From tstokely at att.net  Mon Jan  3 10:03:49 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2022 18:03:49 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] NCRP Request for Qualifications
References: <727422793.895734.1641233029109.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <727422793.895734.1641233029109@mail.yahoo.com>

 From: North Coast Resource Partnership <kgaffney at westcoastwatershed.com>To: "tstokely at att.net" <tstokely at att.net>Sent: Monday, January 3, 2022, 08:47:30 AM PSTSubject: NCRP Request for Qualifications
   Seeking RFQs from qualified consultants  
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NCRP Request for Qualifications

The North Coast Resource Partnership (NCRP) is issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to identify consultants to provide an array of technical services for the North Coast Region, including providing content and review for North Coast planning documents, research, data development, spatial analysis and mapping, project identification, development, evaluation and enhancement, regulatory and permitting assistance, as well as technical support for project sponsors. 

Proposal Packet

All proposals will include a Cover Page along with Specific Proposal Requirements as described in the NCRP Request for Qualifications.

Delivery of Proposals

Proposals should be emailed to Karen Gaffney at kgaffney at westcoastwatershed.com.
The deadline for submission of proposals is 5:00 p.m. on January 31, 2022.

For more information:

Questions may be directed to Karen Gaffney kgaffney at westcoastwatershed.com? or 707.583.6757 until January 26, 2022
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|  Copyright ? 2021 North Coast Resource Partnership. All rights reserved.


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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Jan  7 13:17:35 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2022 21:17:35 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2021/22 Trinity River Project trapping summary
	through Julian week 1
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB5795AA4EB720227BE4C6BC1FBA4D9@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 1 (Jan 7).

I hope the new year is starting off well for you all.
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm currently teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.


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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Mon Jan 24 16:24:52 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2022 00:24:52 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2020/21 Trinity River Project trapping summary
	through Julian week 2
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB57955AFA10FA1BE648723F74BA5F9@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 2 (Jan 14) for Trinity River Hatchery.
We've had some crew out which is why this is lagging.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Cheers!
MC
******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm currently teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.


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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Jan 27 10:46:22 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2022 18:46:22 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2021/22 Trinity River Project trapping summary
	through Julian week 3
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB5795FE6674A4F3F9B592A7CFBA219@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 3 (Jan 21) for the Trinity River Hatchery.
Enjoy the sun, while we wait for rain and snow...
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm currently teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.


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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Mon Feb  7 15:47:37 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2022 23:47:37 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2021/22 Trinity River Project trapping summary
	through Julian week 4
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB57952718A77E37DA74BFC59DBA2C9@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 4 for Trinity River Hatchery.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm currently teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.


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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Feb  9 17:10:38 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2022 01:10:38 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Headed to dead pool?
References: <581501065.106942.1644455439143.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <581501065.106942.1644455439143@mail.yahoo.com>

Also attached is a blog by Doug Obegi of NRDC explaining the senior water contracts mentioned in the article below.
TS

Headed to dead pool?

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Headed to dead pool?

Tony Reed The Trinity Journal

While one will likely find thousands of search results using the term Deadpool, the vast majority will have litt...
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Headed to dead pool?

After a wet start to winter, a dry start to the new year has many worried
   
   - By Tony Reed The Trinity Journal
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   - 10 hrs ago
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   - ?0
   
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   - Email
1?of 4
A makeshift road had to be constructed to get down to the lowering water level at the Trinity Alps Marina on Trinity Lake.
   
   - Tony Reed | The Trinity Journal

The Trinity Alps Marina near the Trinity Dam, with the lake level more than 140 feet from the crest.
   
   - Tony Reed | The Trinity Journal

Michael Novak measures snow pack in the Trinity Alps last month.
   
   - Josh Smith | Special to the Trinity Journal
   
   -    


While one will likely find thousands of search results using the term Deadpool, the vast majority will have little to do with Trinity County, the Trinity River or Trinity Lake. The one that will matter is this definition commonly used in water management; Deadpool:?the point at which a dam no longer has enough water to generate hydroelectricity. Some water experts are predicting that unless the county receives significant rain and/or snow soon, that could happen in Trinity Lake this year.

Tom Stokely, water policy director with the California Water Impact Network, says there is a possibility that Trinity and Shasta lakes may be drained to the point of Deadpool this summer and the reason would be overallocation. He cited a study in 2014 by the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences that determined the state has allocated more water than it has to give.

?This assessment indicates that water allocated through the state appropriate water rights system exceeds overall mean water supplies by approximately five times,? the 2014 study reads. ?Our findings also highlight river basins where significant over-allocation of surface water supplies is likely to lead to conflicts among water users, particularly during periods of water scarcity when insufficient water is available to satisfy all face-value water right demands.?

Stokely said additional contracts bump the allocations up to seven times the supply, and that no matter how much it rains, those claims can never be met.

Stokely said that while those contracts are based on water availability, the contracted beneficiaries tend to act as if the water allocation amounts were guaranteed regardless.

Referring to contract allocations as ?paper water,? Stokely said the release of such allocations will keep Trinity Lake from ever filling completely.

He added that deals were signed before the dam was built, and that water was already being diverted from the river before the Bureau of Reclamation was formed.

?When the Bureau of Reclamation applied for permits, they protested and got a sweet contract saying that if Shasta Lake has an inflow amount, they get 100 percent of the contracted amount,? he said, ?and if it falls below 3.2 million acre-feet, they still get 75 percent (of the contracted amount).? He said even 75 percent is a ?huge amount of water.?

The full study can be found at?https://watershed.ucdavis.edu/files/content/news/WaterRights_UCDavis_study.pdf.

Temperature control

Should Stokely?s prediction come true, the county would face impacts to much more than just recreation.

Agriculture is not the only life supported by Trinity County water since there is much life in the water itself. River water has to be a certain temperature in order for salmon to survive, according to the Trinity River Restoration Program website. Stokely said that while 600,000 acre-feet is allocated for the Trinity River Record of Decision to keep water cool, a National Marine Fisheries Service requirement allows for that allocation to be cut further. He said 600,000 acre-feet is not adequate to protect fish, and in fact, problems start to occur when the amount goes below 750,000 acre-feet. Stokely said the result of under allocating water for temperature control could mean ?a lot of dead fish.? He said even if the Bureau of Reclamation were to cut off flows to the Sacramento River, the river would still be quite warm and waters would also warm up near Lewiston.

?We?re in a world of hurt unless we get some kind of miracle,? he said.

He said there has been litigation and a new plan is being developed but it?s questionable whether the bureau will give priority to the fish or the water contracts. Stokely was not optimistic for the fish.

Snow on the horizon

While a glance at the mountains seems to indicate that snow is disappearing from the peaks daily, a recent Trinity Alps snowpack survey by the Watershed Research and Training Center shows interesting results.

?The snowpack is unique right now,? according to an email from Joshua Smith of the WRTC. ?It isn?t a ton of snow (or water content), but it does seem to be an extremely solid and durable base above 6,000 feet that will likely accumulate snow on top of it fast if we ever get some precipitation again.?

At Red Rock Mountain on Jan. 29, snow was 39 inches deep with a snow/ water equivalent of 15 percent, meaning 10 inches of snow would melt into 1.5 inches of water.

Measured on Jan. 30, the snow at Bear Basin measured 30.5 inches with a snow/ water equivalent of 11.5 percent.

Shimmy Lake showed the highest readings of 40.5 inches with a snow/water equivalent of 15.5 percent.

At this time last April, those measurements were 65 inches, 57 inches, and 60.5 inches, respectively. Historically, peak heights are observed in April. The immediate forecast from the National Weather Service shows no chance of rain into the coming weekend.

Predictions to date from the California Nevada River Forecast Center show lake levels continuing to drop since the last rain/snow event in early January. The average lake level is about 1.1 million acre-feet of water and the current level is much lower at 839,000 acre-feet as of Feb. 4. The record low for the lake was 326,000 acre-feet in 2021, according to CNRFC.

Around the region, similar alarms are sounding. According to a release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, snowpack surveys showed promise during last month?s storms, but the snowpack in Klamath National Forest has since languished below the long-term seasonal average because of warmer weather.

?According to measurements taken for the February survey, the snowpack is at 62% of the historic average snow height (snow depth) and at 58% of the historic average Snow Water Equivalent (SWE, a measure of water content) across all survey points,? the USDA report states. ?Historically, snowpack reaches its annual maximum by late-March/early-April.?

Officials at the Bureau of Reclamation are expecting the latest snow surveys next week. Elizabeth Hadley, deputy area manager for the Northern California BOR office, said those numbers are used to determine the water forecasts for area reservoirs, agriculture, hydropower and stream flows. She predicted that with the lack of rain in recent weeks, those forecasts will be dramatically different from last month?s.

A regional issue

Chances are that if Trinity Lake reaches dead pool, other hydropower reservoirs in Northern California would be in similar circumstances.

Asked last year what would happen if the lake got too low to generate power, Trinity Public Utilities District Manager Paul Hauser said the county is still guaranteed power from farther down the line.

?That?s why, to date, we have always been able to get all of our power from the Central Valley Project,? he said. ?Even if Trinity Reservoir gets to dead pool and we can?t generate power, as long as all of the CVP reservoirs aren?t at dead pool we would still get federal hydropower and it would be shipped in over Western Area Power Association power lines.?

January saw almost no rain over Trinity County, and the immediate forecast doesn?t call for more yet in February.

Hauser said last week that if the lake were to drain to below the turbines that produce electricity, the Western Area Power Administration is contracted to procure power from another source. He said that power would come from Central Valley Project hydropower plants in the region, such as Shasta Lake. If those sources are unable to generate power, it would come from farther away over WAPA lines. He said that while the transition to another power source would be seamless, it could come at increased cost to the ratepayers. While the district charges a drought surcharge to cover that possibility, going outside of CVP sources could drive up the price.

?However, if we reach that point, it would be impactful to the state as a whole,? he said, noting that if Northern California hydropower sources cannot produce power, the high demand period and other factors could result in rolling blackouts across the state.

He explained that the inlet for the turbines is higher than it would be for the river, and a bypass gate would continue to allow water to pass through if it reached dead pool. However, Hauser said dead pool has not occurred in the history of the CVP, and if it happened at Trinity Dam, the river would still flow as it did before the dam.

As for the level at which that could happen, Hauser said he hopes the Bureau of Reclamation would enact water-saving measures long before that point to make the lake water last until next winter.


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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Sun Feb 13 11:39:57 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2022 19:39:57 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2021/22 Trinity River Project trapping summary
	through Julian week 5
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB579585E5D2DA63D42463986ABA329@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 5 (Feb 4) for Trinity River Hatchery.
Let?s hope the chance of showers Monday turns into an actual storm ?
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist ? Fisheries
(I?m currently teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you?d like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project?s trapping summaries let me know.


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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Feb 16 09:02:02 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2022 17:02:02 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Klamath River Fish Health Workshop - 2022 Update
In-Reply-To: <SA0PR09MB7403EDFAE8EBD71AC1C82FA7F2339@SA0PR09MB7403.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
References: <SA0PR09MB7403EDFAE8EBD71AC1C82FA7F2339@SA0PR09MB7403.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
Message-ID: <374680456.1792301.1645030922547@mail.yahoo.com>

  ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Hetrick, Nick <nick_hetrick at fws.gov>Sent: Monday, February 14, 2022, 04:57:10 PM PSTSubject: Klamath River Fish Health Workshop - 2022 Update 
  
Klamath Basin Partners....???




We've received a number of inquiries recently about our annual Klamath River Fish Health Workshop for? 2022.? In discussions with our event co-hosts at Oregon State University and the Service's CA/Nev Fish Health Center, we've agreed to hold off setting a date for the workshop as we feel this information-sharing event would benefit greatly by holding it in-person rather than virtual as we did last year.? That said, we've agreed to strive to hold the open-forum, presentation-based session in-person in mid- to late-summer, with the location and exact date yet to be decided.? If Covid-19 travel restrictions are still in play as they are for many of us, we will adjust and hold the session virtually.? ?We remain hopeful, however, that?conditions will allow us to safely meet in person by summer.? ??




Workshop:? Mid-to-late summer (location and date pending):? ?As in previous years, the?workshop will consist of?Klamath River?fish?health?research updates, overviews, and presentations followed by an open-forum Q & A session.? As in previous years, this event?will be open to the public?to promote a free exchange of information and ideas. If the event is required to be held virtually,? Sascha has graciously offered to host the workshop on OSU's Zoom platform.? Please stay tuned for more details.?For those entities that would like to present their fish health related work at a mid- to late-summer Klamath River Fish Health Workshop, please send the title and time needed for your presentation to Sascha and myself so we can begin to develop a detailed agenda for the workshop.??????

