the Kesterson deformities, the drain was closed.
Today, it is choked with dirt and matted weeds and posted with fading "No Swimming" signs. The Kesterson ponds are buried beneath 18 inches of dirt.
"It's a whole sequence of events culminating with irrigation and drainage," said Swain, who is now retired. "Decisions were made to use land totally unsuited for that purpose."
Since then growers have blended the low-quality groundwater with imported supplies for irrigation. But they can't stop the inexorable buildup of salts that will ultimately doom the cropland.
::cComments
	* A central valley cherry farmer now running for office (Vidak) co-wrote the water bond. The water bond is designed to allow central valley farmers to continue their profligate ways but urban rate payers, mostly in Southern California, will pay for it. The drought has helped sell it. I will be...
DFERGUSONSART
AT 10:25 AM OCTOBER 21, 2014ADD A COMMENTSEE ALL COMMENTS
26
In the eastern half of Westlands, empty fields, growing nothing but scattered tumbleweeds, stretch for miles. To settle drainage and water rights disputes with growers, Westlands has purchased roughly 100,000 acres from farmers, taken some of the salted-up land out of production and left the rest unplanted in dry years.
Now it is planning a different kind of crop: Thousands of solar panels would sprout in the district's southeast corner in a 24,000-acre solar park that Westlands is proposing to develop with the Anthem Group and several landowners.
"This is a solution that is inevitable and allows them to exit farming these lands that become more and more marginal year after year," company executive Daniel Kim said.
Under the proposed settlement with the Reclamation Bureau, the government would lift limits on the size of farms eligible for subsidized water and relieve Westlands of its outstanding repayment obligation. In exchange, the government would be relieved of its obligation to provide drainage.
The district would permanently retire the 100,000 acres and assume responsibilities for drainage on the rest of the problem land. It would also agree to a cap on water deliveries that amounts to 75% of its contract amount ? still far more than it has gotten in recent years.
Westlands is "never going to do the drainage," contended Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez), who has spent much of his congressional career battling Westlands. "They're going to put [the land] into solar or whatever they want to do. They're just squeezing the government."
bettina.boxall at latimes.com
Twitter: @boxall
Copyright ? 2014, Los Angeles Times
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Oct 21 16:39:13 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 16:39:13 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Hoopa Valley Tribe Opposes Proposition 1
In-Reply-To: <28F1748B-79D6-4C64-8587-D8DD5C9A614B@fishsniffer.com>
References: <D06C155F.18517%jgreen@dmcinvestment.com>
	<CF2AC64E-B220-4263-AE1A-96F70AEBCD61@gmail.com>
	<1413925119.26736.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
	<28F1748B-79D6-4C64-8587-D8DD5C9A614B@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <1413934753.21909.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Tuesday, October 21, 2014 3:08 PM, Dan Bacher <danielbacher at fishsniffer.com> wrote:




http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/21/1338221/-Hoopa-Valley-Tribe-Opposes-Proposition-1


Hoopa Valley Tribe Opposes Proposition 1

by Dan Bacher

The Hoopa Tribal Council agreed across the table to oppose California's ballot measure Prop. 1, Governor Jerry Brown's $7.5 billion water bond.

Danielle Vigil-Masten, Chairwoman of the Hoopa Valley Tribe on the Trinity River, urges people to get out and Vote NO on Prop. 1.

"California - vote NO on California Prop. 1," Vigil-Masten wrote on Facebook. "This bill will kill the natural ecosystem and rivers and tributaries on the North Coast. This is for money to construct a dam in Maxwell or in that area."

"There has been no information provided about the damage this can cause to environment as well as to who will receive the benefit. It will also flood SACRED SITES of tribes," she noted.

"Northern California does not have enough water to supply the State of California - it's time for people to CONSERVE and use common sense to not build or grow farms where there is NO Water! Vote NO, and Stop this MADNESS! Please share this with everyone you know in the State of California! Water Warriors.....stand up now!" she emphasized.

The Hoopa Valley Tribe joins the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Pulga Rancheria Concow Maidu Indians and a broad coalition of fishing groups, grassroots environmental organizations, family farmers, consumer organizations and one union in opposition to Prop. 1.

Save water, save money - vote NO on Proposition 1!

For more information go to http://www.noonprop1.org
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Wed Oct 22 14:37:28 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 21:37:28 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek 42 and news
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C48D81F@057-SN2MPN1-043.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi All,
Please see attachment for the Jweek 42Trinty River trapping summary update.

FYI: The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) projects that the Upper Trinity River anglers will have met their catch quota of 681 adult fall-run Chinook salmon above Cedar Flat by sundown on Friday, Oct. 24.

Starting Saturday, Oct. 25, anglers may still fish but can no longer keep adult Chinook  salmon over 22 inches in the Trinity River above Cedar Flat. Fish tags may be removed and returned to CDFW. Anglers may still keep a daily bag of three Chinook salmon under 22 inches.

The fall-run Chinook salmon quota on the Lower Trinity River is 681 adult Chinook salmon from the confluence with the Klamath River up to Cedar flat. This sub-area quota has not been met yet, and anglers may retain one adult Chinook salmon as part of their three fish daily bag limit.

Anglers may keep track of the status of open and closed sections of the Klamath and Trinity rivers by calling 1 (800) 564-6479.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Oct 23 09:45:40 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 09:45:40 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] New tool identifies high-priority dams for fish
	survival
Message-ID: <1414082740.44567.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

The Trinity River's dams are on the list.
http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=11063
New tool identifies high-priority dams for fish survival
October 22, 2014
Scientists have identified 181 California dams that may need to increase water flows to protect native fish downstream. The screening tool developed by the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California, Davis, to select ?high-priority? dams may be particularly useful during drought years amid competing demands for water.
?It is unpopular in many circles to talk about providing more water for fish during this drought, but to the extent we care about not driving native fish to extinction, we need a strategy to keep our rivers flowing below dams,? said lead author Ted Grantham, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis during the study and currently a research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey. ?The drought will have a major impact on the aquatic environment.?
The study, published Oct. 15 in the journal BioScience, evaluated 753 large dams in California and screened them for evidence of altered water flows and damage to fish. About 25 percent, or 181, were identified as having flows that may be too low to sustain healthy fish populations.
The ?high-priority? list includes:
	* Some of the state?s biggest dams: Trinity Dam on the Trinity River, New Melones Dam on the Stanislaus River, Pine Flat on Kings River, and Folsom Dam on the American River.
	* Dams on rivers with the greatest richness of native species: Woodbridge Diversion Dam on the Mokelumne River, Nash Dam in Shasta County, and three rubber dams on lower Alameda Creek.
	* Dams affecting the greatest number of native species with sensitive population status: Keswick and Anderson-Cottonwood dams on the Sacramento River, and Woodbridge and Nash dams.
 A 2011 study found that 80 percent of California?s native fish are at risk of extinction if present trends continue. According to the authors, the way we manage dams will determine the fate of many of these species.
A state law, California Fish and Game Code 5937, requires dam operators to release ?sufficient water? to keep fish downstream ?in good condition.? But, with thousands of dams in the state and limited resources to assess each one, the law is rarely enforced without a lawsuit behind it.  For example, a series of lawsuits in the 1980s led to higher flow releases for native fish in Putah Creek in Yolo and Solano counties. Section 5937 was also invoked in the 2006 San Joaquin River settlement agreement to restore flows to that river below Friant Dam.
Such lawsuits do not always indicate which dams are in most need of attention to protect native fish. The new study provides a scientific basis for dam operators, natural resource managers and policymakers to perform water ?triage? -- setting management priorities for dams requiring the most urgent attention.
Inclusion on the list does not necessarily mean the dams are out of compliance with the state law. For example, Peters Dam was included for its potential to affect sensitive species in the Lagunitas Creek watershed, but it is being managed in a way that helps protect fish, Grantham said. The framework is meant to be a starting point for further on-site study and potential enforcement of the state law.
Grantham said it also can be used to assess dams worldwide.
?This is really a global problem,? Grantham said. ?We have hundreds of thousands of dams throughout the world. Few of them are managed in a way that considers the downstream animal and plant life. Environmental flows will be important for preserving aquatic ecosystems worldwide, but given the scope of the problem, we need a strategic framework to prioritize the rivers on which we work and invest resources.?
The study?s co-authors include Professor Peter Moyle at UC Davis and Josh Viers, associate professor at UC Merced.
The study received funding from the Natural Resources Defense Council, California Trout, Trout Unlimited, the S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation, and the California Energy Commission Public Interest Energy Research Program.
About UC Davis
UC Davis is a global community of individuals united to better humanity and our natural world while seeking solutions to some of our most pressing challenges. Located near the California state capital, UC Davis has more than 34,000 students, and the full-time equivalent of 4,100 faculty and other academics and 17,400 staff. The campus has an annual research budget of over $750 million, a comprehensive health system and about two dozen specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and 99 undergraduate majors in four colleges and six professional schools.
Additional information:
Read the study.
More details at California Water blog.
Related report: Case studies of high-priority dams.
Download dam photo.
Related: California has given away rights to far more water than it has (Aug. 2014).
Related: Climate change threatens extinction for 82 percent of California native fish (May 2013).

Media contact(s):
	* Ted Grantham, UC Davis/USGS, (970) 226-9386, tgrantham at usgs.gov
	* Kat Kerlin, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-7704, kekerlin at ucdavis.edu

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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Sat Oct 25 11:00:29 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 11:00:29 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Mainstem Trinity River spawn survey update for
	October 20-23
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRtZExDx5kK2wUswrWH=V-bCg2zMP3JCb5vDE7kkf4mXHA@mail.gmail.com>

Fans of the Trinity River,
Our spawning survey crews got wet this week covering the Trinity from
Lewiston Dam to Pigeon Point, and from Hawkins Bar to Rolands Bar in
Hoopa.  Turbid water conditions prevented survey of Rolands Bar to
Weitchpec.  It sure is good to see the rain, even if it does get in the way
of our survey!

445 redds and 622 carcass locations were mapped.  The figure below is
clipped from the latest weekly spawn survey update available now on the
Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office fisheries webpage.
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries

[image: Inline image 1]



*Fun fact for the week...  courtesy Katrina Wright - Arcata Fish and
Wildlife Office*

*Did you know*....  Fishing weirs in several locations are used to capture
and monitor adult salmon runs as they migrate upriver in the
Klamath-Trinity Basin. Placed across all or part of a river, weirs direct
upstream swimming salmon into a holding cage or through a small area in
front of a video camera. Weirs have been used for thousands of years by
many cultures across the world and were traditionally built from wood or
stone. This September archaeologists from the University of
Victoria discovered what may be the oldest known fishing weir on the ocean
floor off Haida Gwaii (an archipelago on the North Coast of BC, Canada,
a.k.a. Queen Charlotte Islands). Using sonar to view images of the
seafloor, they found clustered boulders and unnatural rectangular shapes
that are at least 13,700 years old. The structures are 100 meters deep on
the sea floor in the Juan Perez Sound, an area that was at sea level
thousands of years ago. The sonar scan suggests that a wall of large
boulders was placed in a line perpendicular to the ancient stream channel.
Next summer archaeologists will continue to investigate the area using
their remotely operated vehicle. They will take sediment samples and look
for stone tools or evidence of campfires at the nearby rectangular
depressions which may have been camp sites. If verified, this would be the
earliest evidence of human habitation in Canada.

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-researchers-may-have-found-earliest-site-of-human-habitation-in-canada/article20737278/

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/earliest-sign-of-human-habitation-in-canada-may-have-been-found-1.2775151


Please let me know if you wish to be removed from the blind cc list I use
weekly to distribute this announcement.

Talk to you next week,
Charlie

Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Oct 25 11:39:32 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 11:39:32 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] No On 1 News Conference in Redding, Monday October 27,
	11 am, Salmon Viewing Station, Lake Redding Park
Message-ID: <1414262372.95502.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Media Advisory for Monday, Oct. 27, 2014: Tribal Chiefs, River, and Groundwater Protectors to Oppose Prop. 1Stina Va October 24, 2014
Media Advisory for Monday, Oct. 27, 2014 
Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; steve at hopcraft.com;
Twitter: @shopcraft;
John Merz, 530/345-1865, jbmerz at sbcglobal.net 
Tribal Chiefs, River, and Groundwater Protectors
to Oppose Prop. 1
Would Destroy Fisheries; Harm North State Rivers, Groundwater
Redding ? Area tribal leaders, river and groundwater protection advocates announced today they will oppose Proposition 1, the State Water Bond, at a Redding news conference on Monday, Oct. 27. ?The Sacramento River and the tax payers of California deserve better than this water bond. This bond does little for fisheries, little for multi-benefit flood protection projects needed in Northern California, and little to provide short or long term solutions to the water problems in our state,? said Lucas Ross-Merz, of the Sacramento River Preservation Trust.
WHAT:	Tribal Leaders, River and Groundwater Advocates to Oppose Prop. 1 ? Harms Rivers and Fisheries

WHEN:	Monday, October 27, 2014 11:00 am

WHO:	Caleen Sisk, Chief and Spiritual Advisor for the Winnemem Wintu; Tom Stokely, California Water Impact Network (CWIN); Lucas Ross-Merz ? Sacramento River Preservation Trust; Carol Perkins (BEC) ? Butte Environmental Council
WHERE: Lake Redding Park, Redding (Next to the river off of Market Street by the salmon jump viewing area)
0 co

 
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Oct 26 10:28:45 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 10:28:45 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard: Study lists Trinity Dam flows for
	fish as high priority
Message-ID: <1414344525.60115.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.times-standard.com/popular/ci_26802204/study-lists-trinity-dam-flows-fish-high-priority?source=most_viewed


 


Study lists Trinity Dam flows for fish as high priority
subtitle
Research creates baseline list for state to begin fish-health mitigation
byline
By Will Houston and Juniper Rose
whouston at times-standard.comjrose@times-standard.com
date
POSTED:   10/25/2014 11:09:51 PM PDT

A study released this month by the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences listed Trinity Reservoir as one of 181 California dams whose current outflows could negatively affect native fish species if unchanged.
With the demand for reservoir water increasing as the statewide drought persists into its third year, study co-author Ted Grantham ? a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis during the study and a research biologist for the United States Geological Survey ? said it is important to look at how it may affect other species.
"We have thousands of dams throughout the state, and obviously during this drought year we are really concerned about how the aquatic environment in general is going to be affected by the drought," he said. "There is a balancing act between meeting demands of agriculture and urban areas and the environment. We want to make sure the decisions made don't have irreversible affects on the environment."
The study, published in the scientific journal BioScience on Oct. 15, looked at 753 of California's nearly 1,400 dams and assessed which downstream flows have been modified in a way that is harmful to fish, and which of those areas are habitats for threatened or endangered fish. Dams were chosen and screened based on their reservoir capacity, their alteration of natural downstream flows and impact on nearby biological communities. About 25 percent ? or 181 dams ? were identified in the study as having flows that may be too low to sustain healthy fish populations ? the largest capacity dam being Trinity Dam.

While the study does address a topical issue, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program Director Dave Hillemeier said the study's screening method left out a number of other negative factors caused by flow alterations that would have increased the number and types of dams that would have been listed. If these were considered, he said three hydropower dams ? the Iron Gate and Copco 1 and 2 dams ? on the Klamath River proposed for removal by the Klamath Basin Hydroelectric Restoration Agreement would have made the list.
"I think the analysis was driven by reservoir size and flow alteration, and I think that if other ecological impacts of dams that would have been considered ? impacts such as downstream water quality, toxic algae, lack of access to historical fish habitat, the role of dams in fish disease ? other factors such as those, that the Klamath River dams would have floated to the top of the list," he said. "To me, that was real shortfall of the study."
The removal of these dams, along with the J.C. Boyle dam in Oregon, is part of three agreements currently before Congress that are proposed to give more water certainty to irrigators, improve and protect riparian areas and economic development for the Klamath Tribes and its members and authorize other agreements that would settle water rights disputes using collaborative solutions to water management in the Upper Klamath River Basin.
The study acknowledged why it limited its assessment.
"We reiterate that the framework is a screening-level tool that shows where environmental flows likely warrant attention, but decisions over where to invest resources in environmental flows for ecosystem restoration need to be supplemented by knowledge of local ecological, social, and economic conditions," the study states.
Grantham said the initial study began about three years ago after a few lawsuits invoked California Fish and Wildlife Code 5937, a state law that requires any dam operator to release enough water downstream to keep fish in good health, regardless its purpose, and take the needs of downstream fish into account.
"This law historically has been ignored and has not really played a role in how dams have been managed," he said. "There have been cases where this law was employed in a few lawsuits, but in theory it could be much more broadly enforced. ... I would hope that the state and others would be prompted to take a closer look and evaluate whether these dams are in compliance with the state law."
The study also acknowledged that some dam operators do monitor these biological impacts, but said state agencies have yet to undertake the "daunting task" in identifying which dams are in compliance.
Supporting a population of threatened coho salmon, the Trinity River is fed by the Trinity Reservoir and has already been highly sensitive to reduced flows, with the federal government releasing a fish-kill preventive release and an emergency release within the last three months.
Hillemeier said the Yurok Tribe initially requested that the Trinity Dam be removed, but after that request was not heeded, it began to push for the Trinity River Restoration Program created in 2000. He said state funding for the program, which seeks to restore the watershed on a number of fronts such as gravel replenishment, flow management and channel rehabilitation, has not been consistent.
If fully implemented and funded, Hillemeier said the program "would go a long way to restoring that ecosystem," which he said has undergone several changes due to the deviation from its natural flows.
Will Houston can be reached at 707-441-0504.
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Oct 28 10:40:08 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 10:40:08 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Latest Draft Agenda for Thursday/Friday Joint
	TMC/TAMWG Meeting- TRRP Programmatic Workshop
Message-ID: <1414518008.53450.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

TRRP Programmatic Workshop
Draft Agenda
Meeting Room, Weaverville Public Library
351 Main St.
Weaverville, CA 96093
 
October 30-31, 2014
 
Purpose:    This workshop series is
intended to build a common understanding among TRRP policy makers,
stakeholders, and staff about (1) what has been learned during the past nearly
10 years of Program implementation and (2) how that information will influence
future mngt. and restoration actions.  
The emphasis of this specific workshop will be the evolution of
channel rehabilitation efforts.
Topics:       Central
tenets of the Trinity River Mainstem Fishery Record of Decision (ROD)
Evolution in channel rehabilitation strategy
SAB review and recommendations
Note:         There will be an
opportunity for public questions / comments during each discussion period.
 
Agenda
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Meeting no. / Access code:                  578 615 730            Password:  Abc at 123!           Audio:  1-408-792-6300
Link:                          https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=m8e0de9584869efa059cfa3c0570c4df2
 
Time Topic Discussion Leader 
Opening Session 
9:00 Introduction
1.     Purpose of workshop series
2.     Purpose of this event
3.     Future topics / events
4.     Agenda review Schrock 
9:30 ROD tenets Franklin 
10:00 BREAK 
Channel Rehabilitation Evolution Session 
10:30 Overview of channel rehab evolution/timeline Bandrowski 
10:45 Habitat Lessons Learned
1.     How the habitat assessment has helped change the way we design projects.
2.     Is a single mainstem channel sufficient for habitat?
3.     Discussion  
Martin
 
Chamberlain
Facilitator: Ledwin 
NOON LUNCH (on your own)   
1:00 Physical Processes Lessons Learned
1.     Why have the projects gotten so big?What happened to the ?Feathered Edge? and ?Berm Notching? approach?
2.     Why are we pushing the river the around so much?
3.     Why are we using so much large wood on the projects?
4.     Discussion  
Krause
 
 
Gaeuman
Bandrowski / Smith
 
Facilitator: Stewart 
2:15 Riparian Lessons Learned
1.     Is the riparian revegetation working?
2.     Are constructed surfaces working to restore natural riparian recruitment processes?
3.     Discussion  
Lee and Bair
Lee and Bair
 
Facilitator: TBD 
3:30 BREAK   
3:45 Conclusion (Session 1 of 2; looking back): 
-      What has been learned during the past nearly 10 years of Program implementation?
-      What is it that we don?t understand but want to learn? Presenters
 
 
 
Facilitator: TBD 
4:45 Outline day 2 agenda Schrock 
5:00 ADJOURN   
 
Friday,
October 31, 2014
Meeting no. /
Acess code:   574
616 222            Password:  Abc at 123!           Audio:  1-408-792-6300
Link:                          https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=m50a3b5e1de2da2c8988a29769977a097
 
Time Topic Discussion Leader 
Channel Rehabilitation Evolution Session Continued 
9:00 Conclusion (Session 2 of 2; looking forward): 
-      What are priority Phase 2 design challenges and proposed revisions to the Phase 2 design process based on lessons learned?
-      What can we do to foster organizational learning?  
Panel
 
 
 
 
Facilitator: TBD 
10:15 BREAK 
SAB review and recommendations 
10:30 Introduction Schrock 
10:45 TRRP DSS Introduction DeWeber 
11:00 DSS Component Update Clarke 
11:15 DSS next steps
Discussion based on Appendix H Schrock 
12:15 How could channel rehabilitation decisions be informed in the future? Schrock, Bandrowski
Clarke, DeWeber 
12:45 Conclusion Schrock 
1:00 ADJOURN  
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Wed Oct 29 17:21:19 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 00:21:19 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek 43
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C48F0C7@057-SN2MPN1-043.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Greetings,
Please see attachment for the Jweek 43 Trinity River trapping summary update.  We could only trap during two days in Jweek 43 due to recent rains that increased river flows to 4,000 cfs which is well above safe operating levels at the Willow Creek weir.
Thanks,
Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Oct 30 16:13:01 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 16:13:01 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: SRRC Fire Fuels and Forestry Program Coordinator
	Job Announcement
In-Reply-To: <CAAgspGSVd2KWABedWH6wy7TiUeJs1VuamG+FiRZGxq-GvwTAZg@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAAgspGSVd2KWABedWH6wy7TiUeJs1VuamG+FiRZGxq-GvwTAZg@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1414710781.45539.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Thursday, October 30, 2014 3:59 PM, Lyra Cressey <lyra at srrc.org> wrote:





 

The Salmon River Restoration Council is seeking an individual to fill the position of Coordinator for our Fire, Fuels and Forestry Program. 

We would like a candidate who is knowledgeable about forest and fire ecology. A relevant bachelors degree or equivalent experience is preferred. Geographic Information System (GIS) skills, or the willingness to obtain GIS training required. Must be self-motivated and have good communication and organizational skills. 

The position is 20-30hrs/week flex time (dependent upon work load and funding). The wage rate is $16-$20/hr depending upon experience. Full job description attached.

To apply, submit a resume and 2 references to the Watershed Center in Sawyers Bar by November 15th 2014.

Mail: SRRC P.O. Box 1089, Sawyers Bar, CA 96027
Email: srrc at srrc.org

Apologies for any cross postings.  We try hard not to send out too many emails, but if you would prefer not to be on our news email list, please let me know.


-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SRRC Newsletter Receivers" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to news+unsubscribe at srrc.org.
To post to this group, send email to news at srrc.org.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/srrc.org/d/msgid/news/CAAgspGSVd2KWABedWH6wy7TiUeJs1VuamG%2BFiRZGxq-GvwTAZg%40mail.gmail.com.
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Oct 30 21:21:47 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 21:21:47 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal;
	BOR: 'Lake storage going to be a tough go'
Message-ID: <1414729307.54519.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_460f5f80-5f1c-11e4-a774-0017a43b2370.html

BOR: 'Lake storage going to be a tough go'
By Sally Morris The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, October 29, 2014 6:15 am
Area Manager Brian Person of the Northern California Area Office of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation recently offered a historic overview on how the Trinity River Division of the Central Valley Project came to be back in 1955 as he updated Trinity County supervisors on current operations and challenges presented by severe drought conditions.
He noted that while the vast majority of precipitation occurs in the northern part of the state, the vast majority of people settled in the southern part ?which creates disparity. California has the most complex system of water distribution in the world with state, federal and some local projects. The state is very well-plumbed.?
Six major storage reservoirs in the state hold a capacity of 11 million acre-feet of water with Shasta and Trinity accounting for 7 million of it. In an average year, 1.2 million acre-feet of water flows into Trinity, but this year the number was only 300,000.
Person spoke of the early years after Trinity Dam was completed in 1966 when 11 percent of the water went into the river and 89 percent was exported to the Sacramento River basin through the Clear Creek tunnel. Impacts to the fishery were almost immediate as the broad Trinity River floodplain ?became a canal and the vegetation berm built up,? he said.
Thus began the monumental flows studies, the Central Valley Project Improvement Act of 1992 that furthered those studies, the Trinity River Restoration Program and the 2000 Trinity River Record of Decision that increased the flow regime to the Trinity River based on water year type forecasted in April. The ROD also called for mechanical restoration at 47 sites and the introduction of coarse sediments, also blocked by the dam, which fish need to spawn.
Over time, the diversions of Trinity River water to the Sacramento River basin have decreased to a rough ratio of 53 percent to the Sacramento and 47 percent to the Trinity River, Person said, noting there were years that defied the trend, including 2010 when 29 percent went to the Sacramento River and 71 percent down the Trinity. The ratio is supposed to be roughly 50/50 over time.
With some reports this year indicating nearly 80 percent of the diversions have gone to the Sacramento, Person said the actual diversion has been 58 percent this year, resulting in a dramatic drawdown of the Trinity reservoir.
?It wasn?t based on inflow. It was based on drawdown of the storage and unless we get a decent winter and some refill, we can?t repeat that operation next year,? he said, adding the Shasta Lake reservoir has much greater potential to refill in one year as it is fed by three rivers and that is taken into account in determining the dam releases and reservoir drawdown.
Person said the jury is still out on whether emergency augmentation flows of cold water released from Trinity in late August helped prevent a massive fish die-off in the lower Klamath River like the one in 2002 when at least 34,000 fish died as a result of low flows, warm water and Ich disease that flourished in those conditions.
He said that ?despite the releases made this year, Ich did come in, there are fish infected, they are greatly stressed and we hope they make it to spawning time.?
With Trinity Lake now only about 23 percent full when last year it was 51 percent full at this time, Person said ?the lake storage is going to be a tough go. It has very low likelihood of full refill.?
?We recently heard from the Whiskeytown Park superintendent about all the benefit of the full pool at Whiskeytown all summer and we sort of cringe knowing the water comes from Trinity,? said Sup. Judy Morris.
Person said Whiskeytown only holds 250,000 acre-feet of water and it is only lowered in October as a flood buffer heading into winter.
?There isn?t much water there. We use it to help maintain cold temperatures in the Sacramento, but it is such a tiny component, there isn?t much benefit in changing it and it pays the bills through the power plant. The bottom line is we?ve looked at not filling Whiskeytown or drawing it down sooner, but it just isn?t much water. Trinity is a storage reservoir and Whiskeytown just absorbs fluctuation. It stores only 10 percent of the water that Trinity does,? he said.
Asked about prospects for water projects if California voters pass the Proposition 1 bond measure Nov. 4, Person said he believes ?if a bond is ever going to happen, now is the time. If any are complacent about water storage and demand, a little drive past Shasta or Trinity right now gets you over it.?
He said raising Shasta Dam by 18.5 feet has been deemed feasible and would create storage for an additional 600,000 acre-feet of water though it would present some challenges, primarily involving Winnemem Wintu tribal lands in the McCloud River arm.
Asked about prospects for raising Trinity Dam, Person said there is zero discussion of that.
?Just look at the infill ratio and it points you to Shasta, not Trinity,? he said.
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Nov  3 09:08:17 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2014 09:08:17 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] California Lawyer: From tiny Scott Valley flows a
	huge issue: the scope of the public trust doctrine.
Message-ID: <1415034497.78788.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.callawyer.com/clstory.cfm?eid=937928&wteid=937928_Whose_Groundwater_Is_It 


? The Daily Journal Corporation. All rights reserved. 

From tiny Scott Valley flows a huge issue: the scope of the public trust doctrine.
by Glen Martin
From his ranch headquarters - a ramshackle office liberally festooned with mounted deer heads and waterfowl - Tom Menne has a lovely view of Scott Valley, just west of Mount Shasta in Siskiyou County. Or he would if the vista weren't utterly obscured by smoke from a large complex of wildfires burning in the adjacent Klamath Mountains. 
"It's been this way for about a month now," Menne says of the resinous pall. "You kind of get used to it." 
Maybe. But the smoke is acrid and daunting. If you could penetrate it, you'd see an idyllic tableau of pasture and hay fields, many lush and green with alfalfa, others speckled with grazing cattle. The Scott Valley lends itself to any number of clich?s: God's Country. Shangri La. A Chosen Place. Such characterizations may be hackneyed, but that doesn't mean they aren't true. The Scott Valley is beautiful. 
Oddly enough, though, its 1,500 or so residents feel they're under siege. Their way of life - growing alfalfa and raising cattle - depends on water from the Scott River and its underlying aquifer. That water is in increasingly scant supply. The three-year drought has a lot to do with it, of course. But the valley's ranchers also face another threat, one that has nothing to do with Mother Nature. 
For decades, residents have irrigated from the Scott River and its associated aquifer as they needed. The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) regulates the amount of water taken from rivers and streams, but not groundwater. Historically, the watershed was an abundant source of water, and the ranchers and farmers along the river's 60-mile course prospered. 
But those halcyon years may be drawing to an end. Valley residents already have accommodated themselves to an adjudication of the river's watershed, prompted by a previous drought: More than 30 years ago, the Legislature gave the SWRCB express statutory authority to allocate the Scott Valley's groundwater. (See Cal. Water Code ? 2500.5.) 
After the board quantified the amount of water in the Scott River system, prioritized the stakeholders, and then declared that it would regulate groundwater pumping accordingly within 500 feet of the river, the Siskiyou County Superior Court proscribed any further water rights claims to the system. (In re Scott River Stream System, Decree No. 30662 (Siskiyou Cnty. Super. Ct. order filed Jan. 16, 1980).) 
Now that order may have to be rewritten. In a case filed in 2010 against the SWRCB and Siskiyou County, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Allen H. Sumner found last summer that the rarely invoked public trust doctrine protects the Scott River against harmful extraction of groundwater. 

The Scott River, which flows into the Klamath, is a major spawning destination for endangered salmon. Increasingly, it runs dry.
The doctrine dates to the reign of the Roman emperor Justinian, who declared that seas, tidelands, beaches, air, and fresh water sources were held jointly by all citizens. The public trust doctrine was incorporated into English common law and subsequently into American common law. In the late 19th century, it was buttressed by a U.S. Supreme Court decision that sustained state government efforts to prevent ceding a big chunk of Chicago harbor to private interests. The Court in that case proscribed excluding the public from lands associated with navigable waters. (Illinois Cent. R.R. Co. v. Illinois, 146 U.S. 387 (1892).) 
But the Scott River is steep and rocky, and its most salient characteristic is rapids - some of them quite fearsome. Is the Scott River navigable? Well, yeah - if you're an expert whitewater paddler, and then only during the late winter and early spring runoff. 
Judge Sumner's ruling was carefully crafted. "[T]he court does not find groundwateritself is a resource protected by the public trust doctrine," he cautioned, specifying that the doctrine applies when the extraction of groundwater harms "the public's right to use those navigable waters for trust purposes." (Envtl. Law Found. v. S.W.R.C.B., 34-2010-80000583 (Sacramento Super. Ct. order filed July 15, 2014).) 
Two months later the Scott Valley ranchers took a second unexpected blow. After the dry summer produced an early fire season, the Legislature passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act - three bills that promise to regulate groundwater extraction statewide. (California had been the only state besides Texas that did not actively monitor and manage groundwater resources.) 
Over the objection of growers, Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bills in September. (See "Barely Wet - But Managed") They raise the prospect of meters on all water wells, tough pumping restrictions, and perhaps even state officials wandering onto private land to ensure their enforcement. 
All of which runs counter to the "live free or die" ethos of Scott Valley's ranching community. 
"We want to get along with everybody, and we want to do the right thing," says Menne, who gets up every day at 3 a.m. to farm hay on his family's 2,000-acre spread. "But I support a lot of people on this ranch - my kids, and their kids. We depend on that water. We have to have it. When you tell a man you're taking away the thing that he needs for his livelihood - well, you don't want to do that." 

Menne at his water pump.
The Scott River basin is more than just a source of water for the valley's ranchers. It is also a spawning destination for Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, and steelhead. Or at least it is when the river doesn't run dry, which happens with increasing frequency. The Scott is a tributary of the Klamath River, once a mighty producer of fish, second only to the Sacramento River system in its productivity. Even today, the Klamath - dammed and diminished at its Oregon headlands and in California - still pumps out a lot of fish: close to 200,000 Chinooks in a good year. These salmon are essential to commercial fishing along the California coast, and to the sport-angling and tourism businesses along the Oregon state line. 
The Scott joins the Klamath near the hamlet of Hamburg. About 150 miles to the west, the Klamath reaches the ocean on lands owned by the Yurok tribe, which depends on the river's fish for both subsistence and income. About 65 miles down the coast from the river's mouth, the North Coast's remaining commercial fishing fleet is based in the small city of Eureka. 
A fair number of the port's fishermen still wrest a living from the salmon stocks, including David Bitts, president of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations and lead plaintiff in the Environmental Law Foundation's (ELF)Scott River litigation. Recently, Bitts had breakfast at his usual spot in Humboldt Bay: the modest caf? at the Woodley Island Marina, where he docks his 45-foot trawler. 
With his trim white beard, deep tan, and piercing eyes, Bitts looks like a central-casting choice for the doughty fishing boat skipper. He has fished more than 40 years for salmon and Dungeness crab - and occasionally for albacore tuna. His business thrives or dries up depending on the condition of the fisheries. It's no surprise, then, that his take on the public trust doctrine is different from Menne's. 
"The fleet is maybe 20 percent of what it was when I started fishing in 1973," Bitts says as he addresses a plate of bacon and eggs. "There's no doubt that the situation on the Klamath and its tributaries has had a lot to do with that collapse." 
He explains that because some salmon species - notably Coho and the coastal fall-run Chinook - are listed as endangered or threatened, state regulators have significantly restricted salmon fishing. 
"All those fish - from the Klamath, the Sacramento, other rivers - mix out there in the ocean," Bitts says. "So the regulatory agencies feel the need to be cautious. They don't want to see overfishing of any of the threatened Klamath stocks. On top of that, the Klamath tribes [the Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk] get one-half of the harvestable fish. The agencies also want to see at least 35,000 wild fish and 50,000 hatchery fish escape up the river to spawn. So we only get to fish about 25 percent of the stock. That's a big constraint on the fishery." 
The Scott looms large in this calculus, Bitts adds, because typically it accounts for about 20 percent of the Chinook runs throughout the Klamath system, and about half of the Coho spawning in northern California and southern Oregon. "The bottom line is that we can't lose the Scott's runs and maintain a viable commercial salmon fishery," he says. 

Bitts on his fishing boat. 

Bitts characterizes Judge Sumner's ruling in the Scott River matter as narrowly framed, but "a good start" that explicitly makes the connection between river flows and groundwater reserves. 
"By linking groundwater to the surface volume of navigable rivers and their tributaries, the public trust doctrine comes into play, and that's essential for establishing adequate flows down our salmon streams," Bitts says. 
to the Scott River litigation on appeal. All parties are eager to have the appellate courts interpret Judge Sumner's application of the public trust doctrine issue. Siskiyou County filed a petition for expedited review by the state Supreme Court. James Wheaton, lead plaintiffs attorney and the ELF's legal director, responded in support of the petition. 
"We chose the Scott River as a test case because it's the only stream in the state where the Legislature has said that an adjudication of the stream had to include groundwater," says Wheaton. "It's unique - in fact, there's a special section in the state Water Code that specifically addresses the Scott River situation. What this means is that the court doesn't have to decide if groundwater is connected to the Scott's surface waters. The Legislature has already done that." 
If it's upheld, Wheaton says, Sumner's ruling signals a seismic shift in state groundwater law. "The legal landscape is changing rapidly as California moves out of a 19th-century framework into one appropriate for the 21st century, in which we measure, monitor, and regulate groundwater," he says. 
Referring to the state's recent package of groundwater legislation, Wheaton continues, "The Legislature and the governor have acted. Now it's up to the courts to act, to set the rules." 
But Siskiyou County contends that under the SWRCB's 1980 adjudication and decree, only the local watermaster has authority to measure surface-water diversions and groundwater extractions in the Scott Valley. In its petition to the state Supreme Court, the county asserts that only "the Legislature is responsible for administering the public trust, and ... its judgment is 'conclusive.' " 
In addition, the Legislature hasn't actually authorized the State Water Resources Control Board to regulate groundwater, the petition continues. In fact, it has precluded the agency from such action, authorizing counties to use their "judgment and discretion in deciding whether and how to regulate groundwater." 
The county's petition maintains that "Siskiyou County and other counties do not regulate the use of groundwater under the public trust doctrine, and no California court has ever held or suggested that they are required to do so." 
In other words, says Roderick E. Walston, an environmental lawyer at the Walnut Creek office of Best Best & Krieger who argued for the defendants in the Scott River case, "The discretion to regulate as determined by the Legislature is very different from a dutyto regulate." 
Wheaton, on the other hand, sees no error in Judge Sumner's ruling. In his response brief supporting expedited review, Wheaton maintains, "The trial court was correct: the public trust doctrine protects navigable waterways from harm caused by groundwater extraction. Similarly, the state and its subdivisions, including the county, are under an affirmative obligation to consider public trust when issuing well permits and to protect the public trust so far as it is feasible to do so." 
Craig Tucker, the Klamath campaign coordinator for the Karuk tribe, says both sides in the ELF's appeal hope to achieve a strong legal precedent to sustain their positions. "If the original decision stands," he says, "it will be a victory for the fish and fishery advocates." 
Glen H. Spain, northwest regional director and general counsel for the Pacific Coast fishing trade group, adds that the presence of critically endangered Coho salmon and recent studies linking groundwater with surface flows make the Scott River an ideal venue for challenging California's policies. "These issues are identical or similar to the problems facing many of California's rivers," says Spain, who is co-counsel in the appeal. 
Contrary to the claims of some ranchers and their counsel, Spain contends that the Scott Valley basin is not fully adjudicated. The 1980 decree, he points out, applies only to the 500-foot-wide strips along the riverbanks. "Our petition does not challenge the court's authority over the adjudicated strips," Spain says. "But the rest of the groundwater basin - where most of the water is, and where much of the pumping takes place - is notadjudicated. It remains under state authority, and it must ultimately be resolved in the California Supreme Court." 
The ELF's Wheaton sees strong parallels between Judge Sumner's ruling and the 30-year-old decision that protected Mono Lake from excessive diversions by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. In that case the state Supreme Court granted appellants expedited review, and it ultimately determined that the public trust doctrine applied to the lake and its associated streams and watersheds. (Nat'l Audubon Soc'y v. Superior Court, 33 Cal. 3d 419 (1983).) As Wheaton sees it, Sumner's ruling in the foundation's lawsuit "takes the Mono Lake ruling and applies it underground." 
In his response brief in support of Siskiyou County's writ petition, Wheaton hammers on the significance of National Audubon to the Scott River dispute. "The present case can be thought of in some ways as National Audubon II," he argues. "[T]he Court noted [in National Audubon] that the case '[brought] together for the first time two systems of legal thought: the appropriative water rights system which since the days of the Gold Rush has dominated California water law, and the public trust doctrine which, after evolving as a shield for the protection of tidelines, now extends its protective scope to navigable lakes.' ... [B]y taking the case, the Court was able to settle disputes concerning the relationship between the two systems and 'integrate the teachings and values' of both systems." 
Similarly, Wheaton contends that the ELF's case "brings together two separate approaches to managing water. As the courts have observed, California is the 'only Western state that still treats surface water and groundwater under separate and distinct legal regimes.' ... [Like] the 'collision course' traveled by the competing theories in National Audubon, the legal and hydrological fiction of treating surface and groundwater separately is now recognized as a hindrance to sound water management policy." 
By compelling the county to consider the public trust doctrine before issuing well-drilling permits, Wheaton says, Sumner's ruling "essentially confirmed that groundwater pumping can be regulated. ... For the first time, [a state judge effectively] said groundwater extraction must be measured and managed." 
But defense counsel Walston vehemently disagrees. Thirty years ago, Walston represented the Los Angeles water and power utility in National Audubon. And he recalls that the high court didn't wholly adopt the plaintiffs' argument in that case, holding that "both the public trust doctrine and the water rights system embody important precepts which make the law more responsive to the diverse needs and interests involved in the planning and allocation of water resources." (Nat'l Audubon Soc'y, 33 Cal. 3d at 445.) 
Reiterating the position he laid out in Siskiyou County's writ petition, Walston emphasizes the importance of the Legislature in water rights adjudication. "Judge Sumner determined that the state has the public trust duty to regulate groundwater," he says. "But ultimately, the Legislature is responsible for defining and applying the public trust doctrine. It has determined that it's up to local agencies to stipulate the degree and extent of groundwater regulation. The courts can't just come in and override what the Legislature has mandated." 
By passing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, however, the Legislature has fundamentally changed the debate. Ranchers in the Scott Valley may be exempt from any new restrictions because of the 1980 Scott River decree. But for landowners in nonadjudicated districts, the days of unrestricted use of water taken from aquifers under their properties are ending. 
The three new bills will require local agencies - most often the county - to draw up and enforce groundwater management plans with the goal of preventing overdrafts. The state water resources board will review all the plans, and intercede if safeguards are found to be inadequate. Adjudicated basins must produce annual groundwater use reports, but except for judicial orders they generally will be exempt from further regulation. 
Still, says the fishing associations' Spain, groundwater must be definitively addressed in the courts before it can be effectively regulated by the Legislature. The act is a long-range planning statute, he notes, and it will take years - perhaps decades - to be fully implemented. 
"The legislation does not change the course of the litigation," says Spain. "The fundamental legal issues have to be resolved by the California Supreme Court, and that will ultimately guide implementation of the act." 
Though the ultimate legal framework remains uncertain, any whiff of additional groundwater regulation gives the heebie-jeebies to Menne and his Scott Valley neighbor, Preston Harris, who farms 500 acres of hay and runs about 175 cattle. Harris says he feels the ranchers have reached out in good faith to fisheries advocates and environmentalists, only to have their efforts largely spurned. 
Harris is also executive director of the Scott River Water Trust, a voluntary organization that uses private foundation grants to lease water from rights-holders in the valley. Between 2007 and 2012 the trust purchased - at a cost of $161,195 - and released 1,777 acre-feet of water, most of it during the winter and fall when the fish are most vulnerable. 
"We're extremely concerned about the fish," Harris says. "We're irrigating with the minimal amount of water necessary to get a crop in - not just turning on a tap and forgetting about it. But we've also funded exhaustive studies that demonstrate groundwater extraction can't be correlated one-to-one with surface flows. It's not that simple." 
And although Harris doesn't expect the new groundwater laws to result in intensive monitoring of wells," he adds, "I do think there would be great resistance if that were the case." 
Menne agrees that the valley's ranching community has bent over backward to accommodate environmentalists. So he deeply resents the possibility of metered water pumps, mandatory annual reports, and encounters with officious state bureaucrats. 
"I'm just worried that in the end there will be a lot less water for us, and we're going to have to pay for the management of what we do get," Menne says. "At a certain point people are going to just say, 'Enough.' And if I have to be the guy who goes to jail because I'm protecting my property, my income, my way of life - well, I can be that guy." 
Them's fightin' words in this part of the country. But Karuk spokesman Tucker says the Klamath tribes and the fishermen aren't intimidated. "We're as committed to having water in the river as they are to taking it out," he says. "We're just as determined, just as adamant, as they are. We're not giving up, or going away." 
Furthermore, says Tucker, fishery advocates have their own studies - one conducted by the Karuk tribe, the other by researchers at the University of California at Davis - to counter the ranching community's research. But all the studies dovetail on one point, Tucker acknowledges: The Scott River aquifer is not in a state of overdraft. In other words, the groundwater typically recharges each spring with runoff from the usually abundant winter snow pack in the Klamath Mountains. 
However, Tucker says, "we've also determined that groundwater pumping is affecting surface flows. It's taking longer each season to recharge the aquifer. We see the river going dry in normal water years - and there's nothing normal about that. It just isn't sustainable." 
Complicating the debate in the Klamath River basin is the extensive cultivation of marijuana, which draws from surface streams and presumably the aquifers beneath them. Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey recently estimated that illegal growers there siphon off one million gallons a day, imperiling legitimate agriculture. 
Siskiyou County counsel Brian Morris sees another potential hazard in Judge Sumner's Scott River ruling: paralysis in the superior courts. Morris explains that counties address various permits through either ministerial or discretionary methods. Most counties handle well permits through minis-terial channels - that is, anyone who comes into the planning department with a drilling request will be issued a permit pro forma, as long as the proposed construction and operation of the well meet accepted criteria. 
The discretionary review that Sumner's ruling implies, on the other hand, brings more opportunities for legal disputes. "Say a guy comes in with a parcel map for a new subdivision," Morris says. "The county reviews and approves it. At that point, it's open to challenges under the California Environmental Quality Act." If the approval stands, he says, any new well permits would be considered discretionary actions, and therefore also vulnerable to CEQA challenges. 
Such challenges, in fact, could become commonplace, Morris says. "Because CEQA provides for attorney fees for prevailing plaintiffs, there is considerable incentive to file petitions," he says. "We've already spent a lot of money in Siskiyou County on CEQA challenges, and we're not looking forward to spending more. The county court's docket is already filled - more than filled - with criminal and civil cases." 
Ultimately, of course, Judge Sumner's ruling isn't just about the Scott River or Siskiyou County. If his application of the public trust doctrine to groundwater extraction is upheld, the ruling will resonate statewide. Its impact on groundwater law could be as significant to California as the effect of National Audubon on surface water regulation. 
Indeed, for most of the state's approximately 500 unadjudicated water basins - many of them in the parched Central Valley - it's clear that the freewheeling days of unlimited groundwater pumping are over. But even with cutbacks, in a semiarid state with 38 million residents and counting, is there enough fresh water to slake every thirst? Can we have salmon and almond trees, suburban lawns and shopping malls, fracking wells and high-tech industry? Or does something have to give? 
Tucker thinks an accommodation can be reached, but he acknowledges it won't be easy. He cites the Klamath River Settlements, which are inching toward implementation along the upper reaches of the basin. In January 2008 Indian tribes, fishermen, ranchers, and environmentalists in Oregon and California - 28 parties in all - signed the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreements. Later that year they executed a separate Agreement in Principle with a regional electric utility to remove four hydropower dams on the upper Klamath River. (See "A River Runs Through It," California Lawyer, May 2009.) 
"That was a heavy lift, and there were plenty of times when stakeholders felt it wasn't going to be possible to get anything done," Tucker says. "But we reached an agreement. Nobody is completely happy with it, but we reached one." 
So perhaps there's some hope for compromise in Scott Valley. Tucker says the drought has produced a few sidebar agreements between supporters of local ranchers and fisheries. The two groups, he adds, have had some productive discussions about filling the valley's irrigation ditches and canals with runoff during the late winter and spring, and then measuring the rate of percolation to the groundwater below. 
"It's possible that could be a way of maximizing aquifer recharge," Tucker says. "I think those meetings show that if we're going to get anywhere on the Scott - or with other groundwater basins in California - people are going to have to sit down and really talk it out. Otherwise, we'll just keep suing each other, and everyone will lose but the lawyers." 
Glen Martin is a freelance environmental writer based in Santa Rosa.
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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Tue Nov  4 16:19:57 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2014 16:19:57 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Mainstem Trinity River spawn survey update for
	October 27-30
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRt55JWjC3uJ+m7a9EnbXW3VeGGiSy=CpBJH77aQ2Bj-ww@mail.gmail.com>

Hi all,
Sorry for the delayed report.  It took me a few days to recover a corrupt
data file.

It has been great to get some rain this fall!  Activity is picking up and
our crews are still reporting many active fish out there.  Last week
(October 27-30) we mapped 553 redds and 859 carcasses in the reaches from
Lewiston Dam to Pigeon Point, and Big Bar to Cedar Flat.  The figure below
is clipped from the latest weekly spawn survey update available now on the
Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office fisheries webpage.
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries

[image: Inline image 1]

*Did you know*.... Drones have been deployed for widely varied uses ranging
from military surveillance/counter-terrorism to ice shack beer delivery
<http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/31/tech/innovation/beer-drone-faa/>!  (Now
there's a use!)  In some places, drones are being used for fish, wildlife,
and habitat <http://rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov/UAS/> surveys.  Drones have even seen
limited use for conducting aerial surveys for spawning salmon in the Snake
River Basin, though future use is in the hands of the Federal Aviation
Administration (see story links below).  Maybe someday drones will help
quantify salmon spawning in portions of the Klamath basin.  For now, I'm
glad that monitoring Trinity River salmon requires immersion in the awesome
beauty of the Trinity River!



*Idaho Power uses drones to find salmon in the Snake River*

http://www.ktvb.com/story/news/local/2014/07/01/11861333/



*Biologists Hope Drones Continue To Be Used To Count Lower Snake River
Chinook Redds*

http://www.cbbulletin.com/421840.aspx





Please let me know if you wish to be removed from the blind cc list I use
weekly to distribute this announcement.

Talk to you next week,
Charlie

Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Nov  6 15:06:38 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2014 15:06:38 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] How the water bond played out
Message-ID: <1415315198.75575.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

How the water bond played out
By ALEX BREITLER | Published: NOVEMBER 5, 2014 | Leave a comment
Some tidbits from last night?s water bond vote:
? Twelve counties opposed the bond, 10 of which roughly make up the state of Jefferson territory in far Northern California.
The other two? Calaveras and Inyo.
? San Joaquin County voters were inclined to support the bond (59 percent), but were considerably less enthusiastic than other San Joaquin Valley regions (Fresno County weighed in with 76 percent support).
? The strongest support in California? Kings County, at 76.5 percent.
? Strongest opposition? Water-conscious Trinity County, at 70.4 percent.
Unfortunately for bond opponents, Trinity County accounts for just 3,456 votes, about .0006 percent of the more than 5 million votes cast on the bond.
    
 - See more at: http://blogs.esanjoaquin.com/san-joaquin-river-delta/2014/11/05/how-the-water-bond-played-out/#sthash.6EWz3Jfg.dpuf
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Thu Nov  6 17:07:07 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2014 17:07:07 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Article Submission (Revised): Goliath Wins Against
	David on Prop. 1
In-Reply-To: <1415294739.43535.YahooMailNeo@web181305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1415294739.43535.YahooMailNeo@web181305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <C6E77ECE-5B8A-4701-B705-ADAD86BA7795@fishsniffer.com>

http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/goliath-wins-against-david-on-prop.-1/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/05/1342162/-Prop-1-Passed-The-Power-of-Big-Money-Overcomes-the-Power-of-the-People

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/11/05/18763818.php

Photo: Governor Jerry Brown, known as "Big Oil Brown" for his  
subservience to the oil industry, is one of the worst governors for  
fish, water and the environment in California history.

big_oil_brown.jpg

Goliath Wins Against David on Prop. 1

Prop. 1 Passes: The Power of Big Money Overcomes the Power of the People

by Dan Bacher

Proposition 1, Governor Jerry Brown's $7.5 billion water bond, sailed  
to easy victory on November 4, as forecasted in a number of polls.

The election results show how the power of millions of dollars of  
corporate money in the corrupt oligarchy of California were able to  
defeat a how a grassroots movement of fishermen, environmentalists,  
Indian Tribes and family farmers opposed to Prop. 1.

The Hoopa Valley, Yurok, Winnemem Wintu and Concow Maidu Tribes, the  
defenders of California's rivers and oceans for thousands of years,  
strongly opposed Prop. 1. because of the threat the bond poses to  
water, salmon and their culture. (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/11/04/18763767.php 
)

Prop. 1 proponents, including a rogue's gallery of oil companies,  
corporate agribusiness tycoons, Big Tobacco, health insurance  
companies and greedy billionaires, dumped over $16.4 million into the  
campaign, while Prop. 1 opponents raised around $100,000 for the  
effort. In other words, the Yes on Prop. 1 campaign outmatched the No  
on Prop. 1 campaign by a factor of 164 to 1.

In a state and country where corporations have the same rights as  
people, the political game is rigged so that Goliath is usually able  
to defeat David. The state's voters, responding to the avalanche of  
pro-Prop. 1 ads funded by corporate interests, approved the measure by  
a vote of 66.77 percent to 33.23 percent.

The results of the Prop. 1 campaign are a classic example why  
everybody who cares about the future of this state and country should  
join the Move to Amend Coalition. From Massachusetts to Ohio, from  
Illinois to Florida, and Wisconsin, citizens voted overwhelmingly  
Tuesday to pass a Constitutional amendment calling for an end to the  
doctrines of corporate Constitutional rights and money as free speech.

The Amendment states: "We, the People of the United States of America,  
reject the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling and other  
related cases, and move to amend our Constitution to firmly establish  
that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are  
persons entitled to constitutional rights."

For more information, go to: http://www.MoveToAmend.org.

Farming, Conservation, Environmental Groups: Prop. 1 Didn't Solve Our  
Water Crisis

Californians for Fair Water Policy, a statewide coalition of  
environmental, water conservation, fishing, farming and community  
organizations and Indian Tribes, responded to the passage of Prop. 1  
by calling for a new focus on sustainable water policies and for the  
governor to abandon his proposed Delta Tunnels project to export water  
from the Sacramento River to corporate agribusiness interests,  
Southern California water agencies and oil companies conducting  
fracking and steam injection operations.

"When Californians wake up today following the election, the water  
challenges we face are still huge and pressing," said Barbara Barrigan- 
Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta. "Now that the  
debate over Prop. 1 is behind us; it is time to look at sustainable  
solutions to our water challenges. Whether you supported or opposed  
Prop 1, we all agree that it will do nothing to address our current  
drought. So we need to face the fact that the State has over allocated  
up to 5 times more water than is normally available in our rivers and  
streams."

"Proposition 1 will not solve our water crisis," says Adam Scow,  
California Director of Food & Water Watch. "Its proponents sold the  
water bond as a way to protect California from future drought, but  
Prop 1 fails to address the real problems, especially the State's poor  
management of our water resources. Governor Brown must balance  
California's overstretched water budget and reduce allocations to  
water-wasting super-farms in the desert. Food & Water Watch will  
continue to work with allies to ensure that Prop 1's voter-approved  
funds benefit the public interest, and do not promote corporate  
interests by building new dams and subsidizing excessive water  
transfers to unsustainable agribusiness operations."

"Prop. 1 did not change any of these stubborn facts: the Delta has  
been overpumped for decades, and this cannot be sustained, and our  
salmon and other fisheries are on the verge of collapse," said Bill  
Jennings, executive director of the California Sportfishing Protection  
Alliance. "The one thing that must be done if we're going to stabilize  
the state's water policies: balance water rights claims to actual  
water supplies."

"The governor is still wedded to his Bay Delta Conservation Plan/Delta  
Tunnels project, which the EPA has said would violate the Clean Water  
Act," said Bob Wright, Senior Counsel of Friends of the River. "The  
Delta Tunnels project is fatally flawed, and the governor should  
abandon it and instead promote sustainable water solutions."

"We urge the governor to shift his concentration from the doomed Delta  
Tunnels project to large scale recycling, conservation, storm water  
capture, ground water clean up projects, and other new drought  
technologies that will provide local jobs and reduce reliance on  
imported water supplies," said Conner Everts, Executive Director,  
Southern California Watershed Alliance. "Sustainable water programs  
are needed to safeguard California from inevitable future droughts."

Billionaires, Corporate Interests Dumped Over $16.4 Million into Prop.  
1 Campaign

Voters throughout the state fiercely debated the pros and cons of  
Proposition 1, Jerry Brown's $7.5 billion water bond, before they went  
to the polls on November 4.

While the pros and cons are important, an even bigger issue in any  
environmental battle or process is the money behind the campaign. The  
big corporate money spent on the water bond largely determines who the  
bond will benefit - billionaires, agribusiness, oil companies and  
corporate ?environmental? NGOs, not the fish, wildlife or people of  
California.

The passage of Proposition 1 was inevitable considering the millions  
of dollars dumped into the campaign by Governor Brown and his  
collaborators - and the deceptive campaign ads run by the Yes on Prop.  
1 campaign cynically employing fear-mongering over the drought to  
scare Californians into voting for Prop. 1.

I have discussed the campaign contributions to Prop. 1 in my previous  
articles, but it's a good idea to review these contributions again,  
now that the election is over.

Contributions to Brown's Yes on Props 1 and 2 Committee totalled  
$13,880,528.43, according to the latest data posted on the California  
Secretary of State's website. (http://cal-access.ss.ca.gov/Campaign/Measures/Detail.aspx?id=1369617&session=2013 
)

The contributions feature millions of dollars from billionaires,  
corporate agribusiness, Big Oil and the tobacco industry - corporate  
interests that all expect a big return for their "investment" in the  
corrupt "play to pay" politics that rules California today.

Contributions to the committee from the period from October 1 to  
October 18 alone amounted to $9,537,048.90.

Expenditures during the period from January 1 through October 18 were  
$10,728,645.50, with $10,149,477.92 just from the period of October 1  
to October 18.

But this isn?t the only committee that funded the Yes on 1 campaign.  
When you consider the other committees backing Prop.1 listed on the  
Secretary of State?s website, the total amount of contributions jumps  
by another $2,541,257.91 to $16,421,785.91!

The ?California Business Political Action Committee,? sponsored by the  
California Chamber of Commerce, raised $550,000 for Yes on 1 and 2  
during the period from January 1 to October 18, 2014.

The ?Wetlands Conservation Committee, Yes on Prop. 1,? sponsored by  
Ducks Unlimited, Audubon California and the Nature Conservancy, raised  
$215,000 from January 1 through October 18.

Other committees backing Prop. 1 include:

? The ?Conservation Action Fund?: $818,623.78

? The Sac Valley Water & Rice For Prop. 1: $44,499.00

? Think Long Committee, sponsored by the Nicolas Berggruen Institute  
Trust, Supporting Propositions 1 and 2: $250,000

? Western Plant Health Association, Supporting Propositions 1 and 2:  
$100,000

? NRDC Action Fund Ballot Measures Committee - Yes on Prop. 1; $9,514.27

? Environmental Coalition for Water and Wildlife Protection ? Yes on  
Prop. 1: $102,000

? The Southern California District County Laborers PAC: $58,219.02

? The California Water Association Political Issues Committee ? Yes on  
Prop. 1: $100,000

? Laborers Pacific Southwest Regional Organizing Coalition Issues PAC  
? Yes on Props 1 and 2: $293,401.84

While the committees backing Prop. 1 raised over $16.4 million, the  
Vote No on Prop. 1 campaign raised over $97,999, a small fraction of  
the money raised by Prop. 1 proponents.
In addition, opponents of Prop. 1 revealed that the Nature Conservancy  
donated $500,000 to the campaign.

?Prop. 1?s big dam projects will make very little new water, and the  
water will mainly go to unsustainable huge agribusinesses,? said  
Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director of Restore the Delta. ?Most  
disturbing is the $500,000 that the Nature Conservancy has contributed  
to the Prop 1 campaign. The Nature Conservancy has benefited from the  
gifting of public lands in the Delta by the Department of Water  
Resources."

She emphasized, "The Nature Conservancy turned a blind eye to oil  
drilling in the Gulf of Mexico for the ability to manage wetlands, and  
pumps oil on its own lands. In California, they are turning a blind  
eye to the issue of how water exports will be accelerated from the Bay- 
Delta estuary if Prop. 1 passes, and how this water will fill Governor  
Brown's Delta tunnels. They are supporting water policies that will  
serve special corporate interests in exchange for the opportunity to  
manage more conservancy projects in the Delta and throughout  
California."

The campaign for and against Proposition 1, the $7.5 billion water  
bond on the November 4 ballot, was the classic David and Goliath  
battle of this election season in California.

Governor Jerry Brown, the Republican and Democratic Party  
establishment, corporate agribusiness interests, oil companies,  
construction unions, corporate "environmental" NGOs, prominent  
billionaires, the health care industry and big water agencies backed  
the Yes on Prop. 1 campaign. In contrast, a grassroots coalition of  
fishing groups, environmentalists, consumer organizations, Indian  
Tribes, family farmers and Delta water agencies campaigned against  
Proposition 1.

The top 18 campaign contributors ? those who donated $250,000 or more  
- raised a total of $12,005,279 for the Yes on Prop. 1 and 2 campaign,  
according to the California Fair Political Practices Commission  
(FPPC). (http://fppc.ca.gov/top10Nov2014/)

These contributions include $250,000 donated to the campaign by Aera  
Energy LLC, a company jointly owned by affiliates of Shell and  
ExxonMobil.

The Bakersfield-based Aera Energy is one of California's largest oil  
and gas producers, accounting for nearly 25 percent of the state's  
production, according to the company?s website. (http://www.aeraenergy.com/who-we-are.asp 
)

Corporate agribusiness interests, the largest users of federal and  
state water project water exported through the Delta pumping  
facilities, donated a total of $850,000 to the Yes on Prop. 1  
campaign. The California Farm Bureau Federation contributed $250,000  
and the Western Growers Service Association donated $250,000.

Stewart Resnick, the Beverly Hills agribusiness tycoon, owner of  
Paramount Farms and largest orchard fruit grower in the world,  
contributed $150,000 and the California Cotton Alliance contributed  
$200,000 to the Yes on Prop. 1 campaign.

Resnick and his wife, Lynda, have been instrumental in promoting  
campaigns to eviscerate Endangered Species Act protections for Central  
Valley Chinook salmon and Delta smelt populations and to build the  
fish-killing peripheral tunnels - and have made millions off reselling  
environmental water to the public.

The largest individual donor in the Yes on Prop. 1 campaign was Sean  
Parker, who contributed $1 million to the campaign. Parker is an  
entrepreneur and venture capitalist who cofounded the file-sharing  
computer service Napster and served as the first president of the  
social networking website Facebook.

Four members of the Fisher family, who own the Gap stores,  
collectively donated $1.5 million to the Yes. on Prop. 1 and Prop. 2  
campaign. They also own the Mendocino Redwood Company and Humboldt  
Redwood Company, formerly the Pacific Lumber Company (PALCO), more  
than half a million acres of redwood forest lands in total.

Doris F. Fisher contributed $499,000, John J. Fisher $351,000, Robert  
J. Fisher $400,000 and William S. Fisher $250,000.

Tobacco giant Philip Morris also contributed $100,000 to Governor  
Brown?s committee established to support Propositions 1 and 2. On  
October 20, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS  
CAN) called on the governor to return that money.

Folks like Stewart Resnick, the Fisher Family and other billionaires,  
the oil industry and agribusiness interests didn?t dump millions into  
the Yes on Prop. 1 campaign for the common good or benefit of all  
Californians ? they did it as a relatively small investment to advance  
their own interests and to further privatize and plunder the public  
trust, including our rivers, Delta and the oceans, for their own  
personal profit.

Winnemem Wintu Chief Caleen Sisk: It's All One Big Project

Caleen Sisk, Chief and Spiritual Leader of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe,  
said the water bond, peripheral tunnels, Shasta Dam raise and other  
water projects now being planned by the state and federal governments  
are in in reality "one Big Project" that will destroy salmon, rivers  
and groundwater supplies.

?It does not make sense that people are separating the water puzzle  
into individual pieces, such as: the raising of Shasta Dam,  
Proposition 1, the Delta tunnels, BDCP, Sites Reservoir, Temperance  
Flat, CALFED, Delta Vision, BDCP, OCAP, the Bay Delta, Trinity/Klamath  
Rivers, the Sacramento River, the San Joaquin River, and water  
rights," said Chief Sisk. "It is all one BIG Project."

She emphasized, "You have to look at the whole picture and everything  
in between from Shasta Dam to the Delta estuary. We need to ask what  
is affected by our actions and who is benefitting from them? These are  
not separate projects; they are all the same thing that the State is  
asking us to fund - California water being manipulated for the  
enrichment of some and the devastation of cultures, environments, and  
species all in the name of higher profits.? 
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Thu Nov  6 17:15:05 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2014 17:15:05 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Article Submission: Voters approve fracking bans in
	San Benito and Mendocino Counties
In-Reply-To: <A585650C-56FC-4110-8749-F6613B313957@fishsniffer.com>
References: <018001cff916$937e7a10$ba7b6e30$@comcast.net>
	<79B36B4F-908F-4BA3-A733-B3A84B9DF31D@fishsniffer.com>
	<545BC517.50800@surewest.net>
	<A585650C-56FC-4110-8749-F6613B313957@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <4497BE58-0609-46A4-B8C0-C84537E7F426@fishsniffer.com>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/05/1342317/-Voters-approve-fracking-bans-in-San-Benito-and-Mendocino-Counties

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/11/05/18763838.php



Voters approve fracking bans in San Benito and Mendocino Counties

by Dan Bacher

In election victories for the environment and public health, voters in  
San Benito County and Mendocino Counties on November 4 approved ballot  
measures that will ban fracking and other extreme oil-extraction  
techniques.

Measure J in San Benito County passed with 57% of the vote, while  
Measure S in Mendocino County passed with 67%.

The victory in the San Benito was achieved despite a massive ad  
campaign funded by the oil industry, the state's largest and most  
powerful corporate lobby. Anti-fracking measures also passed in  
Denton, Texas, and Athens, Ohio, according to the Center for  
Biological Diversity.

?The oil industry?s millions were no match for San Benito County  
voters determined to protect their air and water from fracking  
pollution,? said Hollin Kretzmann of the Center for Biological  
Diversity. ?But every California community deserves the same  
protection, so Gov. Brown needs to act now to halt fracking?s toxic  
threat to our health and environment.?

However, Measure P in Santa Barbara County, an initiative very similar  
to the San Benito measure, lost after oil industry groups spent more  
than $7.6 million to beat the measure placed on the ballot by local  
grassroots groups, according to Sierra Club California.

That spending ranked the local ballot measure campaign in Santa  
Barbara as one of the most expensive in the country. "The oil  
industry?s campaign relied heavily on advertising that misled voters  
about the measure?s content, and outspent proponents by more than 20  
to 1," the Club stated.

Kathryn Phillips, Director of Sierra Club California, said in response  
to the Measure P loss:

?Winning two out of three county fracking ban measures on the ballot  
in California is great news for every Californian who wants clean air,  
clean water and a safe future for the next generation.

We knew the oil industry would spend a lot this election. It has given  
every indication that it is determined to continue business as usual,  
and is unwilling to change its polluting practices, even as the rest  
of the world faces the extremes of climate disruption caused by  
continued oil dependence. And as we have seen by recent shutdown  
orders of injection wells used to dispose of fracking fluid in  
California, the oil industry is unable to conduct fracking without  
polluting.

History is on our side. Sierra Club members are inspired by the voters  
of San Benito County and Mendocino County, and the good citizens in  
Santa Barbara County who have shown such strong commitment to social  
and environmental progress. Fracking will end in California. This  
election shows that, in the absence of a statewide moratorium,  
Californians are prepared to force that end in their own communities.?

In contrast to Phillips' statement, Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President  
of the Western States Petroleum Association, the lead trade  
association for the oil companies and the most powerful corporate  
lobbying group in California, lauded the "volunteers" of the No on  
Measure P campaign for their successful efforts in a tweet to her  
supporters:

?Congrats to the @NoOnMeasureP team & all the volunteers who helped  
make today reality! Glad Santa Barbara got it right on science & facts!?

The election cycle was marked by extraordinary spending to influence  
elections in California by the oil industry. The Sierra Club said oil  
interests ran independent expenditure campaigns against at least two  
Southern California assembly members and one Bay Area candidate for  
the state senate.