Project Planning Session:? ?Wednesday March 16, 9 am - 12:30 pm.??We plan to hold the Klamath River Fish Health Project Planning?Session virtually on March 16, 9:00 am - 12:30 pm. This session is?reserved for fish health researchers and Tribal and Agency co-managers to discuss on-going research and monitoring, future data needs, and to promote? project coordination and collaboration between?fish health researchers?across the basin.? An invite for the March 16 planning session and Zoom link?will be forthcoming to Tribal, Agency and University staff engaged in fish health research and monitoring studies in the Klamath River.? Until then,please hold the March 16,? 9:00-12:30 time slot in your calendar.? ??? ???




I want to express my sincere appreciation to our colleagues at Oregon State University and the Service's CA/Nev Fish Health Center for their continued support and efforts in helping to make this annual information sharing event possible.??nick


Nicholas J. HetrickFish & Aquatic Conservation Program LeadArcata Fish & Wildlife Office, USFWSOffice (707) 822-7201Cell (707) 267-5856(due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I am teleworking and can be reached by cell or email)?  
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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Feb 18 15:23:24 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2022 23:23:24 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2021/22 Trinity River trapping summary for JW 7
 (double send for some of you)
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB5795E496FF6ECBE8273C9164BA379@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

(Sorry for double posting to some of you, I had some computer work done this week and am left with a messed up groups list)

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping through JW 7 (Feb 18) for Trinity River Hatchery.
I'm pleased to see we've hit 1000+ recovered steelhead at TRH. First time in a couple of years.
'Keep hoping for some wet weather!
Cheers!
MC


******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm currently teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Wed Feb 23 16:26:23 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2022 00:26:23 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2021/22 Trinity River Project trapping summary
	through Julian week 8
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB5795A28C9575A55B203A913BBA3D9@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 8 (Feb 25) for Trinity River Hatchery.

Please remember to send in any fish tags from the Trinity River to me sooner than later.
Thanks, and
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm currently teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Feb 24 13:10:59 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2022 21:10:59 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Groups announce intent to sue feds over threats to
 Shasta River coho salmon
References: <1275043187.1527515.1645737059464.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1275043187.1527515.1645737059464@mail.yahoo.com>

https://westernlaw.org/groups-announce-intent-sue-feds-threats-shasta-river-coho-salmon/ 
Groups announce intent to sue feds over threats to Shasta River coho salmon
 
Feb 24, 2022 | News Release
  
Today, on behalf of the Friends of the Shasta River and Environmental Protection Information Center, the Western Environmental Law Center notified the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration?s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) of the groups? intent to challenge its flawed Shasta River safe harbor program in federal court. The NMFS safe harbor program provides legal immunity for harming protected species in exchange for stewardship practices on private land.

The groups allege NMFS violated the Endangered Species Act by allowing water diverters to kill threatened coho salmon under ?enhancement of survival permits? based on unlawful and scientifically incorrect biological opinions. NMFS?s decision to issue the permits despite these flawed foundations violates its duty to not ?jeopardize? threatened coho salmon or adversely modify their habitat.

?The Shasta River safe harbor agreements represent a fundamental misuse of the Endangered Species Act and its permit provisions,? said Sangye Ince-Johannsen, attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center. ?We intend to challenge a number of legal deficiencies underlying NMFS?s decision to enter the agreements and grant the permits to the landowners. At bottom, it just doesn?t pass the straight-face test to say that permits that allow landowners to continue to harm and kill threatened salmon somehow ?enhance the survival? of the species or provide a ?net conservation benefit.??

?We are disappointed that the federal government has given a free pass to billionaire ?ranchers? at the expense of the Shasta River and its threatened coho salmon,? said Tom Wheeler, executive director of EPIC. ?At a time when we are investing millions of dollars in the Klamath system, including removing four dams, endorsing practices that leave the Shasta River inhospitable to wild fish is unconscionable.?

NMFS? Shasta River safe harbor agreements are purportedly intended to address the rapid decline in coho salmon in the Shasta. While these agreements with 14 water diverters are intended to provide a ?net conservation benefit,? they let diverters off the hook for the damage they cause to the river. The cumulative benefit of all 14 agreements, even if they were all successfully implemented, would not be nearly enough to halt the spiraling decline in coho numbers, much less assure recover the species.

?We are taking this step with considerable reluctance? said Andrew Marx, board president of Friends of the Shasta River. ?During the safe harbor planning process, a coalition of Tribal and conservation groups provided detailed comments outlining substantive concerns over the proposed Shasta River safe harbor agreement. But those comments were mostly ignored. Over the last year, our group expressed our concerns with the safe harbor agreement through briefings and dialogue with agency staff. Unfortunately, our concerns were again ignored. The agency has been unwilling to alter the program in any substantive way, forcing us into the courtroom.?

?We are seeking a restructuring of how much-needed federal and state assistance for Shasta River restoration is conceived and implemented,? said Bill Chesney, retired California Department of Fish and Wildlife fisheries biologist and Friends of the Shasta River board member. ?Agencies first need to recommend and implement science-based flow and temperature standards sufficient for coho recovery in the Shasta River. That needs to come first?not just as an afterthought once the safe harbor participants have already been given immunity for their destructive practices.?

The Shasta River was once the most important salmon-producing tributary of the Klamath River. Its fish have been an essential component of traditional Tribal livelihoods and culture. However, the river?s productivity has greatly diminished due to excessive diversions?which in 2021 virtually dewatered the river on occasions.

Contacts:

Sangye Ince-Johannsen, Western Environmental Law Center, 541-778-6626, sangyeij at westernlaw.org

Nick Joslin, Friends of the Shasta River, 530-905-0264, nick.joslin at shastariver.org

Tom Wheeler, EPIC, 206-356-8689, tom at wildcalifornia.org

Photos for reporter use:

Parks Creek on Shasta Springs Ranch (Credit: Andrew Marx). Parks is the Shasta?s most potentially productive and agriculturally compromised tributary within safe harbor lands.

Shasta River salmon habitat at Big Springs (Credit: Andrew Marx). It was once known as Puru-Hey-Ee by the Native Shasta people.

Shasta River (credit: Andrew Marx)

Shasta River 1 (Credit: Andrew Marx)

Shasta River 2 (Credit: Andrew Marx)

Shasta River dry rocks (credit: Nick Joslin)

Coho juveniles 1 (photographer requested no credit)

Coho juveniles 2 (photographer requested no credit)

Coho juveniles 3 (photographer requested no credit)

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Feb 25 12:15:32 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2022 20:15:32 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] NorthState Groundwater Pumping Threats Provoke
	Lawsuits
References: <249780295.1786894.1645820132781.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <249780295.1786894.1645820132781@mail.yahoo.com>

https://aqualliance.net/solutions/litigation/northstate-groundwater-pumping-threats-provoke-lawsuits/ 
NorthState Groundwater Pumping Threats Provoke Lawsuits
  
?

?

Contact: Barbara Vlamis, AquAlliance: 530-895-9420

Chico, CA. AquAlliance filed three lawsuits against the Butte, Colusa, and Vina subbasins? Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) in the last ten days with two co-plaintiffs, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and the California Water Impact Network. The GSPs are the result of state mandates from the 2014 Groundwater Sustainability Act,[1] which requires some protection of groundwater after allowing unregulated use since California?s formation.

The GSPs encompass large portions of Butte, Colusa, and Glenn counties and each present specific threats to the unsuspecting public dependent on groundwater and to the streams, rivers, trees, and species that are supported by healthy aquifers. Some of the dangerous policies and parameters include:

Butte subbasin GSP (Figure 1. Mostly Butte County with portions of Colusa and Glenn counties)
   
   - Discloses that groundwater levels will drop by up to 100% of historic range.
   - Accepts failure of at least 7 percent of the domestic and very deep aquifer supply wells.
   - Allows groundwater pumping to increase that will result in stream flow loss from 90 to 277 percent.[2]

Colusa subbasin GSP (Figure 2. Colusa and Glenn counties)
   
   - Permits the failure of at least 20 percent of domestic wells in the Colusa Subbasin, despite the requirement under SGMA that domestic wells be given priority.
   - Accepts the loss of almost 1,000,000 acre feet of groundwater storage by 2070.
   - Allows unreasonable and undesirable amounts of land subsidence.

Vina subbasin GSP (Figure 3. Butte County)
   
   - Provides parameters that will cause hundreds of wells to fail, yet fails to disclose the quantity and percentage.
   - Accepts monitoring well thresholds that are unreasonably low, including some that are approximately 200% below normal operating ranges.
   - Inadequately mitigates the loss of wells by small farmers and residents.

The lawsuits find many failures in common. AquAlliance Executive Director Barbara Vlamis explained, ?The three GSPs as written make it impossible to reach sustainability in the required 20-year horizon. In addition to specific failures noted above, they all identify projects and management actions that are ambiguous and unenforceable. They may cause serious harm, and none of them will protect groundwater dependent ecosystems as explicitly required by SGMA.?

?Despite common knowledge and some analysis, the Butte, Colusa, and Vina subbasin GSPs fail to adapt to serious impacts from expected climate change,? Vlamis continued. ?This deficiency alone in the plans leaves them unenforceable and invalid,? she added.

Plaintiffs are represented by the Law Office of Adam Keats. 

Additional Contacts:??? 
Bill Jennings, CSPA: 209-464-5067
Adam Keats: 415-430-9403

#

[1] https://water.ca.gov/Programs/Groundwater-Management/SGMA-Groundwater-Management

[2] AquAlliance, 2021. Comments on the Colusa GSP: ?This shows that the overall percentage of groundwater being pumped will be recharged from the streams in the Butte Subbasin (i.e. stream depletion)? In fact, with the Historical baseline, the loss exceeds the volume of groundwater being pumped, suggesting that the subbasin may be at a tipping point where the impacts from future pumping increases are amplified, causing significantly more harm than just taking 100 percent of the groundwater recharge from surface waters.? pp. 15-16.

View the 3 Complaints:
Butte GSP ? Complaint in ValidationDownloadColusa GSP ? Complaint in ValidationDownloadVina GSP ? Complaint in ValidationDownload
AquAlliance is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit public benefit corporation established to defend northern California waters and to challengethreats to the hydrologic health of the northern Sacramento River watershed to sustain family farms, communities, creeks and rivers, native flora and fauna, vernal pools and recreation. www.aqualliance.net

MAPS

Go to website above to see the maps.

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Feb 25 12:27:38 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2022 20:27:38 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Water worries continue
References: <519740169.1803993.1645820858158.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <519740169.1803993.1645820858158@mail.yahoo.com>

Note: the article below is not just about Hayfork.? It also includes a section on paper water, the extensive drought and a letter by Congressman Huffman.? 

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_a5f065f2-9434-11ec-8363-8323617a585b.html
Water worries continue
   
   - By Tony Reed The Trinity Journal
?   
   - Feb 23, 2022
?   
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1?of 2
The difference in Trinity Lake water levels from today (top) to two years ago is obvious, as seen from the Fairview Boat Ramp.
   
   - Tony Reed | The Trinity Journal

Receding water in Trinity Lake has exposed a sunken, wood hull boat next to the Fairview boat ramp.
   
   - Tony Reed | The Trinity Journal
   
   - Facebook
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   - Print
   - Save

While water levels in Trinity Lake and regional reservoirs continue to drop, some residents have expressed concern that action by the Trinity County Water Works District 1 in Hayfork would impact water users outside district boundaries. ?

Craig Hair Jr., manager at the Trinity County Water Works, said the board has initiated a process of regulating transportation of water from local sources to outside the district.

He explained that the issue of filing trucks with district water has been an issue for a long time and has appeared on the Water Works? board agendas many times.

He said there has never been an ordinance against taking district water to other areas, because such a mandate hasn?t been needed. However, as available water promises to be limited this season, the Water Works board opted to create an ordinance that anyone found to be filling water tanks or trucks from metered parcels for transport outside the district may see their water shut off by the district.

Property owners within the district pay a parcel tax which is used to repay loans that were used to build the water system.

?It is not legal to use these public facilities to supply water to parcels that have not paid a yearly parcel tax,? according to the draft policy. ?Property owners within the District boundary currently pay for the maintenance and operation costs of the District monthly, all year long.?

Hair said some have assumed that the board was planning to shut water off to everyone outside the district, which is incorrect since many depend on those water exports for survival.

The board directed Hair to draft an emergency plan for consideration at the Feb. 15 meeting. Hair said the draft plan looks at areas of concern, listed as residential domestic use, livestock use, irrigation for food, and ?other.?