Oil companies also gained national attention for their efforts to  
influence city council elections in Richmond, California, spending  
more than $3 million on that local election. Oil companies also spent  
nearly $2 million to unsuccessfully challenge the fracking ban measure  
in San Benito County.

Just days before the election, seventh quarter lobbying filings for  
the two-year legislative session were released. They showed that the  
Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) spent $4,009,177.87 in  
three months to influence legislators during the period including  
July, August and September this year, the last three active months of  
the legislative session. That compares to $1.7 million the group spent  
during the 6th quarter.

Besides serving as the voice for the oil industry, it is crucial to  
understand that WSPA President Reheis-Boyd also wears another hat ?  
?marine guardian" - that has allowed her and other corporate interests  
to help eviscerate "marine protection" in California.

In one of the biggest conflicts of interest in recent California  
history, Reheis-Boyd served as the Chair of the privately-funded  
Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative that created fake ?marine  
protected areas? in Southern California. (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/mpa/brtf_bios_sc.asp 
)

While she was pushing for increased fracking and offshore oil drilling  
in California, the oil industry lobbyist also served on the task  
forces to create questionable ?marine protected areas? on the Central  
Coast, North Central Coast and North Coast.

These alleged ?marine protected areas? fail to protect the ocean from  
fracking, oil drilling, pollution, military testing, corporate  
aquaculture and all human impacts on the ocean other than sustainable  
fishing and gathering. The Marine Life Protection Act Initiative,  
lauded by corporate ?environmentalists? and state officials as the  
?most open and transparent? process in California history, was in fact  
one of the most corrupt and conflict of interest-infested  
environmental fiascos ever seen in the state.

Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and media  
investigations by Associated Press and truthout.org reveal that the  
ocean has been fracked at least 203 times in the past 20 years,  
including the period from 2004 to 2012 that Reheis-Boyd served as a  
"marine guardian.? (http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/10/19/calif-finds-more-instances-of-offshore-fracking/3045721/ 
)

As if serving on a state marine protection panel wasn't bad enough,  
Reheis-Boyd also serves on a federal government marine protected areas  
panel. The National Marine Protected Areas Center website lists Reheis- 
Boyd as a member of a 20 member MPA (Marine Protected Areas) Advisory  
Committee.

Fortunately, despite the enormous influence of Big Oil on California  
politics through lobbying, public relations campaigns, campaign  
contributions and the industry?s hijacking of state and federal marine  
regulatory panels, Californians have voiced growing concerns about  
fracking.

A recent Public Policy Institute poll found that 54 percent of  
Californians oppose expanded fracking. Another recent poll  
commissioned by environmental organizations found that two-thirds of  
state residents want a moratorium on fracking, according to the Center  
for Biological Diversity.

The public?s concern about fracking is fed by recent revelations  
linking the oil industry to air and water pollution. Nearly 3 billion  
gallons of oil industry wastewater have been illegally dumped into  
California aquifers that were clean enough to supply drinking and  
irrigation water, according to recently released state Water Board  
documents. (http://sandiegofreepress.org/2014/10/massive-dumping-of-fracking-wastewater-into-aquifers-shows-big-oils-power-in-california/#.VFqHid3DyRo 
)

The Center also noted that data collected by the South Coast Air  
Quality Management District shows that oil companies have used  
millions of pounds of air toxic chemicals in the Los Angeles area over  
the past year. A new multistate study published in Environmental  
Health found dangerously high levels of cancer-causing chemicals in  
the air around fracked wells.

"The public tide is turning against fracking, not just in California  
but around the country,? Kretzmann said. ?As voters from San Benito to  
Denton, Texas, showed, if regulators won?t protect them from fracking  
pollution, local communities can and will use the ballot box to  
protect themselves.?

Background: Big Oil Money and Power in California

While there are many powerful industries based in California, ranging  
from the computer and high tech industry to corporate agribusiness, no  
industry has more influence over the state's environmental policies  
than Big Oil.

An ongoing analysis of reports filed with the California Secretary of  
State shows that the oil industry, the largest and most powerful  
corporate lobby in Sacramento, collectively spent over $63 million  
lobbying California policymakers between January 1, 2009 and June 30,  
2014.

The Western States Petroleum Association, led by President Catherine  
Reheis-Boyd, the former chair of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA)  
Initiative to create so-called "marine protected areas" in Southern  
California, topped the oil industry lobby spending with $26,969,861.

A report released on April 1, 2014 by the ACCE Institute and Common  
Cause also revealed that the oil industry spent $123.6 million to  
lobby elected officials in California from 1999 through 2013. This was  
an increase of over 400 percent since the 1999-2000 legislative  
session, when the industry spent $4.8 million. In 2013-2014 alone, the  
top lobbyist employer, Western States Petroleum Association, spent  
$4.7 million.

The report also documents that Big Oil has spent $143.3 million on  
political candidates and campaigns ? nearly $10 million per year and  
more than any other corporate lobby ? over the past fifteen years. (http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2014/04/10/bil_oil_floods_the_capitol_4.1.14v2.pdf 
)

In addition to the oil industry spending exerting its enormous power  
through campaign contributions, lobbying legislators and serving on  
state and federal regulatory panels, the oil industry also has set up  
"Astroturf" groups, including the California Drivers Alliance and  
Fueling California, to fight against environmental regulations  
protecting our air, water, land, fish, wildlife and human health.

Yet these millions of dollars are just chump change to Big Oil, since  
the five big oil companies made over $93 billion in profits in 2013.  
This year their estimated profits to date are over $78 billion.(http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2014/02/10/83879/with-only-93-billion-in-profits-the-big-five-oil-companies-demand-to-keep-tax-breaks/ 
)



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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Nov  7 07:20:25 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2014 15:20:25 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek 44
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C49BB56@057-SN2MPN1-043.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Greetings,
Please see attachment for the Jweek 44 (Oct 29-Nov 4) update to the Trinity River trapping summary.  We were only able to trap fish at the Willow Creek weir for two days because of high river flows.
Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Sat Nov  8 14:13:41 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2014 14:13:41 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Mainstem Trinity River spawn survey update for
	November 3 to 7, 2014
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRvboYWODxQT5cRQX3Q-b5KDDtO-X2xb=RZahMzx61JZ4w@mail.gmail.com>

Hello Trinity River fans,
The US Fish and Wildlife Service along with the Yurok Tribe, California
Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Forest Service, and Hoopa Valley Tribe
have another weekly update for our Trinity River mainstem spawn survey
posted on the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Fisheries webpage.
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries

Our crews mapped 520 redds and 861 carcasses in the Reaches from Lewiston
Dam to Pigeon Point, and Hawkins Bar to Weitchpec.  The graph below is
clipped from our weekly report

[image: Inline image 1]


*Did you know*.... Gravel bars filter water?  Hyporheic exchange occurs in
rivers when surface water flows into groundwater and vice versa.  Gravel
bars and river meanders are places where hyporheic exchange is typically
high.  Among the numerous beneficial attributes of hyporheic exchange is
the ability of substrates and the organisms that thrive within them to filter
particulate matter
<http://odp.trrp.net/Data/Documents/Details.aspx?document=1898>.  This
service may be highly apparent right now in the Trinity River!  The water
currently being released from Lewiston Reservoir is unusually turbid,
perhaps due to recent fall storms and exposed shorelines of Trinity
Reservoir?  Our spawn survey crews this week reported river water
visibility less than 3 to 5 feet immediately downstream of Lewiston Dam.  Water
from Trinity Reservoir destined for the Trinity River first flows through
Lewiston Lake where some suspended particulate matter settles out.  Calm
water has less capacity to carry suspended sediment than turbulent water.  Fine
particulate matter can stay suspended in the water for longer periods, even
as it makes its gradual way through Lewiston Lake.  Water visibility
increased to 5 to 10 feet at Bucktail River Access 6.4 miles downstream of
Lewiston Dam, and to greater than 10 feet at Douglas City 20 miles from
Lewiston Dam and all points downstream!  The fine particulate matter
responsible for reduced visibility at Lewiston is greatly reduced after
flowing through just a dozen or so miles of Trinity River corridor. :)



If you would like to be removed from the blind cc list I use to distribute
this weekly report, please let me know

I'll check in with you next week,
Charlie

Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Nov  9 10:08:52 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 9 Nov 2014 10:08:52 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Westlands' Paid Ad in LA Times
Message-ID: <1415556532.88571.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://mavensnotebook.com/2014/11/09/daily-digest-weekend-edition-water-thieves-a-byproduct-of-drought-cranes-crowd-staten-island-scott-valley-groundwater-and-the-public-trust-doctrine-and-more-news-plus-westlands-fires-back-at-the/


	* Westlands fires back at the LA Times: From Tom Birmingham at Westlands Water District: ?The Los Angeles Times recently published an intensely critical article about  Westlands Water District, which recited many of the false, misleading, or outdated claims made by some of our critics over the years. The Times' editors refused to print an Op-Ed that the District offered in response. And so the District has taken out a full-page advertisement in the Times to provide readers with a better understanding of the issues facing Westlands and how we are addressing them.?  Click here to read the ad:  Westlands Ad LA Times FINAL
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Nov 10 07:45:12 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 07:45:12 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Presentations from the October 30-31 TRRP workshop
In-Reply-To: <CAEpYzhTugP2LWDSdpOOp5bDcuY+Vu3uE3arTJ5wG8Pgsq64frg@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAEpYzhTugP2LWDSdpOOp5bDcuY+Vu3uE3arTJ5wG8Pgsq64frg@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1415634312.62747.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Monday, November 10, 2014 7:30 AM, "Polos, Joe" <joe_polos at fws.gov> wrote:





Hey Folks,

The presentation from the Phase I TMC/TAMWG workshop that was held on Oct 30-31 can be found at the link below.  This is a very large file.  A summary document is being developed and when it is available it will also be posted. 

take care
joe

http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/tamwg_2014documents.html

-- 

Joe Polos
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office
1655 Heindon Road
Arcata, CA 95521
707-825-5149
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From bgutermuth at usbr.gov  Mon Nov 10 11:15:17 2014
From: bgutermuth at usbr.gov (Gutermuth, F.)
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 11:15:17 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Scoping Notice for upcoming Dutch Creek Channel
	Rehabilitation Project
Message-ID: <CAMnws3K4dX-Df5PRd7Qgb91M-aD+JbzDdbcwOhZP1USfWxugeQ@mail.gmail.com>

Happy Veteran's Day -

In partnership with the Department of Interior?s Trinity River Restoration
Program (TRRP), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS - Shasta-Trinity National
Forest), U.S. Bureau of Land Management ? Redding Field Office (BLM), and
the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) propose to conduct mechanical
channel rehabilitation activities on the mainstem Trinity River downstream
of Lewiston Dam at the Dutch Creek Rehabilitation Site (River Mile [RM]
85.1-86.6).

The Project scoping notice, that broadly describes the project, is posted
on the Forest website at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/nepa_project_exp.php?project=45449.

Mr. Christopher Losi from the Forest Service is the primary point of
contact for this scoping notice. Christopher is available at:

Christopher Losi
3644 Avtech Parkway
Redding, CA 96002
530-226-2425
christopherjlosi at fs.fed.us

The project scoping periods extends until December 1, 2014 and the project
would be implemented in summer 2015 or 2016.

We look forward to hearing your input.

Best Regards-
Brandt




Brandt Gutermuth
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Restoration Program
PO Box 1300, 1313 S. Main ST.
Weaverville CA 96093
530.623.1806 Voice
http://www.trrp.net/




.
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Tue Nov 11 15:27:55 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 15:27:55 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] No April Fooling: Group Names Brown's Tunnel Plan
	Project of the Year!
In-Reply-To: <CAJqbYCRmtvYsNSnqBhJmPThepEtgeZKbn1KedRDnSsiY0RK03g@mail.gmail.com>
References: <1DF24C58BC96084C81929B47D102FECA7B3C23C8@ORD2MBX01C.mex05.mlsrvr.com>
	<015401cffd35$19ef2230$4dcd6690$@semlawyers.com>
	<CAJqbYCRmtvYsNSnqBhJmPThepEtgeZKbn1KedRDnSsiY0RK03g@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <783F3FAC-AF6B-4887-8D58-D174562310F0@fishsniffer.com>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/10/1343767/-Strategic-Leadership-Forum-Greenwashes-Brown-s-Tunnel-Plan

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/11/11/18764036.php


brown_water_plan.jpeg

No April Fooling: Group Names Brown's Tunnel Plan Project of the Year!

by Dan Bacher

No, this is not an April Fools' Day or Onion article. A group called  
"GG/LA Infrastructure" selected Governor Jerry Brown's Bay Delta  
Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build two massive tunnels under the Delta  
as the "Engineering Project of the Year" at the "North American  
Strategic Leadership Forum" in Washington D.C. on October 29, 2014.

Events where organizations bestow awards upon undeserving politicians,  
projects and organizations are nothing new. In recent years, big  
"environmental" NGOs have given environmental "leadership" awards to  
politicians such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown, two of the  
worst Governors for fish, water and the environment in California  
history, to curry favor with them.

Among the groups to give Schwarzenegger awards for his "green"  
leadership, in spite of his war on salmon, the Delta and the oceans,  
included the Hudson Riverkeeper at their annual "Fishermen's Banquet"  
in New York City in April 2010. (http://www.counterpunch.org/2010/03/22/shame-on-the-riverkeeper/ 
)

Then the Monterey Bay Aquarium and an array of corporate  
"environmental" NGOs granted the very undeserving Governor Jerry Brown  
the "Ocean Champion" award in 2012. (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/04/05/18710843.php 
?).

In October 2013, the Blue Green Alliance had planned to give Governor  
Jerry Brown the "Right Stuff" award in San Francisco, but he didn't  
show up because of the protest by environmental and Native American  
activists outside the hotel where the event was held. (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/10/18/18745051.php 
)

However, the North American Strategic Leadership Forum recently topped  
even these shamelessly pandering organizations in their attempt to  
greenwash anti-environmental politicians and projects by honoring the  
California Department of Water Resources' Bay Delta Conservation Plan  
to build the peripheral tunnels.

The Forum, which "draws more than 500 industry executives from all  
aspects of an infrastructure project lifecycle ? including lenders  
and investors, law, design, engineering and construction firms, and  
owner operators ? to focus on projects with business opportunities  
available within the next 3-18 months," chose the Bay Delta  
Conservation Plan as the "Engineering Project of the Year" in  
Washington D.C. (http://www.bus-ex.com/article/north-american-infrastructure-winners 
)

The group awards the "Engineering Project of the Year" to "that  
project which extends or demonstrates the region's technical  
engineering capacity, especially design and creative problem-solving.  
This includes designs that are either path-breaking in terms of basic  
engineering, or in terms of value for money, or some combination of  
the two."

It gets worse. The BDCP was also named a finalist for the categories  
of "Strategic Project of the Year? and ?Green/New Project of the  
Year." (http://www.cg-la.com/media-enquiries/press-releases/59-press-releases/cg-la-announces-finalists-for-top-project-in-north-america-pr 
)

Water activist Jerry Cadagan commented, "To once again steal from  
humorist Dave Barry, 'We are not making this up!'"

It is interesting that the California Department of Water Resources  
applied for these awards, but did not publicize receiving them.

The forum features the following description for the BDCP:

Bay Delta Conservation Plan Tunnels
Subsector: Water Transmission
Location: California
Value: US $25 billion
Stage: Planned
Project Sponsor: California Department of Water Resources
Project Presenter: Jim Macrae, Senior Project Manager, California  
Department of Water Resources

The Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) is a part of California's  
overall water management portfolio. It is being developed as a 50-year  
habitat conservation plan with the goals of restoring the Sacramento- 
San Joaquin Delta ecosystem and securing California water supplies.  
The BDCP would secure California's water supply by building new water  
delivery infrastructure and operating the system to improve the  
ecological health of the Delta. The BDCP also would restore or protect  
approximately 150,000 acres of habitat to address the Delta's  
environmental challenges. (http://www.cg-la.com/forums/nalf6/ 
projects#NI)

Lets get this right, folks - this forum selected Jerry Brown's  
Peripheral Tunnel Plan, one of the most environmentally destructive  
projects in California history, as "Engineering Project of the Year"  
for 2014 and listed the boondoggle as a finalist for the categories of  
"Strategic Project of the Year? and ?Green/New Project of the Year?"

Apparently the leadership of the forum is not aware of the scathing  
criticisms of the project by an array of science panels, ranging from  
the National Academy of Sciences Sciences, to a panel of U.S. Fish and  
Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service scientists, to  
the Delta Independent Science Board.

Nor was the group apparently aware of the state and federal  
government?s decision to delay the $67 billion proposed project until  
sometime in 2015, following the strongly-worded 43-page comment letter  
by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) slamming the Bay  
Delta Conservation Plan?s draft Environmental Impact Report/ 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS).

Now did the forum leadership apparently know that the scathing EPA  
comments came on top of some 4,500 pages of searing reviews by  
municipalities, counties and water agencies that would be adversely  
impacted by the project, almost 2,000 pages of highly critical  
comments by environmental and fishing organizations, hundreds of pages  
of harsh analyses by government agencies and stinging comments from  
many thousands of California citizens reveal that BDCP is suffering  
from a congenital terminal illness, according to Bill Jennings,  
Executive Director of the California

The EPA diagnosis pointed out that operating the proposed conveyance  
facilities ?would contribute to increased and persistent violations  
of water quality standards in the Delta, set under the Clean Water  
Act,? and that the tunnels ?would not protect beneficial uses for  
aquatic life, thereby violating the Clean Water Act."

The letter noted that the EIR/EIS ?assumes a 100 percent success rate  
for habitat restoration, which is not consistent with our experience,  
or supported by restoration ecology and conservation biology academic  
literature and scientific investigation? and detailed the likelihood  
that proposed habitat restoration would exacerbate the production and  
transport of methylmercury.

EPA also criticized the failure to analyze upstream/downstream impacts  
and observed that there is broad scientific agreement that ?existing  
freshwater flow conditions in the San Francisco Estuary are  
insufficient to protect the aquatic ecosystem and multiple fish  
species, and that both increased freshwater flows and aquatic habitat  
restoration are needed to restore ecosystem processes in the Bay Delta  
and protect native and migratory fish populations.?

The agency identified serious inadequacies in the level of analysis,  
the restoration and adaptive management programs, finance plan,  
selection of alternatives and found numerous major flaws in the  
specific effects determinations and impact analyses.

Does that sound like a project that deserves "Engineering Project of  
the Year" award and warrants being listed as a finalist for "Strategic  
Project of the Year? and ?Green/New Project of the Year?"

Only folks who live a parallel universe devoid of logic, science and  
common sense would give grant ANY award to a $67 billion project that  
will hasten the extinction of Central Valley Chinook salmon, Delta and  
longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species, as well as  
imperil salmon and steelhead populations on the Trinity and Klamath  
rivers.

EPA?s comments on the BDCP EIR/EIS and more information about the  
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance can be found at: http://www.calsport.org 
.

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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Nov 12 06:57:59 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 06:57:59 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: TPUD on effects of higher river
	releases
Message-ID: <1415804279.21815.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_1a8e0ff6-6a10-11e4-8890-2bda566d09bf.html

TPUD on effects of higher river releases
By Sally Morris The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, November 12, 2014 6:15 am
Trinity River Division facilities.
Trinity River Restoration Program map showing Trinity River Division facilities.
Trinity County supervisors got a refresher course on what water means to low costs for power delivered to 85 percent of the county by the Trinity Public Utilities District during a recent presentation by TPUD General Manager Paul Hauser.
?I know the county is really getting next to nothing for the water that?s going over the hill, but I want you to be aware of what the citizens we serve are getting from the water going over the hill and keep it in mind when legislation comes up that affects us. There aren?t a lot of people in Trinity County, but everyone wants our water,? he said.
Delving into the history of the Trinity River Division Act of 1955 that created the Trinity dam and reservoir and diverted most of the water to the Sacramento River, Hauser called it a consolation prize that 25 percent of the energy generated by the diverted water was reserved as a first preference right for the citizens of Trinity County.
That power generated through diversion to the valley can only be used in Trinity County, not sold to others, but others are able to use any leftover allocation that isn?t put to use here.
?I suspect they threw that in the law in 1955 not believing Trinity County would ever use it. It was something they had to put in the deal to mitigate local opposition to the project, but I don?t think they ever expected Trinity County to realize the benefit,? Hauser said.
The county also receives payment in lieu of taxes for private lands that were inundated, but with no inflation factor included, those are based on 1955 property values, ?so the only significant compensation to Trinity County citizens is this first preference power and it does lead to much lower power costs,? Hauser said.
He explained how Trinity County?s first preference allocation is calculated based on a 20-year rolling average of actual generation that is recalculated every five years. The current maximum entitlement is 352 gigawatt hours and current usage is 110, leaving 242 gigawatt hours available for future growth, or about 3.2 times the current usage.
?It?s enough for the equivalent of roughly 20 Trinity River Lumber Mills we could add to the system and in terms of residential customers, it?s a huge number. Based on our historic growth rates, we have about 100 years? worth of load growth available,? Hauser said, calling it a comfortable amount until reduced diversions prescribed by the Trinity River Record of Decision in 2000 are factored in.
The ROD increased dam releases to the Trinity River to restore native fish habitat through a combination of higher flows and mechanical restoration projects. It increased flows based on five water-year types ranging from 800,000 acre-feet of water in a very wet year to a minimum of 349,000 acre-feet in a very dry year.
The weighted average ROD flow down the river is 624,500 acre-feet compared to prior minimum flows of 340,000 acre-feet per year, reducing the average diversion to the Sacramento River by 284,500 acre-feet.
Doing the math, Hauser said the reduced diversion amounts to 333 gigawatt hours of power and 25 percent of that is 83, reducing the county?s maximum allocation by that amount. He said it means that by 2025, Trinity County?s allocation will be about 2.2 times the current usage rather than 3.2, making the load growth issue more relevant over time as growth actually occurs in the county.
?That 100 years of load growth potential could turn into 20 or 15 years? worth and the right type of legislation could eliminate any excess allocation immediately,? Hauser said. If TPUD needs ever exceed the 25 percent allocation, it would be forced to comply with California?s Renewable Portfolio Standards that it is currently the only entity exempt from, having successfully argued that all of its energy is from a renewable supply.
?As long as we purchase all of our energy from that 25 percent renewable source, we are exempt from having to purchase a third from more expensive wind and solar sources, but if we ever run out of that allocation, even by one kilowatt hour, we?d be thrown into the state?s RPS and that would be an immediate $2 million hit. We would instantly have to raise our rates,? he said.
In terms of dollars, Hauser said 333 gigawatt hours of foregone power generation attributed to the ROD, very conservatively valued at $50 per acre-foot, amounts to $16,650,000 annually.
?That?s the value of the additional water going down the river in terms of power. It?s the value to others in the state, and if you add water value, it only goes up. In a drought, people have been paying $1,000 to $1,300 per acre-foot for water this past year,? he said.
Hauser explained that when diversions to the valley decrease, less power is generated and it becomes more expensive to power the whole system. He said the TPUD?s cost of power has more than doubled in the past three years of drought from about $2 million to $4 million ?and we?re worried about it climbing further.? A drought relief surcharge is in place on customers? bills, raising rates about 15 percent to help cover the additional cost.
?The fear is if we have a fourth year of drought, we may have to increase the surcharge that was calculated for a ?normal? drought and not what I?d call a ?super? drought. If we have a good water year, we hope not to do that,? Hauser said.
Asked if the county is at risk of losing its 25 percent allocation for not using it all, Hauser said, ?I suppose that?s always possible, but it would be extremely difficult because our allocation was set aside by an act of Congress and it would take another act of Congress to reverse it.?
?It?s certainly a selling point for economic development here,? said Sup. Judy Morris.
Hauser said that even with the drought surcharge in place, TPUD customers? rates (ranging between 10 and 12 cents per kilowatt hour) are extremely low compared to the rest of California. On a national comparison, he said ?we have good rates, but on a California basis, we have incredibly exceptional rates.?
?We hear a lot of public comment wanting to protect the fish by putting more water down the river, but we haven?t seen a lot of your side of the story and how it affects our power supply,? said Sup. Judy Pflueger.
Hauser said the restoration program is funded primarily through power generation by a tax on customers ?and without that energy tax, there is no money for restoration. Water customers also contribute, but it?s disproportionate with power customers picking up the lion?s share. It would be fantastic to see that change, but water users have incredible lobbying clout statewide and on a federal basis.?
Asked if it?s an extreme scenario to believe that continued drought could result in a point where there is no water being released from Trinity reservoir to either the river or the Sacramento Valley, Hauser said ?it is extreme, but with the current lake level and another drought year like the last one, you do get a dead pool. When the water drops below the outlet works, no water can flow into the Trinity River or over the hill. It?s easy to dismiss, but it is a possibility.?
He added ?that is why people like me and my peers try to prevail on the Bureau of Reclamation to take a conservative approach and hold some water back? and argued that the Trinity River ROD is so rigid in its prescriptive flows that it doesn?t allow for any flexibility.
?It says 349,000 acre-feet down the river in a dry year, but what if you have a super dry year, or an extra, extra dry year? If you had flexibility, you could release 200,000 acre-feet in case next year is also a drought and hold some water back,? Hauser said, adding that with consecutive dry years, ?you really could get to the point of no water available to come out, either for the river or over the hill, and we don?t want to see that. It would be catastrophic.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Nov 12 08:25:03 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 08:25:03 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Drought-defying tomato harvest breaks California
	record
Message-ID: <1415809503.96748.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



 
 
  
Drought-defying tomato harvest breaks California record

BY DALE KASLERDKASLER at SACBEE.COM
11/11/2014 6:05 PM 11/12/2014 12:13 AM

In this May 2, 2014 photo, farmworkers plant tomatoes in Yuba City.JAE C. HONG/AP
	* Story
	* Comments
Not even an epic drought could stop the familiar convoy of agricultural trucks hurtling down Central Valley freeways this year, brimming with freshly harvested tomatoes.
Defying the state?s devastating water shortage, California farmers produced a record tomato crop. The harvest came in at an estimated 14 million tons of processing tomatoes. Those are the type used to make sauce, salsa and other products, and represent about 96 percent of all the tomatoes grown in California.
In a year when most commodities saw declines in production, the tomato crop was 16 percent larger than last year. It surpassed the old record of 13.3 million tons harvested in 2009, according to the California Tomato Growers Association.
?It?s remarkable, simply remarkable that tomatoes weren?t negatively impacted,? said David Goldhamer, an emeritus water management specialist with the University of California Cooperative Extension.
The bountiful crop didn?t happen by accident. Fearful of possible shortages, tomato processors agreed to pay a record price to growers: $83 a ton, up from $70 a year ago. That prompted many farmers throughout the state, home to more than 95 percent of the nation?s tomatoes, to dedicate a greater percentage of their land and water to tomatoes. An additional 30,000 acres of tomatoes were planted compared to a year ago.
?We wound up with a pretty strong tomato price,? said Darrin Williams, who raises a variety of crops in the Arbuckle area. ?It got the crop grown.?
While statistics aren?t yet available on fresh tomatoes, like the kinds sold in supermarkets, it appears they enjoyed a strong harvest as well, at least in Northern California. Jim Boyce, owner of Produce Express wholesalers in Sacramento, said he saw an approximately 25 percent surge in supplies from growers within a 100-mile radius. Similar to the market for processing tomatoes, prices for fresh were higher than a year ago, he said.
?We had an ongoing plethora of tomatoes,? Boyce said.
In Sacramento, tomato farming endures as a link to the region?s agricultural heritage, as well as the recent trend in farm-to-fork dining. While Fresno County is far and away the state?s largest tomato producer, the greater Sacramento area still abounds with tomato farms and processing plants. Campbell Soup Co., for instance, continues to operate processing plants in Dixon and Stockton even though the company?s Sacramento factory, which made soup, V8 juice and other finished products, was shuttered last year.
With tomatoes the 10th most valuable farm commodity in California, the healthy harvest came as a relief to many in the industry.
?It turned out to be right on budget, just what we wanted,? said Chris Rufer, chief executive of The Morning Star Co. of Woodland, which produces paste and diced tomatoes for such corporate customers as Kraft and Frito-Lay.
?Everything?s OK,? said Rufer, who had openly worried earlier this year about possible shortages. ?Plenty of pizza.?
But not as much wheat, rice and other commodities. For many growers, the tomato harvest came at the expense of other crops. It was a simple financial calculation of squeezing the maximum profit out of scarce water supplies.
?We can make more money per gallon of water on a pound of tomatoes than anything else,? said Winters farmer Bruce Rominger, chairman of the Tomato Growers Association. In order to concentrate on tomatoes, Rominger fallowed some of the land that would have been planted in rice, alfalfa and sunflowers.
The increase in tomato production was a rarity in California this year. Most crops experienced a smaller harvest. The main exceptions were a handful of tree crops, such as pistachios and walnuts, where growers had little choice but to keep watering in order to protect their orchards.
?Other than that, just about everything is going to be down ... at least a little bit or a lot,? said Dave Kranz, spokesman for the California Farm Bureau Federation. ?Tomatoes are the exception to the rule.?
Even some of the tree crops suffered. The almond crop, which has been one of the great California growth stories in recent years, shrank by about 7 percent. Pistachio production did grow by nearly 10 percent, to 514 million pounds, thanks to record plantings. But the severe restrictions on water supplies left the pistachio crop well short of the 700 million pounds predicted a few months ago.
With tomatoes, however, just about everything went well. Farmers were able to avoid a repeat of last year, when a disease called the beet curly top virus cut production by an estimated 1 million tons, said Mike Montna of the growers association.
This year, growing conditions were ideal, notwithstanding the drought. Temperatures were relatively mild, and the lack of early-fall rains enabled farmers to extend the harvest deep into October.
?It allowed for every acre that was planted to get harvested,? said Daniel Sroufe, vice president of operations at Pacific Coast Producers, a fruit and vegetable processor based in Lodi.
Another factor in tomatoes? favor: They?re not a particularly thirsty crop. Tomatoes can be grown with about half as much water as other high-value crops such as pistachios or almonds. What?s more, many tomato farmers have invested heavily in efficient drip-irrigation systems in recent years.
Nonetheless, farmers and processors say it will be difficult to duplicate this year?s production record if 2015 brings another year of drought.
?If our lack of rainfall continues ... there won?t be pulling a rabbit out of the hat again,? Sroufe said.
Call The Bee?s Dale Kasler, (916) 321-1066. Follow him on Twitter @dakasler.
	* 
	* 
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article3792494.html#storylink=cpy
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Nov 13 10:16:50 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 18:16:50 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary Jweek 45
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C49F183@057-SN2MPN1-043.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi Everyone,
Please see attachment for the Jweek 45 update to the Trinity River trapping summary.  This week's summary shows a weekly (5 trapping days) update for Willow Creek weir and results from one day of trapping and fish processing data at the Trinity River Hatchery.  It is the time of year when Trinity River Hatchery folks are very busy spawning fish and collecting data so the distribution of the complete hatchery summary can be delayed.  We hope to send additional Jweek 45 hatchery information in next week's update.

Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Nov 13 17:16:27 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 17:16:27 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?b?S2xhbWF0aCBIJk46IENhbGlmLiBUcmliZXPigJkg?=
 =?utf-8?q?sovereign_rights_at_risk?=
Message-ID: <1415927787.45430.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.heraldandnews.com/members/calif-tribes-sovereign-rights-at-risk/article_3cebad5e-67ab-11e4-b383-43699dd68c4a.html


Calif. Tribes? sovereign rights at risk
By Danielle Vigil Masten | Posted: Sunday, November 9, 2014 7:00 am
Danielle Virgil Masten
By Danielle Virgil Masten is the Chairwoman of the Hoopa Valley Tribe in Northern California.
The H&N recent editorial (?A Poor Future Beckons Without Water Settlement?) conflates the need for water settlements with Sen. Ron Wyden?s flawed bills to ratify three specific agreements among various parties.
One of those agreements, the so called Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) should be alarming to anyone who prizes the sovereign values of tribal self governance and self determination, particularly the five federally recognized tribes in the Klamath River Basin in California.
Your editorial ignores California, where more than half of the Klamath River Basin lies. The Hoopa Valley Tribe is one of only two Indian tribes (both in California) who legally own the Indian allocation right to 50 percent of the Klamath/Trinity fishery, resources that are protected by federal law. The KBRA, by guaranteeing an oversized right to divert Upper Klamath Lake water into the Klamath Irrigation Project, is a death sentence to the fishery resources of the Klamath, whether or not PacifiCorp?s dams are removed.
In 2014, the Bureau of Reclamation rejected pleas of the Yurok and Hoopa Valley Tribes that additional water be released from Trinity Reservoir in order to augment the insufficient flows in the mainstem Klamath River (caused by the irrigation diversions in Oregon). Instead, Reclamation hesitated, then when the deadly ich pathogen started killing fish, Reclamation released emergency slugs of water that proved to be too late and too little.
California?s biggest irrigation district, Westlands Water District, also sued Reclamation and won a ruling this month saying that Reclamation had no authority to supplement Klamath water flows with additional water from the Trinity. That Band Aid won?t stick; the court believes Trinity Reservoir serves California?s Central Valley Project.
Our fisheries scientists warn that the water diversion amounts of the KBRA reflect a political choice, not the science of what?s surplus to fish needs. Unlike others, we believe that the federal dollars that are supposed to restore the Basin don?t exist. Until the Basin comes together on a solution, Congress should not touch this.
The Hoopa Valley Tribe is not the only California tribe that has declined to approve the KBRA. Nevertheless, Sen. Wyden?s bills propose to override our decisions and deprive our fishery of the federal protection required under law. See KBRA ? 15.3.9.
The H&N editorial should call for reopening and fixing the flawed Klamath Agreements instead of seeking federal legislation that will dewater the river and take away the fishing based subsistence guaranteed to our Tribe by federal law.
Danielle Vigil Masten is the chairmwoman of the Hoopa Valley Tribe in Northern California.
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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Mon Nov 17 13:32:31 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 13:32:31 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Mainstem Trinity River spawn survey update for
	November 10 to 14, 2014
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRsa3Gtb8z_dC4N6iS1vJOrUJETz8Uq5+GHf3kChMJMU7Q@mail.gmail.com>

Hi all,
The US Fish and Wildlife Service along with the Yurok Tribe, California
Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Forest Service, and Hoopa Valley Tribe
have another weekly update for our Trinity River mainstem spawn survey
posted on the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Fisheries webpage.
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries

Our crews mapped 439 redds and 1,423 carcasses in 4 days of survey.  The
graph below is clipped from our weekly report

[image: Inline image 2]


*Did you know*.... Rainbow Trout can exhibit quite varied life history
strategies.  Resident Rainbow Trout spend their entire lives in
freshwater.  Anadromous Rainbow Trout are better known by the name
"steelhead".  Steelhead migrate to the ocean where they feed and grow
before returning to freshwater to reproduce.  The offspring of resident
Rainbow Trout and steelhead are not obligated to follow the same life
history strategy as their parents!  Both forms can produce offspring that
take up freshwater residency or anadromy.  Siblings hatched from eggs of
the same redd (nest) can adopt one or both forms.


Until next week,
Charlie

Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Nov 17 13:53:58 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 13:53:58 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] BREAKING NEWS - Bad bill for fish being introduced by
	Senator Feinstein
Message-ID: <1416261238.2099.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



BREAKING NEWS ? the long awaited so-called ?drought relief? legislation that has been lingering for months in Congress is suddenly about to move at breakneck speed in the dark of night; early reports indicate it is bad for fish, bad for the Delta, bad for the environment; but good for Westlands Water District, whose General Manager canceled a long standing commitment at the last minute and is in DC at this moment trying to help shepherd the bill through the Senate;  it is expected that Sen. Feinstein will attempt to move this bad piece of legislation in the Senate as early as tomorrow; here is an action alert from RTD on what you can do to help stop the train wreck; PLEASE DO SO -
http://us3.campaign-archive2.com/?u=06887fa70084fef8e939fef63&id=dabbd5da58&e=1f00516bcf
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Nov 18 07:45:10 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 07:45:10 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Stockton Record: Farmers shift to permanent crops,
	despite water uncertainty
Message-ID: <1416325510.39478.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.recordnet.com/article/20141115/NEWS/141119629/-1/wap?template=wapart

Farmers shift to permanent crops, despite water uncertainty
By Alex Breitler
Record Staff Writer
November 15, 2014 - 8:00 PM
LINDEN ? In the very place where the verdant Valley meets the dry, rolling foothills, longtime farmer Kenny Watkins climbed out of his truck one morning last week to examine an orchard of peach trees planted just last February.
The trees are already taller than the farmer.
?It?s virgin ground,? Watkins said. ?Just unbelievable.?
During this drought, much has been written about the rapid conversion of vegetable row crops to more profitable fruit and nut orchards, given California?s tenuous water supply.
Unlike row crops, orchards cannot be fallowed during times of shortage.
But in some areas, including the eastern fringes of San Joaquin County, orchards are being planted in areas that have never been irrigated before, or at least, only sporadically over the past 150 years. Primarily, these were rolling grasslands for dry-land wheat farming and cow-grazing.
Today, almonds, grapes, walnuts and yes, even peaches have taken root, forming a mosaic of irrigated orchards and open dry land.
It is a mixed blessing, arguably. These crops yield greater profits for San Joaquin County?s $2.9 billion farm industry, which is threatened by urban sprawl closer to Stockton. These orchards on the edge of the county are, Watkins says, a normal evolution of the landscape driven by simple supply and demand.
?It?s all economics,? he said. ?Walnut prices are the highest in history. That?ll keep driving not just farmers into it, but we?ve also got outside pressure from investors coming and wanting to plant them because of the market conditions the way they are now.?
The downside: The water for these orchards has to come from someplace, and it has to be available for the long term. Watkins relies on groundwater and surface water diversions from the Stanislaus River, diversions which could be hindered in the future by climate change and rules to protect fish.
Overall, the county has estimated that a total of 70,000 acres of land that has not been farmed in the past may be converted to crops in coming decades. This could, in part, offset gains made in local urban and agricultural water efficiency.
In the bigger picture, experts worry that the state?s over-reliance on groundwater will threaten farmers' investments. Groundwater is supposed to be a kind of savings account for drought years, but until recently California was the only western state not to regulate its use.
?We?re acting like the super rich who have so much money they don?t need to balance their checkbook,? Richard Howitt, a University of California, Davis economist, said earlier this year.
Changing times
The transition to permanent crops has been underway for many years, both here in San Joaquin County and across the Valley.
In 1936, the oldest year for which county crop reports are available, row crops like alfalfa and beans dominated the San Joaquin County landscape, along with grains including barley and wheat. Overall, less land was in agriculture in the 1930s than today, despite the urban development that has occurred since then.
Now consider the popular crops of the 21st century: Almonds accounted for a mere 4,661 acres countywide in 1936; today they have exploded to more than 56,000 acres. Walnuts weighed in at just under 10,000 acres in the old days; today you?ll find more than 60,000 acres, an area larger than the city of Stockton.
A record-setting walnut crop is expected this year, and almonds topped the county?s 2013 crop report with a value of $468 million.
Those concerned about the sustainability of these crops tend to be less critical of operations in San Joaquin County than they are of the south Valley, where large farm districts are heavily reliant on intermittent water deliveries from the overstressed Delta.
Converting to permanent crops in these areas is illogical, contend environmentalists like Stockton?s Bill Jennings. ?They?re going away from growing food for people and going toward growing food for cocktail bars,? he said. ?They?re stretching resources, depriving other farmers in the Delta and our rivers and streams.?
And despite the pain suffered by Valley farmers who tore out orchards during the previous drought, those farmers turned around and planted even more orchards in the following years. An analysis earlier this year by Jeff Michael, an economist with the University of the Pacific, showed that fruit and nut crop acreage increased by more than 386,000 acres Valley-wide, a 7 percent bump, between 2007 and 2012.
With those new crops came additional water demands in an area already leaning heavily on groundwater.
To be sure, there are many reasons farmers would want to plant permanent crops, starting with profit. Crops like wine grapes can yield more than $20,000 per acre in value, more than four times that of wheat, for example.
And consumer tastes are trending toward healthy, nutritious snacks like nuts. Such tastes have expanded with global population growth and the rise of Asian economies.
Jay Lund, director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis, learned this first-hand on a domestic flight in China last summer. ?They were handing out California almonds on the plane,? Lund said. ?Everything was in Chinese except, ?These almonds came from California.? ?
Lund and others argue that the profitability of these crops is precisely why farmers should embrace newly passed legislation giving the state some authority over groundwater management for the first time.
?A free tap on the oasis ? that?s not sustainable, I think, in some portions of the state,? Lund said.
Family history
Kenny Watkins drove back from the peach orchard to his house two miles east of Peters, a town so small that there is no sign.
The farmer had piled historic books and photos on his dining room table, to prove two things: That his family has been here for an awfully long time, caring for the land; and that it?s not such a radical idea to grow fruits and nuts here, anyhow.
There was a photo of Watkins? grandfather, standing with the first tractor he purchased for $970.93 in 1919. Watkins still has the receipt.
The books talk about how wheat from this portion of the county was once sent by railroad to the Port of Stockton, and shipped all over the world. In 1880, San Joaquin County raised the largest wheat crop in the world.
But times changed. One 1879 history book spread open on Watkins? table talks about how the east county was ?good average wheat land, but when properly worked is very profitable in fruits.?
Today, that vision is being realized, Watkins says. Failure to adapt means a failing farm.
While many worry about water ?sustainability,? the 51-year-old Watkins ? who is vice president of the California Farm Bureau Federation ? defines the word differently:
?The true sustainability is the family, the landowner,? Watkins said. ?If you?re going to pass it on to the next generation it has to be productive, it has to be profitable. It has to be something that?s going to generate income for your family and the next family.
?You have to be able to pay taxes, you have to be able to take your kids to school, and you have to be able to build a new house every so many generations. Otherwise, you go to town and get a paycheck once a week.?
Contact reporter Alex Breitler at (209) 546-8295 or abreitler at recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/breitlerblog and on Twitter @alexbreitler.
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Nov 18 07:55:49 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 07:55:49 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Chronicle: High court allows delta water contracts to
	be challenged
Message-ID: <1416326149.52734.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/High-court-allows-delta-water-contracts-to-be-5899299.php

High court allows delta water contracts to be challenged
By Bob Egelko 
Published 2:48 pm, Monday, November 17, 2014

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed environmentalists to challenge the government?s renewal of 41 long-term contracts for irrigation water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, in a lawsuit seeking greater protection for the endangered delta smelt.
Water districts had asked the justices to review a ruling in April by a federal appeals court in San Francisco. That ruling reinstated a suit by the Natural Resources Defense Council and other groups claiming the U.S. Bureau of Reclamationshould have consulted with government biologists before renewing contracts with farms and water districts for as long as 40 years. The justices denied the districts? request on Monday.
The Bureau of Reclamation first granted long-term contracts in 1964 for water from the Sacramento River and the Delta-Mendota Canal. When the contracts came up for renewal in 2004, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists said the deliveries would not jeopardize the delta smelt, a 3-inch fish whose numbers are considered an indicator of the estuary?s health.
The biologists re-examined the issue in 2008 and reached the opposite conclusion. The environmental groups argued that the Bureau of Reclamation should have consulted the scientists, regardless of their changing views, before renewing the irrigation contracts in 2004-05.
A federal judge dismissed the suit, saying the environmentalists had failed to show that consultation would have made a difference. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, saying federal law required the government agency to ask biologists if anything could be done to protect endangered species when the contracts were up for renewal. Officials could have taken such steps as reducing water allotments or changing the timing of deliveries, the court said in an 11-0 ruling.
In a separate case, also pending before the Supreme Court, water districts and farmers are appealing a Ninth Circuit ruling upholding the government?s plan to limit water shipments from the delta to Central and Southern California in order to protect the delta smelt.
Stuart Somach, a lawyer for Northern California water contractors who sought to dismiss the environmental groups? lawsuit, said he was disappointed by the Supreme Court?s action. But he said his clients, who were using the irrigation water even before the 1964 contracts, remain confident that their contractual rights will be upheld.
The case is Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District vs. Natural Resources Defense Council, 14-48.Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: begelko at sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Nov 19 08:37:37 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 08:37:37 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee: Talks on drought bill underway on Capitol
	Hill
Message-ID: <1416415057.53636.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/11/18/4241997_talks-on-drought-bill-underway.html?rh=1
Talks on drought bill underway on Capitol Hill
BY MICHAEL DOYLE AND MARK GROSSI
The Fresno BeeNovember 18, 2014 Updated 16 hours ago

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/11/18/4241997_talks-on-drought-bill-underway.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
WASHINGTON ? California?s water future is boiling below the surface this week.
Only the chosen few have a clue about details. Bill documents, currently about 50 pages, are stamped ?confidential draft language, do not distribute.? Capitol Hill doors are shut, congressional timetables are opaque and negotiators are strictly mum.
?We?ve taken our vow of secrecy,? Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, said Tuesday.
The coming days, though, could be crucial.
House Republicans and Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California and their respective staff members have been amicably swapping proposed language and coming ever-closer to agreement. On Thursday, California?s GOP House members received a detailed briefing at their weekly lunch.
In a potentially telling move, Westlands Water District General Manager Tom Birmingham arrived in Washington this week. The water-hungry Westlands district stands to be a big winner in the legislation, and Birmingham?s presence enables him to weigh in, and possibly sign-off, more quickly.
?We?ve been talking about this legislation for months,? Birmingham said Tuesday.
Like most other farm contractors on the federal Central Valley Project, the Rhode Island-sized Westlands Water District was left with a zero allocation of Northern California river water. Farm leaders challenged the way state and federal officials divided up the little water that was available in this intense drought. 
Responding to farmer unrest, the GOP-controlled House passed a far-reaching bill in February. Drawing largely on a bill previously introduced by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, it rolled back a landmark 1992 law that directed more water to protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The bill also removed wild-and-scenic protections from a half mile of the Merced River and authorized new water storage projects, among other provisions.
The Senate countered in May with a slimmed-down bill passed by unanimous consent, also without a committee hearing.
Democrats who voted against the 68-page House bill, and whose congressional districts span part of the 1,100 square-mile delta, have complained they have been shut out of the subsequent negotiations. Some have seen scraps of language, such as a draft that cited the ?significant public interest? and ?urgency? over completing water storage project feasibility studies.
One draft version was 48 pages; by the time it?s put into formal legislative language, the final bill could be upwards of 60 pages or more.
Environmentalists, fishing and wildlife advocates also want a public hearing on any drought legislation. They say they hear rumors of a bill that ignores environmental law to get more Northern California water for Westlands, a 600,000-acre district based mainly in Fresno County.
Jerry Cadagan, longtime water activist, said many groups do not want such a bill to pass quietly through the Senate.
?If there?s no opposition, wham! It could go through,? he said. ?That?s what we fear.?
Seven groups have written their concerns and opposition to Feinstein. The groups include the National Resources Defense Council, Audubon California and Ducks Unlimited.
?With decades of experience, Sen. Feinstein knows the importance of being inclusive on controversial and complex pieces of legislation that impact not only the state of California, but other Western states,? environmental activist Patricia Schifferle said Tuesday.
Feinstein?s spokesman, Tom Mentzer, said Tuesday only that ?draft language continues to be negotiated between House and Senate offices and nothing is final.? Feinstein?s California colleague, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, who chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee, has yielded leadership on the water issue to Feinstein.
Republicans add that the House Democrats who represent the Delta and Northern California are never going to vote for the final bill anyway, so it makes no political sense to let them into the room where the deals are cut. One of the few Democrats besides Feinstein who?s privy to details is comfortable with this calculation.
?I?d like to see if we can get an agreement by the end of this week,? Rep. Jim Costa of Fresno, one of the few Democrats to vote for the House bill, said Tuesday. ?If we?re successful, then we can share the language with others.?
The one-sided secrecy is also a kind of mirror image of what happened in 1992, when Democrats stiff-armed Republicans in writing the environmentally oriented Central Valley Project Improvement Act. Republican and farmer anger over the 1992 CVPIA contributed to years of litigation, restlessness and, ultimately, backlash. 
Doyle reported from The Bee's Washington Bureau. Grossi reported from Fresno. Contact Michael Doyle: mdoyle at mcclatchydc.com, (202) 383-0006 or @MichaelDoyle10 on Twitter. Contact Mark Grossi: mgrossi at fresnobee.com, (559) 441-6316 or @markgrossi on Twitter.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/11/18/4241997_talks-on-drought-bill-underway.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Nov 19 09:00:54 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 09:00:54 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] RTD Media Release: Delta Tunnel Opponents: Secret
	Sen. Feinstein Bill to Throw Out Protections for Fisheries,
	Farms & Humans; Bill Could Help Tunnels Approval
Message-ID: <1416416454.88386.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://yx17.us/p/?__p=_1723-699/1STYXMZ4E-1/RTD+release+Feinstein+11.18.14.htm

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Tuesday, November 18, 2014  
Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; steve at hopcraft.com; Twitter: @shopcraft; @MrSandHillCrane; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 barbara at restorethedelta.org; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta
  
Delta Tunnel Opponents: Secret Sen. Feinstein Bill to Throw Out Protections for Fisheries, Farms & Humans; 
Bill Could Help Tunnels Approval
  
Stockton, CA- Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Gov. Brown?s rush to build Peripheral Tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom salmon and other Pacific fisheries, today criticized Senator Dianne Feinstein for pushing a secret ?drought relief? measure to allow more water for Westlands' and Kern Water Districts' mega-growers in the midst of a severe drought. "Senator Feinstein is carrying water for industrial growers who have planted tens of thousands of acres of almonds and other permanent crops in the midst of the past several very dry years,? said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta. ?Sen. Feinstein is rushing through legislation to aid these growers at the expense of the rest of California. Right now, the head of Westlands Water District is helping write legislation for a massive water grab sponsored by Sen. Feinstein. Californians should be on red alert. RTD released a video calling for public hearings.
 
Members of Congress are manipulating the impacts of drought conditions to serve wealthy special interests. Two ?drought relief? bills in the Senate threaten California sustainable farms and fisheries. The House of Representatives recently passed drought legislation that seeks to accelerate massive water transfers from the SF Bay Delta to special interests in the arid regions of the South and West San Joaquin Valley. Senator Diane Feinstein is also proposing her own ?drought relief? bill in the Senate. Both bills will override environmental protections in order to provide ?drought relief? for special interests. (The public has not even been given bill numbers of both drought legislations). 
 
The SF Bay Delta cannot sustain additional water transfers without collapsing, especially in the midst of a historic drought. These federal drought bills will put in place provisions that will allow water exporters to override existing environmental regulations that protect the SF Bay Delta from excessive water transfers.
 
If the House and Feinstein drought bill is allowed to pass, it will hasten the extinction of our fish and wildlife species and destroy our regional economies in farming and fishing, resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs and livelihoods.
 
Sen. Dianne Feinstein is rushing legislation through Congress that uses the current drought to make changes that undo critical protections for our salmon and other fisheries, and the people who rely on our river system. While it makes sense to take prudent steps to address the drought, it is unwise to use the current lack of water to do the bidding of mega-growers who want more and more water for permanent crops on unsuitable lands. That?s who gets most of the water in our public projects: huge industrial farming operations in the Westlands and Kern Water Districts. Sen. Feinstein is responding to the urging of these growers, many of whom have contributed mightily to her campaigns.
 
?It is disappointing that Senator Feinstein is not standing up for the economic engine of the San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary, its water quality and native species that serve not only California?s economic engine but Oregon and Washington as well,? said Barrigan-Parrilla. ?Instead of calling for every available bucket of water to be shipped immediately to unsustainable industrial agriculture, Sen. Feinstein should instead be pursuing water demand reduction actions, plus reinforcement of Delta levees, improvement of south Delta fish screens and salvage operations, elimination of harmful water transfers through the Delta, and numerous fish protections, preclude the need for the BDCP twin tunnels.?
 
 
Restore the Delta is a 15,000-member grassroots organization committed to making the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta fishable, swimmable, drinkable, and farmable to benefit all of California. Restore the Delta works to improve water quality so that fisheries and farming can thrive together again in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
www.restorethedelta.org 
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Nov 20 08:16:33 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 08:16:33 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Feinstein freezes out north state in water bill talks
Message-ID: <1416500193.67806.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

	* Editorials: Feinstein freezes out north state in water bill talks

She needs to include Delta interests
BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD
11/19/2014 5:15 PM 11/19/2014 5:59 PMSen. Dianne Feinstein, shown in 2013, has been a central figure in hush-hush legislation that could pump more water south to Central Valley farmers and Southern California residents. ERIC RISBERG ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE
	* Story
	* Comments

Sen. Dianne Feinstein and House Republicans have been secretly negotiating drought relief legislation that could severely alter California water policy. She should know better.
Any legislation on the topic of water would have far-reaching implications, and ought to receive a full public airing before a congressional vote.
California?s senior senator is negotiating with Central Valley representatives and agencies that rely on water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and is shutting out House members who represent the Delta and Northern California.
The fear among environmentalists and Northern California congressional members, including Feinstein?s fellow Democrats, is that the legislation would override environmental protections so more water could be pumped south to Central Valley farmers and Southern California residents.
They worry that a bill could be pushed through Congress without committee hearings, possibly this week or the week after Thanksgiving. That is no way to make policy, especially when the varied interests of Californians are at stake.
Michael Doyle of the McClatchy Washington Bureau and Mark Grossi of The Fresno Bee reportedthat only a few congressmen and staff members have seen the documents stamped ?confidential draft language, do not distribute.? California?s Republican House members received a briefing last week.
Feinstein issued a statement through her press secretary saying that ?the plan has always been to seek broad input.?
?We expect to have draft legislation ready for public comment soon, at which time public input will be sought,? she said.
That sort of top-down manner of legislating might work on national security matters, but will make it difficult for Feinstein to generate trust from the individuals who are not at the table but have a legitimate stake in California?s water future.
Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, said in an interview that the opaque process is ?wrong. It?s not the way to do this.? He cited concerns that the legislation could damage the Delta and the fishing industry, and water down the Endangered Species Act.
While Garamendi and other Northern California congressional members are frozen out of the talks, Tom Birmingham, the general manager of Westlands Water District, which depends on water pumped from Northern California, has a seat at the negotiating table.
Westlands clearly has an interest in any legislation. Westlands farmers received no Delta water allocations this year. But Northern Californians have an interest as well, including environmentalists and members of the fishing industry.
There is a fundamental imbalance if interest groups and Republicans have a seat at the table but the congressional member who represents the Delta is left out.
If Sen. Feinstein won?t embrace an open debate on such critical issues, Sen. Barbara Boxer, who will remain chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee through the lame duck session, ought to stand up and object.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article4023580.html#storylink=cpy
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Thu Nov 20 09:26:57 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 09:26:57 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Article Submission: Feinstein's fish-killing drought
	bill being negotiated in secrecy
In-Reply-To: <1416500193.67806.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
References: <1416500193.67806.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <4DCF6742-8485-44E0-B8A6-64E87140F803@fishsniffer.com>


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/18/1345836/-Secret-Feinstein-drought-relief-bill-will-eviscerate-fish-protections

https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/11/20/18764366.php

Feinstein's fish-killing drought bill being negotiated in secrecy

by Dan Bacher

Congress, the State Legislature and Governor Jerry Brown are all  
notorious for their obsession with secrecy, especially when it comes  
to California water and environmental issues.

In the latest example of Congress' penchant for meeting behind closed  
doors to benefit corporate plutocrats at the expense of the public  
trust, Restore the Delta (RTD) has exposed Senator Dianne Feinstein (D- 
California) for pushing a secret ?drought relief? measure to allow  
more water for Westlands' and Kern Water Districts' mega-growers in  
the midst of a severe drought.

"Senator Feinstein is carrying water for industrial growers who have  
planted tens of thousands of acres of almonds and other permanent  
crops in the midst of the past several very dry years,? said Barbara  
Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta, a group  
opposing Governor Jerry Brown?s rush to build Peripheral Tunnels that  
would drain the Delta and doom salmon and other Pacific fisheries.

"Sen. Feinstein is rushing through legislation to aid these growers at  
the expense of the rest of California," said Barrigan-Parrilla. "Right  
now, the head of Westlands Water District is helping write legislation  
for a massive water grab sponsored by Sen. Feinstein. Californians  
should be on red alert."

She noted there is "tremendous confusion" on what is happening with  
the Federal drought legislation because it is being worked on in the  
dark, and "we have received misinformation when calling Senator  
Feinstein?s office."

The bill is still being negotiated and has not passed the Senate.

Please SHARE THIS NEW VIDEO LINK http://bit.ly/videoactionalert and  
follow the guidelines to take action -- Call your Senators and  
Congressional House Reps NOW! You can also go to this article for  
contact information for your Senators: (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/17/1345522/-Urgent-Action-Alert-Stop-Salmon-Killing-Drought-Relief-Bill 
)

"Our difficulty in communicating what is happening with this bill  
illustrates how our leaders are keeping the people of the Bay-Delta  
estuary in the dark about decisions being made on water exports," said  
Barrigan-Parrilla.

There is no doubt that the exclusion of people most impacted from the  
drought - fishermen, Indian Tribes, family farmers and Northern  
California residents - from any input into drought bill negotiations  
is intentional. There is also no doubt that the drought bills are  
designed to benefit a wealthy few at the expense of fish, water, the  
environment and the people of California.

Zeke Grader, Executive Director of Pacific Coast Federation of  
Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA), said the language of the Senate  
version of the drought bill may be put on a shelf until it can be  
attached to a "must pass" bill in the lame duck session of Congress.

He noted that "they locked out any representation whatsoever from the  
fishing community from the negotiations (and drafting) while the heavy  
hitters from the water community (Tom Birmingham, Westlands Water  
District; Stewart Resnick, Paramount Farms; Metropolitan Water  
District of Southern California; and Kern County Water Agency) are all  
at the table."

There are currently two ?drought relief? bills in the Senate that  
threaten sustainable fisheries and family farms in California,  
according to the latest information.

First, the House of Representatives recently passed drought  
legislation that seeks to accelerate massive water transfers from the  
SF Bay Delta to special interests in the arid regions of the South and  
West San Joaquin Valley.

Second, Senator Diane Feinstein is also proposing her own ?drought  
relief? bill in the Senate.

Both bills will override environmental protections in order to provide  
?drought relief? for special interests. To add to the secrecy behind  
the bills, the public has not even been given bill numbers of both  
drought measures.

The SF Bay Delta cannot sustain additional water transfers without  
collapsing, especially in the midst of a historic drought, according  
to Barrigan-Parrilla. These federal drought bills will put in place  
provisions that will allow water exporters to override existing  
environmental regulations that protect the SF Bay Delta from excessive  
water transfers.

"If the House and Feinstein drought bill is allowed to pass, it will  
hasten the extinction of our fish and wildlife species and destroy our  
regional economies in farming and fishing, resulting in the loss of  
thousands of jobs and livelihoods," she stated.

The drought legislation will not only hasten the extinction of Central  
Valley Chinook salmon, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and  
other fish species, but imperils the salmon and steelhead fisheries of  
the Trinity and Klamath rivers.

The legislation that Feinstein is rushing through Congress cynically  
uses the current drought to make changes that undo critical  
protections for our salmon and other fisheries, and the people who  
rely on our river system.

"While it makes sense to take prudent steps to address the drought, it  
is unwise to use the current lack of water to do the bidding of mega- 
growers who want more and more water for permanent crops on unsuitable  
lands," said Barrigan-Parrilla.

"That?s who gets most of the water in our public projects: huge  
industrial farming operations in the Westlands and Kern Water  
Districts. Sen. Feinstein is responding to the urging of these  
growers, many of whom have contributed mightily to her campaigns," she  
added.

?It is disappointing that Senator Feinstein is not standing up for the  
economic engine of the San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary, its water  
quality and native species that serve not only California?s economic  
engine but Oregon and Washington as well,? said Barrigan-Parrilla.  
?Instead of calling for every available bucket of water to be shipped  
immediately to unsustainable industrial agriculture, Sen. Feinstein  
should instead be pursuing water demand reduction actions, plus  
reinforcement of Delta levees, improvement of south Delta fish screens  
and salvage operations, elimination of harmful water transfers through  
the Delta, and numerous fish protections, preclude the need for the  
BDCP twin tunnels.?

The Sacramento Bee, in an editorial on November 19, also criticized  
Feinstein and House Republicans for their secret negotiations on the  
drought bill.

"Sen. Dianne Feinstein and House Republicans have been secretly  
negotiating drought relief legislation that could severely alter  
California water policy.

She should know better.

Any legislation on the topic of water would have far-reaching  
implications, and ought to receive a full public airing before a  
congressional vote.

California?s senior senator is negotiating with Central Valley  
representatives and agencies that rely on water from the Sacramento- 
San Joaquin Delta, and is shutting out House members who represent the  
Delta and Northern California."

Although I often disagree with the Sacramento Bee Editorial Board, I  
agree with them on their stance that the drought legislation should  
"receive a full public airing" before any vote.

For more information, go to: http://www.restorethedelta.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Nov 20 12:37:18 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 12:37:18 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Michael Doyle: Sen. Feinstein says she is pulling
	plug on #cawater #drought bill and will try again next year
	through "regular order"
Message-ID: <1416515838.2494.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

The latest "tweet" on the drought legislation.

Michael Doyle ?@MichaelDoyle10  55m55 minutes ago
Sen. Feinstein says she is pulling plug on #cawater #drought bill and will try again next year through "regular order"
 
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Nov 20 13:00:01 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 13:00:01 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Article links on drought legislation
Message-ID: <1416517201.7687.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

the SacBee editorial board urges both California Senators to open the doors in the negotiating room to all stakeholders -

http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article4023580.html

and the LA Times editors criticize the exclusive back-room negotiations -
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-water-policy-congress-california-20141120-story.html

and Mother Jones does a story about the secret negotiations that includes some good recent history of the so-called drought relief legislation -
http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/11/feinstein-secret-water-deal-drought-california

Restore the Delta has updated the video and the link dealing with the secret negotiations; go here -
 http://bit.ly/videoactionalert

and Dan Bacher writes about the secret deal-making which he says would primarily benefit folks like poor Westlands (or as Mother Jones calls them, ?Big Pistachio?) -
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/18/1345836/-Secret-Feinstein-drought-relief-bill-will-eviscerate-fish-protections#
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Nov 20 15:09:57 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 15:09:57 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] California water bill sinks for now
Message-ID: <1416524997.10655.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

California water bill sinks for now

BY MICHAEL DOYLEMCCLATCHY WASHINGTON BUREAU
11/20/2014 1:16 PM 11/20/2014 1:24 PM
WASHINGTON
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Thursday pulled the plug on secret, high-stakes negotiations over a California water bill, saying she and fellow lawmakers will try again next year.
Feinstein?s unexpected move ends, for now, what had become an increasingly contentious rhetorical battle over ambitious legislation that few had seen.
?You?ve got to work with people to get something done,? Feinstein said in a brief interview, adding that ?I?m going to put together a first-day bill for the next Congress, and it can go through the regular order.?
This year, Feinstein in the Senate and California Republicans in the House pushed water bills through the respective bodies without the usual public mark-up hearings. The discussions that have been ongoing for the past several months have largely excluded House Democrats.
The closed-door sessions prompted, in recent days, a flurry of negative editorials that Feinstein said Thursday were based on ?misimpressions.?
?We?ve come a long way,? said Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, adding that ?these type of things happen in negotiations.?
Farm leaders have challenged the way state and federal officials divided up the little water that was available in this intense drought.
Responding to farmer unrest, the GOP-controlled House passed a far-reaching bill in February. Drawing largely on a bill previously introduced by Nunes, it rolled back a landmark 1992 law that directed more water to protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The bill also removed wild-and-scenic protections from a half mile of the Merced River and authorized new water storage projects, among other provisions.
On Thursday, Nunes said that ?we?ll continue to try to work together? when the next Congress convenes in January.


Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article4034561.html#storylink=cpy
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Thu Nov 20 18:30:56 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 18:30:56 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Article submission: Feinstein delays controversial
	drought legislation until next year
In-Reply-To: <A1CB8660BEB1214B959A01123100173E03BFA1F3@FOTRSBS01.fotr.local>
References: <A1CB8660BEB1214B959A01123100173E03BFA1F3@FOTRSBS01.fotr.local>
Message-ID: <B8D72048-D041-49DD-8009-BECBD75F7C46@fishsniffer.com>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/20/1346309/-Feinstein-drops-controversial-water-bill-for-now

Feinstein delays controversial drought legislation until next year

by Dan Bacher

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) announced today that she has abandoned  
the secret negotiations for craft a controversial drought relief bill,  
but said she will try to pass the legislation next year.

The delay is a victory by a coalition of fishing groups,  
environmentalists, Indian Tribes and family farmers who organized an  
action alert campaign over the past week to defeat the bill. They said  
the bill would amount to a water bailout for corporate agribusiness  
interests on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley that would  
devastate salmon and other fisheries and family farms.

?Over the past several weeks I have been working closely with members  
of the California delegation who expressed interest in reaching a  
bipartisan agreement on legislation to address California?s drought  
crisis without violating the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water  
Act or biological opinions," said Feinstein in a statement. ?Although  
we have made progress, it has become clear that we will be unable to  
present an agreed-upon proposal before Congress adjourns this year."

Feinstein also claimed that, in spite of much evidence otherwise  
provided by opponents of the legislation, that this wasn't "some kind  
of secret process."

?I deeply believe the people want both parties to work together, and  
that is the only way we will be able to enact water legislation," said  
Feinstein. "Claims that this has been some kind of secret process are  
false. In order to come up with a bill that is ready for public  
comment, back-and-forth negotiations and consultations are often  
necessary, including extensive technical assistance from federal and  
state agencies. That process is ongoing and we have no agreed-upon  
bill at this time."

She also emphasized that there is a "real human fact" to the current  
drought, although she failed to mention the people most impacted by  
the drought - recreational and commercial fishing families, family  
farmers, and Indian Tribes that depend on salmon and other fish as  
part of their religion, culture and existence.

?It is important to remember there is a real human face to this  
crisis," Feinstein continued. Some communities can no longer deliver  
water to homes. Thousands of residential wells have run dry. And many  
families lack very basic necessities like water for showers and  
cooking."

Then Feinstein claimed that the bill wasn't "about corporate  
agriculture," failing to explain why heavy hitters from the water  
community, including Tom Birmingham of the Westlands Water District,  
Stewart Resnick of Paramount Farms, the Metropolitan Water District of  
Southern California and the Kern County Water Agency, were all at the  
table of the negotiations while fishermen, Tribes, family farmers,  
Northern California legislators and Northern California legislators  
were completely excluded.

?California is in a state of prolonged drought, and we must come  
together to find ways to provide the water necessary for life and well- 
being. This isn?t about corporate agriculture, this is about  
California," she said.

Feinstein then took aim at drought bill opponents, concluding,  
?It?s my hope that groups critical of this effort will strive to be  
productive rather than destructive. It?s clear that we need to get  
more water to our cities, businesses, farmers, households, fish and  
the Delta. And it?s equally important that we continue to protect  
wildlife and the environment. Only together will we stand a chance of  
agreeing on a bill that can help accomplish all of these goals.?

Bill opponents greeted Feinstein's announcement with relief - and  
vowed to stop similar legislation gutting fish protection and Delta  
water standards in the 2015 Congressional Session.

"We would like to thank the senator for listening to our constituents  
and we hope that she and Senator Boxer will ensure that all  
Californians are taken into account during the formulation of  
legislation in the next Congress," said Tom Stokely, water policy for  
the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN).