According to the draft policy, there is a certain demand for water outside the boundaries of the Water Works and there is a responsibility for the board to protect the supply.

?There is a balance that can be determined between the water needs of the regular occupants within the District boundaries and the emergency use of water outside of District,? the draft states. ?The water balance will need to be reviewed from time to time as water use within the District increases.?

The ordinance mandates the district should keep water reserves for fire suppression and ?must not allow the minimum pool of Ewing Reservoir go below elevation 2,415 feet.?

Taking water outside the district will require an emergency application, which was drafted for board review at the next meeting. The application requires one disclose their parcel number, the amount of water needed, planned use for the water and the applicant?s cannabis license number, if applicable. It also asks for the license plate number and liability insurance proof of the vehicle being used to transport the water.

?Emergency use of District water must not be taken lightly and must not be subsidized by the District customers,? the draft policy states. ?Conservation of water used outside of the District must be of utmost importance.? The draft closes by noting that the board will set the rates for emergency use yearly.

Paper water

In a previous story, Tom Stokely, Water Policy Director with the California Water Impact Network, said he expected local lakes to be drained to dead pool this summer, because of the state?s contracts to deliver water to downstream interests. A report by UC Davis concluded that the amount of water promised to those interests is about five times as much as the rivers contain.

?The problem facing our rivers and the Delta is thus clarified when annual flows are compared to the water rights that are claimed,? said a recent release from the California Water Impact Network. ?This disparity between real and contractual water is known as ?paper water.? It is water, in other words, that exists only in state or federal documents, not in California?s rivers.? It said the Central Valley Project is predicated on junior water rights claims, meaning they can only divert water after stakeholders with senior water rights have taken their shares. Water rights are a form of property, and users are entitled to specific amounts at specific times. According to C-WIN, the Central Valley Project cannot provide full contract deliveries, especially during a drought.

A recent C-WIN analysis estimated that while the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers are allocated for five times what they can deliver, the Trinity River is being asked for more.

?For the Trinity River, water rights claims exceed available supply by a factor of seven,? the CWIN report states. ?California?s water code has evolved ? or metastasized ? over the course of 150 years. It?s a jumble of prior practices, dueling lawsuits, conflicting legislation and water projects that have consistently performed under expectations. The current overallocation of water is a result of this ad hoc, and ultimately unworkable process.?

The report asserts that the State Water Board is unable or unwilling to reign in paper water claims, and that state and federal projects are at the back of the line when it comes to water availability, especially in drought and low snowpack years.

The Bureau of Reclamation has yet to receive the snowpack measurements it uses to forecast water usage, although no snow has fallen for over a month. Those numbers and the forecast will be published as soon as they are available.

Worst in a long time

Gaining national news this month is a study performed by the Department of Geography at UCLA, the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University and the NASA Goddard institute for Space studies. The report, published in the peer-reviewed Climate Change Journal, looked at historical and geological evidence and concluded that the 2000-2021 weather has been the worst drought since the late 1500s.

?Here, we show that after exceptional drought severity in 2021, ~19% of which is attributable to anthropo-genic climate trends, 2000?2021 was the driest 22-year period since at least 800,? the report states. ?This drought will very likely persist through 2022, matching the duration of the late-1500s megadrought.?

The report says that no other period since 1901 has been as dry or hot and it?s evidenced in the drying of Lakes Mead and Powell, two of the country?s largest reservoirs.

?In summer 2021, these reservoirs reached their lowest levels on record, triggering unprecedented restrictions on Colorado River usage, in part, because the 2-year naturalized flow out of Colorado River?s upper basin in water-years 2020?2021 was likely the lowest since at least 1906.?

The report refers to the region as southwest North America, saying that since 2000, it has been unusually dry, made worse by the drought of 2021.

?Exceptionally dry soil in 2021 was critical for the current drought to escalate and overtake the 1500s megadrought as the period with the highest 22-year mean severity,? the report stated. ?The 2021 soil moisture anomaly was nearly as dry as that of 2002, the driest year in the 1901?2021 observational record and notable for its severe impacts on forest ecosystems and wildfire.?

Huffman weighs in

Rep. Jared Huffman has sent a letter to the Bureau of Reclamation asking that it work to preserve cold water in Trinity Lake in order to protect threatened fish populations in the Trinity River this summer. According to a release from Huffman?s office, he?s also calling for infrastructure improvements to the dam that will allow better control of downstream water temperatures.

?Northern California is likely headed into another severely dry summer with grave consequences to tribal and coastal communities and the fisheries they rely on. Without drastic measures to address overallocated flows from the Trinity River to the Central Valley Project, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation risks depleting the cold-water threshold in the Trinity Reservoir necessary to sustain fish populations through the fall,? Huffman wrote to BOR Commissioner Camille Touton. He added that conditions have become dire and asked that the Bureau weigh all options when it comes to preserving cold water.

?All efforts must be taken to preserve the remaining cold-water pool in Trinity Lake by curtailing diversions to Whiskeytown Lake through June so BOR can release cool water to the Trinity River over the summer,? he wrote. ?In fact, it may be necessary to make significant cuts to Sacramento River and San Joaquin exchange contractors to preserve cold water in Trinity Lake and its sister CVP reservoir Shasta Lake. The unprecedented drought of recent years should be considered in BOR?s drought modeling in the new biological assessment of the CVP on endangered species.?


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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Feb 26 07:18:02 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2022 15:18:02 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Feds Release Klamath Dam Removal Environmental
	Document
References: <918738996.1937938.1645888682813.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <918738996.1937938.1645888682813@mail.yahoo.com>

https://www.northcoastjournal.com/NewsBlog/archives/2022/02/25/feds-release-klamath-dam-removal-environmental-document
Feds Release Klamath Dam Removal Environmental Document

POSTED?BY?THADEUS GREENSON?@THADEUSGREENSON?ON?FRI, FEB 25, 2022?AT?1:43 PM
click to enlarge   
   - THOMAS DUNKLIN
   - Irongate Dam on the upper Klamath River is one of four hydroelectric dams now slated to be removed in 2023.
The Federal Energy Regulation Commission today released the final draft of its Environmental Impact Statement on plans to remove four hydroelectric dams from the lower Klamath River dams, and proponents say the document confirms the long-touted environmental benefits.

?Once again, a thorough analysis by experts reveals dam removal as key for restoring Klamath fisheries and improving water quality? said Yurok Vice Chair Frankie Myers in a press release. ?Our culture and our fisheries are hanging in the balance. We are ready to start work on dam removal this year.?

According to the joint press release from a group of dam removal stakeholders, FERC determined dam removal ?will have significant economic, environmental and cultural benefits to Northern California and Oregon, opening 400 miles of historic spawning habitat to salmon, while improving water quality along the imperiled river.

?This is the biggest salmon restoration project in history,? said Russell "Buster" Attebery, chair of the Karuk Tribe, in the release. ?And it?s desperately needed. Fewer and fewer salmon return each year. If we don?t act now, we may lose them all. Dam removal gives me hope that my grandchildren will be able to fish for the family dinner the way I did when I was a kid.?

The DEIS is open for public comments until April 18 and FERC will need to issue a final EIS document before the project can move forward. Dam removal proponents hope the agency will give the project its final approval this summer.

See the full press release copied below.



KLAMATH DAM REMOVAL PROCESS ENTERS HOME STRETCH

Environmental Review Confirms the Benefits of Dam Removal

Washington, DC ? Today the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released its draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on the proposed removal of the lower four Klamath River dams. The public is now invited to comment on the DEIS which describes the impacts and benefits of the project.

?Once again, a thorough analysis by experts reveals dam removal as key for restoring Klamath fisheries and improving water quality? notes Yurok Vice Chairman Frankie Myers. ?Our culture and our fisheries are hanging in the balance. We are ready to start work on dam removal this year.?

In comparing the impacts of dam removal to current conditions, the DEIS concludes that dam removal provides significant economic, environmental, and cultural benefits to northern California and southern Oregon. This conclusion is consistent with the findings of two other Environmental Impact Studies that evaluated dam removal over the past two decades.

For California and Oregon commercial salmon fishermen, dam removal is key to revitalizing their industry. ?Dams have decimated salmon returns on the Klamath River which means fewer harvest opportunities for family-owned commercial fishing vessels. Dam removal has the potential to save our industry and thousands of jobs in California and Oregon ports,? explains Glen Spain with Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations.

In recent years, as many as 90 percent of juvenile salmon sampled tested positive for a disease called Ceratomyxa shasta. The disease flourishes in the areas where water quality and flows are most affected by the dams. ?The dams are a key factor in the diseases that are wiping out entire generations of salmon,? says Spain.

Brian Johnson, California Director of Trout Unlimited, acknowledges that dam removal is but one significant component of the environmental restoration work that is needed throughout the Klamath Basin to support the recovery of fish like salmon and steelhead trout. ?We still need to balance water use and restore wetlands in the Upper Basin,? said Johnson. ?But dam removal remains the single biggest thing we can do to restore Klamath fisheries and water quality right now.?

Benefits of dam removal include reintroducing salmon to over 400 miles of historical habitat, eliminating reservoirs that host toxic algae blooms each summer, and eliminating poor water quality conditions that allow fish disease-causing parasites to flourish. Because the cost of relicensing the dams would exceed the cost of removal under the plan, removal is also the best outcome for PacifiCorp customers.?

?This is the biggest salmon restoration project in history,? notes Russell ?Buster? Attebery, Chairman of the Karuk Tribe. ?And it?s desperately needed. Fewer and fewer salmon return each year. If we don?t act now, we may lose them all. Dam removal gives me hope that my grandchildren will be able to fish for the family dinner the way I did when I was a kid.?

?Dam removal works. We have only to look at the Elwha River restoration to see just how quickly an entire ecosystem can recover,? said Brian Graber, senior director of river restoration for American Rivers. ?The Klamath is significant not only because it will be the biggest dam removal and river restoration effort in history, but also because it is a story of righting historic wrongs, illustrating how the futures of rivers and communities are inextricably linked.?

Some in the agricultural community see dam removal as a way to improve fish populations, making resolution of water disputes easier. ?What it comes down to is what's good for fish is good for farms. Taking dams out will benefit fish, people and agriculture. Dam removal is a huge step towards bringing the Klamath Basin back into balance,? Kelley Delpit, third generation farmer in the Klamath Basin.

FERC will accept public comments on the DEIS until April 18, 2022. Before dam removal can commence, FERC will need to issue a final EIS and approval. Dam removal advocates hope FERC will issue a final approval this summer will dam removal activities to begin soon after.

# # #

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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Feb 26 07:21:09 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2022 15:21:09 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] King Count Remains Low on the Klamath BY KENNY PRIEST
References: <531959423.1931295.1645888869759.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <531959423.1931295.1645888869759@mail.yahoo.com>

https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/king-count-remains-low-on-the-klamath/Content?oid=22867060
King Count Remains Low on the Klamath?
BY?KENNY PRIEST
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALAN'S GUIDE SERVICE

Kaden O'Brian from Trinidad holds a Klamath River Chinook salmon from last fall. Fishing opportunities in 2022 for fall-run salmon on the Klamath will likely be similar to last year.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council released its "Review of 2021 Ocean Salmon Fisheries" report last week and the news wasn't great for salmon anglers, though the numbers are trending upward. In 2021, 53,954 adult Klamath River fall Chinook (KRFC) were estimated to have returned from the ocean compared to the preseason prediction of 62,121. Jack returns to the Klamath basin were 10,334 fish. In 2020, 45,409 adults returned along with 9,077 jacks.

Returns to the Iron Gate and Trinity hatcheries increased in 2021, as well. A total of 12,850 adults returned to the two hatcheries this fall, while in 2020 only 8,331 returned. Spawning escapement to the upper Klamath River tributaries (Salmon, Scott and Shasta rivers), where spawning was only minimally affected by hatchery strays, totaled 9,169 compared to 5,559 in 2020. The escapement in 2021 to the Shasta River was 5,972 adults. Escapement to the Salmon and Scott rivers was 1,890 and 1,307 adults, respectively.

According to the report, an estimated 2,265 fall Chinook adults were harvested in the Klamath Basin recreational fishery, which was well over the 1,221 quota.

"The age composition of this year's in-river run (adults and jacks) will be used to estimate current ocean abundance and will determine the number of fish available for harvest in 2022," said Wade Sinnen, senior environmental scientist on the Klamath and Trinity rivers. "There are a variety of factors that determine available harvest, including current ESA constraints in ocean and in-river fisheries. However, based on this year's age composition, I suspect that fishing opportunity on adult fall Chinook salmon of Klamath origin will be similar to last year. Klamath fall Chinook stocks remain in 'overfished' status per federal guidelines."