"This bill has been delayed," said Ronald Stork, Senator Policy  
Director of Friends of the River. "Feinstein said it will be  
reintroduced and go through the regular order in the new GOP led- 
Congress instead of being hatched in secret in the back rooms. That's  
a good thing, but it doesn't matter if California's two Senators are  
unwilling to stand up to the San Joaquin Valley Congressmen. Somebody  
has to show some courage."

"The dynamics haven't changed. Feinstein is more than willing to  
accede to the demands of the Southern San Joaquin Valley Congressmen.  
Their demands are pretty simple: disrespect the Wild and Scenic Rivers  
Act, Endangered Species Act (ESA)  and other peoples' water,"  
concluded Stork.

On November 18, representatives of California?s leading grassroots  
water conservation and environmental water organizations, fishing  
groups and the Winnemem Wintu and Karuk Tribes signed a letter  
strongly criticizing the legislation.

"We are disturbed by a resurgence of media reports and the potential  
movement of a  purported 'drought bill' for California," the letter  
stated. "As we understand it, the draft legislation now being  
?nalized  attempts to reconcile provisions from S.2198 and HR.3964,"  
two bills designed to benefit corporate agribusiness at the expense of  
other water users."

The groups and Tribes expressed concern that there would be  
"destructive elements" in the reconciled bill that were in past  
versions of either or both bills. These include the following:

? Water transfers from the Sacramento Valley are expedited  
circumventing public processes  in federal environmental laws.

? Refuges are pushed to turn to groundwater instead of relying on  
what the Central Valley Improvement Act requires in the way of surface  
water deliveries.

? Most bene?ts are for desert agriculture in the southwestern San  
Joaquin Valley?not California as a whole?and especially not the  
area of origin where most of the water comes from: the Sacramento  
River Watershed.

? Permanent, devastating impacts on migratory bird and ?sh  
populations in California, Oregon, Washington State and Alaska.

Defenders of the public trust are gearing up for a big battle by  
Feinstein and the Republican-controlled Senate and House of  
Representative to pass  "drought relief" legislation that serves  
corporate interests at the expense of fish, wildlife and the people of  
California during the next Congressional Session.

To read the complete letter, go to this link on the Restore the Delta  
website: http://restorethedelta.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/EWC-Opposition-Letter-FINAL.pdf
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Nov 21 10:38:22 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 10:38:22 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Anderson Valley Advertiser: Impending Fish Disaster
	in the Klamath-Trinity
Message-ID: <1416595102.52872.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>



Impending Fish Disaster in the Klamath-Trinity 
by Will Parrish, November 19, 2014
Wild salmon have splashed their way up the Klamath River and its tributaries ? including the largest of those tributaries, the Trinity River ? for at least 12,000 years. Owing to a geological peculiarity, the Klamath Basin was a refuge for countless forms of wildlife at the time. Located just south of the glacial formations that covered much of the western hemisphere?s lands, but just west of the volcanoes that rendered much of Northern California uninhabitable, the Klamath hosted an enormous diversity of wildlife that eventually spread across much of the American West.
Nowadays, the Klamath-Trinity have an altogether bleaker distinction: They are California?s greatest remain refuge for wild salmon. During the Arcadian time that endured prior to Euro-American arrival, the salmon lashed rivers into whiteness throughout Northern and Central California. People could walk across rivers on the back of the migrating fish. Now, the Klamath-Trinity ? which courses through the wildest corners of California and Southern Oregon ? stands as the only river system in the Golden State where runs of non-hatchery salmon still return most years by the tens of thousands.
?Basically, the Klamath-Trinity is the last river ecosystem in California with a whole lot of wild fish,? says Robert Franklin, hydrologist for the Hoopa Valley Tribe based in Hoopa, CA, whose ancestral territory encompasses the majority of the Trinity River watershed. ?The population size is diminished, but the system still produces on its own when left to its own devices.?
With California entering the fourth year of a record-shattering drought, long-time Klamath ecosystem experts are warning that a catastrophic die-off of these fish is probable next year, provided that the federal government continues to pump its customary quantity of the river?s water ?over the hill? to the Sacramento. The reason is straightforward: not enough cold water.
?What the Trinity and Klamath are facing is a catastrophe of epic proportions that will make the 2002 fish kill pale in comparison,? Tom Stokely of Mt. Shasta, a former Trinity County natural resources planner now with the California Water Impact Network, told the AVA. Stokely is referring to a 2002 period when a combination of low flows and high water temperatures allowed a gill rot disease to spread among the Chinook salmon in the Lower Klamath, killing at least 70,000 adults within a matter of only two weeks. It is widely considered the largest salmon fish kill in the history of the American West.
Klamath Fish Kill, 2002
?If conditions in the Trinity Reservoir remain the same,? he continues, ?and Central Valley water contractors continue to get as much water as they have, the fish will probably die next year in the Lower Klamath. Not only that, but they will also die in the Trinity River all the way up to the Trinity Dam.?
The temperature requirements of Pacific salmon have been extensively studied by government resource agencies. In 1989, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted ?temperature objectives? in the Trinity River of 60 degrees, maximum, from July 1st to September 14th. The ?temperature objective? for September 15th and on is 56 degrees, given that the salmon are spawning then and their eggs, which require cooler temperatures, are trying to hatch. If temperatures rise above roughly 63 degree Fahrenheit, it spells certain demise for the particular Chinook of this river.
Here in California, in the year 2014, the defining trait of the Trinity is that it supplies water to cannabis plants in that most remote area of the so-named Emerald Triangle, Trinity County. The river rises cold and clear out of the rugged Trinity Alps northwest of Redding, meandering through tight canyons and mountain meadows before joining the Klamath at the Yurok Indian Reservation, near what is now the town of Weitchpec, California. Its waters are crucial to the balance of the entire Klamath-Trinity system.
The Yurok are one of three indigenous nations in NorCal whose lives are inextricably linked to the Klamath-Trinity. The Hoopa Valley, whose 144-square mile reservation is the largest Native American sovereign territory in California, and the Karuk are the other two.
In 1962, as Californians and the US federal government were at the peak of their early-mid-20th century enthrallment with controlling exactly where water goes and who receives it, the Bureau of Reclamation completed the Trinity Dam near Weaverville: at the time of its completion, the highest earthfill dam in the world. The Bureau also constructed a network of power plant penstocks, pumping stations, gates and a 15-mile tunnel to the northern reaches of the Sacramento River, thence to be distributed by water contractors in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valley.
In some years, as much as 90% of the Trinity?s flow at Lewiston has been diverted to Sacramento. In a more typical year, the total is around 60%. Besides acting as a source of water to almond orchards and cotton fields, one of the major incentives for maintaining these diversions is electricity generation: the Trinity Dam is a major source of electrical power throughout Northern California, including in Trinity County.
Much has changed since the Trinity Reservoir was first constructed, however, not the least of which is diminishing snowmelt brought about by climate change. The drought has greatly compounded the problem. As of this writing, the Trinity Reservoir is at 23% of capacity.
Over the years, tribes and conservationists have won new protections for the Trinity River. Their greatest achievement was a so-called Trinity ?Record of Decision? (ROD), dramatically signed by former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and former Hoopa Valley Tribe Chairman Duane Sherman at the Hoopa tribal office on December 19, 2000. The ROD, for the first time since the construction of Trinity Dam, allowed 47 percent of the water to flow down the Trinity rather than being diverted to the Sacramento River via Whiskeytown Reservoir.
Louis Moore, public affairs specialist for the Bureau of Reclamation?s Mid-Pacific Region, says that his agency regards the Trinity ROD as ?as a critically important aspect of meeting Trinity River restoration objectives as well as our trust responsibility to affected Native American tribes. Even with the extremely dry conditions experienced in water year 2014, the full volume was released to the Trinity River.?
Given the Bureau?s institutional biases toward big agribusiness and its legal obligations to Central Valley contractors under existing water rights law, however, Stokely says it is virtually inevitable that the fish ? and the people who rely on them ? will get the shaft.
?There?s nothing that would limit the ability of the Bureau of Reclamation to flat-out drain the Trinity Lake down to a mud puddle,? he says. ?Even though there are prescribed flows for the fishery in the ROD, the amount the Bureau sends over the hill to the Central Valley Project is not limited by that in a way that?s actually enforced. And this year?s exports over the hill to the Sacramento are the classic example.
But the Trinity Reservoir only received 340,000 acre-feet of natural run-off, as compared to more than one million acre feet during a typical rain year. Even so, the Bureau of Reclamation diverted 595,000 acre feet to water contractors in the Sacramento Valley, which is home to an estimated 22 percent of California?s farmland. In other words, roughly 160 percent of the amount the reservoir received in rainfall was pumped to an altogether different watershed. By contrast, the Bureau released 369,000 acre-feet into the Trinity River to comply with the ROD.
Currently, roughly 550,000 acre-feet is in storage (an acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover an acre to a depth of one foot ? 325,800 gallons). As the storage level lowers, the water temperature increases. Thus, unless the winter of 2014-15 brings above average rain, it is unlikely that enough water will be on hand to continue meeting the needs of both fish and agribusiness.
This past August, as temperatures in the Lower Klamath soared into the 70s, tribal biologists on the banks of the Trinity at Tish Tang Campground ? located near the confluence with the Klamath ? began to discover fish carcasses washed up on shore. Some were victims of Gill-rot disease: the same malady that claimed the lives of Klamath salmon in 2002.
Cyanobacteria toxins that associate with blue-green algae were detected on both the Klamath and Trinity rivers. The North Coast tribes, as well as river advocates and some government officials, applied frantic pressure on the Bureau of Reclamation to release cold water from the reservoir, including an August 19th protest by hundreds of tribal members in Sacramento.
The Bureau eventually relented, releasing 70,000 acre feet, successfully staving off the grisly scenario that had begun to unfold. Relatively few other fish seem to have died from gill rot disease on the Klamath this past year. In short, the emergency water releases worked.
This coming year, a comparatively tiny volume of Trinity Reservoir water might well reach a high enough temperature that the emergency water releases are no longer effective at cooling the river basin?s temperatures.
?Even in a situation where Trinity Reservoir has substantial run-off, we?re likely to see it drawn on heavily,? says Robert Franklin of Hoopa Valley. ?If we have a normal or drier water year, that would just exacerbate the situation.?
Already, as Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Robert Moore acknowledges, the Bureau had to use a new method to withdraw cold enough water to prevent a fish kill.
?Reduced Trinity Reservoir storage levels do hinder efforts to meet temperature targets in the Trinity River,? he says. ?This year, however, temperature targets were met by utilizing the auxiliary outlet works at Trinity Dam, which withdraws colder water from deeper within the pool than the customarily used outlet works withdrawing water through the powerplant.?
The Klamath River?s mainstem, of course, is even more impacted by dams than is the Trinity. From the 1920s to the 1960s, four hydroelectric dams were built by the California-Oregon Power Company (COPCO) and its successor PacifiCorp (owned by one of the world?s wealthiest men, Warren Buffet) on the Klamath River main stem. Collectively, the dams have blocked salmon migration and trapped sediment that formerly replenished downstream gravel bars used by spawning salmon.
Meanwhile, the dams have caused erosion in the rivers to increase, decreasing the depth of spawning pools and, thus, the accessibility of cold water. And, whereas the spring-run chinook of each river used to travel exclusively to the cold-water tributaries above the dams, now they must make do as they can with the warmer waters of the mainstem and the tributaries in the lower parts of the river.
The long-term consequences of a massive fish kill in the Klamath-Trinity system next year is difficult to quantify. The main factor in strong salmon runs, biologists say, is favorable ocean conditions. If consecutive years of mass fish wasting happen, the impact would grow exponentially more bleak.
?In spite of the tremendous loss of fish, and certainly depressed spawning by those fish, it?s not clear what the long-term impact was of the 2002 fish kill,? Robert Franklin says. ?What we do fear is that if you have repeats of a fish kill, that would lead to a terrible long-term result.?
Even if a fish kill is somehow averted next year, advocates of the Klamath-Trinity see peril ahead for the river system on numerous fronts. California voters passed Proposition 1, a $7.5 billion water bond, overwhelmingly on November 4th. The bond measure includes $2.7 billion for new water storage projects, which are likely to be earmarked for new dams.
One increasingly likely scenario would see two large new dams, each around 310 feet high, constructed on the Sacramento River. The water would be ferried through the Tehama-Colusa and Glen-Colusa canals, as well as a third canal that be built specifically for the project and originate north of Colusa. It would be stored in the so-called Sites Reservoir in the Antelope Valley, located just east of Mendocino National Forest, about 10 miles west of the small town of Maxwell on Interstate 5.
This past March, liberal Democrat John Garamendi joined with a Republican counterpart, Doug Le Malfa, to introduce a US House of Representatives bill that would underwrite construction of Sites Reservoir. At a cost of roughly $3.9 billion, the project is unbelievably expensive and faces numerous hurdles before gaining approval. But a large allocation from the State of California makes the construction considerably more likely.
As Rep. Garamendi stated this past spring: ?We want to use the moment when people are focused and interested [in the drought]. We?ve got to move these projects forward.?
The construction of Sites Reservoir would create a new incentive to export Trinity water to the Sacramento. Notably, Trinity County?s relatively tiny number of voters ? whose county?s economy has been hard hit by the Trinity River diversions ? overwhelming opposed Proposition 1, with 70.4 percent voting against. By contrast, the two counties that arguably benefit most from the transfer of water from NorCal to SoCal, Fresno County and King County, support the water bond overwhelmingly, with 76.5 percent and 76% voting in favor, respectively.
A more immediate threat, many onlookers say, comes from a drought bill sponsored by Dianne Feinstein that the so-called ?lame-duck? Congress is currently taking up. The bill would significantly ease Endangered Species Act restrictions on water exports from the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta to farms and cities.
California Governor Jerry Brown and the US Department of the Interior continue to pursue their controversial plan to drill two 30?-40? diameter tunnels 150 feet deep for 35 miles under California?s Delta to siphon NorCal water to San Joaquin Valley agribusiness and Southern California cities. The Delta Drains, as some project opponents have labeled them, has been rebuffed by the US Environmental Protection Agency in its current form, but the project continues to grind through the bureaucratic gears. This new water export infrastructure would put even more new demands on the Trinity?s increasingly troubled waters.
During the gut-wrenching vortex of genocidal violence that was the California Gold Rush, the US federal government established the Klamath River Reservation by executive order along a 20 mile strip extending upstream a width of 1 mile on each side of the river from the Klamath River mouth. Many Yurok, Hoopa, and Karuk people refused to move onto the reservation.
According to General Beale, assigned to the Klamath reservation, the Hupa paid a price for their refusal: ?This river [Trinity] ? is rated as the best in the country for salmon fish, which constitutes almost the whole subsistence of the Indians. The whites took the whole river and crowded the Indians into the sterile mountains, and when they came back for fish they were usually shot.?
Nevertheless, the Indigenous people of the Klamath-Trinity have not only survived, but they have, respectively, the three largest landbases of any individual Indigenous nation in California. And they have won key protections for their sovereign fishing rights through litigation and direct action, which serve as a primary reason for the Bureau of Reclamation?s water releases to stave off fish kills in recent years.
Members of the Yurok tribe say they have no experience in their cultural memory of anything like the 2002 fish kill ever having happened before. ?The salmon runs spell life and death for the Indian people over the millennia, and if something like that had happened before, there would have been stories re-told and re-told,? Robert Franklin says. ?It?s not a scientific way of knowing, but it?s absolutely true.?
In addition to being home to some of last truly wild salmon runs in California, the Klamath-Trinity is known as one of the most biodiverse areas of the world ? especially for fish. The Klamath is likely home to the world?s greatest populations of Green sturgeon. Its steelhead trout population is as robust as that of any river system in the Lower 48. According to Franklin, protection of these fisheries is not only a matter of great importance for the Hoopa Valley, Yurok, and Karuk, as well as the Indigenous people of what is now Southern Oregon, but also for everyone in California who desires a sustainable future.
?If Californians understood that this great wild place for fish, which are terrific food, is part of what they have to benefit from and pass down, then they might start to ask the question, ?Why would I want to take water out of here to grow wine-grapes? Why is that a higher service of this public resource?? ?
(Contact Will Parrish at wparrish[at]riseup.net.)
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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Fri Nov 21 20:34:56 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 20:34:56 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Mainstem Trinity River spawn survey update for
	November 17 to 21, 2014
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRsBz-Ah40eDTf-A0FmX6kz4CL9ZEYSbwD_5_aFdQdYYfg@mail.gmail.com>

Hello Trinity River followers,
The US Fish and Wildlife Service along with the Yurok Tribe, California
Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Forest Service, and Hoopa Valley Tribe
have another weekly update for our Trinity River mainstem spawn survey
posted on the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Fisheries webpage.
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries

Our crews mapped 487 redds and 2,956 carcasses in the Reaches from Lewiston
Dam to Pigeon Point, and Hawkins Bar to Weitchpec.  Spawning in the up
river reaches is begging to be dominated by Coho Salmon.  Chinook Salmon
are going strong in the river downstream of Hawkins Bar.  The graph below
is clipped from our weekly report (limited to the river upstream of Cedar
Flat).

[image: Inline image 1]

*Did you know*.... the genetics of wild salmon populations are shaped by the
environments they evolve in?  Unique regions throughout the range of
Pacific salmon challenge survival in different ways and salmon evolve to
meet those challenges.  In the Klamath Basin here near the southern end of
the range for Chinook Salmon, salmon are better equipped for warm water
temperatures than many populations to the north.  *Ceratonova shasta* is a
fish parasite common in the Klamath Basin and is relatively rare in many
other places.  While *C. shasta* can significantly impact juvenile salmon
survival in the Klamath in some years, fish from other basins where *C.
shasta* is not endemic are *much* more susceptible as they haven't evolved
to meet that particular challenge.  To lose a population of salmon is to
lose centuries or millennia of evolutionary adaptation to a particular
region or location.  Given a chance, fish continue to adapt to shifting
environments, restored conditions, and changing flow and climate regimes.
For example, Chinook Salmon from the Sacramento River system in northern
California were introduced to New Zealand between 1901 and 1907.  From
genetics highly suited to the Sacramento River system, that population has
hence evolved and developed traits that are more suitable for rivers of New
Zealand (Quinn et al. 2001).  Left to evolutionary devices, wild Trinity
River salmon populations will continue to evolve and adapt to capitalize on
changing Trinity River environments and meet its challenges.



Quinn, T. P., M. T. Kinnison, and M. J. Unwin.  2001.  Evolution of chinook
salmon (*Oncorhynchus tshawytscha*) populations in New Zealand: pattern,
rate, and process.  Genetica 112-113: 493-513


Talk to you next week.  Have a great Thanksgiving!
Charlie

Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Nov 24 10:23:05 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 10:23:05 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] KQED CA Report: Feinstein Promises to Try Again on
	California Water Bill
Message-ID: <1416853385.22057.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/11/21/feinstein-promises-to-try-again-on-california-water-bill
THE CALIFORNIA REPORT
Feinstein Promises to Try Again on California Water Bill

By Dan Brekke
NOV 21, 2014
A controversial effort by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein to broker drought-driven water legislation is dead, for now.
Feinstein said in a statement Thursday that, although efforts to negotiate a compromise with House Republicans have made progress, ?we will be unable to present an agreed-upon proposal before Congress adjourns this year.?
In an interview with the Fresno Bee, Feinstein said the effort would start again in January.
?You?ve got to work with people to get something done,? she said. ?I?m going to put together a first-day bill for the next Congress, and it can go through the regular order.?
The veteran Democrat?s negotiations had centered on working out differences with HR3964, passed by the House in February.
The legislation was put forward by San Joaquin Valley Republican Reps. David Valladao and Devin Nunes and other members of California?s GOP delegation. The bill aims to secure more water for agriculture by suspending provisions of various federal and state water and endangered species laws and allowing more pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Many of the provisions existed in earlier versions of the legislation, sponsored by Nunes, that predated the drought.
Most Northern California Democrats and their environmental allies have fought the bill. Seven members of the delegation issued a statement Thursday applauding Feinstein ?for stepping away from this deeply flawed legislation.?
The statement ? from Reps. Jared Huffman, Mike Thompson, Ami Bera, Jerry McNerney, George Miller, John Garamendi and Doris Matsui ? repeated criticism that Feinstein had conducted clandestine talks that excluded input from the public, environmental and fishing-industry advocates and members of her own party:
As Members of Congress who represent districts that would be directly affected by this legislation, we have been raising serious objections to both the secretive process and the harmful content of this legislation. We will continue to demand next year that any water legislation responding to California?s severe drought be balanced and take into consideration the array of stakeholders in California.
John McManus, executive director of the Golden Gate Salmon Association, expressed similar sentiments:
?Any federal legislation that seeks to shift the balance of water distribution has to consider the interests of salmon and fishing communities since they?ve been hurt the worst by past water allocation decisions. This legislative effort didn?t do that. The next time legislators consider California water issues, the interests and views of salmon fishermen need to be included.
Feinstein pushed back against suggestions that she had been secretive or working on behalf of corporate agricultural interests that have supported her in the past.
Claims that this has been some kind of secret process are false. In order to come up with a bill that is ready for public comment, back-and-forth negotiations and consultations are often necessary, including extensive technical assistance from federal and state agencies. That process is ongoing. ?
>? It?s my hope that groups critical of this effort will strive to be productive rather than destructive. It?s clear that we need to get more water to our cities, businesses, farmers, households, fish and the Delta. And it?s equally important that we continue to protect wildlife and the environment. Only together will we stand a chance of agreeing on a bill that can help accomplish all of these goals.
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Nov 25 10:51:36 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 10:51:36 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Good news for all: Above-normal rainfall now predicted
Message-ID: <1416941496.47925.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/local/2014/11/24/normal-rainfall-now-predicted/70065560/
Above-normal rainfall now predictedDennis L. Taylor5:51 p.m. PST November 24, 2014
(Photo: Provided/NOAA)
CONNECT 1
TWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE
By the end of this week, be sure to start battening down the hatches.
Weather officials on Monday updated a rain outlook for the month of December, saying now that there will be above-normal rainfall moving toward the New Year that will have a significant effect on the drought outlook.
Logan Johnson, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Monterey, said above-normal precipitation is expected across the entire state during December, and that for central and southern California, the wet stuff is likely to keep coming throughout the rainy season, which runs through February.
?This very welcome news and should improve drought conditions statewide,? Johnson said.
In fact, according to Rich Tinker of the Climate Prediction Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the above-normal rainfall this season is knocking the Central Coast down a notch on the U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook.
Up until Friday, the majority of California was listed as an area where ?drought persists or intensifies.? Now, because of soppy month ahead, the Central Coast and most of the rest of the state is listed as ?drought remains but improves.? Temperatures, however, are expected to remain warmer than normal, which will further support this year as one of the warmest on record.
Forecasters say the above-normal precipitation headed this way during the rainy season should not be thought of as any kind of drought-buster. The region has experienced too many years of drought for it to end in one above-average year; it would take several above-average years to get the area back to normal.
The early part of this week is forecast for sunny autumn weather, but a high-pressure ridge is expected to break down on Friday, allowing a rain front to move into Northern California that will work its way south by Saturday.
?There remains uncertainty with regards to exact timing and amount of rainfall expected with this frontal passage,? according to a statement issued early Monday afternoon by the NWS.
A rain-friendly, upper-level, low-pressure system will move into the Bay Area Sunday and Monday bringing with it widespread rain, the NWS predicts, but ends with a cautionary note that the amount of rain cannot be accurately predicted since the forecast is projected out five to eight days.
?However, there is increasing confidence that the [San Francisco/Monterey] region will enter into a wet period that will last into early next week,? the NWS said Monday.
Dennis L. Taylor covers water issues for TheCalifornian.com. Follow him on Twitter @taylor_salnews.
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From vina_frye at fws.gov  Tue Nov 25 14:16:50 2014
From: vina_frye at fws.gov (Frye, Vina)
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 14:16:50 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] TAMWG Meeting Notice
Message-ID: <CANiLmTLnbgvuynmrZs-gfzxR+9QzJN48+5D4YUROO8qVL4Mn+w@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Folks,

The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) will meet on December
15-16, 2014.

[image: Inline image 1]

Best Regards,
Vina

Vina Frye
Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Arcata FWO
1655 Heindon Road
Arcata, CA  95521
Telephone: (707) 822-7201
Fax: (707) 822-8411
vina_frye at fws.gov
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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Fri Nov 28 11:25:32 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 11:25:32 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Mainstem Trinity River spawn survey update for
	November 24 to 26, 2014
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRth17nyMhacfg2JZgb9owRmazjgg744+AD=ePDB21ohsA@mail.gmail.com>

Happy Turkey weekend, Trinity River friends!

The US Fish and Wildlife Service along with the Yurok Tribe, California
Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Forest Service, and Hoopa Valley Tribe
have another weekly update for our Trinity River mainstem spawn survey
posted on the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Fisheries webpage.
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries

Our crews mapped 86 redds in the Reaches from Lewiston Dam to Bucktail
River Access, Round House to Pigeon Point, and Big Bar to Cedar Flat.
Chinook Salmon spawning activity in the up river reaches is begging to slow
as it normally does this time of year. Conditions permitting, we'll get a
look at the river downstream of Hawkins Bar next week where the spawn
timing of Chinook Salmon is later and should still be going strong.  The
graph below is clipped from our weekly report (limited to the river
upstream of Cedar Flat).


[image: Inline image 1]

*Did you know*.... Egg size is a trait passed from spawning female salmon to
their offspring and has been shown to be related to thermal tolerance of
juvenile salmon?  Large eggs produce juvenile salmon with greater thermal
tolerance to warm waters (Mu?oz et al. 2014
<http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/281/1789/20141082>).
Natural selection in wild salmon populations favors large egg size.  In the
wild, large fry hatch from large eggs and have a competitive advantage over
small fry hatched from small eggs.  In a hatchery setting, fry size offers
little advantage compared to fecundity (the number of eggs produced by a
female) and selection favors females that produce eggs that are smaller but
higher in number (Heath et al. 2003
<http://www.sciencemag.org/content/299/5613/1738.full>).  Maintaining and
improving the integrity of wild Trinity River salmon populations is
important to the long-term ability of our populations to endure changing
climate.  Incorporating favorable wild traits like egg size into Trinity
River Hatchery populations is important too, and will improve the fitness
of the integrated wild and hatchery population.


Talk to y'all next week,
Charlie

Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Nov 29 10:32:29 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 10:32:29 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] LA Times/Hiltzik: Sen. Dianne Feinstein's drought
	relief bill needs closer scrutiny
Message-ID: <1417285949.23416.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-1130-hiltzik-20141130-column.html#page=2

Sen. Dianne Feinstein's drought relief bill needs closer scrutiny 



Michael Hiltzik
LOS ANGELES TIMESmichael.hiltzik?@latimes.comCrafting water solutions for California in D.C. can't be done without trampling court rulings, state laws
'Water is one of the most difficult and convoluted subjects I've ever encountered,' Sen. Dianne Feinstein saysNo one is more adept at turning crises into opportunities than representatives of special interests in Washington. And there are few better opportunities-in-disguise than the California drought.
Addressing the drought is complicated, technical and politically charged. Billions of dollars in business investments are at stake, so millions are available to push legislators in one direction or another ? especially if the key discussions are held behind closed doors.
That's why it's probably a good thing that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) last week abandoned her effort to craft a drought relief bill in haste and through private conversations with Central Valley Republican members of Congress and lobbyists for well-heeled water users. Many of those parties live to overturn the federal Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act, which they say deprive Central Valley growers of desperately needed water.Golden State Water tries to drown Claremont ballot measure
Michael Hiltzik
Feinstein's original goal was to reach agreement with the Republicans by Dec. 11, when Congress goes home for the holidays. Her plan now is to move a bill through the GOP-majority 2015 Senate under "regular order," meaning it will be subject to public committee hearings, presumably with testimony from commercial fishers and environmental advocates who complained they were shut out of the earlier talks.
It isn't entirely clear that shifting from closed-door negotiations in a politically split Congress to open discussions in a uniformly Republican Congress will be a positive step. Environmental advocates have their fingers crossed.
"We're not out of the woods," says Doug Obegi, a senior attorney for water issues at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "But regular order does mean that if anything emerges, it will be less bad."

The problem with trying to craft water solutions for California in Washington is that it can't be done without trampling court rulings and state laws and policies that apportion an increasingly scarce resource among increasingly demanding users.
Water experts viewed the precursors to Feinstein's efforts ? a GOP bill passed by the House in February and a Senate bill sponsored by Feinstein later in the year ? as piecemeal solutions designed to exploit the crisis, not resolve it. Neither measure could create new water supplies, because they don't exist.
"This is not a drought bill for the entire state," says Patricia Schifferle, a water policy expert at Pacific Advocates. "This is about creating winners and losers in a time of shortages."

Any congressional interference in California water regulations could upset a delicate balance between federal authority and long-established state prerogatives to set their own water policies, placing Congress on "risky constitutional ground," says Antonio Rossmann, an expert on water law at UC Berkeley's law school.
Feinstein is well aware of the pitfalls. "Water is one of the most difficult and convoluted subjects that I've ever encountered," she told me last week. "It's driven by water rights law, it's driven by history, it's driven by environmental concerns, it's driven by politics."
Her efforts to quickly complete a bill were aimed at heading off a draconian Republican measure that would have destroyed environmental protections, but couldn't have passed both chambers on Capitol Hill. "Waiving the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act and denying advanced science ? isn't going to get us anywhere in the Senate," she said.
Yet the conviction was widely shared that Feinstein's negotiations would have benefited a cadre of wealthy growers by allowing federal officials to limit releases of water into the Sacramento Delta designed to promote environmental and clean water goals and preserve the salmon industry, shifting the water to the growers instead.
Democratic members of Congress from Northern California asserted that the proposed measure "would have eviscerated environmental laws protecting fisheries, California watersheds, local water supplies, and tribal and local economies in order to benefit a few powerful Delta water exporters."
Although full details were never released, a coalition of 34 Indian tribes and environmental organizations wrote Feinstein on Nov. 18 that drafts they had seen showed it would benefit mostly "desert agriculture in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley ? not California as a whole."
They're right in pointing the finger at those agricultural users. Almond and pistachio farming in the valley ?including growers affiliated with the giant Westlands Water District and nearby Paramount Farms, owned by Beverly Hills billionaires Stewart and Lynda Resnick ? is a major factor in unbalanced water allocations statewide. These users hold low-priority water rights, but their crops can't survive a break in supply. They spend lavishly to preserve their water; Westlands' lobbying expenses in Washington have run to roughly $600,000 this year and last.
As my colleague Bettina Boxall reported last month, the parched southwestern valley, dependent on imported water, may be the worst place in California to practice this kind of agriculture. But instead of wise agricultural practices, Westlands has substituted legal actions and lobbying for environmental rollbacks.
The Resnicks have leaned on Feinstein to carry their concerns to government environmental officials. In 2009, Stewart Resnick wrote her to accuse the Interior and Commerce departments of using "sloppy science" to impose environmental restrictions on water allocations to growers and other users, and to demand an "independent science review." Possibly aware that the Resnicks had made $500,000 in political donations over the previous four years, mostly to Democrats, Feinstein passed Resnick's letter on to the agencies' secretaries and endorsed his request. (The National Academy of Sciences later determined, alas, that the restrictions were "scientifically justified.")
That's one reason environmental interests were uneasy about any closed-door discussions Feinstein might hold over the very same water allocations. She bristles at the implication: "All sorts of ulterior motives were being assumed," she said, "and it's simply not true."
Instead, Feinstein said she was simply trying to afford water agencies more "flexibility" to shift allocations between environmental requirements and the needs of users in the most drought-stricken parts of the state. "We are on our way to being a desert state," she said, "and we have to find ways of using water more efficiently." That's true, but only by engaging all stakeholders in an open discussion.


Feinstein also pledged that she "won't be a party" to a bill that overturns the Endangered Species Act or the Clean Water Act, or that disregards the biological science underlying environmental allocations. But both those admirable goals were compromised by her attempt to negotiate a deal and present it as a legislative fait accompli. There's no guarantee that a bill that emerges from a Republican Congress even after public hearings will be, as Obegi put it, "less bad." But at least the mechanisms that produce it will be open for all to see.
Michael Hiltzik's column appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Read his blog, the Economy Hub, at latimes.com/business/hiltzik, reach him at mhiltzik at latimes.com, check out facebook.com/hiltzik and follow @hiltzikm on Twitter.
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From t.schlosser at msaj.com  Sat Nov 29 10:44:40 2014
From: t.schlosser at msaj.com (Thomas Schlosser)
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 10:44:40 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Objections to Klamath deal omitted
Message-ID: <547A1418.6080907@msaj.com>


  Objections to Klamath deal omitted?

WaterWatch of Oregon, others want objections included in formal record

By Andrew Clevenger 
<http://www.bendbulletin.com/NewsroomStaffList/?person=53> / The 
Bulletin / @andclev <http://www.twitter.com/andclev>

Published Nov 27, 2014 at 12:03AM

WASHINGTON ? Several Oregon groups that oppose the Klamath Basin deal 
pending in Congress are concerned their objections weren?t considered 
when members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee 
approved the legislation earlier this month.

WaterWatch of Oregon, the Hoopa Valley Tribe and Oregon Wild were not 
invited to testify at a June 3 committee meeting, so the groups 
submitted written testimony for inclusion in the written record of the 
hearing, Jim McCarthy, a spokesman for WaterWatch of Oregon, told The 
Bulletin this week. Their submissions were not included in the written 
record, and the committee voted to approve the bill earlier this month.

?We?re just concerned, and we want to find out, if the committee was 
able to consider all of the submitted testimony before they passed the 
bill on to the full Senate,? he said. ?If they didn?t, that?s a real 
problem and a real mistake by the committee.?

McCarthy said he has been unable to get any answers from members of the 
committee staff.