Next up is the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's annual Salmon Information Meeting on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The meeting, which will be held via Zoom Webinar, will provide the latest information on California salmon stocks and the outlook for ocean salmon fisheries for the upcoming 2022 season. The public is encouraged to provide comments on potential fishing alternatives for California ocean salmon fisheries in 2022. A panel comprised of fishery managers, scientists and industry representatives will be assembled to address questions and collect public input that will be used in developing a range of season alternatives for California salmon fisheries at the March 8 through March 14 Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting. Final season regulations will be adopted at the April 6 through April 13 PFMC meeting.?

Additional meeting links, agendas and other materials will be posted at?www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Salmon/preseason?as they become available. Contact Katherine Osborn at?OceanSalmon at wildlife.ca.gov?if you have any questions regarding the meeting.


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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Feb 26 07:22:18 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2022 15:22:18 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: 2021 Klamath River fall Chinook Salmon megatable
References: <1593194411.1935660.1645888938857.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1593194411.1935660.1645888938857@mail.yahoo.com>

---- Forwarded Message ----- From: Lindke, Kenneth at Wildlife <kenneth.lindke at wildlife.ca.gov>To: Lindke, Kenneth at Wildlife <kenneth.lindke at wildlife.ca.gov>Cc: Sinnen, Wade at Wildlife <wade.sinnen at wildlife.ca.gov>Sent: Friday, February 25, 2022, 09:49:03 AM PSTSubject: 2021 Klamath River fall Chinook Salmon megatable
  
Folks,
 
 ?
 
Please find attached the Klamath River fall Chinook Salmon megatable with hot-off-the-press 2021 escapement and harvest estimates. We estimated that 64,591 fall Chinook Salmon returned to the Klamath River in 2021, which is about 54% of the long-term average. Last year about this time scientists at the Pacific Fishery Management Council estimated that 62,100adults would return to the Klamath in 2021, and we estimated that 54,207 actually returned. We were a little under the prediction, but that is pretty close. There are many indications that ocean conditions have improved considerably, which gives me hope for improved returns in the next few years. We?ll have to wait until next year to find out!
 
 ?
 
Ken Lindke
 
Environmental Scientist ? Trinity River Restoration Program Coordinator
 
Klamath-Trinity Program
 
California Department of Fish and Wildlife ? Northern Region
 
Kenneth.Lindke at wildlife.ca.gov
 
Office: (707) 822-4230
 
 ?
 
?An approximate answer to the right question is worth a great deal more than a precise answer to the wrong question.? ? John Tukey
 
 ?
 
REPORT POACHERS AND POLLUTERS: 1-888-334-2258
 
 ?
   
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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Mar  3 11:42:04 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2022 19:42:04 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2021/22 Trinity River Project trapping summary
	through Julian week 9
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB579517EDF1A1ABEB7D3CA580BA049@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 9 (March 4) for Trinity River Hatchery.
This is the next to last of these I'll be sending out this season, TRH will wrap up their recovery/spawning efforts next week.
As soon as Junction City weir is installed (in June?), I will start it all over again.
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm currently teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Mar  7 18:47:00 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2022 02:47:00 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Judge advances lawsuit over disputed rights to water
	in Oregon lake
References: <661033047.705895.1646707620180.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <661033047.705895.1646707620180@mail.yahoo.com>

https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-advances-lawsuit-over-disputed-rights-to-water-in-oregon-lake/ 
Judge advances lawsuit over disputed rights to water in Oregon lake
  
A state court made Oregon tell a federal agency to stop taking water from a freshwater lake, but the U.S. government says that demand is preempted by federal law.
    Nicholas Iovino / March 2, 2022       The view of Upper Klamath Lake from The Sunrise Place, as two bald eagles fly nearby. (Courthouse News photo / Karina Brown) 
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) ? In the midst of a devastating Western drought, a massive freshwater lake in Southern Oregon has become the focal point of the latest battle in a long-running legal dispute over water rights in the Pacific Northwest.

Farmers, ranchers, fishermen, tribes and a slew of government agencies have been fighting in court for over two decades for rights to obtain water from the Klamath Project, a massive system of dams, tunnels and canals that irrigates 230,000 acres of agricultural land and supplies water for four national wildlife refuges.

The most recent dispute erupted in April last year when the state of Oregon issued an order directing the U.S. government to immediately stop taking water from the Upper Klamath Lake to provide flows that help ensure the survival of endangered coho salmon.

The state subsequently issued notices claiming that the Bureau of Reclamation ? a federal agency that manages the Klamath Project ? violated state law by taking ?stored water? earmarked for farms, ranches and others with existing water rights.

A Marion County Circuit Court judge had ordered Thomas Byler, director of the Oregon Water Resources Department, to issue those demands after the Klamath Irrigation District sued to halt the removal of water from Oregon?s 96-square-mile lake.

In October, the Bureau filed a cross-claim in a previously stayed federal lawsuit arguing the state's demands are preempted by federal laws, which require water for endangered species and tribal rights be prioritized over commercial interests.

In a virtual hearing on Oregon?s motion to dismiss that claim Wednesday, U.S. District Judge William Orrick said he would advance the federal government?s case despite Oregon?s insistence that its directives are fully consistent with federal law.

?I?m not going to grant the motion to dismiss the government,? Orrick said.

Oregon Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeanne Nicole DeFever argued the state's directives to the Bureau clearly provide enough leeway for the agency to meet its obligations under federal law.

?The April 6 order and notices of violation say you can come forward and say why you?re not complying with state law, and one of the reasons openly stated in the order is 'you?re complying with federal law,'? DeFever said.

DeFever argued the federal government?s claim hinges on a theoretical situation ? one in which the state of Oregon would enforce its orders against the Bureau despite its past assurances that compliance with other laws is a valid justification for disobeying the state?s demands.

?We have an attenuated hypothetical that there could be enforcement,? DeFever said. ?I do not think we have that concrete and certain kind of injury.?

Noting that the state issued two notices of violation with an intent to enforce, Orrick said he believes the controversy is more than merely hypothetical. He signaled that the Bureau has good reason to seek relief in federal court.

?That creates the well-founded fear,? Orrick said. ?I think that issue is ripe.?

Turning to a separate supplemental complaint filed by the Yurok Tribe and two fishing industry groups, Orrick said he was inclined to dismiss those claims because the federal government seems to adequately represent the groups? interests.

The state of Oregon says the groups? supplemental complaint is invalid because they failed to file an intent to sue 60 days in advance as required by the Endangered Species Act.

Noting that her clients previously obtained an injunction requiring water flows to help save threatened salmon, Yurok Tribe attorney Patti Goldman of Earthjustice argued her clients deserve a chance to weigh in on this dispute, which could affect their tribal rights and the survival of endangered fish.

?We want to be heard on these issues,? Goldman said.

The judge indicated that all stakeholders will get a chance to weigh in, whether by filing briefs as intervenors or amici, a Latin term for ?friends? of the court.

?Your fundamental concern is being heard,? Orrick said. ?There?s lots of ways to make that happen.?

The judge set an ambitious timetable for resolving the dispute, requiring both sides to finish gathering evidence by early April and to file motions for summary judgment by May 27.

Orrick previously denied a request by the Klamath Tribes for a court order to raise water levels in the Upper Klamath Lake to help protect endangered sucker fish.

In 2020, the judge rejected another motion by the Yurok Tribe to require additional water flows for threatened salmon, a request the Klamath Tribes opposed over concerns that it would reduce low water levels in the Upper Klamath Lake and harm sucker fish.


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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Mar 11 10:13:45 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2022 18:13:45 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2021/22 Trinity River Project trapping summary
	through Julian week 10
Message-ID: <DM6PR09MB57983DA6609E475D6912CE3EBA0C9@DM6PR09MB5798.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 10 (March 11) for Trinity River Hatchery. This wraps the Trinity River Projects trapping efforts for the 2021 season.
We will resume trapping again at Junction City likely in June. We will be working on our reports and such until then.
If you have any tags from fish please send them in!
If while you are out in the river you see any of the few pieces of conduit that might still be out there from our Willow Creek weir blow, please let me know where it is so I can go recover it. We have already recovered about 99.5% , and as the river flow decreases we will be looking for that last half percent.
As soon as Junction City weir is installed, I will resume sending reports.
Until then, cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm currently teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From mramos at yuroktribe.nsn.us  Fri Mar 11 16:20:52 2022
From: mramos at yuroktribe.nsn.us (Max Ramos)
Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2022 00:20:52 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022 Lower Trinity River Outmigrant Monitoring
	through Julian Week 10
Message-ID: <BY5PR13MB3287670A7CE4492AA6BA96E8920D9@BY5PR13MB3287.namprd13.prod.outlook.com>

Good Afternoon,

Below you will find a summary of the catch data gathered on the lower Trinity River during Julian Week 10 (3/6 - 3/12). Additionally I have attached a spreadsheet that contains the total catch for the season so far and a chart of Trinity River discharge and water temperature in Hoopa for the month of March (taken from USGS Gauge 11530000, 13.75 RKM downstream of the rotary screw traps).

The downstream-most rotary screw trap was installed and operated for 4 trap days (3/7 - 3/11) during Julian Week 10 and the catch included 170 Chinook salmon age 0+, 15 Chinook salmon age 1+, 2 steelhead age 1+, and 2 lamprey ammocetes.

We installed the middle Willow Creek rotary screw trap on Friday (3/11), which will be brought into operation during Julian Week 11. The uppermost rotary screw trap will be tentatively installed and fishing Wednesday (3/16/22). Flow conditions in the lower Trinity River are very low for this time of year (1590 cfs and dropping on 3/11/22 compared to 3400 cfs last year on the same date) which will make the operation of our uppermost trap difficult in the near future. All of our traps are currently in their low-flow positions

Reminder that these are preliminary data and are subject to revision. The data provided herein are raw catch and not abundance estimates. We will provide flow-based and mark-recapture abundance estimates in our 2022 annual juvenile salmon outmigrant monitoring report. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Have a great weekend,

Max Ramos


Max Ramos
Fish Ecologist
Yurok Tribal Fisheries Trinity Division
(530) 205-6494
[cid:image001.png at 01D70A87.59D12360]











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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Mar 13 08:35:15 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2022 15:35:15 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Sacramento River ocean abundance estimate for
 salmon is up, Klamath abundance still low
In-Reply-To: <CAExJcNDNV2yZbAbmyehzDTkJTwDRhLdYB+YWUbVaUv4WXJgtxA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAExJcNDNV2yZbAbmyehzDTkJTwDRhLdYB+YWUbVaUv4WXJgtxA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <2063213489.1215014.1647185715139@mail.yahoo.com>

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Dan Bacher <danielbacher53 at gmail.com>Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2022, 12:16:44 PM PSTSubject: Sacramento River ocean abundance estimate for salmon is up, Klamath abundance still low
 
https://news.yahoo.com/sacramento-river-ocean-abundance-estimate-215904516.html


Special to Stockton Record USA TODAY NETWORK

Sacramento River ocean abundance estimate for salmon is up, Klamath abundance still low
Dan BacherTue, March 8, 2022, 1:59 PM?4 min readCapt. Virginia Salvador of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures and Lisa Lewis from Lake Tapps, Washington, show off the beautiful king salmon that they landed aboard a trolling adventure aboard the Highland Lassie outside of the Golden Gate in September 2021.



SACRAMENTO ? The Pacific Fishery Management Council will choose three alternatives for recreational and commercial salmon fishing seasons during its March 8-14 meeting, based on ocean abundance forecasts, stakeholder input and other factors discussed at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife?s annual salmon Information meeting held virtually on March 2.

The 2022 ocean abundance projection for Sacramento River fall Chinook, the driver of West Coast salmon fisheries, is estimated at 396,500 adult salmon, compared to the revised 2022 forecast of 322,137 fish, reported Jeromy Jording of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The abundance estimate for Sacramento fall Chinook swimming in the ocean now is based largely on the return of two-year-old ?jacks? to hatcheries and natural spawning areas last fall. Over 17,000 jacks returned to the river last year, compared to 14,000 the previous year.

However, only an estimated 104,483 hatchery and natural area adult spawners actually returned to the Sacramento River Basin in 2021, well below the conservation goal of 122,000 to 180,000 fish, according to CDFW scientists.

The Klamath River fall Chinook ocean abundance forecast is slightly above the 2021 forecast, with 200,100 adult Klamath River fall Chinook salmon estimated to be in the ocean this year. Unfortunately, this abundance estimate is well below the stock?s historical levels.