Requests by The Bulletin for comment from the offices of the Energy and 
Natural Resources Committee and from Sen. Mary Landrieu, the Louisiana 
Democrat who chairs the panel, went unanswered.

Federal legislation is needed to codify the Upper Klamath Basin 
Comprehensive Agreement, an effort to develop a water-sharing plan for 
competing claims on limited water, including those of the Klamath 
Tribes, irrigators and ranchers and environmentalists, who want to see 
more water dedicated to fish and wildlife. The deal was signed in April, 
just more than a year after the Oregon Water Resources Department 
adjudicated the issue following 38 years of litigation.

Under the principle of first in time, first in right, the Klamath Tribes 
were awarded top claim on much of Upper Klamath Lake and portions of its 
tributaries. But should high-priority rights holders exercise a ?call? 
on their water claim during particularly dry years, ranchers and 
irrigators worry they wouldn?t have enough water for their livestock and 
crops.

While most of the participants in the Klamath Basin Task Force, formed 
by Gov. John Kitzhaber, signed off on the deal, WaterWatch, which 
participated in the task force, did not agree to support the deal, 
McCarthy said. While the deal promotes water sharing by some groups, it 
also over-promises on the water available, making massive fish die-offs 
like the one that occurred in 2002 likely in drought years, he said.

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., are co-sponsors of the 
bill formalizing the Klamath deal. As a member of the Energy and Natural 
Resources Committee, Wyden was vocal in urging his colleagues to support 
the bill when it was voted out of committee earlier this month.

Wyden spokesman Keith Chu said Wednesday he didn?t know why the written 
testimony from WaterWatch and others hadn?t been included in the written 
record of the June hearing and referred the matter to the committee. 
Wyden is well-aware of the groups? concerns, Chu said, noting that a 
representative of WaterWatch participated in a hearing on the matter in 
June 2013.

?Senator Wyden?s staff talked to the conservationists who had a 
different point of view a number of times, so it?s not as though their 
view wasn?t heard,? Chu said. ?He respects their view, of course, but 
ultimately the judgment was to move forward due to the wide support in 
the basin.?

Wyden does support having the testimony in the record, and his staff is 
following up with committee staff to see how to make that happen, Chu said.

If the Klamath legislation is not passed before a new Congress is sworn 
in in January, it must be re-introduced and go through the committee 
process again because pending legislation expires at the end of each 
Congress.



Sent from my iPhone
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Nov 30 10:14:00 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 10:14:00 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Dan_Walters_Opinion=3A_California?=
 =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=99s_big_projects_still_face_money_questions?=
Message-ID: <1417371240.40534.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/dan-walters/article4189576.html

Opinion: California?s big projects still face money questions

BY DAN WALTERSDWALTERS at SACBEE.COM
11/29/2014 4:01 PM 11/30/2014 12:01 AM
Jerry Brown occasionally suggests that a bullet-train system and twin water tunnels in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta were born during his first governorship.
The roots of both immense projects are actually further back in history, but their antecedents notwithstanding, Brown wants them as legacies and hopes to begin moving them from concepts to physical reality before ending his final term.
Both the bullet train and the tunnels face daunting political and legal hurdles that must be cleared if Brown is to move some dirt before leaving office. Their major uncertainties, however, remain financial.
The High-Speed Rail Authority has only a fraction of the bullet train?s estimated $68 billion cost in hand and plans to spend much of it to lay a short section of track in the San Joaquin Valley, if legal impediments can be overcome.
Republican control of Congress dooms any hope of additional federal funds, making the project?s future dependent on a big chunk of the state?s ?cap-and-trade? greenhouse gas fees.
The Legislature has approved that allocation, and it could, in theory, be used to service a massive construction loan ? if the fees themselves survive a legal challenge.
The tunnel project is estimated at $25 billion, about a third of which would be spent on environmental mitigation. The remaining $17 billion (in 2012 dollars) would, project planners assume, come from big agricultural and municipal water agencies south of the Delta, which see the tunnels as improving water supply reliability.
A new report prepared for state Treasurer Bill Lockyer projects that repaying construction bonds would cost those downstate agencies the equivalent of several hundred dollars per acre-foot of water, which for some agricultural users would triple current costs.
Lockyer?s consultant says those costs are absorbable, but that?s a financial calculation, not a political one.
Southern California?s huge Metropolitan Water District is already feeling heat from some of its member agencies about paying much more for water they are already buying.
Farmers in the Westlands Water District, the other major water buyer, might be compelled, Lockyer?s report implies, to shift to higher-value crops, such as almonds, to justify their extra water costs. But such crop shifts are expensive and trees cannot be left without water, which makes them even more water-supply-sensitive.
It?s uncertain, therefore, whether Westland?s farmers will truly be willing to pay much more for water whose reliability would be only marginally improved by the tunnels.
Moreover, these calculations also assume that the projects can be built for the estimated costs. And if there?s one thing we know about big public works projects (such as the Bay Bridge), it is that real costs are almost always much higher than estimates.
Call The Bee?s Dan Walters, (916) 321-1195. Back columns, sacbee.com/dan-walters. Follow him on Twitter @WaltersBee.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Dec  3 08:31:48 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2014 08:31:48 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Sewage situation a big mess
Message-ID: <1417624308.46396.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_2d36d8de-7a89-11e4-8b48-f3432ba5632b.html

Sewage situation a big mess
By AMY GITTELSOHN The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, December 3, 2014 6:15 am
Lewiston?s largest provider of sewer services has been put on notice of numerous violations by state water agencies.
Failure to come into compliance could result in large fines or closure of the facility, which is privately run by the Lewiston Park Mutual Water Company.
The company provides water and sewer services to the Lewiston subdivision with 167 connections, five businesses, elementary school, church, veterinary office and an apartment complex. In an Oct. 1 inspection, staff from the State Water Resources Control Board found that the sewer facilities are in bad shape.
The violations put the facility out of compliance with its waste discharge permit from the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.
?This is definitely one of the worst ones we?ve seen,? said Matthew Buffleben, chief of the State Water Resources Control Board?s special investigations unit.
The state inspectors cited problems with the facility ranging from inoperative gate valves and effluent meters, piping with unknown flow directions, no documentation of lining for the sludge drying ponds and lack of procedures for maintaining the facility.
The notice lists 116 monitoring violations from January 2010 to August 2014, including missing, late and incomplete reports, coliform bacteria well over maximum limits in the treated effluent discharged to a subsurface leach field, and missing statements of action to bring the discharge into full compliance.
The three-member board of directors of the Lewiston Park Mutual Water Company is generally in agreement that things are in a mess. The facilities were not made to handle this many connections or last this long, board members say.
The deficiencies recorded by state inspectors go back to 2010. Records prior to 2010 were not readily available, Buffleben said.
?Previous boards can be blamed but really it is the community who failed, including myself, as we did not pay attention to this very important infrastructure,? said Connor Nixon, who was appointed to the company?s board six months ago. The other directors are the board president, Chuck Gaither, appointed in March 2013, and Les Duntsch, appointed in August 2013.
After the death of the longtime plant manager, since the end of 2013 Chris Erikson has volunteered as part-time Grade 1 chief plant operator and Wayne Carlson was hired full time as Grade 1 operator-in-training.
?I think the lack of maintenance and care of the treatment plant has led to really the condition it is in today,? said Buffleben, from the state board. ?There are just so many aspects to it.?
?At this point of the investigation, I believe that it is unlikely that waste from the treatment plant is contaminating water supplies,? he said.
However, he said there is the potential as the plant?s discharge could reach the Trinity River which is a source of drinking water for some. Sludge drying beds can contaminate ground water as well, and ?there?s a concern they?re not properly lined,? he said.
Nixon noted that there was no finding in the state inspection that groundwater or the river are being contaminated. The effluent is carried across the Trinity River by a pipe which inspectors found does not leak and discharged well away from the river, he said.
The underground discharge is approximately 60 to 100 feet from the Trinity River, according to a geologist from the regional water board.
The facilities have been inspected by the regional water board over the years and as recently as October 2013 and April 2014. The problems aren?t recent ?by any means,? Buffleben said. But ?this is really the first time I think we?ve taken the time to really list the violations and properly document them,? he said.
?The state had the responsibility to enforce these citations. They didn?t do it,? Nixon said. ?They say, ?You thumbed your nose. We let you go.??
This investigation came about as a result of a complaint regarding certification of the plant operator, Buffleben said.
Because the sewer plant was reclassified this year from Grade 1 to Grade 2, an operator with Grade 2 certifications is required by the state by March 2015. The company is working on finding a replacement for Erikson with the proper certifications and will have that in place well before the deadline, said Jamie Day, office manager of the company.
Board members noted that for years the plant was operated by a manager with no wastewater certification.
The state board has given the water company until Dec. 19 to respond as to how and when it will address the list of deficiencies. The company has been notified that failure to correct the problems will result in formal enforcement action which can range from hefty state and federal civil fines ? up to $15,000 a day ?  to a cease and desist order.
?We could potentially revoke the permit for the facility itself,? Buffleben said.
The company is also instructed to address whether it intends to form a public entity with the legal authority to perform public works activities, levy taxes and represent property owners. The regional water board has stated its intent that ?such a public entity be named as the discharger as soon as possible.?
?This is serious,? Nixon said, adding that a cease and desist order ?would close down our sewer system and be catastrophic to our community.?
And with about $32,000 in the bank, large fines would wipe out the district in days, he said.
With problems also at its water treatment facilities, board members say new systems are needed to replace those built in the late 1950s for the Trinity and Lewiston dam workers. The facilities were not meant to last this long or serve as many connections as they have, Nixon said, and there have been no new connections in about 10 years.
?The system is 60 years old,? Director Gaither said, adding that when new piping is needed it must be specially made to fit the old parts, and every time one area is fixed another breaks.
Nixon said the way out of this hole is with some grants such as the one the Lewiston Community Services District was able to obtain to replace another aging water system in the community that LCSD took over. Grants like that are not available to the Lewiston Park Mutual Water Company because it was set up as a for-profit, although it certainly doesn?t make money, Nixon said.
Merging with LCSD is the ultimate goal, but the directors of LCSD don?t want to take on the company?s facilities in their current state, Nixon said.
With the guidance of an attorney the company hired, Nixon plans to propose a vote of the shareholders (those owning property in the original subdivision boundaries) seeking new bylaws to change to nonprofit status and include all property owners connected to the system as voting members. The proposed bylaws will be made available to the community, he said.
With nonprofit status, he said, grants can be obtained to upgrade the water system. From there, he said, if members and the LCSD board agree they could merge with LCSD so that sewer grants would be available.
?It?s the only way this community can go,? Nixon said. ?We don?t have the money.?
From the LCSD, board president Mel Deardorff said speaking as one board member at this point the Lewiston Park Mutual Water Company systems have far too many problems for LCSD to take it on.
?It?s not out of the question, but there are bridges that need to be crossed before that happens,? he said. Funding to fix the problems including relocation of a new sewer plant away from the river would have to be identified and assured in advance, he said. ?You?re talking millions.?
The problem does need to be solved, he said.
?I drink the water out of the river and I?m downstream from where their plant is,? Deardorff said, adding that although he treats his drinking water, ?I don?t know if I can treat it enough for that.?
Before the LCSD took over the smaller water and sewer systems formerly run by another entity, the Lewiston Valley Water Company, funding to replace that aging water system was assured, Deardorff noted.
The LCSD has submitted a proposal to the state for a planning grant seeking a solution to the wastewater problems covering the area served by the LCSD and the Lewiston Park Mutual Water Company.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Dec  3 08:51:10 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2014 08:51:10 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal Editorial: Feinstein water bill needs
	consensus, full airing
Message-ID: <1417625470.66078.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/editorials/article_e423bc66-7a88-11e4-b982-cb8c5e17da6a.html
Feinstein water bill needs consensus, full airing
Posted: Wednesday, December 3, 2014 6:15 am
Sen. Dianne Feinstein?s latest efforts to bring about new drought legislation have been postponed until next year. We applaud that delay.
Feinstein, D-Calif., admitted Nov. 20, ?We will be unable to present an agreed-upon proposal before Congress adjourns this year.? Feinstein may or may not have been using the metaphoric ?we,? but it was who was and wasn?t at the table to negotiate the proposed bill that set off alarm bells across California?s vast water community.
Reportedly at the table were Tom Birmingham of the Westlands Water District, Stewart Resnick of Paramount Farms, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Kern County Water Agency. All heavy hitters, all major water recipients. Not at the table were Delta and Northern California legislators, tribes, small family farmers, and fisheries and river advocates.
The controversial negotiations had centered on working out differences with HR 3964, passed by the House in February. That bill seeks to garner more water for San Joaquin Valley agriculture by allowing more pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It?s hard to imagine how that happens without further damaging the Delta or pumping additional water from Northern California reservoirs.
A group of seven Northern California legislators issued a statement following the announced delay: ?We are pleased Senator Feinstein will not be pursuing passage of the water legislation secretly negotiated by her and House Republicans. This legislation would have eviscerated environmental laws protecting fisheries, California watersheds, local water supplies, and tribal and local economies in order to benefit a few powerful Delta water exporters. We applaud the Senator for stepping away from this deeply flawed legislation and realizing that a bill of this magnitude requires public hearings and regular committee process.? We couldn?t agree more.
Feinstein protested this wasn?t ?some kind of secret process.? Which, to a degree, is true as the meetings were hardly a secret. However, it wasn?t an inclusionary process, a process one would expect when dealing with something the magnitude of California water. You can?t have all of the major water recipients at the table without including those who might be impacted.
It is our hope that as Feinstein moves forward she includes those previously left out (ironically, many of which are from her own party). Otherwise, it is simply a water grab, plain and simple. And Northern California watersheds and fisheries will pay the price.
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Dec  3 08:55:47 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2014 08:55:47 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee: House Republicans,
	Costa join for last-ditch shot at California water bill
Message-ID: <1417625747.55536.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

The new bill can be found at: https://www.congress.gov/113/bills/hr5781/BILLS-113hr5781ih.pdf

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/12/02/4266202_house-republicans-costa-join-for.html?rh=1

House Republicans, Costa join for last-ditch shot at California water bill
BY MICHAEL DOYLE
Bee Washington BureauDecember 2, 2014 Updated 13 hours ago

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/12/02/4266202_house-republicans-costa-join-for.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
WASHINGTON ? House Republicans joined by Fresno Democrat Jim Costa late Tuesday started a last-ditch maneuver to pass California water legislation that?s friendly to farmers and frightening to environmentalists.
Acting fast in the dying days of a lame-duck Congress, the seven California lawmakers introduced a new bill that consolidates some ideas they think could pass both Senate and House.
The 28-page bill is cast as a temporary measure, and it omits the water storage project authorizations and some other provisions that had made a previous House bill politically controversial.
?House leadership understands that action needs to be taken before Congress adjourns,? said Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare. ?We are offering a compromise based on the Senate water bill in a further demonstration that a bipartisan majority in the House is both willing and able to act.?
The bill introduced by Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, as the chief sponsor has the strong backing of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, and is effectively guaranteed to pass the Republican-controlled House sometime before the scheduled Dec. 11 congressional adjournment. The bill has the backing of Costa, but is likely to be opposed by most other House Democrats.
In theory, the water bill could pass the House either as a stand-alone bill or as an inclusion into a much larger, must-pass omnibus spending bill needed to keep the federal government operating.
?For the sake of the people of California, we can no longer delay action,? McCarthy said.
The real test for what?s billed as the California Emergency Drought Relief Act will come not in the House but in the Senate, where for months Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein had engaged in closely held negotiations with House Republicans.
Late last month, Feinstein called off the secret talks and said she would try again to pass California water legislation early next Congress through what she described as ?regular order.? On Tuesday night, Feinstein?s spokesman Tom Mentzer said the senator?s office had just received the House bill and was still reviewing it.
Politically, the House bill with its provisions designed to last 18 months puts Feinstein in a potential bind. The specific language in certain cases closely tracks language she?s previously voiced support for, House Republicans say. At the same time, some of Feinstein?s fellow California Democrats have urged her to resist accepting water legislation until more inclusive negotiations can begin next year.
?A bill of this magnitude requires public hearings and regular committee process,? seven House Democrats from Northern California and the Sacramento Valley declared in a joint statement last month.
The new House bill includes language designed to boost water exports south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It mandates ?temporary operational flexibility? for water project operations during early storms, and it spells out assorted protections for Sacramento Valley water users. Much of the language is specific and technical, with the implications not immediately obvious to the lay reader. 
Contact Michael Doyle:  mdoyle at mcclatchydc.com, (202) 383-0006 or  @MichaelDoyle10 on Twitter.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/12/02/4266202_house-republicans-costa-join-for.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Dec  3 10:37:31 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2014 10:37:31 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Agenda - Klamath Basin Chinook Salmon Production
	Model (S3) Worshop Dec 17, 2014
In-Reply-To: <CAKnEnsXMZqyGXgcohjhjjTnH2wamPr9hKFbhk1L_VJLWsCd2Dw@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAKnEnsXMZqyGXgcohjhjjTnH2wamPr9hKFbhk1L_VJLWsCd2Dw@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1417631851.17629.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Wednesday, December 3, 2014 10:16 AM, "Hetrick, Nick" <nick_hetrick at fws.gov> wrote:





We're pleased to share the final agenda for the upcoming 1-day S3 Model workshop scheduled for December 17, 2014 at 9 am at the Hampton Inn in Arcata, CA. If you have questions regarding the workshop, please contact Nicholas Hetrick or Nicholas Som (nicholas_som at fws.gov) with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office. We are strongly encouraging attendance in person due to high anticipated attendance and opportunity to effectively interact with the model developers.  However, a webex and conference line are available upon request.  Looking forward to seeing you all on the 17th.  

Nicholas J. Hetrick     

-- 

Nicholas J. Hetrick
Fish Program Lead
Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office
Arcata, CA 95521
office (707) 822-7201

fax (707) 822-8411
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Dec  3 15:47:26 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2014 15:47:26 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] C-WIN Media Release on HR 5781 (Valadao)
Message-ID: <1417650446.18040.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

November 3, 2014
 
https://www.c-win.org/content/c-win-media-release-valadao-bill-hr-5781-california-drought-relief-act.html

  

For Immediate Release
 
House ?Drought
Relief? Guts Environmental Protections, Does Not Mitigate Drought ?Legislation
Would Drain State Reservoirs for the Benefit of Corporate Farms
 
HR 5781, a bill introduced Tuesday in the House of
Representatives by Congressman David Valadao (R- Hanford), purports to solve
California?s drought-induced water shortages. It will do nothing of the sort.
 
HR 5781 is a wish list dictated by San Joaquin corporate
farmers to the politicians they hold in thrall. It mandates water deliveries to
all Central Valley Project and State Water Project contractors ? regardless of
the water available in storage. This assures ?dead pools? in our reservoirs if
the drought continues, meaning there will be no water available when urban
ratepayers and industry need it most for basic survival.
 
Further, the bill provides for a 30-day federal review of all
projects and operations that ?would
provide additional water supplies.? This could ultimately result in the
fast-track approval of ruinously expensive, environmentally destructive and
ultimately inefficient schemes, including new dams. 
 
Finally, the bill allows for expedited water transfers,
putting the ecological stability of our North State rivers and the reserves of
our aquifers at risk.
 
?This bill will actually perpetuate our drought emergency by
giving away all the water in storage to Big Ag,? said Tom Stokely, water policy
analyst for the California Water Impact Network. ?It will drain Trinity Lake,
depleting the last cold water reserve available for Klamath and Trinity River
salmon and steelhead. We?ll see fish kills that make the great die-off of 2002
look minor by comparison. No matter how you cut it, this bill is an utter
disaster. We?re calling on Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to oppose this
legislation in the Senate. They need to step up and protect California?s water
supplies, urban ratepayers, environment, family farms and fisheries.?  
 
#
 
Contact:  
Tom Stokely
530-926-9727
tstokely at att.net
 
The California Water Impact Network promotes the just and
environmentally sustainable use of California's water, including instream uses,
through research, planning, public education, and litigation.www.c-win.org
 
 
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Dec  3 16:45:53 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2014 16:45:53 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Fw=3A_This_just_in_=E2=80=A6_Northern_Cal?=
 =?utf-8?q?ifornia_Delegation_Statement_on_Flawed=2C_Discriminatory_House_?=
 =?utf-8?q?Republican_Water_Bill?=
In-Reply-To: <88af2b23c65f1c863838dd9a5ee51fcf060.20141204000516@mail93.atl71.mcdlv.net>
References: <88af2b23c65f1c863838dd9a5ee51fcf060.20141204000516@mail93.atl71.mcdlv.net>
Message-ID: <1417653953.46839.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Wednesday, December 3, 2014 4:05 PM, Maven <maven at mavensnotebook.com> wrote:






This just in ? Northern California Delegation Statement on Flawed, Discriminatory House Republican Water Bill  
Breaking News from Maven's Notebook Is this email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser.   
   
Just posted at Maven's Notebook:

This just in ? Northern California Delegation Statement on Flawed, Discriminatory House Republican Water Bill: Members say, ?The drought does not stop at the edge of congressional districts.?    
 follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend   
Copyright ? 2014 Maven's Notebook, All rights reserved. 
You are receiving this email because you opted in at Maven's Notebook. 
Our mailing address is: 

Maven's Notebook
19500 Do Not Mail Street, Santa Clarita, CASanta Clarita, CA 91351
Add us to your address book     
 







This email was sent to tstokely at att.net 
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Dec  5 11:56:46 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2014 11:56:46 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Study: State drought worst in millennium Tree rings
	dating back to 800 A.D. analyzed
In-Reply-To: <CAB6P3=_h8zhYsBcttDPYCTuJr_i3_45F_j0gMxf-z=i8GayQtA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAB6P3=_h8zhYsBcttDPYCTuJr_i3_45F_j0gMxf-z=i8GayQtA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1417809406.830.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_27070897/california-drought-worst-1-200-years-new-study



By Paul Rogers

San Jose Mercury News progers at mercurynews.com 

The last three years of drought
 were the most severe that California  has experienced in at least 1,200
 years, according to a new scientific study published Thursday.

The study provides the state with breathtaking new historical  context 
for its low reservoirs and sinking water tables, even as California 
celebrated its first good soaking of the season.

Analyzing tree rings that dateback to 800 A.D. ? a time when Vikings were marauding Europe and the 
Chinese were inventing gunpowder ? there is no threeyear  period when 
California?s rainfall has been as low and its temperatures as hot as 
they have been from 2012 to 2014, the researchers  found.

?We 
were really surprised. We didn?t expect this,? said one of the study?s 
authors, Daniel Griffin,  an assistant professor in the University of 
Minnesota?s department  of geography, environment and society.

DROUGHTPAGE5 

________________________________


California?s drought-ravaged reservoirs are running so low that state 
water deliveries to some metropolitan areas have all but stopped, and 
cutbacks are forcing growers to fallow fields.


The report, published in the journal of the American  Geophysical 
Union, was written by researchers at Massachusetts? Woods Hole 
Oceanographic Institution  and the University of Minnesota. 

The scientists measured tree rings from 278 blue oaks in central and 
Southern  California. Tree rings show the age of trees, and their width 
shows how wet each year was because trees grow more during wet years. 

The researchers compared  the information to a database of other tree 
ring records from longer-living trees like giant sequoias and 
bristlecone pines, dating  back 1,200 years. 

Meanwhile, the rain that California received this week provided a 
promising start to a winter that water  managers say needs to be 
relentless and drenching to break the drought cycle. 

?It?s a good beginning,? said Art Hinojosa, chief of hydrology at the 
state Department of Water Resources.  ?But we need storm after storm 
after storm if we have any hope of getting  out of the drought this 
year.? 

By April, he said, 
California  needs at least eight more major storm systems like the one 
this week ? as well as many smaller systems  ? to fill its dangerously  
low reservoirs and break the drought. Rain and snow this winter needs to be at least 150 percent of average for the reservoirs to fill, Hinojosa said. 

This week?s storm was the 
biggest to hit California in roughly two years. Many parts of the state 
received between 2 and 4 inches of rain, doubling or tripling their 
totals since July. 

More important, 
several  of the state?s large reservoirs  began to receive moderate 
amounts of runoff,  as the parched ground became saturated. Lake Shasta 
gained about 6,000 acre-feet through midnight Wednesday, and Oroville 
Reservoir in Butte County added 17,000 acre-feet. But that new water 
boosted Shasta?s storage by less than 1 percent, leaving it at only 23 
percent full. It added 3 percent at Oroville, which is now 26 percent 
full, the lowest level in its history for this time of year. 

The Sierra snowpack told a similar story. A week ago, it was at 24 
percent of the average for this time of year. Thursday, after a week of 
snow, it was at 39 percent ? still far below normal. 

But more rain and snow is on the way. 

The Weather Service issued  a report late Thursday  saying that 
because of storms brewing as far away as Hawaii, projections out to Dec. 18 show that ?wetter  than normal conditions are favored.? 

Experts emphasize that a three-year drought cannot be erased in a few 
days. Not only are reservoirs low, but there are huge ?rainfall 
deficits?  built up from the past three years. 

Overall, 94 percent of California remains in ?severe  drought,? 
according to Thursday?s edition of the Federal Drought Monitor, a weekly report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies. 

It was the tree-ring study showing California suffering  its worst 
drought in 1,200 years, however, that received the most attention 
Thursday. 

The researchers took core samples, which don?t harm the living trees, of oaks as old as 500 years and oak logs dating back more than 700 years, the University of 
Minnesota?s Griffin said. And they sanded down the wood with extremely 
finegrain  sandpaper, magnifying  the rings 40 times under  a microscope and measuring  them to within one one-thousandth of a millimeter. 

They then compared the findings to the North American  Drought Atlas, a detailed  collection of other tree-ring data that goes back 1,200 years and includes  measurements from ancient trees such as giant sequoias 
and bristlecone pines. The atlas calculates temperature and rainfall for those years by comparing  the tree rings with tree rings from the past 
100 years, when modern records were kept.  Although there are 37 times 
over the past 1,200 years when there were three-year dry periods in 
California, no period had as little rainfall and as hot of temperatures 
as 2012-14, the scientists concluded. 

With climate change already  warming the earth, the last three years 
in California  could become a more recurring event, they said. 

?This kind of drought is what we expect to see more of in the future,? said Griffin.  ?Maybe the future is now.? Mercury News staff writer David E. Early contributed  to this report. 
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Fri Dec  5 12:22:44 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2014 12:22:44 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Article Submission: House 'Drought Relief' Bill Would
	Eviscerate Environmental Protections
In-Reply-To: <0a2e01d010b1$c087de90$41979bb0$@gmail.com>
References: <0a2e01d010b1$c087de90$41979bb0$@gmail.com>
Message-ID: <E7266633-9D43-47CB-9B3A-D8D0EDF2A06D@fishsniffer.com>






http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/04/1349404/-House-Drought-Relief-Bill-Eviscerates-Environmental-Protections
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/05/18765080.php

House 'Drought Relief' Bill Would Eviscerate Environmental Protections

by Dan Bacher

On December 2, Congressman David G. Valadao (CA-21) introduced  
controversial water legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives  
purported to provide ?short- term relief? from California?s water  
crisis.

?I will not let this year end without exhausting every possible option  
to bring relief to the Central Valley,? Valadao vowed.

However, environmental and fishing groups and Northern California  
Congress Members quickly responded to the measure, slamming the bill  
for being a ?wish list? dictated by San Joaquin Valley corporate  
agribusiness interests "to the politicians they hold in thrall."'

In response, Barbara Boxer late on Wednesday released a statement that  
"this measure could reignite the water wars by overriding critical  
state and federal protections for California," all but ensuring that  
the bill will be die until the Republican-dominated Senate and House  
take over next year.

There is no doubt that Valadao and his fellow San Joaquin Valley  
Congressmen will make the passage of this legislation a priority in  
2015.

Valadao claims H.R. 5781, the California Emergency Drought Relief Act  
of 2014, ?provides eighteen months of relief (two water years) while  
protecting the State Water Project and protecting Northern California  
water rights.?

Rep. Valadao stated, ?This well thought out, common sense legislation  
contains no controversial measures for either Party. Not only will  
this legislation provide a temporary eighteen month solution, it will  
also help ensure negotiations between the Senate and the House  
continue.?

Original cosponsors of the legislation include Reps. David G. Valadao  
(CA-21), Kevin McCarthy (CA-23), Ken Calvert (CA-42), Jim Costa  
(CA-16), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Tom McClintock (CA-04), and Devin Nunes  
(CA-22).

Environmental groups took strong issue with Valadao?s claim that the  
?legislation contains no controversial measures for either party,?  
pointing out that it would eviscerate Endangered Species Act  
protections, overrule the Delta smelt biological opinions and increase  
pumping from the Delta. This would take place at a critical time when  
fisheries desperately need water flows to recover from the drought.

In a statement, the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) said HR  
5781 ?purports to solve California?s drought-induced water shortages,?  
but ?will do nothing of the sort.?

?HR 5781 mandates water deliveries to all Central Valley Project and  
State Water Project contractors ? regardless of the water available in  
storage,? according to C-WIN ?This assures ?dead pools? in our  
reservoirs if the drought continues, meaning there will be no water  
available when urban ratepayers and industry need it most for basic  
survival.?

The group also said the bill provides for a 30-day federal review of  
all projects and operations that ?would provide additional water  
supplies.? This could ultimately result in the fast-track approval of  
ruinously expensive, environmentally destructive and ultimately  
inefficient schemes, including new dams.

Finally, C-WIN blasted the legislation for allowing for expedited  
water transfers, ?putting the ecological stability of our North State  
rivers and the reserves of our aquifers at risk.?

?This bill will actually perpetuate our drought emergency by giving  
away all the water in storage to Big Ag,? said Tom Stokely, water  
policy analyst for the California Water Impact Network. ?It will drain  
Trinity Lake, depleting the last cold water reserve available for  
Klamath and Trinity River salmon and steelhead. We?ll see fish kills  
that make the great die-off of 2002 look minor by comparison."

?No matter how you cut it, this bill is an utter disaster. We?re  
calling on Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to oppose this  
legislation in the Senate. They need to step up and protect  
California?s water supplies, urban ratepayers, environment, family  
farms and fisheries,? Stokely concluded.

For more information about C-WIN, go to http://www.c-win.org/

Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Governor Jerry Brown?s Bay Delta  
Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the salmon-killing peripheral  
tunnels, criticized Representative David Valadao for trying to push  
through a ?drought relief? measure that would allow more water for  
Westlands? and Kern Water Districts? mega-growers in the midst of a  
severe drought.

?Congressman Valadao?s bill is more of the same from this Congress  
that is bent on circumventing state water rights and stopping state  
and federal agencies from determining and implementing safe water  
export levels for San Francisco Bay-Delta fisheries, Delta farms, and  
Delta communities,? said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director  
of Restore the Delta.

?The sponsors of this legislation favor big industrial growers who  
have planted tens of thousands of acres of almonds and other permanent  
crops in the midst of the drought, and those who seek to profit from  
selling water to the detriment of Northern California rivers,  
groundwater supplies, and the Bay-Delta estuary,? added Barrigan- 
Parrilla.

?Members of Congress are manipulating the impacts of drought  
conditions to serve wealthy special interests. They?re framing the  
bill as non-controversial, and bipartisan, but it would smother  
Endangered Species Act protections, overrule the Delta smelt  
biological opinions, and increase pumping from the Delta, when  
fisheries need flows presently to recover from the drought,? she stated.

?These same Congressional Representatives never consider what will be  
the economic impacts on the Bay-Delta economy as water quality and  
fisheries continue to deteriorate from decades of over pumping the  
Delta. They continue to exclude the 4 million residents of the Delta  
region, even though their economic and environmental well-being is  
tied to the health of the region. We are tired of their ongoing  
political assault on our communities,? concluded Barrigan-Parrilla.

The Northern California Congressional Delegation on December 3 issued  
a statement blasting the "flawed, discriminatory House Republican  
water bill." (http://mavensnotebook.com/2014/12/03/this-just-in-northern-california-delegation-statement-on-flawed-discriminatory-house-republican-water-bill-members-the-drought-does-not-stop-at-the-edge-of-congressional-districts/ 
  )

Northern California Representatives Jared Huffman (D-02), George  
Miller (D-11) Mike Thompson (D-05), Doris Matsui (D-06), Jerry  
McNerney (D-09), John Garamendi (D-03), and Ami Bera (D-07) stated:

?With just a few days left in the legislative session, the House plans  
to pass yet another divisive, dishonest, and potentially devastating  
California water bill without any public input or legislative  
oversight. This is unconscionable, and just the latest chapter in  
Republicans? reckless approach to micromanaging the state?s water  
during one of the worst droughts in our history.

?The idea that this bill is a ?compromise? is laughable. It is clear  
that this bill was thrown together without any input from anyone other  
than those who stand to benefit from its passage. This bill was not  
reviewed by the Natural Resources Committee, nor has it received input  
from federal agencies, the state, affected local water agencies, the  
fishing industry, tribes, or communities. Legislation this sweeping  
should be the subject of public hearings and input from all affected  
stakeholders.

?The bill makes it more difficult for state and federal agencies to  
make real-time water decisions, undermines state water rights  
priorities, misstates current law, and explicitly overrides the  
Endangered Species Act. These sweeping changes would place the west  
coast?s environment, tribes, communities, and the fishing industry in  
harm?s way in the next drought year.

?The drought does not stop at the edge of congressional districts, yet  
this bill insulates some parts of the state from the tough water  
decisions that will be made in the next year. We?re all in this  
together, and Congress should not tie water managers? hands nor should  
we address drought conditions in some parts of the state at the  
expense of others.?