Harry Morse of the CDFW said the PFMC may ?decide to take a conservative approach when crafting 2022 ocean salmon seasons to provide additional protective measures to this stock.?

After the presentations by biologists, recreational anglers, fishing guides, charter boat captains, commercial salmon trollers and CDFW staff commented and voiced their concerns to a panel of fishery managers, scientists, Tribal and industry representatives.

Commercial salmon fishermen, who harvested 200,419 Chinooks last year off the California coast, said salmon were abundant in the areas where they fished.

In contrast, river recreational anglers and fishing guides said relatively few salmon returned to the Sacramento River and its tributaries and fishing was abysmal. The total estimated harvest for recreational anglers was 14,560 salmon, amounting to only 2.7 salmon per 100 angler hours.

Robert Dunn, a Sacramento River fishing guide for 37 years, said he believes ?there is an overharvest of fall fish in the ocean.?

?I couldn?t find one spawning redd (nest) from Deschutes Bridge to Red Bluff during 80 trips from October 2021 to February 2022,? he said. ?We need to increase the run to 360,000 fall-run fish. 2021 was the worst salmon season ever for us.?

John McManus, president of the Golden Gate Salmon Association, said the low number of Klamath River salmon ?will likely lead to constraints on both commercial and sport ocean fishing this year, especially in north state coastal waters.?

?We are hoping for a decent salmon fishing season this year, and there?s some reason for optimism, but there are several variables yet to be dealt with,? McManus said.

He said more fish actually returned but died of heat related causes including disease prior to spawning due to low, warm-water conditions connected to drought and water management decisions by the Bureau of Reclamation and California Department of Water Resources on Central Valley rivers.

In the coming weeks, PFMC officials will use ocean abundance forecasts and other data to set times and areas open to both sport and commercial ocean salmon fishing for 2022. The California Fish and Game Commission will then approve the recreational ocean season, along with approving a sport season for the Sacramento, American, Feather and Mokelumne rivers, and the Klamath and Trinity rivers.

Information:?www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Salmon/preseason?

West Delta sturgeon:?Zack Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures reported ?very good ?fishing for sturgeon on a trip March 5. Six anglers, all active or retired military, caught and released seven sturgeon in the legal slot limit size. They used lamprey eel and salmon roe at Seal Island and the deep water off Pittsburg. Information: (925) 497-7171.

Monterey Petrale sole/sand dabs:?Until rockfish season opens on April 1, boats out of Chris? Fishing Trips in Monterey will be going on petrale sole/sanddab and sanddab/crab fishing adventures. The 13 anglers aboard the Checkmate returned with 60 petrale sole and ?lots of sand dabs? on March 3, while the 20 anglers on the Caroline checked in with ?lots of sand dabs? and 28 crab on March 6. Information: (831) 375-5951.

Contact Stockton Record Correspondent Dan Bacher at?danielbacher53 at gmail.com.?

This article originally appeared on The Record:?Fishing: Sacramento River's ocean abundance estimate for salmon is up
  
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Mar 16 13:44:17 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2022 20:44:17 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Judge OKs plan for California water projects pending
 review of Trump-era policies
References: <2094277977.2189774.1647463457812.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <2094277977.2189774.1647463457812@mail.yahoo.com>

https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-oks-plan-for-california-water-projects-pending-review-of-trump-era-policies/  
Judge OKs plan for California water projects pending review of Trump-era policies
  
Rejecting objections by environmental and farming industry groups, a federal judge green-lighted a revised, government-endorsed plan to manage water projects in California with extra protections for endangered fish.
    Nicholas Iovino / March 15, 2022       The Shasta Dam across the Sacramento River in California.  
FRESNO, Calif. (CN) ? In a long-running dispute over water rights in California, a federal judge will allow a pair of challenged Trump-era biological opinions to remain in effect over the next three years with added safeguards that some groups complain fail to ensure the survival of endangered fish.

In December 2021, a coalition of fishing industry and environmental groups asked a judge to temporarily block agencies from relying on two ?scientifically unsound and fatally flawed? biological opinions issued during the Trump administration in 2019.

The two opinions ? issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife ? enable more water to be sent to some 20 million farms, businesses and homes in Southern and Central California via two massive federal and state water diversion projects. The opinions eliminate certain requirements, such as mandating extra flows to prevent water temperatures from rising to levels high enough to damage and fry salmon eggs.

Supporters of the Trump-era water and wildlife policies say the biological opinions will help provide needed irrigation water to help family farms and ranches thrive, employ workers and keep California's $50 billion-per-year agricultural industry afloat.

Opponents say those endangered species assessments for the Central Valley Project and State Water Project will jeopardize the survival of threatened Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, delta smelt and longfin smelt.

?The 2019 [biological opinions] were designed, contrary to the requirements of the [Endangered Species Act], to ?maximize water deliveries? to water contractors even in drought, at the expense of pushing these protected fish species toward extinction,? attorneys for a coalition of environmental and fishing industry groups argued in a motion for a preliminary injunction.

On March 11, a federal judge in Fresno rejected the coalition's motion, finding an alternate proposal by state and federal agencies was more reasonable.

In a whopping 122-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Dale Drozd endorsed the governments' plan to keep the two challenged biological opinions in place while the Biden administration reconsiders them. While those reviews are pending, an interim operations plan will be put in place with provisions designed to provide extra protections for the endangered fish. Drozd found the government-backed interim plan ?takes balanced and reasonable steps? to address water temperature-related threats to winter-run salmon eggs and sets ?reasonable carryover storage goals? for Shasta Dam water.

The judge concluded the interim plan?s ?middle-of-the road approach? on setting targets for water storage and temperatures was ?more likely to be achievable? than what the coalition had proposed.

Members of the coalition that sought more stringent protections for endangered fish include the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations and Natural Resources Defense Council.

The judge also rejected opposition by certain water users and irrigation districts that said the interim plan would set up a potential conflict with senior contractors, whose water rights predate the existence of the Central Valley Project.

Claims that the interim plan will cause the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to violate its contracts with senior water users is ?purely hypothetical and speculative,? the judge wrote.

?The court is in no position to micromanage exactly how Reclamation intends to make good on its commitments under the [interim plan] while also abiding by its contractual obligations,? Drozd wrote, adding the contracts ?make it exceedingly and increasingly difficult for Reclamation to operate Shasta Dam in a manner that is sufficiently protective of winter-run [salmon].?
 ADVERTISEMENT 
Jon Rubin, general counsel for the Westlands Water District, which irrigates thousands of acres of agricultural land in California's Central Valley, said it's clear from the ruling that Judge Drozd spent significant time listening to and trying to understand each party's posiion.

"The order I think reflects the judge?s perspective that it was asked to deal with a very complicated matter from both the operational standpoint as well as the law," Rubin said.

Westlands did not join other irrigation districts and water user groups in opposing the state and federal government agencies' proposal for an interim operations plan.

Doug Obegi of the Natural Resources Defense Council declined to comment on the judge?s ruling, but his colleague Katie Poole, who heads the group?s water division, wrote in a blog post that even with extra safeguards in place, Governor Gavin Newsom and the Biden administration will need to step up to ensure the survival of endangered native fish in California.

?While the court adopted stronger temperature requirements than the Trump [biological opinions], the Court declined to order Reclamation to limit deliveries to the Sacramento River settlement contractors, although it acknowledged the threat they pose,? Poole wrote in the blog post.

In an emailed statement, California Natural Resources Agency spokesperson Lisa Lien-Mager said the state is satisfied with Drozd?s ruling.

?State agencies are pleased that a federal court has approved an interim operations plan for the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project through September 2022 to address severe drought while protecting species and ensuring water for human health and safety,? Lien-Mager said.

Drozd also granted a request to pause litigation through the end of September, finding results of the agencies' reviews of biologicals opinions will ?likely change the administrative landscape of the case.?

Lien-Mager said California agencies support a litigation pause to give stakeholders more time to confer on a longer-term plan for balancing competing water needs for communities, the environment and the economy.

?Last week?s court order is a key step toward resolving differences, bolstering protections for species and managing through the challenges of a third year of drought,? she said.

Representatives for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not return emails and phone calls requesting comment by press time.

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From mramos at yuroktribe.nsn.us  Fri Mar 18 13:32:26 2022
From: mramos at yuroktribe.nsn.us (Max Ramos)
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2022 20:32:26 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022 Lower Trinity River Outmigrant Monitoring
	through Julian Week 11
Message-ID: <BY5PR13MB3287A481547A4074955184E492139@BY5PR13MB3287.namprd13.prod.outlook.com>

Good Afternoon,
Below you will find a summary of the catch data gathered on the lower Trinity River during Julian Week 11 (3/13 - 3/19). Additionally I have attached a spreadsheet that contains the total catch for the season so far and a chart of Trinity River discharge and water temperature in Hoopa for the month of March (taken from USGS Gauge 11530000, 13.75 RKM downstream of the screw trap).
The lower and middle Willow Creek rotary screw traps were operated for 4 trap days (3/14 - 3/18) during Julian Week 11 and the catch included 71 Chinook salmon age 0+, 12 Chinook salmon 1+, 2 ad-clipped Chinook salmon age 1+, 33 steelhead age 1+, 1 coho salmon age 0+, 2 coho salmon age 1+, 3 lamprey ammocetes, and 1 lamprey eyed juvenile. We installed the upper Willow Creek rotary screw trap on Friday (3/18), and all three traps will be operated during Julian Week 12. Flow conditions in the lower Trinity River are very low for this time of year (1900 cfs and dropping on 3/18/22 compared to 3300 cfs last year on the same date) which will make the operation of our uppermost trap difficult in the near future. All of our traps are currently in their low-flow positions.
Reminder that these are preliminary data and are subject to revision. The data provided herein are raw catch and not abundance estimates. We will provide flow-based and mark-recapture abundance estimates in our 2022 annual juvenile salmon outmigrant monitoring report. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Have a great weekend,

Max M. Ramos


Max Ramos
Fish Ecologist
Yurok Tribal Fisheries Trinity Division
(530) 205-6494
[cid:image001.png at 01D70A87.59D12360]

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From FGutermuth at usbr.gov  Wed Mar 23 09:58:25 2022
From: FGutermuth at usbr.gov (Gutermuth, Frederic Brandt)
Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2022 16:58:25 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River- New gravel placement areas proposed.
 Please provide input
Message-ID: <SA0PR09MB69056A3353257F47168B1092AF189@SA0PR09MB6905.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Dear Trinity River supporters -

The Trinity River and its aquatic inhabitants need gravel (for habitat and spawning) but the upriver source in Lewiston is blocked by the dam. The TRRP has been charged with restoring the functioning river and the fish, but recent gravel monitoring has shown that gravel isn't moving to all the places where it is needed.  To remedy this, the TRRP is proposing to add gravel at new locations where it is needed.

We have proposed a number of potential new sites for gravel addition and now seek your input. If there are things we need to know as we consider these sites, please tell us during our 30 day scoping period.

Our introduction to this subject is located at: https://www.trrp.net/restoration/gravel-augmentation/sites/<https://www.trrp.net/restoration/gravel-augmentation/sites/?fbclid=IwAR1hOvYz4pHdRyLbNq_6hbto4VYS58nmvGfDHSNYCz6nKDqEHHU_E6vOCVQ>  https://www.trrp.net/restoration/gravel-augmentation/sites/<https://www.trrp.net/restoration/gravel-augmentation/sites/?fbclid=IwAR1luZIjEon9CBUkrNlHv5YCbvvex34f-XTDEEpG3nHHHaSy_hUmdPEyGyE>
TRRP: Gravel Augmentation Sites<https://www.trrp.net/restoration/gravel-augmentation/sites/?fbclid=IwAR1hOvYz4pHdRyLbNq_6hbto4VYS58nmvGfDHSNYCz6nKDqEHHU_E6vOCVQ>
New Gravel Augmentation Sites Proposed for 2023. Project Background. The Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP or Program) is beginning a 30-day public scoping period to announce and explain the need to develop additional gravel augmentation sites upstream of Indian Creek on the Trinity River mainstem.
www.trrp.net

To Comment on this Gravel Augmentation Scoping Proposal:

  *   Please provide your comments by April 17, 2022.
  *   Send your input via mail to:
   Gravel Augmentation Sites Scoping
   C/O TRRP
   P.O. Box 1300
   Weaverville, CA 96093
  *
  *   OR send your comments via email to info at trrp.net<mailto:info at trrp.net>.
  *   Please - Include the word GRAVEL in your email?s subject line.