You can watch Congressman Jared Huffman speaking on the Delta  
fisheries and northern California water supplies in the hearing on  
H.R. 5781 at: http://bit.ly/1FRsaPL

For more information, go to: http://restorethedelta.org
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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Fri Dec  5 17:43:00 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2014 17:43:00 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Mainstem Trinity River spawn survey update for
	December 1 to 5, 2014
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRvorAn8k_HHio8hoWzkKHf0j6v_+GLeXDuLTNwdx3yw1w@mail.gmail.com>

Hello Trinity River friends

The US Fish and Wildlife Service along with the Yurok Tribe, California
Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Forest Service, and Hoopa Valley Tribe
have another weekly update for our Trinity River mainstem spawn survey
posted on the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Fisheries webpage.
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries

Our crews mapped 187 redds in the Reaches from Lewiston Dam to Pigeon
Point, and Hawkins Bar to Weitchpec. Turbidity was pretty high in the river
downstream of Hawkins Bar, especially downstream of South Fork Trinity
River, so there's a good chance we under-counted there.  The graph below is
clipped from our weekly report (limited to the river upstream of Cedar
Flat).

[image: Inline image 1]

It is good to see the rain even if it does make for challenging survey
conditions.  I hope there's a lot more on the way!


*Did you know*.... salmon run size effects forest growth along salmon
streams?  In previous "*Did you know*" segments from both this year and
last, we touched on the role salmon play in the transport of nutrients from
the ocean to the streams and valleys where salmon return to spawn.  Using
analysis of tree-ring spacing and quantification of marine nitrogen
isotopes in the tissue of tree rings, researchers in Washington and Canada
found relationships between tree-ring growth and known salmon run-size
histories.  The relationships between tree growth and salmon run size were
much stronger than between tree growth and climate.  By using tree-ring
analysis of core samples from old-growth trees, researchers may someday be
able to roughly estimate salmon run sizes from centuries ago.



Drake et al. 2002
<http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/helfiej/publications_pdfs/Drake%20et%20al%202002.pdf>

Post 2008
<http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=407>

Reimchen and Fox 2013
<http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/674/art%253A10.1186%252F1472-6785-13-38.pdf?auth66=1417801455_353f89dcc4b194c26dd31c94b714820b&ext=.pdf>


Reimchen et al. 2002 <http://www.sfu.ca/~ianh/geog315/readings/Reimchen.pdf>




Talk to you next week,
Charlie

Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com  Fri Dec  5 18:52:34 2014
From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher)
Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2014 18:52:34 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Conservation groups call on Feinstein to oppose
	Valadao drought bill
In-Reply-To: <06887fa70084fef8e939fef63120d0c2b69.20141206000034@mail165.atl101.mcdlv.net>
References: <06887fa70084fef8e939fef63120d0c2b69.20141206000034@mail165.atl101.mcdlv.net>
Message-ID: <C0DC92FD-76D8-42E0-B3C6-2F7F0AFAD935@fishsniffer.com>

Good Evening

Here's an update on H.R. 5781.

Thanks

Dan

http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/conservation-groups-call-on-feinstein-to-oppose-valadao-drought-bill/
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/05/1349771/-RTD-calls-on-Senator-Dianne-Feinstein-to-keep-Her-word-on-drought-legislation
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/05/18765098.php

"We urge a no vote on H.R. 5781, to avoid Congress micromanaging water  
usage and allocation in California," EWC Co-Facilitators Conner Everts  
and David Nesmith wrote. "Before allowing disruption of California?s  
150-year old water rights system and major federal environmental  
protection laws, EWC wants Congress to undertake careful deliberation  
over H.R. 5781 by both houses."

ewc-letter-on-h.r.-5871-valadao_1_1.pdf
download PDF (133.4 KB)

Conservation groups call on Feinstein to oppose Valadao drought bill

by Dan Bacher

Restore the Delta (RTD) and a coalition of environmental groups,  
fishing organizations and Indian Tribes today urged Senator Dianne  
Feinstein to keep her word regarding drought legislation and to ensure  
that H.R. 5781, Congressman David Valadao's salmon-killing "drought  
relief" bill, is not converted into language that is added on to other  
pieces of federal legislation in the lame duck session.

?It is our understanding that if H.R. 5781 passes it could jeopardize  
future urban water supplies because reservoirs could be over pumped in  
the present for agricultural water needs,? said Barbara Barrigan- 
Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta. ?Furthermore, by  
bringing this bill to Congress in lame duck session, Congressman David  
Valadao has once again started a secret negotiation process for water  
management in California that excludes 99% of California?s  
population."

?As Representative Louise Slaughter noted in the rules committee  
congressional hearing yesterday, California should work out how to  
manage its own drought,? concluded Barrigan-Parrilla.

Restore the Delta is a member of the Environmental Water Caucus (EWC)  
that sent a letter to Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer  
expressing opposition to H.R. 5781: http://restorethedelta.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/EWC-Letter-on-H.R.-5871-Valadao.pdf

"We urge a no vote on H.R. 5781, to avoid Congress micromanaging water  
usage and allocation in California," EWC Co-Facilitators Conner Everts  
and David Nesmith wrote. "Before allowing disruption of California?s  
150-year old water rights system and major federal environmental  
protection laws, EWC wants Congress to undertake careful deliberation  
over H.R. 5781 by both houses."

"EWC and its member groups urge that Congress devise programs and  
provide funds to relieve real suffering from this drought. Our  
undersigned communities, tribes, and organizations urge you to  
undertake more focused efforts with your legislative colleagues to  
directly relieve the suffering in the San Joaquin Valley. Since 2009,  
the EWC has offered solutions for California as a whole to plan for  
more water, and more ef?cient approaches and methods in times of  
recurrent shortage," they stated.

Everts and Nesmith said they would like to discuss EWC's Responsible  
Exports Plan with the Senators and their staffs at a meeting in San  
Francisco as soon as possible.

EWC?s Responsible Exports Plan is available online at http://www.ewccalifornia.org/reports/responsibleexportsplanmay2013.p 
df

Six fishing groups, including the Golden Gate Fishermen's Association  
(GGFA), Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA),  
Water4Fish, Coastside Fishing Club, San Francisco Crab Boat  
Association and Golden Gate Salmon Association (GGSA), also sent a  
letter to Senators Boxer, Feinstein, Merkley and Wyden today calling  
on her to oppose H.R. 5781.

"On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we write to urge you to  
oppose HR 5781 (Valadao, R-CA), a bill that would dramatically weaken  
protections for salmon and other fish and wildlife in California's Bay- 
Delta estuary and its tributaries," they wrote. "This legislation  
would harm, potentially disastrously, the communities, families and  
thousands of fishing jobs in California and Oregon that depend on the  
health of the Bay-Delta and its salmon runs."

Valadao is trying to ram his dangerous drought bill through Congress  
at a time when Governor Jerry Brown is rushing the construction of the  
peripheral tunnels under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP).

The construction of the giant twin tunnels under the Sacramento-San  
Joaquin River Delta would hasten the extinction of Central Valley  
winter-run Chinook salmon, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and  
other fish species, as well as imperil the salmon and steelhead  
populations on the Trinity and Klamath rivers.

The Environmental Water Caucus includes the following organizations  
and Tribes (http://www.ewccalifornia.org/members/):
AquAlliance
Butte Environmental Council
California Coastkeeper Alliance
California Save Our Streams Council
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance
California Striped Bass Association
California Water Impact Network (C-WIN)
California Water Research Associates
Center for Biological Diversity
Clean Water Action
Citizens Water Watch
Desal Response Group
Environmental Justice Coalition for Water
Environmental Protection Information Center
Environmental Working Group
Earth Law Center
Fish Sniffer Magazine
Foothill Conservancy
Friends of the River
Food & Water Watch
Institute for Fisheries Resources
The Karuk Tribe
Klamath Riverkeeper
North Coast Environmental Center
North Coast Stream Flow Coalition
Northern California Council, Federation of Fly Fishers
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations
Planning & Conservation League
Restore the Delta
Sacramento River Preservation Trust
San Mateo County Democracy for America
Save the American River Association
Sierra Club California
Sierra Nevada Alliance
Southern California Watershed Alliance
The Bay Institute
Winnemem Wintu Tribe
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Dec  8 10:42:42 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2014 10:42:42 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] How California's water rights system makes it tough
	to manage drought
Message-ID: <1418064162.8180.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

>From Maven's Notebook.  The article and audio is linked & below:

	* How California's water rights system makes it tough to manage drought:  ?After three years of historically dry and hot weather, the images of California?s drought have become familiar: empty fields, brown lawns, dry stream beds. But for every one of those scenes, there are other parts of the state where water has been flowing freely and the effects of drought are hard to see.  It?s all tied to California?s system of water rights ? the complex hierarchy that governs who gets water during a drought and who doesn?t. After unprecedented cutbacks this year that left many farmers scrambling for water, some critics say the hierarchy is a historical relic that makes it harder for the state to deal with drought. ... ?  Read more from KQED here: How California?s Water Rights Make It Tough to Manage Drought
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/audio/how-californias-water-rights-make-it-tough-to-manage-drought/
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Dec  8 11:00:01 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2014 11:00:01 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Draft Trinity Mgmt Council Agenda Dec 17-18
Message-ID: <1418065201.71573.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

TRINITY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
Draft Agenda 
December 17-18, 2014
Trinity PUD, December 17
Trinity County Library, December 18
                                                                                                        
 
 
Trinity PUD
 
Wednesday, December 17, 2014 
 
 
Time              Topic, Purpose and/or Decision
to be Made                      Discussion Leader
 
Regular Business:
 
9:00                 Introductions:                                                                        Brian
Person, Chair
 
?  Approval
of Agenda
?  Acknowledgements
? TMC members
 
9:15                 Open Forum:  Comments from the public                            Brian Person
 
9:45                 Report from TMC Chair                                                     Brian
Person
 
?  Federal/Regional  updates 
?  Long Term Flow Augmentation Plan for the Lower
Klamath
?  TRH update 
?  BLM land acquisition  - Trinity River priority
?  Humboldt County Membership Request and TMC
by-laws
?  TAMWG recommendations
      
10:45               Report from TAMWG Chair                                               Tom
Stokely
 
11:15               Implementation Update                                                       TBD                                        
?  Design/Implementation Update for 2015/2016
?  Rehabilitation Project Prioritization Outcome
?  New Design Process
 
 
                        
12:15               Lunch                         
 
 
 
                        Information /
Decision Items:
 
                                                                                    
1:15                 2015
Water Year                                                       Paul
Zedonis
?  Current projections
?  Cold Water Pool Sensitivity Analysis  - Scoping Status
 
1:45                 Compliance
Update                                                  Brandt
Gutermuth
 
 
2:30                 Science Update                                                         Ernie
Clarke
 
?  TRRP Program Workshop 
o   TMC recommendation for next workshop
o   Channel Rehabilitation Workshop report
?  Workgroup Updates
                                                                        
3:30                 Report
from Executive Director                              Robin
Schrock
 
?  Action Tracker
?  2015 Budget
?  Restoration Fund Summary 
?  Watershed 
o   ROD guidance 
o   CVPIA statutory authorization
 
4:45                 Public comments      
 
5:00                 Adjourn
 
 
 
Trinity County Library
 
 
Thursday, December
18, 2014 
 
 
Time               Topic, Purpose and/or Decision to
be Made                      Discussion
Leader
 
Information /
Decision Items:
 
9:30                 Design Team Technical
Memorandum                             TBD
 
10:00               DSS Components Update                                                    TBD                                                                                                                
10:30              Lower Klamath Fish Health Monitoring                          Mike Belchik
 
 
11:00               Public Forum                                                                                          
 
11:30              TMC 2015 meeting dates/locations                                                Brian
Person
 
11:00               Adjourn
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Dec  9 08:51:53 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2014 08:51:53 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Monster storm to hit Northern California
Message-ID: <1418143913.4740.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Monster storm to hit Northern California

Cities, emergency services prepare for heavy rain, fierce wind
BY ED FLETCHER, TONY BIZJAK AND BRAD BRANANEFLETCHER at SACBEE.COM

The wind and rain expected to sweep through Northern California later this week could be the heaviest to hit the Sacramento region in six years, National Weather Service forecasters warned Monday.
?We are expecting some significant impacts to this storm; that is the big message we are trying to get out,? said meteorologist Bill Rasch.
Storm trackers say winds will come first, likely Wednesday night, with gusts in the Valley hitting 60 miles an hour.
?It will be a pretty loud night Wednesday,? Rasch said. The Thursday morning commute, at this point, appears likely to be the trickiest, with high winds and heavy rains hitting simultaneously.
Related

Weather experts say dangerous storm could hit Sacramento by midweek
Ready for the storm: Weather, emergency resources and links
Storm tips: How to prepare, what to do
Rasch said the storm will be similar, but shorter in duration, to a memorable January 2008 wind and rain event that knocked out power to many people, downed trees and caused localized flooding, notably near urban creeks.
The Valley could get up to 3 inches of rain between Wednesday and late Friday or Saturday, Rasch said. Foothill areas could get 5 inches. Weather forecasters warn of ?near whiteout conditions? in the mountains, with heavy, blowing snow expected to total 2 feet at 6,000 feet.
People living in rural and remote areas should prepare for potential power outages that could last more than a day, Rasch said. With the ground already wet from last week?s rain, the combination of wind and rain could uproot trees.
?We surely will see downed trees; it is just a matter of how many,? he said.
The storm is expected to cause localized flooding on streets and along creeks, officials said.
Flooding could be a problem because of drains clogged with leaves, said Steve Cantelme, chief of Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services. That potential problem extends into the city of Sacramento, where leaf piles awaiting pickup by the ?claw? dot the gutters.
Flooding is also expected in parts of Rio Linda and around Dry Creek, he said. Sandbags will be distributed at various locations.
In addition to Sacramento County, El Dorado and Placer counties are also focusing on sandbag supplies, emergency management officials said. Residents can pick up sandbags at some fire stations throughout the region, except in Yolo County, where officials advise residents to buy them.
In Placer County, Dry Creek, Miners Ravine and sections of Granite Bay are the most prone to flooding, said John McEldowney, program manager for Placer County?s Office of Emergency Services. ?We?re planning for the worst and hoping for the best,? he said.
Emergency services officials are also advising the public to prepare. Residents should have fully charged cellphones, blankets, flashlights and a radio available when the storm hits, said Dana Carey of the Yolo County Office of Emergency Services.
They should also make sure storm drains on their streets are free of debris, she said.
City of trees
Rheas Serran, spokeswoman for the city of Sacramento, urged residents to take charge of the storms in their neighborhoods by removing loose leaves ahead of time, then monitoring and clearing stormwater grates during the storm. She said crews will be ready to deal with downed trees or flooding streets.
City crews won?t be accelerating their leaf pickup schedule before the storm but will continue working six days a week to scoop up the 30,000 tons of leaves dropped this time of year.
?We are the city of trees,? Serran said, adding, ?It really doesn?t take too many leaves to clog a grate.?
Power losses from high winds are likely to be the biggest impact from the storm, Cantelme said. Various county departments will help with debris and downed power lines so the Sacramento Municipal Utility District can work on restoring power, he said.
Utility provider Pacific Gas and Electric is preparing, said Brandi Ehlers, a spokeswoman for the utility. Company forecasters are predicting a Category 3 storm over much of their territory, which covers a vast stretch of Northern California. While the utility typically sees a Category 3 storm once or twice a season, it?s more unusual to have such a wide area with a Category 3 predicted.
Stung by major freeway flooding during a smaller storm last week, California Department of Transportation officials say they sent maintenance crews out most of the day Monday to sweep debris from the Capital City Freeway between Cal Expo and Interstate 80. Crews have also been on the freeway checking pumps and clearing drains.
?We had others crews scouting for troubled areas and filling potholes,? spokeswoman Deanna Shoopman said. ?The big thing is keeping debris out of drains, in the valley and up on the hill.?
California Highway Patrol spokesmanChad Hertzell says drivers should fill cars with gas before the storm hits and check windshield wipers. The biggest concern, he said, is that some motorists will stall their engines trying to drive through deep water. ?We may not be able to get to every flooded (roadway section) to block it off,? he said. ?You might be stalled permanently, and it might take a while for tow truck to arrive.?
?The problem last week, drivers (who stalled) couldn?t even put their car in neutral to push the car. They were just dead in the water.?
Mudslides a concern
In the area recently scorched by the King fire, U.S. Department of Forestry officials warn that the heavy rains could trigger mudslides.
Of the 97,717 acres burned in the September wildfire, 1,200 acres most at risk of erosion were earmarked for aerial mulching. But rain forced work on the mulching to stop when it was just 25 percent done, said Jennifer Chapman, spokeswoman for the Eldorado National Forest.
Forest officials have now focused their attention on improving roadway drainage to prevent roads from being washed away. ?We plan for heavy rains ? but this event really exceeds what the plan was considering,? Chapman said.
Weather service officials predict above-average precipitation over the next three months in Northern California, a welcome respite from the drought. It is far too early, however, to know whether the winter will bring enough rain and particularly snow to replenish parched reservoirs.
?The projection is also hinting at above normal temperatures, which suggests snow (elevations) would be higher than normal,? said Eric Kurth, weather service meteorologist. ?Without a broad snowpack, supplying our reservoir needs into the summer isn?t helped as much.?
Daily highs are expected to be in the mid- to low 60s on Wednesday and Thursday, but below 60 degrees on Friday.
Last year, a persistent ridge of pressure pushed Pacific storms north to Canada and Alaska through much of the winter, Kurth said. That ridge has disappeared this year, Kurth said, creating the conditions for a more normal winter. ?This year, we have nothing to block the storms from coming through. There are more storms on the way. This is more typical.?
This week?s storm ? described as an intense and quick-moving ?subtropical atmospheric river? ? should be in and out of the area by Friday afternoon. It is expected to hit heavily on the coast, dropping up to 5 inches of rain. The northern Bay Area could see a half-foot of rain.
Call The Bee?s Ed Fletcher, (916) 321-1269. Follow him on Twitter @NewsFletch.


Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article4369058.html#storylink=cpy
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Dec  9 12:13:33 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2014 12:13:33 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Fw=3A_This_just_in_=E2=80=A6_House_Passes?=
 =?utf-8?q?_Valadao_Emergency_Water_Legislation?=
In-Reply-To: <88af2b23c65f1c863838dd9a5ee51fcf060.20141209200414@mail99.atl31.mcdlv.net>
References: <88af2b23c65f1c863838dd9a5ee51fcf060.20141209200414@mail99.atl31.mcdlv.net>
Message-ID: <1418156013.94240.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Tuesday, December 9, 2014 12:04 PM, Maven <maven at mavensnotebook.com> wrote:






This just in ? House Passes Valadao Emergency Water Legislation  
Breaking News from Maven's Notebook Is this email not displaying correctly?
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Just posted at Maven's Notebook:

This just in ? House Passes Valadao Emergency Water Legislation    
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Dec  9 12:14:28 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2014 12:14:28 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Fw=3A_This_just_in_=E2=80=A6_The_Brown_Ad?=
 =?utf-8?q?ministration_opposes_HR_5781?=
In-Reply-To: <88af2b23c65f1c863838dd9a5ee51fcf060.20141209182851@mail75.atl111.rsgsv.net>
References: <88af2b23c65f1c863838dd9a5ee51fcf060.20141209182851@mail75.atl111.rsgsv.net>
Message-ID: <1418156068.52546.YahooMailNeo@web120306.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Tuesday, December 9, 2014 10:31 AM, Maven <maven at mavensnotebook.com> wrote:






This just in ? The Brown Administration opposes HR 5781  
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This just in ? The Brown Administration opposes HR 5781    
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Tue Dec  9 18:35:17 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 02:35:17 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping Summary JWeek 47
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C4B646C@057-SN2MPN1-041.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Hi All,
Please see attachment for the Jweek 47 update to the Trinity River trapping summary.  The update shows the numbers of fish processed at the Trinity River Hatchery for Jweek 46 and most of Jweek 47 (Nov 12-24).  The Willow Creek weir has not trapped fish since the last update and has been removed from the river due to high flows.
Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From sari at sisqtel.net  Thu Dec 11 09:32:36 2014
From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom)
Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 09:32:36 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] UCD Blog: New environmentalism needed for California
	water
Message-ID: <006101d01568$7505c980$5f115c80$@sisqtel.net>

 
<http://californiawaterblog.com/2014/12/09/new-environmentalism-needed-for-c
alifornia-water-2/> New environmentalism needed for California water

Posted on
<http://californiawaterblog.com/2014/12/09/new-environmentalism-needed-for-c
alifornia-water-2/> December 9, 2014 by
<http://californiawaterblog.com/author/californiawaterblog/> UC Davis Center
for Watershed Sciences 

 <http://californiawaterblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/lariver.jpg>
http://californiawaterblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/lariver.jpg?w=640&h=2
46

The city of Los Angeles' revitalization of the Los Angeles River exemplifies
"new environmentalism, which reconciles human activities to better support
and expand habitat for native species. Images show the river today (left),
looking north above 1st Street downtown, and an illustration of the same
view with public access and habitat for fish and wildlife. Source:
<http://www.lariver.org/beforeandafter.htm> Los Angeles River Revitalization
Master Plan 

By Jay Lund

California needs a new environmentalism to set a more effective and
sustainable green bar for the nation and even the world.

For decades, we have taken a "just say no" approach to stop, prevent or
blunt human encroachments onto the natural world - often rightly so. Early
environmentalism needed lines in the sand against rampant development and
reckless industrialization and achieved widespread success. Our air and
water is now cleaner even with population and economic growth. Industry, for
the most part, is now accountable for its wastes.

Yet, despite these important gains, the classical environmentalism of "no"
will ultimately fail. We must shift to "how better?"

Despite decades of earnest efforts and expenditures, human influence on the
natural environment continues to grow, albeit at a slower rate. Native
species continue to become endangered. Tens of thousands of inadequately
tested chemicals still remain in use. Carbon exhausts keep accumulating and
warming the planet. Our imprint on nature is subtler but more pervasive and
difficult to stymie than we had ever imagined.

In the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta,
<http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/other/708EHR_appendixD.pdf>  more than 90
percent of plants and animals don't belong there naturally. They have
profoundly changed food webs and habitats, mostly to the detriment of native
species. Invasive non-native species have been introduced for fishing or
escaped from ship ballast water, anglers' bait buckets or home aquariums.
Such environmental changes are not subject to review, and answer to no
court.

Classical environmentalism is mostly about stopping new harmful human
influences, not reversing the harmful effects of past changes or shaping a
more environmentally friendly future. Environmentalism has not substantially
reversed the widespread urban and agricultural destruction of wetlands or
freed rivers from the concrete and rock that straightened their course.

A new environmentalism is needed that can redirect and reconcile human
activities to better support and even expand habitat for native species.
Rather than insist on blocking human use to protect nature - a largely
quixotic quest now - environmental reconciliation works in and with
unavoidably human habitats.

 
<https://californiawaterblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/lariver_poster.jpg>
Source: City of Los Angeles

 <http://www.lariver.org/Media/LARiverPoster/index.htm> Source: City of Los
Angeles

A vivid example of this integration is the
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd7u5T_tDhQ&w=560&h=315%5d> planned
rejuvenation of the Los Angeles River. Deadly floods in the 1930s led the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to straighten and pave nearly all 52 miles of
the river channel in concrete. In recent years, however, a grassroots
campaign to transform the giant, trash-strewn storm drain into something
resembling a river has gained political traction. Illustrations in the
city's  <http://www.lariver.org/Projects/MasterPlan/index.htm> river
revitalization plan show a natural and human-made hybrid. Flood protection
would be maintained, but tons of concrete would be replaced with terraced
tree-lined banks and wetlands that link bikeways, parks and neighborhoods.
The goal is not so much to restore the river but to reintroduce nature to
residents of a harshly unnatural environment.

More recently, in the Sacramento Valley, a consortium of private landowners,
conservation groups, government agencies and researchers with the UC Davis
Center for Watershed Sciences is working to help struggling salmon
populations in mutually beneficial ways.
<http://californiawaterblog.com/2014/12/02/reconciling-fish-and-fowl-with-fl
oods-and-farming-2/> The group is investigating how the Yolo Bypass, long
used for flood control and farming, could also be managed as a seasonal
wetland for fish and water birds.
<http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10493> Recent studies
indicate the floodway would make a productive salmon nursery at relatively
little cost to farmers. Test fish planted on inundated rice fields grew
phenomenally faster and fatter than those left to mature in the Sacramento
River, earning them the name "floodplain fatties."

 <http://californiawaterblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/knaggsteam1.jpg>
knaggsteam

Scientists flooded and stocked thousands of baby salmon on a rice field in
the Yolo Bypass in February 2013. Historically, river flooding gave salmon
access to much of the Sacramento Valley. Photo by Carson Jeffres

Environmentalism with the more positive and proactive direction of
reconciliation has potential to create new habitat for native species,
rather than maintaining unsustainable remnants on hospice at great expense.

 
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/01/opinion/how-to-mend-the-conservation-divi
de.html?_r=0> New environmentalism is about diverse interests working
together to create more promising environmental solutions. In contrast, the
politics and finance of classical environmentalism often require casting
others as villains. Some environmental assaults demand a call to arms. But
the public has grown weary of confrontation and standoff, such as the
decades of stalemate over the Delta. The resulting inaction has cost both
the environment and the economy. Earthquakes, floods, and sea level rise
will act to transform parts of the Delta into open water - risking water
supplies for millions of acres of farmland and millions of Southern
Californians. So far, governing institutions have been unable to lead in
responding to inevitable environmental change.

Classical environmental thinking pervades environmental regulation often to
the point of impeding environmental progress. Regulatory agencies cannot
agree on environmentally beneficial changes unless proposals are almost
entirely without negative environmental impacts, often perpetuating an
environmentally inferior status quo.

As most ecologists and even politicians now recognize, nature and human
activities cannot be kept strictly apart. They must largely be reconciled
and even integrated. To be sure, some habitat should remain off-limits. But
classical environmentalism alone can only lead to increasingly expensive
environmental decline and public derision.

To succeed, environmentalism must move from the era of "no" to an era of
"how better."

Jay R. Lund is director of  the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. This
commentary originally appeared in The Sacramento Bee on June 30, 2013.

Further reading

Boxall, B. Oct. 25, 2013. "
<http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-salmon-yolo-floodplain-
20131025-story.html#axzz2iy3nj100> Can the Yolo Bypass floodplain be managed
to nurture salmon?" Los Angeles Times

Leslie, J. Dec. 6, 2014. "
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/07/opinion/sunday/los-angeles-city-of-water.
html> Los Angeles, City of Water". The New York Times

Marris, E. 2011.
<https://www.sciencenews.org/article/book-review-rambunctious-garden-saving-
nature-post-wild-world-emma-marris> Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a
Post-Wild World. Bloomsbury, New York

Marris, E. and Aplet, G. Oct. 31, 2014. "
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/01/opinion/how-to-mend-the-conservation-divi
de.html?_r=0> How to mend the conservation divide." The New York Times 

Moyle, P. and W. A. Bennett. 2008. "
<http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/other/708EHR_appendixD.pdf> The future of
the Delta ecosystem and its fish." Technical Appendix D, Comparing Futures
for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. San Francisco: Public Policy Institute
of California

Suddeth, R. Dec. 2, 2014. "
<http://californiawaterblog.com/2014/12/02/reconciling-fish-and-fowl-with-fl
oods-and-farming-2/> Reconciling fish and fowl with floods and farming".
California WaterBlog

 

 

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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Dec 11 11:34:22 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 11:34:22 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] E&E Daily: Lawmakers behind emergency bill soaked up
	campaign money from water company
Message-ID: <1418326462.73138.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

E&E Daily
DROUGHT:
Lawmakers behind emergency bill soaked up campaign money from water company 
Anne C. Mulkern, E&E reporter
Published: Thursday, December 11, 2014 
House members backing emergency California drought legislation that just cleared the chamber have collected a steady stream of campaign contributions from a company seen as a leading beneficiary of the measure.
People tied to Westlands Water District, a wholesaler supplying irrigation water to farms on about 600,000 arid acres in the Golden State's San Joaquin Valley, in the last two election cycles have given nearly $103,000 to five House members behind H.R. 5781, according to an E&E Daily analysis of records from the Center for Responsive Politics.
The money went to the re-election efforts of bill sponsor Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) and to co-sponsors Tom McClintock, Devin Nunes and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, all of whom are California Republicans, and Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.). The contributions came from Westlands employees and its company board members -- including the board president and vice president -- along with their family members and business partners.
Westlands-connected people also gave money to a political action committee, California Westside Farmers, which in turn contributed to the same House member campaigns.
The five lawmakers received a total $60,000 from the PAC from 2011 through this year. The committee takes in contributions from other farming interests beyond Westlands. People linked to the company gave nearly $54,000 to the PAC in the last two cycles. The campaign contributions came as Westlands spent $1.2 million on lobbying in 2013 and 2014, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
"They're giving to members of the House and Senate who they think will carry their water for them ... members that tend to do what the donors ask of them," said Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, an alliance of 14 fishing organizations along the California coast that opposes H.R. 5781.
Westlands, Grader said, is "probably the big beneficiary" of Valadao's bill. "This water bill, it's not about drinking water quality" or getting water to poor communities that lack supplies. "This is on behalf of the real big growers who stand to make a lot of money," he said.
Thomas Birmingham, general manager for Westlands, said that the company does not make direct political contributions.
"I do not know whether its employees have made contributions, and if so to whom," he said. Birmingham did not address the issue of board member contributions.
"The California Westside Farmers political action committee does make contributions to candidates at the local, state and national level, generally to candidates who support policies that will help sustain irrigated agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley," he said. "Contributions have been made to candidates from virtually every region of the country on both sides of the aisle."
The drought legislation passed the House on Tuesday, 230-182, though it is unlikely to get a vote in the Senate before Congress' expected adjournment this week. Valadao has said the bill is "aimed at providing short-term relief from California's water crisis."
The bill would allow increased pumping of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. That would mean more allocations for companies, including Westlands, that have low priority in the state's water-rights law hierarchy. That system prioritizes those that were first in line with privileges preceding 1914. Westlands is a junior rights holder behind those people.
The company is seen as a potential winner if the bill passes because it's one of the biggest water wholesalers. Its clients, which include pistachio and almond growers, operate in a typically dry region and need to buy imported water.
Westlands also been the most aggressive, Grader said, in pursuing "every bit of water they can get." The company also has been on the forefront of fighting to have the state's water laws changed, he said.
Birmingham has previously said that Westlands is one of 29 Central Valley Project water service contractors that potentially would benefit from the legislation. Agencies that receive water from the State Water Project also would be helped, he said (E&E Daily, Dec. 3).
Fishermen groups and environmental organizations oppose the bill because the pumping would threaten fish, including the fall run chinook salmon, Grader said. That would hurt local fishing and "communities it supports up and down the coast," he said.
Democrat leads in money received
Of the bill sponsor and co-sponsors, Democrat Costa, who represents parts of Fresno and Merced, has received the most money from Westlands and the PAC. He took in $44,000 from people affiliated with Westlands and $15,000 from the committee.
Costa in an email said that the legislation "benefits multiple water agencies on the east side and west side of the San Joaquin Valley, including the water agencies within the 16th district of California that I represent."
"It's important to note that the primary beneficiary of this legislation is not a water agency, it's the people who do not have the access to water that drives the economy of the San Joaquin Valley," Costa said. "There are homes in the Valley that don't have water coming out of the tap as a result of the loss of surface water supplies.
"If this legislation were to become law, it would allow water districts that would currently receive no water to possibly get some water during significant rainstorms, providing it does not result in additional adverse effects on endangered species," he added.
Valadao in the last two cycles received $32,449 from those linked to Westlands. He also was a top recipient of the California Westside Farmers PAC's money, winning $20,000 total. Valadao's office did not respond to requests for comment.
McCarthy received $10,000 total from the PAC, as well as $9,500 directly from Westlands' people.
"To even suggest Congressman McCarthy's policy positions are influenced by anything other than the best interests of the constituents of California's 23rd congressional district is insulting and false," Matt Sparks, McCarthy's press secretary, said in an email. "California is facing the worst drought in 1,200 years and the House of Representatives has been steadfast in its efforts to achieve a solution to this water crisis that has led to barren fields, drastic water shortages, and high unemployment throughout the Valley."
Nunes took in $15,100 from people with Westlands ties and $5,000 from the PAC.
"Fighting to deliver water to Central Valley farms and families that have been decimated by decades of leftist water policies is not a conflict of interest -- it's called representative government," Jack Langer, Nunes' director of communications, said in an email. "If you want to speculate on who is buying influence, you should look at the enormous sums of money that radical environmental groups have contributed to Democrats who have opposed all attempts to resolve the water crisis."
California Westside Farmers gave McClintock $10,000 in the most recent campaign cycle. He received another $2,000 from Westlands' employees. McClintock's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Rep. Doug La Malfa (R-Calif.), another co-sponsor of the bill, received $2,500 from the PAC in 2014. He did not receive money from people tied to Westlands.
"Not only do I not know who has or hasn't supported his campaign efforts, we are working in what we believe to be the best interest of our communities" and will do so regardless of campaign contributions, said Kevin Eastman, La Malfa's water policy staffer. "Any insinuation otherwise is off-base."
Green group gives to Democrats
Several of the lawmaker aides noted that environmental opponents of water law reforms also give campaign contributions. The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations does not make political contributions. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which has spoken out against the Valadao measure, gave $124,250 total in the 2014 cycle and $213,606 in 2012 -- but wasn't especially active in California.
Top NRDC recipients this year included the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Two years ago, the top recipients were President Obama's re-election campaign and the DNC Services Corp., part of the Democratic National Committee. NRDC advocates on a swath of green issues beyond water.
Defenders of Wildlife, which also has criticized the bill, gave $15,800 total in 2014 and $234,350 in 2012. Top allocations this cycle were $7,500 to the Senate campaign of Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.); $1,250 to Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), who lost his re-election bid; and $1,000 each to the failed Senate campaign of Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) and nonprofit executive Michelle Nunn (D), who unsuccessfully ran for a Senate seat in Georgia.
Westlands workers, board members and their affiliates have provided campaign money beyond those with their names on the drought bill. In the 2012 and 2014 cycles, they also gave to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) and Rep. Mike Simpson, (R-Idaho), chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies. Westlands' people contributed $7,500 to the National Republican Congressional Committee, $4,800 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and $2,500 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Feinstein received $17,500 in the last two cycles from those tied to Westlands, plus $10,000 from the California Westside Farmers PAC. She had been the Senate's lead negotiator on trying to reach agreement with the House on California drought legislation, but canceled talks just before the Thanksgiving recess amid criticisms about a closed-door process that left House Democrats and environmental groups in the dark (E&E Daily, Dec. 3).
Feinstein's office declined to comment on the contributions. She has said that she has concerns about the House legislation.
"There are parts of the House bill introduced last week that I support, including provisions from legislation unanimously passed by the Senate in May and other provisions that were agreed upon over the past few months through bipartisan negotiation," Feinstein said in a statement. "But there are several other provisions that would waive environmental protections that need to be changed before I could support them. I have said all along that I will not support a bill that would waive these protections, and that remains true today."
Grader said that Feinstein is in a different situation from the House members on the bill because she receives campaign contributions from all over the state, including from a large number of environmental donors.
"She's not as willing to waive all of the environmental laws," Grader said. "Her staff flatly told me, the Endangered Species Act -- we're not going to do anything to override it."
Twitter: @annecmulkern | Email: amulkern at eenews.net
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Dec 12 07:54:19 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 07:54:19 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Final TMC Agenda Dec 17-18
Message-ID: <1418399659.54537.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Please note there are different call in/Webex for each day.

http://odp.trrp.net/Data/Meetings/AttachmentDetails.aspx?attachment=554&meeting=1498

TRINITY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
Final Draft Agenda 
December 17-18, 2014
Trinity PUD, December 17
Trinity County Library, December 18
                                                                                                        
 
 
Trinity PUD, 26 Ponderosa Ln, Weaverville, CA
96093, (530) 623-5536
 
Wednesday, December 17, 2014 
 
 
Time              Topic, Purpose and/or Decision
to be Made                      Discussion Leader
 
Regular Business:
 
9:00                 Introductions:                                                                        Brian
Person, Chair
 
?  Approval
of Agenda
?  Acknowledgements
? TMC members
 
9:15                 Open Forum:  Comments from the public                            Brian Person
 
9:45                 Report from TMC Chair                                                     Brian
Person
 
?  Federal/Regional  updates 
?  Long Term Flow Augmentation Plan for the Lower
Klamath
?  TRH update 
?  BLM land acquisition  - Trinity River priority
?  Humboldt County Membership Request and TMC
by-laws
?  TAMWG recommendations
o   Communications Process
      
10:45               Report from TAMWG Chair                                               Tom
Stokely
 
11:15               Implementation Update                                                       TBD                                        
?  Design/Implementation Update for 2015/2016
?  Rehabilitation Project Prioritization Outcome
?  New Design Process
 
 
                        
12:15               Lunch                         
 
 
 
                        Information /
Decision Items:
 
                                                                                    
1:15                 2015
Water Year                                                       Paul
Zedonis
?  Current projections
?  Cold Water Pool Sensitivity Analysis  - Scoping Status
 
1:45                 Compliance
Update                                                  Brandt
Gutermuth
 
 
2:30                 Science Update                                                         Ernie
Clarke
 
?  TRRP Program Workshop 
o   TMC recommendation for next workshop
o   Channel Rehabilitation Workshop report
?  Workgroup Updates
                                                                        
3:30                 Report
from Executive Director                              Robin
Schrock
 
?  Action Tracker
?  2015 Budget
?  Restoration Fund Summary 
?  Watershed 
o   ROD guidance 
o   CVPIA statutory authorization
 
4:45                 Public comments      
 
5:00                 Adjourn
 
 
  
 
Join WebEx meeting 
https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=m139cc19e47049a0ffdfcd675392d49b2
Meeting number: 579 623 550 
Meeting password: Abc123 
 
  
 
Join by phone 
1-408-792-6300 Call-in toll number (US/Canada) 
Access code: 579 623 550 
 
 
 
Trinity County Library, 351 N Main St,
Weaverville, CA 96093, (530) 623-1373
 
 
Thursday, December
18, 2014 
 
 
Time               Topic, Purpose and/or Decision to
be Made                      Discussion
Leader
 
Information /
Decision Items:
 
9:30                 Design Team Technical
Memorandum                             TBD
 
10:00               DSS Components Update                                                    TBD                                                                                                                
10:30              Lower Klamath Fish Health
Monitoring                          Mike
Belchik
 
 
11:00               Public Forum                                                                                          
 
11:30              TMC 2015 meeting dates/locations                                                Brian
Person
 
11:00               Adjourn
 
 
  
 
Join WebEx meeting 
https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=med478fd1600d6d5ad3b643e24ce8c7b4
Meeting number: 577 742 836 
Meeting password: Abc123 
 
  
 
Join by phone 
1-408-792-6300 Call-in toll number (US/Canada) 
Access code: 577 742 836 
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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Fri Dec 12 16:08:34 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 16:08:34 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Mainstem Trinity River spawn survey update for
	December 8 to 10, 2014
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRtXQXxwo5KXTMKT8zCJ8Sot0vVvp3XTLNd=2_NJVouWxA@mail.gmail.com>

Hi all,
It's been a great week for rain!  Salmon spawning activity in the mainstem
Trinity River upstream of Burnt Ranch Gorge is winding down.  Our guys
mapped 44 redds this week from Lewiston Dam to Steelbridge, Douglas City to
Round House, and Big Bar to Cedar Flat.  Water was too turbid to survey
Steelbridge to Round House.  We're gonna try for one more look next week,
but there's more weather on the way and visibility might limit us again.

Our full weekly report is posted at the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office
Fisheries web site <http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries>.  The graph below
is clipped from our weekly report (limited to the river upstream of Cedar
Flat).

[image: Inline image 1]

*Did you know*.... warm Kodiak summers influence the utilization of salmon by
brown bear?  Salmon runs in Kodiak usually peak in early to mid-summer and
brown bear turn out in number to fatten up on them.  Elderberry typically
ripens when the salmon runs have died down and the bears begin to move to
the elderberry patches in late August.  In 2014 however, the elderberries
ripened during the salmon run due to an early and warm spring.  Few bears
capitalized on the salmon, choosing instead to feast on the berries!
http://www.fws.gov/FieldNotes/regmap.cfm?arskey=35482&callingKey=state&callingValue=AK%5C



Talk to you next week,
Charlie

Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Dec 17 09:50:44 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 09:50:44 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] NCRWQCB Notices on permit renewal for Gravel
	Placement and Hamillton Ponds
Message-ID: <1418838644.29059.YahooMailNeo@web120305.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Comments are due 21 days after Dec 12 to the NCRWQCB.

http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/northcoast/public_notices/water_quality_certification/pdf/2014/141212_TRRP_Finesediment_PN.pdf
 
http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/northcoast/public_notices/water_quality_certification/pdf/2014/141212_TRRP_Coursesediment_PN.pdf
 
 
Tom Stokely
Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact
California Water Impact Network
V/FAX 530-926-9727
Cell 530-524-0315
tstokely at att.net
http://www.c-win.org
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From charles_chamberlain at fws.gov  Mon Dec 22 12:14:58 2014
From: charles_chamberlain at fws.gov (Chamberlain, Charles)
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 12:14:58 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Mainstem Trinity River spawn survey update for
 December 15 to 19, 2014 - last one!
Message-ID: <CAH5QrRs8ZLG=ixGbruyuvR0QKf=DHwvWNwrkj6_+c56TDqi-2w@mail.gmail.com>

Fans of the Trinity River,

The US Fish and Wildlife Service along with the Yurok Tribe, California
Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Forest Service, and Hoopa Valley Tribe
have just posted the last weekly update of our 2014 Trinity River mainstem
spawn survey.  It's available on the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Fisheries
webpage.
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries

High turbid water kept us off the River downstream of Hawkins Bar where we
would likely have seen many fresh Chinook Salmon redds.  Our survey was
limited to the River from Lewiston Dam to Round House.  Only 8 new redds
were mapped, all upstream of Rush Creek. The graph below is clipped from
our weekly report (limited to the river upstream of Cedar Flat).

[image: Inline image 1]



Do you feel it yet?  For the first time in a long time, today is longer
than yesterday.:)  I spent yesterday's winter solstice with visiting family
in Redwood National and State Parks viewing big Redwoods and Roosevelt Elk.
We tried to get to Gold Bluff Beach where you can often see elk right on
the beach, but Prairie Creek was flowing out of its banks and blocked the
access road.  That was great to see after such a long dry spell!


*Did you know*....  floods are extremely important for the health of a river
and the fish it supports?  Flooding increases food production for
salmonids, scours holes and redistributes gravels, knocks large trees into
the river where they become excellent fish habitat, loosens gravels that
can otherwise become locked with embedded finer grained sediment, deposits
fine material on floodplains where it contributes to successful riparian
establishment, initiates establishment of seedling trees, expands available
habitat to rearing salmonids, and much more.  In the absence of floods and
flow variability after construction of Trinity Dam, the Trinity River's
riparian corridor shrank to the narrow low water margin essentially
"locking" it in place.  Once confined between the narrow bands of riparian,
the formerly complex channel became greatly simplified.  One of the tools
available to the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) to reinitiate
channel complexity is flow variability.  Delivering pre-dam sized floods is
not possible.  For example, the outlet capacity of Lewiston Dam is MUCH
lower than the nearly 24,000 cfs that would have been experienced at
Lewiston during recent rains on December 11 of this year (when flow at
Lewiston was 300 cfs).  Even so, flows are much more variable now than they
were between construction of the Dam in the early 60's and establishment of
the TRRP in 2000.  We may be able better mimic 'mini' floods in the future,
induce greater desirable variability, and make significant gains in habitat
availability by closer timing of releases with tributary input.



>From here out, the survey partners and I will be working to QA/QC this
year's data, estimate proportions of Chinook, Coho, hatchery, and natural
origin spawning by space and time from our carcass data, and generate a
summary report.  I'll announce that when it's available.


Thank you to Nick Van Vleet, Aaron David, and Katrina Wright for
contributing to the "Did you know" segments this year!

Thanks for tuning in this season. I hope you all enjoy a great Christmas
and 2015.  Happy holidays!
Charlie

Charles Chamberlain
Supervisory Fish Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries
(707) 825-5110
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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Dec 23 22:59:23 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 22:59:23 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Federal appeals court backs protections for
	endangered salmon
In-Reply-To: <99B548FF-B52E-4F1C-84A7-EF68991CDE33@fishsniffer.com>
References: <6E3C71C5-710C-46C4-A272-93A37EE8C46A@gmail.com>
	<FDAE95C6-D2E7-4365-A2C2-FEC561A80B79@gmail.com>
	<CABL7cR5mKQ56CvzWmo0xGH9NmV_OzMXKVrd9K-TDtTNmofv2Rg@mail.gmail.com>
	<AB6BCB69-698E-4F7C-B3C6-E6D56959AA90@gmail.com>
	<F125E682-75A1-48FC-9D2F-5B116CEE97E6@gmail.com>
	<39572B25-13B1-4861-BCB7-43D1EE395F99@gmail.com>
	<B8B13C56-8988-480D-BFCC-002222749AB9@gmail.com>
	<DFCE531E-84F2-4894-8109-7751F46E4381@gmail.com>
	<99B548FF-B52E-4F1C-84A7-EF68991CDE33@fishsniffer.com>
Message-ID: <1419404363.49413.YahooMailNeo@web120301.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Tuesday, December 23, 2014 8:23 PM, Dan Bacher <Danielbacher at fishsniffer.com> wrote:


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/23/1353793/-Federal-appeals-court-backs-pumping-restrictions-protecting-salmon 
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/23/18765963.php
>
>This aerial photo shows the Tracy Fish Collection Facility (TFCF) on the South Delta. Photo by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Sacramento.

delta-salvage-facilities_...


Federal appeals court backs protections for endangered salmon 

by Dan Bacher 

On December 22, a federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled that a 2009 ?biological opinion? that protects the habitat of endangered salmon in the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers from increased water exports to San Joaquin Valley agribusiness and Southern California water agencies would stand in its entirety. 

The decision by the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit preserves "science-based guidelines" for managing water flows through the San Francisco Bay-Delta at levels that protect imperiled fish and orcas and help to restore the Delta ecosystem, according to a statement from Earthjustice. 

A three-judge panel ruled in favor of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in appealing a lower court?s decision that would have invalidated several of the water pumping limits and other protections established under the biological opinion. 

Judge Richard Tallman, who wrote the decision, said the panel agreed that the federal scientists "used the best scientific data available, even if that science was not always perfect." 

Tallman wrote,"Specifically, the panel found that: (1) the Service acted within its substantial discretion when it used raw salvage data instead of data scaled to fish population to set flows in the Old and Middle Rivers; (2) the Service?s jeopardy opinion components were not arbitrary and capricious as they pertained to the winter-run Chinook, the Southern Resident orca, the steelhead critical habitat, and the impact of indirect mortality factors on the listed species; and (3) the Biological Opinion?s challenged reasonable and prudent alternative actions were not arbitrary and capricious." 

The legal opinion is available at: http://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/167%20Salmon%20BiOp%20Opinion.pdf 

Earthjustice and the Natural Resources Defense Council represented the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Sacramento River Preservation Trust, San Francisco Baykeeper, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, Northern California Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers, Friends of the River, California Trout and Bay Institute as defendant intervenors. 

Earthjustice said the ruling reinforces landmark federal management plans for the Central Valley Project and State Water Project that protect the watershed?s imperiled fish and their critical habitat. The Plaintiffs, including the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority and the Westlands Water District, sought to invalidate the 2009 biological opinion. 

Other plaintiffs in the case include the Stockton East Water District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Oakdale Irrigation District, South San Joaquin Water District, Kern County Water Agency, Coalition for a Sustainable Delta, an "Astroturf" group set up by Stewart Resnick of Paramount Farms, and the State Water Contactors. 

The invalidation of the opinion would have dramatically increased exports of water from the Bay Delta, eviscerating protections for Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, the southern distinct population segment of north American green sturgeon, and southern resident killer whales, all species protected under the federal Endangered Species Act, according to Earthjustice. 

The southern resident killer whales are imperiled by declines in Central Valley salmon, since salmon are one of their major sources of forage. 

?The effect of California?s drought cannot be blamed on these protected fish and mammals," said Stacey Geis, Earthjustice managing attorney. "It was good to see the Ninth Circuit recognize that science not politics should guide our management of water flows." 

"Siphoning more water out of the Bay-Delta to industrial scale farms in the semi-arid southern parts of the state would only doom the health of the Bay-Delta and the complex web of life it supports. The salmon biological opinion is a keystone element of the effort to restore the Bay-Delta to health and to keep California?s commercial and recreational fishing industries from collapsing. Today?s decision will keep those flows in place and protect the Delta," Geis concluded. 

Bob Muir, spokesman for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), said, "The decision is not surprising, since it was similar to the recent Delta smelt decision, and the Delta smelt case set the bar. We have petitioned the US. Supreme Court to hear the Delta smelt case." 

I am very glad that the court upheld protections for Central Valley salmon and steelhead, green sturgeon and southern resident killer whales, especially after Hal Bonslett, the late publisher of the Fish Sniffer magazine, and I played a key role in getting winter-run Chinook salmon listed under the state and federal Endangered Species Acts. We spent many hours in the late 1980s going to Fish and Game Commission and other meetings and writing articles supporting the listing at a time than many recreational and commercial fishing groups did not back listing the fish, fearing that it would result in inevitable fishing restrictions. 

Hal and I argued, along with the leaders of the Sacramento River Preservation Trust, Tehama Flyfishers and other grassroots groups, that the winter-run Chinook population was so low - down to 200 fish at one point - that dramatic, drastic action had to be taken to save the fish from going over the abyss of extinction. 

Although the winter run hasn't recovered to historical levels like we hoped it would, due to constant attacks by the Westlands Water District and corporate agribusiness interests, the ESA listing by the state and federal governments did prevent the winter run Chinook from becoming extinct. 

I remember one Department of Fish and Game official at the time claiming the population level of winter run Chinook was "stable" when in fact the population had declined to the lowest level ever recorded. Fortunately, a brave federal scientist exposed the DFG's claim to be completely false. 

Tunnel plan and Shasta dam raise threaten salmon and steelhead 

While this court decision is a victory, Central Valley winter Chinook salmon and other fish species are threatened with extinction by Governor Jerry Brown's Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the peripheral tunnels. The construction of the massive tunnels would hasten the extinction of Central Valley salmon, Delta and longfin smelt and green sturgeon, as well as imperiling the salmon and steelhead populations of the Trinity and Klamath rivers. 

In addition, the Obama administration continues to fast-track a plan to raise Shasta Dam that also threatens winter-run Chinook salmon, steelhead and green sturgeon.The plan is opposed by the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, who held a war dance against the dam raise in September, along with other Tribes, fishing groups and enviromental organizations. Instead of raising the dam, the Bureau of Reclamation should be working with the Winnemem Wintu to bring back the native run of McCloud River winter-run Chinook salmon from New Zealand to be reintroduced to the fish's native spawning grounds above Shasta Reservoir. 

For more information, go to: http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/26256-winnemem-wintu-war-dancers-shasta-dam-a-weapon-of-mass-destruction 

The BDCP and Shasta Dam raise proposal are not the only challenges that winter run Chinooks and other Central Valley salmon populations face in their battle for survival. Many endangered Sacramento River winter run-Chinook salmon are currently taking a wrong turn into a drainage ditch in the Yolo Bypass ? a mistake that eliminates their chance of spawning and endangers future generations. 

Over 60 adult salmon were found dead recently in a drainage canal in the Yolo Bypass. The dead salmon, weighing between 5 and 30 pounds, were scattered along the banks and in the water. The cause of death was not immediately known, but the adult salmon were lost in a drainage system guaranteed to block their successful reproduction. 

According to Severn Williams of Public Good PR, "Keeping the salmon on course would require a low-cost, easy engineering fix on the part of the California Department of Water Resources and the Federal Bureau of Reclamation, but these public agencies are dragging their feet, and more fish are lost each day. If DWR and BOR act soon with a simple fix, this endangered species could have a greater chance of recovery in the years to come." (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/22/1353591/-Endangered-salmon-die-in-drainage-canal-in-Sutter-Bypass) 
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Dec 27 19:18:50 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 19:18:50 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] NY Times: Water Source for Almonds in California May
	Run Dry
Message-ID: <1419736730.12606.YahooMailNeo@web120304.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/28/us/water-source-for-almonds-in-california-may-run-dry.html

New York Times
U.S.
Water Source for Almonds in California May Run Dry
By FELICITY BARRINGERDEC. 27, 2014
SACRAMENTO ? California?s almond orchards have been thriving over the past decade and now provide an $11 billion annual boost to the state economy. Covering 860,000 acres, they account for 80 percent of world production. But the growth coincides with another record development here ? drought ? and the extensive water needs of nut trees are posing a sharp challenge to state water policy.
Farmers in the area where almond production has been most consistent have relied on water from a federally controlled project that draws its supply largely from the Sacramento River. But that source is less reliable because of legal requirements that in a time of scarcity, waterways that nurture California salmon must also get needed water flows.
Some wealthy growers tried to get Congress to change those rules but failed. Also, new state groundwater legislation may eventually constrain farmers? well drilling.
Almonds ?have totally changed the game of water in California,? said Antonio Rossmann, a Berkeley lawyer specializing in water issues. ?It?s hardened demand in the Central Valley.?
Farmers are planting almonds because, as permanent crops, they do not need to be replanted after every harvest. They have been steadily taking over from cotton and lettuce because they are more lucrative. ?That?s the highest and best use of the land,? said Ryan Metzler, 45, who grows almonds near Fresno.
The problem is that not only do almonds and pistachios, another newly popular nut, need more water, but the farmers choosing permanent crops cannot fallow them in a dry year without losing years of investment.
Now the state is putting new controls on the groundwater that has gotten many farmers through the brutal drought ? which still looms over the state, despite recent rains ? and there is no certainty that the future of almond and pistachio orchards in areas like the western San Joaquin Valley is secure.
So almond growers are determined to be granted the water they need to keep their crops from dying, particularly in the Westlands Water District in the San Joaquin Valley, where 15 percent of the fields are covered with almond trees, up from 5 percent about 15 years ago. They chafe at the rise in the 1990s of environmental restrictions designed to help the survival of salmon species threatened by two generations of water diversions.
?We?ve had 20 years of a regulatory approach that has not improved the fishery,? said Jason Peltier, the chief deputy general manager of the Westlands Water District, which serves some of the richest growers in the state. ?The reality is that their regulatory methods have failed on every measure? of the health of salmon species. His hope for the next Congress is that ?they will take a look at the social and economic damage that the regulatory environment has created out here.?
The assertion that environmental laws hurt farmers and farm laborers has proliferated during three years of searing drought, when federal water allocations were almost completely cut off. The claims infuriate opponents who feel that satisfying Westlands? demands would hurt other more valid claimants.
?They are hurting other farmers, people, communities and industries,? said Representative Jared Huffman, a Democrat whose district along the north coast includes many fishing interests. ?There are big-time winners and big-time losers here.?
The proposals in the failed legislation ? which was sponsored by Representative David Valadao, Republican of Hanford, in the southern San Joaquin Valley agricultural heartland ? ?would upend a whole number of laws? and long-established priority rights to surface water, said Kate Poole, a water expert with the Natural Resources Defense Council.
She added, ?We have clearly exceeded the ability of our water supplies ? including surface and groundwater ? to meet the demands we?re putting on it. We have to change, stretching how much we can get out of each drop through expanded urban and agricultural efficiency.? But, she said, ?the Republicans in Congress seem to want to go in the other direction and upend the centuries-old priorities and give water to more politically powerful wealthy interests.?
Almonds are thriving not just in the western San Joaquin Valley, but across the state. Dino Giacomazzi, a fourth-generation dairy farmer in Hanford, is changing the makeup of his land. About 40 percent of his 1,000 acres ? currently used for pasture or for alfalfa and other crops to feed cows ? are being converted to almond fields.
Almond trees are far more difficult to plant than field crops like hay ? ?It takes 40 guys a day to do 20-40 acres,? as opposed to one man plus a tractor to plant 100 acres of hay ? but the diversity of agricultural efforts will make his business more secure, he believes. ?The trees and dairy can support each other at different times.?
A new almond farmer to the north is Shane Tucker, who is 54 and started out in the business of financing agricultural enterprises. Then, with an eye to raising his young children in the country, he decided to start farming in Davis in Yolo County.
He started with walnuts. About five years ago, he figured that water constraints would limit almond expansion in the drier San Joaquin Valley, and ?prices were going to go up.? Northern almond growers, he believed, would have a leg up. He planted almonds in 2013; he expects his first crop next year.
Mr. Tucker predicted that ?irrigated surface water is going to become less available? in areas south of the delta that lie just east of San Francisco Bay. ?The economic impact on almonds is going to be significant,? he added.
Growers in the drier parts of the San Joaquin Valley are served either by federal or state water projects that date to the mid-20th century. The drought forced these project managers to make draconian cutbacks in 2013 and 2014, prompting anger among all growers, particularly the new almond and pistachio barons.
?They do believe it?s their right to have access to water,? said Mr. Tucker. ?Yeah, they are angry. Potentially their livelihoods are threatened.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Dec 29 12:11:34 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 12:11:34 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] LA Times: Sen. Dianne Feinstein's role as water
	referee is complicated by drought
Message-ID: <1419883894.26382.YahooMailNeo@web120303.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-feinstein-water-20141227-story.html#page=1

Sen. Dianne Feinstein's role as water referee is complicated by drought
By EVAN HALPERcontact the reporter
	* Nation 
	* Environmental Science
	* Dianne Feinstein 
	* Environmental Issues 
	* Elections
	* Politics and Government 
	* Droughts and Heat Waves
Fights over California's water have left Sen. Dianne Feinstein bruised, especially in recent weeks
Can Sen. Feinstein keep a balance between agricultural, environmental interests when it comes to Calif. water?The long-range weather forecast is the biggest wild card in the battle over every available bucket of water in drought-stricken California ? but a close second may be Dianne Feinstein.
In a dispute in which positions have hardened after years of fighting, the state's senior U.S. senator, who is expected to broker any deal that reallocates water supply, is one of the few remaining enigmas. The only thing consistent about Feinstein's role as water referee is that the fights have left bruises on the exacting and thick-skinned senator over the years. The last few weeks have been particularly rough.
A year that started with Central Valley figures branding her a radical environmentalist and Bay Area dilettante ended with accusations from once-friendly colleagues and liberal editorial boards that the 22-year veteran of the Senate was shilling for Big Agriculture.

For months, Feinstein had tried to craft a compromise drought relief bill by negotiating a water deal behind closed doors with the state's major agricultural interests. Late in Congress' lame-duck session, those talks collapsed. No legislation got passed.
Yet Feinstein is eager to get back in the ring as soon as Congress picks up again in January.
"We can't wait for more rain, we need to be able to do more with what we have," she said in an email.
Even when Republicans take over the Senate next year, Feinstein will probably remain the chamber's arbiter of California water. Long-standing tradition in the Senate is not to mess with water policy in a state without the support of at least one of its senators.
As she gears back up, one key factor will be Feinstein's ability ? and willingness ? to maintain a careful balance between agriculture and the state's numerous and vocal environmental activists.

California drought weakens, forecasters have 'cautious optimism' for futureSEE ALL RELATED
8
Over the years, Feinstein has mastered an ability to stay on good terms with both groups. She has a nearly perfect legislative score card from the League of Conservation Voters, balanced by radiant endorsements from the Western Growers Assn.
The senator's deep connection with agricultural leaders, who traditionally lean Republican, has long had advantages. They dominate politics in key inland regions and have helped her coast to reelection over and again. By contrast, Western Growers has worked aggressively ? albeit unsuccessfully ? to unseat California's other senator, Democrat Barbara Boxer.
In addition to having relationships on both sides, Feinstein knows the details of water policy like no other elected official in Washington. She has presided over most significant California water negotiations in Congress for years, aggressively boring into the minutiae that other lawmakers eagerly shove off to staff.She [Feinstein] understands water as well as anyone in Congress. I would be surprised if she did not have a major hand in anything that was approved there.- Al Montna, Yuba City rice farmer
"She understands water as well as anyone in Congress," said Al Montna, a Yuba City rice farmer who has helped negotiate California water policy for years. "I would be surprised if she did not have a major hand in anything that was approved there."
Lately, though, even with Feinstein's mastery of the details, those relationships have proven tougher to calibrate. As the amount of water available diminishes, so does her ability to make everyone at the negotiating table happy.
Environmentalists and many House Democrats were irked this year that Feinstein tried to privately reach a deal with growers without their input. It didn't help that she had declared earlier in the process that environmental groups had never been useful in developing good water policy. Advocates, who produced news releases in which Feinstein had praised them for their involvement in innovative water compromises, professed bafflement at her comments.cComments
	* Please add to the list of those deeply disappointed in Senator Feinstein's "secret" negotiations, all of us who live, work and recreate in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It does not require "environmental" credentials to see the Senator is favoring large campaign...
ROGENE REYNOLDS
AT 12:31 PM DECEMBER 28, 2014ADD A COMMENTSEE ALL COMMENTS
60
"Sen. Feinstein legitimately views herself as looking out for the broader interests of California on these issues," said Rep. Jared Huffman of San Rafael, one of several Bay Area Democrats who worked to scuttle the deal the senator was trying to cobble together. "She just happens to define those broader interests in a way that I think is too weighted in favor of some very powerful folks in the San Joaquin Valley."
A growing number of environmental groups and their allies in the House take the view that Congress should simply stay out of the state's water allocation issues. They worry that any increase in pumping leaves the fragile ecosystem of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta vulnerable to collapse and feel they have the support they need in the courts and the Legislature to enforce a solution that would not involve diverting additional water to large Central Valley farms.

Focusing on the effects of California's persistent drought
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times
A translucent freshwater bryozoa is illuminated by the rising sun on the receding banks of Folsom Lake, which was 35% of capacity as of Sept. 30. One of the lake's five boat ramps remains in operation and boaters are restricted to 5 mph.CAPTION
On Assignment: Focusing on the effects of California's persistent drought
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times
The effects of California's ongoing drought are evident at Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet as shells, once under water, lie in the soil of recently exposed banks.CAPTION
On Assignment: Focusing on the effects of California's persistent drought
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times
Severe drought conditions reveal more than 600 empty docks sitting on dry, cracked dirt at Folsom Lake Marina, which is one of the largest inland marinas in California.CAPTION
On Assignment: Focusing on the effects of California's persistent drought
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times
Patterns are created and reflected from water receding on the bed of Folsom Lake. As the state ends the fourth-driest water year on record with no guarantee of significant rain and snow this winter, Californians face the prospect of stricter rationing and meager irrigation deliveries.CAPTION
On Assignment: Focusing on the effects of California's persistent drought
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times
Extremely low levels of water flowing through meandering streams of the east fork of the San Gabriel River in the Angeles National Forest show the effects of the prolonged drought. The water flows into the San Gabriel Dam and the Morris Dam, further downstream.
That resistance to a federal solution led to Feinstein's cutting the environmental groups out of her negotiations. But the groups proved a more troublesome foil than anticipated, using social media and the 24-hour news cycle to ambush the senator as she tried to bring her negotiations with growers to a close.
"Things played out very differently this year than they had in the past," said Doug Obegi, an attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The last time Feinstein insisted on diverting more water to growers over the objections of environmentalists, "she locked everyone in the room, which she is famous for, and we were successful at convincing her we could reach a compromise," he said. "We never got that call this year."
Tension with environmentalists is not new for Feinstein. The latest dispute has the groups dusting off their list of grievances. It is long.
High on the list is the 2009 crusade Feinstein launched on behalf of Stewart Resnick, a billionaire from Beverly Hills and friend of Feinstein who presides over a vast agricultural empire. Resnick complained to Feinstein in a letter that restrictions on pumping water to Central Valley farms were based on "sloppy science." Feinstein took up his cause, demanding that the Obama administration launch a new study.
Some $750,000 was spent studying the issue anew. Researchers concluded, again, that the restrictions were warranted. Other fights involved a water-storage plan on the Merced River and an oyster farm that Feinstein defended despite its being within part of the Point Reyes National Seashore that the Obama administration wants to designate a national wilderness.
Even after Feinstein agreed to stop negotiating water deals in secret this year, environmental groups tracked her every move until Congress adjourned. They feared she might sneak something they would find egregious into the massive 11th-hour federal spending package. And they bristle at her assurances that she's got their backs.
The senator is undeterred ? and still seeking to balance the two sides.
"I believe we can and must provide more operational flexibility in California's water system," she wrote, adding, however, that the state can "move water without waiving environmental laws."
evan.halper at latimes.com
Twitter:@evanhalper
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From Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov  Tue Dec 30 11:55:23 2014
From: Steve.Cannata at wildlife.ca.gov (Cannata, Steve@Wildlife)
Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 19:55:23 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Trapping summary update Jweek 51
Message-ID: <80DEC27EBD72E1499BC575089F328C570C4C4FF7@057-SN2MPN1-043.057d.mgd.msft.net>

Holiday Season Greetings

Please see attachment for the latest Trinity River trapping summary update. The update shows numbers of fish processed at the hatchery during Jweeks 48 to 51.

Happy New Year,
Steve

Steve Cannata
Environmental Scientist
Trinity River Project
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
5341 Ericson Way
Arcata, CA  95521
(707) 822-4230
steve.cannata at wildlife.ca.gov

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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Dec 31 19:33:21 2014
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 19:33:21 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Lower Klamath Long-Term Plan Rollout - By
	Electronic Mail Only
In-Reply-To: <CAAivp--5tm+x33NAvVMxa2rAnwZTM+PdRk1ZNuR-GhfvZ8ZptA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAAivp--5tm+x33NAvVMxa2rAnwZTM+PdRk1ZNuR-GhfvZ8ZptA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1420083201.14852.YahooMailNeo@web120302.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

On Wednesday, December 31, 2014 4:40 PM, "Murillo, David" <dmurillo at usbr.gov> wrote:






Dear Tribes and Stakeholders:

Attached for your review is a draft of
Reclamation's Long Term Plan for Protecting Late Summer Adult Salmon in the
Lower Klamath River. This draft plan for fish protection will serve as general
guidance for considering and possibly undertaking actions to protect adult
salmon in the lower Klamath River.

Since the significant die-off of adult salmon
returning to the lower Klamath River in 2002, Reclamation has been consulting
with tribes and other partners to implement protective actions to help prevent
a recurrence. While other means have been researched and considered, the
primary protective action thus far has been the release of additional water
from Trinity Reservoir to augment flows in the lower Klamath River during the
adult return period, generally extending from mid-August through late
September. In 2012 through 2014, augmentation release volumes totaled
approximately 39,000 acre-feet (a-f), 17,500 a-f, and 64,000 a-f, respectively. 

During many subsequent discussions with
stakeholders, Reclamation pledged that we would develop a long-term plan for
fish protection. We committed to releasing a draft of this plan by year's end.
Our staff has been working diligently to meet this goal, and we look forward to
your comments. Please submit them by January 31, 2015, to Public Affairs
Officer Erin Curtis via email at eccurtis at usbr.govor by regular mail at 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825. You
may direct questions to Ms. Curtis at 916-978-5101. 

Reclamation will carefully review all comments
and revise the draft as appropriate before releasing a final version of the
plan in the spring of 2015 so as to inform our protective actions, if any,
during the coming salmonid return season. 
We anticipate that the plan may be revised periodically as more is
learned about disease propagation and various preventative measures.
 
Sincerely,
 
David Murillo
Regional Director
 
 




Thanks
David G. Murillo
Bureau Of Reclamation

Mid Pacific Regional Director
Office  # 916-978-5000
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