Based on our reviews and input we receive, we plan to share an Environmental Assessment that analyzes the impacts of our gravel augmentation proposals this fall.  If you have additional questions, please contact me.

Thanks for your input,

Brandt Gutermuth


Brandt Gutermuth  (he/his)
Environmental Scientist| Trinity River Restoration Program<http://www.trrp.net/> | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation<https://www.usbr.gov/> |
PO Box 1300, 1313 S. Main St., Weaverville, CA| 530.623.1806 work|FGutermuth at usbr.gov<mailto:BGutermuth at usbr.gov>
Attachments area


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From mramos at yuroktribe.nsn.us  Fri Mar 25 13:20:49 2022
From: mramos at yuroktribe.nsn.us (Max Ramos)
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2022 20:20:49 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022 Lower Trinity River Outmigrant Monitoring
	through Julian Week 12
Message-ID: <BY5PR13MB3287DFE7D25A62F9D635C96D921A9@BY5PR13MB3287.namprd13.prod.outlook.com>

Good Afternoon,
Below you will find a summary of the catch data gathered on the lower Trinity River during Julian Week 12 (3/21 - 3/25). Additionally I have attached a spreadsheet that contains the total catch for the season so far and a chart of Trinity River discharge and water temperature in Hoopa for the month of March (taken from USGS Gauge 11530000, 13.75 RKM downstream of the screw trap).
The lower and middle Willow Creek rotary screw traps were operated for 8 trap days (3/21 - 3/25) during Julian Week 12 and the catch included 343 Chinook salmon age 0+, 28 Chinook salmon 1+, 4 ad-clipped Chinook salmon age 1+, 7 steelhead age 1+, 1 brown trout age 1+, and 6 lamprey eyed juveniles. We finished installing the upper Willow Creek rotary screw trap on Friday (3/25), and all three traps will be operated during Julian Week 13. Flow conditions in the lower Trinity River are very low for this time of year (1900 cfs and dropping on 3/18/22 compared to 3500 cfs last year on the same date) which will make the operation of our uppermost trap difficult in the near future. All of our traps are currently in their low-flow positions.
Reminder that these are preliminary data and are subject to revision. The data provided herein are raw catch and not abundance estimates. We will provide flow-based and mark-recapture abundance estimates in our 2022 annual juvenile salmon outmigrant monitoring report. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Have a great weekend,

Max

Max Ramos
Fish Ecologist
Yurok Tribal Fisheries Trinity Division
(530) 205-6494
[cid:image001.png at 01D70A87.59D12360]

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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Mar 31 05:39:10 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2022 12:39:10 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Salmon Advocates Slam Voluntary Agreements,
 Sacramento River Temperature Management Plan
In-Reply-To: <CAExJcNAirED6cXb04iKtfVOOdZ0Dvsw1JNNZoZxEf21_5rfmnA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAExJcNAirED6cXb04iKtfVOOdZ0Dvsw1JNNZoZxEf21_5rfmnA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <969638643.216368.1648730350889@mail.yahoo.com>

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Dan Bacher <danielbacher53 at gmail.com>To: "" <>Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2022, 06:59:13 PM PDTSubject: Salmon Advocates Slam Voluntary Agreements, Sacramento River Temperature Management Plan
 
https://www.dailykos.com/story/2022/3/30/2088935/-Salmon-Advocates-Slam-Voluntary-Agreements-Sacramento-River-Temperature-Management-Plan 




Salmon Advocates Slam Voluntary Agreements, Sacramento River Temperature Management Plan

by Dan Bacher

As the record drought in California and the West continues and the Sacramento River watershed?already begins to see?die offs of endangered Chinook salmon,?Governor Gavin Newsom on March 29?announced?that state, federal and local water leaders had reached ?broad agreement??on a package of controversial voluntary agreements purported to?provide additional water flows and new habitat to help improve conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. ?

Sacramento Valley parties, from the American River watershed all the way up the Valley, signed a?34-page memorandum of understanding?(MOU)?for a State Water Resources Control Board?update of the Phase II of the?water quality control plan.??

?Since my first days in office, I have sought to reject old binaries and find new solutions to problems ? we don?t have to choose between healthy ecosystems or a healthy economy, we can choose a path that provides for both,? Governor Gavin Newsom said.??This is a meaningful, hard-earned step in the right direction. I am thankful to our partners on this historic agreement and look forward to continued collaboration as we adapt for the future.?

Reclamation Regional Director Ernest Conant echoed Newsom?s comments about the ?virtues? of collaboration.

??Today marks a key milestone in California water ? a step that symbolizes the importance of working together to address the challenges that come with a changing climate,? he stated. ?Reclamation?welcomes this partnership opportunity to move towards a more comprehensive approach to improving the health of the environment and water supply reliability for the cities, farms, and refuges we serve.?

According to its proponents, the?memorandum of understanding?(MOU) ??outlines terms for a transformational eight-year program that would provide substantial new flows for the environment to help recover salmon and other native fish, create new and restored habitat for fish and wildlife, and provide significant funding for environmental improvements and water purchases. It also outlines a governance and habitat monitoring framework with clear metrics and goals to allow state, federal and local partners to analyze progress, manage adaptively and decide whether the program should be continued, modified or ended after eight years.?

However, salmon advocates, environmentalists and Tribes strongly disagree with proponents of the voluntary agreements, arguing that there is nothing ?transformational? about the MOU.

?These voluntary agreements were created by the most powerful water users in California and usurped a scientifically informed, democratic process meant to protect water quality and salmon that was open to all Californians,? stated Regina Chichizola from Save California Salmon.?

?Only about half of the water that is needed for water quality and salmon in the Delta will be provided. It is telling that Tribes, scientists, fishermen and even most cities that rely on clean water in the Sacramento River and Delta were left out of these negotiations.? Restoration activities are no substitute for clean water,? she said.

?The agreements exemplify California?s commitment to maintaining its archaic and undemocratic water rights laws. These laws were created during a time when people of color and women could not vote or own land, and California policy supported the genocide of native people. These agreements seem to also put the needs of large landowners and crop exporters above fish and cities despite our drying climate,? Chichizola explained.

The group also criticized??the Temperature Management Plan (TMP) for the?Sacramento River.

?The proposed 2022 Sacramento River water operations agreement between State and federal agencies and Sacramento River settlement contractors is too little too late,? Chichizola said. ?Save California Salmon submitted an alternative plan for water operations in 2021 that was rejected by the State Water Board.? If adopted, it would have resulted in an additional 500,000 acre-feet of water stored in Shasta and Trinity reservoirs in 2022.?

?Our temperature management plan would have also protected the Trinity River?s salmon, which ?were not protected in 2021 and surely will not be protected in 2022.? Trinity River salmon are important for tribal, commercial and sport fisheries and are totally ignored by the state and federal government,? ?she added.?

Vice Chairwoman Malissa Tayaba from the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians also criticized?the Temperature Management Plan for the Sacramento River.

?We know that water temperature and water quality has direct impacts on the condition of everything the water touches,? she stated. ?If temperatures are too high, the salmon, which is a traditional food scurced for our tribal people, cannot survive.? ??

"We know their numbers are dwindling. We know the salmon are endangered. If the water is not adequately managed, the salmon are at risk of dying off and if that is allowed to happen, a part of our culture will be killed off as well,? she continued.?

?I hate to use the term cultural genocide, and I do not use it lightly, but I can think of no other term to describe the reality if we continue to mismanage our water systems. Beyond the endangered salmon, water quality is connected to many other aspects of?our culture ?Ceremony, regalia making, traditional foods and traditional medicine to?name a few,? she concluded.

Restore the Delta also?criticized the MOU in a statement, noting that t

?Whatever the ?voluntary agreements? consist of, the Water Board is expected to consider the VAs as an alternative in its Phase II Sacramento River update of the?Bay-Delta Plan, which regulates water quality in Delta waterways. San Joaquin Valley water interests are not part of this process. The process is facilitated by the Department of Water Resources and the US Bureau of Reclamation, which are also parties in today?s announcement, and the announcement is timed to facilitate further spending by the state for the voluntary agreement process in the May revised budget.

?This is an agreement to agree?nothing is certain about the proposal at this time. It is a repeat of prior voluntary agreement frameworks that have amounted to no new plans. We are told that it will lead to a new scientific basis report by the State Water Board that will be released this summer. The scientific basis report will also be reviewed by the Delta Independent Science Board and an independent peer-review panel.?

The group said environmental documentation will appear this fall, and a hearing and adoption could occur as early as winter 2023. The draft Substitute Environmental Document will be available for public comment when it's released.

Approximately in mid-June 2022, a draft environmental impact report for the Delta Conveyance Project (single tunnel) will also be released for public comment by the California Department of Water Resources, the group noted.

Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director, Restore the Delta said:

?Clearly timing the voluntary agreement process to unfold at the same time as the EIR for the Delta Conveyance Plan is an attempt by the Newsom Administration to jam the Delta community, environmental justice communities, environmental NGO's, fishing groups, and California tribes so that they cannot respond to major water planning decisions.? It reveals the lack of regard this administration holds for public process, the public trust, the Delta, and appropriate climate data driven water planning.

?Restore the Delta maintains that the voluntary agreement framework process violates the legal principles of environmental justice inclusion and does not serve the public trust, or the human right to water. Governor Newsom continues to serve the interests of the top 2% of agribusiness across California at the expense of Northern California Tribes, Delta communities, commercial fishing interests, and communities in need of improved drinking water conditions.

?Fishery declines and extinction, harmful algal blooms, poor water quality conditions in the Delta, and the increasing possibility of Delta salinity intrusion into Stockton and Contra Costa drinking water systems. Drought mismanagement by the Department of Water Resources and Bureau of Reclamation cannot be fixed by the elite few working on a backroom deal with the Governor's office at the expense of millions of people. The environmental burden caused by mismanagement continues to fall on the most impacted communities. A plan that calls for even less flow from the Sacramento River is simply unacceptable as the Delta is in serious decline. A cash giveaway for water to the top 2 percent of water rights holders to increase Delta exports for other irrigation districts, like Westlands, at the expense of vulnerable communities is a continuation of a water rights system built on institutionalized racism and discrimination. ?

?Governor Newsom's mismanagement of the Delta and California's water future is a deep disappointment for anyone who loves the Delta and California's rivers.? ?

The mismanagement of the Delta and California water by the state and federal governments resulted in massive fish kills of endangered salmon?in the Sacramento River system last year. Only 2.6 percent of endangered winter run Chinook juveniles survived the lethally warm water temperatures below Keswick Dam?last year, according to a CDFW letter released on December 31, 2021.

Another state and federally listed species, the spring-run Chinook salmon, perished in huge numbers before spawning because of disease spurred by warm and low water conditions on Butte Creek in August and September 2021. Over 14,500 spring Chinooks out of an estimated run of 18,000 to 20,000 died?before PG&E finally released more cold water from their hydroelectric facilities on Butte Creek to cool the temperature down.

This year the fish kills have already begun in the?Butte Creek watershed. An estimated 200?endangered spring-run Chinook salmon died on?March 13 in Drumheller Slough below Five Points Dam after irrigation flows drew the fish from the creek into the slough. The fish were left high and dry after the flows went down.?

News of the fish kill went viral after Chris?Tocatlian released an alarming video.?Dozens of dead fish can be seen in this?video. For more information, go to:?sacramento.newsreview.com/...

To learn more about the neglect of Delta tribal and environmental justice communities by the Newsom Administration read this?op-ed?by Chief Caleen Sisk and Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, and the?amicus brief?recently filed by a coalition of tribes and environmental justice groups.?
?
  
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Apr  2 08:21:13 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2022 15:21:13 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] California says $2.6-billion pact can protect delta
 amid drought. Critics disagree
References: <127782362.773358.1648912873892.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <127782362.773358.1648912873892@mail.yahoo.com>

 
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-04-01/a-2-6-billion-drought-deal-is-drawing-fire-in-california

California says $2.6-billion pact can protect delta amid drought. Critics disagree?
The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta near the town of Rio Vista.(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)BY?IAN JAMESSTAFF WRITER?APRIL 1, 2022?UPDATED?9:34 AM PT   
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California says $2.6-billion pact can protect delta amid drought. Critic...

California officials are touting a $2.6-billion deal to boost the health of a vital watershed, but environmental...
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It?s a major source of California?s water supply and a vital habitat for fish, migratory birds and other species.?

But the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta watershed is also a fragile ecosystem in decline, with human demands for water taking a harsh toll on the environment.?

With a third year of severe drought straining water resources and pushing endangered salmon and other fish closer to extinction, California officials have announced a controversial $2.6-billion deal with the federal government and major water suppliers that they say will bolster the ecosystem.

The new pact, called a?memorandum of understanding, reflects a realization that with climate change, ?the system is collapsing quicker than the laws and regulations that exist can manage or heal that system,? said Jared Blumenfeld, California?s environmental protection secretary.?
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CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT

A frenzy of well drilling by California farmers leaves residents without running water

Dec. 16, 2021

The proposed agreement lays out plans over the next eight years whereby agencies that supply cities and farms would give up water or secure additional supplies to help threatened species, while state, federal and local agencies would fund projects to improve habitat in the watershed.

State officials called the deal an important milestone in their efforts to balance the delta?s ecological needs with the water needs of Californians, and a key step toward larger ?voluntary agreements? that can help ensure substantial flows for the health of the estuary.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared the plan a historic rejection of ?old binaries? in favor of new solutions, while Blumenfeld said it would ?move us away from ?water wars? of yesteryear.?

Those claims drew strong criticism, however.

Immediately after the plan?s announcement on Tuesday, environmental advocates and salmon conservationists condemned it as a set of backroom deals negotiated out of the public eye that wouldn?t provide nearly enough water for threatened fish or the overall health of the watershed.?

?Nothing has been achieved through backroom negotiations with water districts,? said Jon Rosenfield, senior scientist with the group San Francisco Baykeeper. ?The state?s latest scheme promises only a tiny fraction of the relief our rivers, fisheries and delta communities need, according to a wealth of research ? and it leaves all the hard questions unanswered.?

The San Francisco Bay Delta is the largest estuary on the West Coast. Formed by the convergence of California?s two largest rivers, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta lies at the heart of the state?s water system.

Two huge government-run pumping plants draw water from the delta?s southern edge and send it flowing through the canals of the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project, supplying vast farmlands and cities to the south.

The delta?s ecosystem has been ailing for decades, and the export of large quantities of freshwater has been a major reason. Climate change has added to the stresses on the ecosystem by intensifying droughts.

Fish have suffered. The delta smelt is now on the?brink of extinction. And endangered winter-run Chinook salmon have struggled to reproduce in the Sacramento River when the water flowing from Shasta Dam has warmed up so much that many eggs fail to hatch.

CALIFORNIA

Newsom calls for more aggressive water conservation amid third year of drought

March 28, 2022

State officials said the agreement aims to meet water-quality objectives in the Delta through additional flows for the environment, projects that restore and improve thousands of acres of aquatic habitat, and funding to purchase water and carry out habitat projects. They said these projects would include creating more spawning habitat for salmon and smelt, restoring floodplains and side channels, and removing barriers that hinder fish, among other things.

Wade Crowfoot, California?s natural resources secretary, said the steps toward voluntary agreements among water agencies ?hold promise to improve environmental conditions more quickly and holistically than regulatory requirements.?

But the plan still needs to be endorsed by the State Water Resources Control Board, which is required to update its water-quality plan for the delta. Heavy criticism of the announcement also suggests Newsom and his administration will face opposition as they continue pushing for voluntary water deals.

The agreement?s signatories included more than a dozen water agencies, among them the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Westlands Water District, some of the nation?s largest water suppliers. Water agencies have agreed to provide varying flows, depending on whether conditions are wet, above average, below average, dry or critically dry.?

Amounts of water contributed annually by the signatories could range between 150,000 acre-feet to 825,000 acre-feet. The largest amount of water, if spread out across the city of Los Angeles, would cover the area more than 2 feet deep.?
Keswick Dam blocks salmon from swimming upstream in the Sacramento River near Redding.(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Baykeeper?s Rosenfield pointed out that would be much less than the average of approximately 1.5 million to 1.6 million acre-feet that the state water board had contemplated in a?2018 document, and far less than what the board had indicated would be needed to protect imperiled fish in the delta watershed as well as the state?s commercial and recreational fisheries.?

Rosenfield and other critics noted that the agreement uses a water baseline laid down in 2019 by the Trump administration, so much of the additional water made available under the proposal would simply restore the flows that had been called for under federal biological opinions a decade earlier.

Rosenfield also criticized provisions of the deal that involve purchasing water for environmental purposes, essentially using taxpayer money to ?subsidize? the water districts? obligations.

?We don?t need to pay water districts for water that belongs to the people of California,? Rosenfield said.?

However, state officials stressed that the agreement would send a significant amount of water flowing through the delta that otherwise wouldn?t be helping the ecosystem. And they said the collaborative approach, worked out through years of meetings and negotiations, can avoid protracted fights.

?You can get a lot more done at a bigger scale when you?re trying to do it collaboratively, because you step around what tends to be decades? worth of litigation, when people don?t want to voluntarily talk about leaving water in the rivers,? said Chuck Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

?Instead of fighting about what to do, we now have a commitment for one of the largest habitat restoration efforts conceivable,? Bonham said.

He said large-scale habitat restoration efforts in the watershed can make a big difference in recovering fish and other species that are at risk.

The state?s traditional approach has been to adopt regulations and then deal with lawsuits, and the proposed agreement aims to circumvent that approach to reduce uncertainty, said Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow with the Public Policy Institute of California.

?For the water user community, it meets one of their great needs, and that is regulatory certainty,? Mount said. ?It?s so that there is not an annual, difficult regulatory battle.?

Mount said he supports the approach generally and has been calling for something like this for years as a more effective strategy.

?But it would have been better if they could have actually brought in the environmental community and had them as part of these negotiations,? Mount said.

What will ultimately come out of the plan is uncertain, he said, because some agencies haven?t signed on to the terms and the deal will need to undergo a lengthy review.

The plan laid out in the agreement calls for environmental monitoring, and if key indicators aren?t met through the voluntary agreement by the sixth year, Blumenfeld said, the state could change course and instead work toward those goals through regulation. State regulators could determine if the voluntary agreements should be continued, modified or ended.

?So there?s a backstop,? Blumenfeld said. ?There?s a lot at stake to make it work. But if it doesn?t, we get to implement the more traditional regulatory pathway.?

Water districts that do not agree to the voluntary approach will be required to comply with requirements set by the state water board. The agencies that haven?t signed on include those that draw water from the lower San Joaquin River and its tributaries, among them the Merced Irrigation District, Modesto Irrigation District, Friant Water Authority and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

State officials have told managers?of these agencies that their proposals fall short of what?s needed, and that the door is open for them to participate if they agree to enough additional water and support for habitat projects.

Mount said the state may be taking a ?divide and conquer strategy,? but it most certainly won?t end the conflicts.

?The water wars will continue because we?re talking about tradeoffs in use in a zero-sum game,? Mount said.

The water agencies that have joined the deal have committed to restoring or creating 20,000 acres of floodplain habitat, and nearly 3,300 acres of additional habitat where fish can spawn.

A?breakdown of the implementation costs?under the agreement lists $858 million for habitat restoration and construction in the watershed, plus additional amounts for scientific monitoring, water purchases and payments for some growers to leave farmlands dry and fallow.

Managers of water districts that signed the agreement this week have committed to taking the terms to their boards for endorsement.

Adel Hagekhalil, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District, said the agreement represents a milestone first step in a joint effort to develop a watershed-wide approach to address the challenges in the delta.

?We need to work collaboratively with all of our state, federal, environmental and water agency partners to ensure we have a comprehensive action plan that improves water reliability and delivers real results for the environment,? Hagekhalil said in a?statement.

The Newsom administration is pushing for the voluntary deals while also pursuing a controversial plan for rerouting the state?s water system by?building a huge water tunnel?beneath the delta.

Environmental advocates said they?re concerned about the estimated $2.6 billion that would be spent on implementation, with funds coming from water suppliers and the state and federal governments. They also said that there is no enforcement mechanism if the expected funding doesn?t come through, and that the document outlining the deal counts water supplies that have yet to be secured.?

?Of course, we support floodplain restoration,? said Regina Chichizola, executive director of the group Save California Salmon. But she said research has shown that the health of the delta ecosystem demands much more water than this agreement would provide.

?This to me doesn?t seem like it?s dealing with drought or climate change or what the actual needs of [the] delta are. So I?m disappointed,? Chichizola said.

She said it?s also concerning that instead of having an open, democratic process guided by science, ?it?s just the most elite water users? that were in the room to negotiate.

John McManus, president of the Golden State Salmon Assn., said that nobody from the salmon fishing industry was invited to participate in the talks.

?I think many in California will wonder why taxpayers have to pay to gain basic environmental protections for our fish and wildlife,? McManus said. ?Don?t we already have regulations that should ensure the protection of our fish and wildlife??


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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Apr 12 09:48:10 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 12 Apr 2022 16:48:10 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam
In-Reply-To: <CO6PR09MB82485E1C5ED70CC2A9829F9DD8ED9@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
References: <CO6PR09MB8248199060E10DFF03322FAFD8E69@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <CO6PR09MB82485E1C5ED70CC2A9829F9DD8ED9@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
Message-ID: <749283637.165275.1649782090184@mail.yahoo.com>


 

   ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: 'Patton, Thomas K' via trinity-releases <trinity-releases at googlegroups.com>To: 
Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2022, 09:25:22 AM PDTSubject: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam
  
Please make the following release changes to the Trinity River.



| Date | Time | From (cfs) | To (cfs) |
|  |  |  |  |
| 4/15/2022 | 800 | 300 | 400 |
| 4/15/2022 | 1000 | 400 | 450 |
| 4/15/2022 | 1200 | 450 | 550 |
| 4/15/2022 | 1400 | 550 | 700 |
| 4/15/2022 | 1600 | 700 | 750 |
| 4/15/2022 | 1800 | 750 | 850 |
| 4/15/2022 | 2000 | 850 | 950 |
| 4/15/2022 | 2200 | 950 | 1000 |
|  |  |  |  |
| 4/16/2022 | 0001 | 1000 | 900 |
| 4/16/2022 | 400 | 900 | 800 |
| 4/16/2022 | 800 | 800 | 700 |
| 4/16/2022 | 1200 | 700 | 650 |
| 4/16/2022 | 1400 | 650 | 600 |
| 4/16/2022 | 1800 | 600 | 700 |
| 4/16/2022 | 2000 | 700 | 800 |
| 4/16/2022 | 2200 | 800 | 700 |
|  |  |  |  |
| 4/17/2022 | 200 | 700 | 650 |
| 4/17/2022 | 400 | 650 | 600 |
| 4/17/2022 | 800 | 600 | 550 |
| 4/17/2022 | 1200 | 550 | 500 |
| 4/17/2022 | 1800 | 500 | 450 |
|  |  |  |  |
| 4/19/2022 | 200 | 450 | 550 |
| 4/19/2022 | 400 | 550 | 800 |
| 4/19/2022 | 600 | 800 | 1050 |
| 4/19/2022 | 800 | 1050 | 1300 |
| 4/19/2022 | 1000 | 1300 | 1550 |
| 4/19/2022 | 1200 | 1550 | 1700 |
| 4/19/2022 | 1400 | 1700 | 2000 |
| 4/19/2022 | 1600 | 2000 | 2400 |
| 4/19/2022 | 1800 | 2400 | 2800 |
| 4/19/2022 | 2000 | 2800 | 3300 |
| 4/19/2022 | 2200 | 3300 | 3600 |
|  |  |  |  |
| 4/20/2022 | 0001 | 3600 | 4000 |
| 4/20/2022 | 200 | 4000 | 4500 |
| 4/20/2022 | 400 | 4500 | 5150 |
| 4/20/2022 | 600 | 5150 | 6000 |
|  |  |  |  |
| 4/21/2022 | 1400 | 6000 | 5600 |
| 4/21/2022 | 1800 | 5600 | 5200 |
| 4/21/2022 | 2200 | 5200 | 4800 |
|  |  |  |  |
| 4/22/2022 | 200 | 4800 | 4600 |
| 4/22/2022 | 600 | 4600 | 4200 |
| 4/22/2022 | 1000 | 4200 | 4000 |
| 4/22/2022 | 1400 | 4000 | 3800 |
| 4/22/2022 | 1800 | 3800 | 3600 |
| 4/22/2022 | 2200 | 3600 | 3400 |
|  |  |  |  |
| 4/23/2022 | 200 | 3400 | 3200 |
| 4/23/2022 | 600 | 3200 | 3000 |
| 4/23/2022 | 1000 | 3000 | 2800 |
| 4/23/2022 | 1400 | 2800 | 2600 |
| 4/23/2022 | 1800 | 2600 | 2400 |
| 4/23/2022 | 2200 | 2400 | 2200 |
|  |  |  |  |
| 4/24/2022 | 200 | 2200 | 2000 |
| 4/24/2022 | 600 | 2000 | 1900 |
| 4/24/2022 | 1200 | 1900 | 1800 |
|  |  |  |  |
| 4/26/2022 | 1200 | 1800 | 1900 |
|  |  |  |  |
| 4/27/2022 | 1200 | 1900 | 2000 |
|  |  |  |  |
| 5/5/2022 | 1200 | 2000 | 1900 |
|  |  |  |  |
| 5/7/2022 | 1200 | 1900 | 1800 |
|  |  |  |  |
| 5/14/2022 | 0001 | 1800 | 1700 |
| 5/14/2022 | 400 | 1700 | 1600 |
| 5/14/2022 | 800 | 1600 | 1500 |
| 5/14/2022 | 1200 | 1500 | 1400 |
| 5/14/2022 | 1600 | 1400 | 1300 |
| 5/14/2022 | 2000 | 1300 | 1200 |
|  |  |  |  |
| 5/15/2022 | 0001 | 1200 | 1100 |
| 5/15/2022 | 400 | 1100 | 1000 |
| 5/15/2022 | 800 | 1000 | 900 |
| 5/15/2022 | 1200 | 900 | 800 |
| 5/15/2022 | 1600 | 800 | 700 |
| 5/15/2022 | 2000 | 700 | 600 |
|  |  |  |  |
| 5/16/2022 | 200 | 600 | 550 |
| 5/16/2022 | 800 | 550 | 500 |
| 5/16/2022 | 1400 | 500 | 450 |



Comment:? Trinity River ROD flows
Issued by:? Tom Patton


-- 
View online at http://www.trrp.net/restore/flows/release-email/
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From tgstoked at gmail.com  Sat Apr 16 10:53:53 2022
From: tgstoked at gmail.com (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 16 Apr 2022 10:53:53 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Former Westside Water District Boss Indicted in $25
	Million Water Theft
Message-ID: <CABnDsn_78eO_9MoqeBSRdrLaHm+LBYASsB-L--7E1nT6j7d7TQ@mail.gmail.com>

I met Dennis Falaschi when I toured the Grasslands Bypass Project several
years ago.Panoche was at that time in charge of the GBP to attempt to deal
with saline, seleniferous groundwater discharges. He gave me a bag of
pistachios grown in salty drainage water.

TS
https://gvwire.com/2022/04/14/former-westside-water-district-boss-indicted-in-25-million-water-theft/

Former Westside Water District Boss Indicted in $25 Million Water Theft

Published
2 days ago

on
April 14, 2022

By
Bill McEwen, News Director <https://gvwire.com/author/bill-mcewen/>
Dennis Falaschi, former GM of Panoche Water District, is charged with
conspiracy, theft of government property, and filing false tax returns.
(Fresno State)
Share with friends

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A federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment Thursday against
Dennis Falaschi, a former general manager of Panoche Water District,
charging him with conspiracy, theft of government property, and filing
false tax returns, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced in a news
release.

Falaschi, 75 years old and now residing in Aptos, exploited a leak in the
Delta-Mendota Canal and engineered a way to steal more than $25 million
worth of water from the federal Central Valley Project, according to court
documents.

The Panoche Water District is headquartered in Firebaugh and serves farmers
in Fresno and Merced counties, who grow a variety of crops on 38,000 acres.

The scheme allegedly began in 1992 when Falaschi learned that an abandoned
drain turnout near milepost markers 94.57 and 94.58 on the Delta-Mendota
Canal was leaking water into a parallel canal under the Panoche Water
District?s control.

Falaschi told an employee to install a new gate inside a standpipe at the
spot of the leak so that the site could be opened and closed on demand,
according to court documents. In addition, the employee was told to install
a lid and lock to conceal and secure the apparatus. The original gate in
the standpoint had been cemented shut years earlier.
Water Thefts Discovered in 2015

Falaschi subsequently told employees to use the site to steal federal water
from the Delta-Mendota Canal on multiple occasions before the site was
discovered in April 2015. He used the theft proceeds to pay himself and
others exorbitant salaries, fringe benefits, and personal expense
reimbursements, prosecutors contend.

Additionally, Falaschi was charged Thursday with filing false tax returns
in 2015 through 2017. According to court records, he failed to report more
than $900,000 in income to the Internal Revenue Service that he received
from private water sales.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton is prosecuting the case, which was
investigated by the Interior?s Office of Inspector General, IRS-Criminal
Investigation, and the FBI.
Panoche Agreed to Repay $7.5 Million to Bureau of Reclamation

In 2021, Panoche agreed to pay the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation nearly $7.5
million to compensate for the ?unauthorized diversion of water? from two
federal canals, The Sacramento Bee reported
<https://www.sacbee.com/article253369598.html#_=_>.

The district also agreed to pay $798,000 plus $172,000 in interest to the
San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, which delivers water from the
Bureau of Reclamation to Panoche and 28 other member districts.
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun Apr 24 18:34:16 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2022 01:34:16 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Winnemem Wintu and W.A.T.E.R. Victory: Appeals
 Court Rejects Crystal Geyser EIR Project Approval
In-Reply-To: <CAExJcNDKJom2+hEHD3E6rNwSFS7PqDHS-SBzF5k6BCy1W7rUhA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAExJcNDKJom2+hEHD3E6rNwSFS7PqDHS-SBzF5k6BCy1W7rUhA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <338118742.689356.1650850456570@mail.yahoo.com>

https://www.dailykos.com/story/2022/4/22/2093460/-Winnemum-Wintu-and-W-A-T-E-R-Victory-Third-District-Court-of-Appeal-Rejects-Crystal 

Winnemem Wintu and W.A.T.E.R. Victory: Appeals ?Court Rejects Crystal Geyser EIR Project Approval


In a victory for a community effort led by the Winnemem Wintu Tribe and We Advocate Thorough Environmental Review (W.A.T.E.R.),?California?s Third District Court of Appeal ruled in the groups? favor in a long-running fight against approvals by Siskiyou County and the City of Mt. Shasta for the Crystal Geyser Water Company (CGWC) bottling plant project.?W.A.T.E.R. is?a grassroots, community non-profit organization based in Mt. Shasta, California.

The ruling capped an 8.5 year effort by community members to ensure the proposed project would not harm the environment and community, according to a press statement from the Tribe and W.A.T.E.R.

?W.A.T.E.R. and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe challenged the adequacy of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared by the County to review the impacts of a bottling facility proposed by CGWC, as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),? according to the statement. ?In the case against the County, the unanimous decision confirms that the County?s EIR for the project based its analysis on an impermissibly narrow set of project objectives, such that approval of the project as proposed was a ?foregone conclusion,??rendering the alternatives analysis an ?empty formality.?

The Court also found that the County failed to recirculate the EIR after new emissions studies revealed that the project would produce almost twice the amount of greenhouse gasses as was revealed in the Draft EIR, according to the Tribe and W.A.T.E.R.

?In the case with the City of Mt. Shasta, W.A.T.E.R. and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe challenged the City?s approval of a wastewater permit for CGWC.? The Court found that the City had failed to comply with CEQA?s requirement that the City make its own independent findings on several potentially significant impacts before the City approved its portion of the project, and that it needed to supply a brief explanation of the rationale for each finding, which it failed to do,? they stated.

?Both cases will be remanded to the Siskiyou County Superior Court (the lower court in this case) for entry of a judgment in favor of the petitioners.? The lower court must specify those actions the County must take to comply with CEQA, i.e. to revise the statement of the project objectives and alternatives, and to recirculate the EIR?s discussion of greenhouse gas emissions in order to allow comment on the new (much higher) emission estimates. Likewise, the lower court must specify those actions the City must take to comply with CEQA,? they continued.

In both cases, the Appellate Court's judgments were based on the County and the City's violations of procedures required by CEQA.? With respect to a public agency?s conclusions regarding environmental impacts, the standard of review applied by the court is deferential to the agency, and environmental challenges can be an uphill climb for petitioners. The standard of review for procedural missteps is, however, a less deferential standard. It was under this rigorous review by the Third Appellate District that the City and County?s actions were determined to have violated CEQA.

Prior to these rulings CGWC abandoned its project and sold the plant and its surrounding properties. However, the legal cases against the project approvals were continued to insure that the flawed EIR would not remain valid.

?We are indeed happy to win on procedural grounds,? the Tribe and W.A.T.E.R. wrote. ?However, the community still needs to remain vigilant about environmental hazards that local governments might miss or ignore in any future project. The history of the proposed CGWC project is a history of our County and City governments cooperating with a major extractive and polluting corporation without regard for community health or the environment.?

?The City of Mount Shasta and Siskiyou County promoted an environmentally questionable project as a ?fait accompli? (a done deal) immune to community input. Siskiyou County adamantly maintained that the project did not require environmental review and only initiated an EIR after broad community pressure was brought to bear. The controversial EIR produced by the County was ultimately invalidated on appeal because the County based the EIR?s analysis on an impermissibly narrow set of project objectives, and would not recirculate the EIR after the revelation of a significant increase in projected Greenbouse Gas emissions. If the priorities of these politicians and corporate officials were different, these cases would not have been necessary. Citizen awareness, concern and action are a vital and necessary part of legally mandated environmental review,? they wrote.

They also said this?is a victory also over CGWC itself, a subsidiary of a multi-billion dollar multinational pharmaceutical corporation with very deep financial pockets, with the potential corporate power to completely dominate local politics for years to come.

For example, recent findings of a California Fair Political Practices Commission investigation revealed CGWC committed violations in its secret funding of a Siskiyou County political action committee that opposed a citizen-led effort to strengthen county water ordinances--an example of the kind of corporate political meddling that can cause significant community harm.

?Our success would not have been possible if it had not been for the strong support of the many community members, mostly of modest means, who contributed their time, writing, letters, speeches, money, and words of support. It is also a reminder of the importance of community involvement and persistence in matters of this importance. We all must take the time to protect our community and remain vigilant,? they continued.?

?Our community?s most precious and most sought lifegiving asset is Mount Shasta?s pristine groundwater, especially during this time of increasing drought. We cannot accept unlimited water extraction, harms to our watershed, and degradation to our rivers and streams and the life they support. The wins in these two cases demonstrate that when we come together we can protect our water, our environment and the web of life we all depend on. We are thankful and proud of the work, sacrifice and victories that W.A.T.E.R. and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe together have shared. May all Peoples join together in the same way to protect and care for this precious World we call home,? the Winnemem Wintu and?W.A.T.E.R. concluded.

?We note that agreements between CGWC and the County and City included indemnification clauses such that the agencies and the citizens are not paying for the legal defense of the flawed EIR and permits; CGWC is responsible for the legal costs defending the EIR,? they added.
  
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Apr 25 15:04:56 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2022 22:04:56 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Big Flat whitewater park eyed by supervisors
References: <641602770.961780.1650924296463.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <641602770.961780.1650924296463@mail.yahoo.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_dc6adf7c-babd-11ec-98ab-33008657dbe8.html#tncms-source=login


Big Flat whitewater park eyed by supervisors
Initial scoping project approved
   
   - By Josh Cozine The Trinity Journal
?   
   - Apr 13, 2022?Updated?Apr 13, 2022
?   
   - ?1
   
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Charles Loy   
   -    


Surfing the Trinity River could become a reality if a study approved by the Board of Supervisors bears fruit.

Preliminary plans for a whitewater river park at the Big Flat river access parking area were discussed Tuesday, April 7, at the county Board of Supervisors meeting. The board approved $35,000 in funding to McLaughlin Whitewater for ?consultation of the feasibility of in-river whitewater features.?

McLaughlin Whitewater is a Colorado-based engineering company that specializes in planning construction of whitewater parks and venues. Their resume includes the whitewater venue used for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games and more than a dozen other water features across the U.S., Canada and even one in Europe.

Included in the concept design were plans to develop three standing waves ? constant waves that don?t move or dissipate ? and a climbing wall, as well as better access to the river, trail improvements and habitat restoration.

The waves would be engineered by adding rocks to existing whitewater areas near the river access to shape the water until it forms the standing waves, allowing for surfing on the river and kayaking and other water-based activities without the need to either hike back to your vehicle or be picked up miles downriver.

The project is still very much in the scoping and planning phase with no immediate plans for any construction or alteration to the river.

?The work is focused on providing the county and project stakeholders key information to support planning decisions regarding if building a whitewater project should be pursued,? McLaughlin Whitewater said in a letter to Sup. Jeremy Brown who has been pursuing the project and agendized it for discussion and approval of the first step of planning.

?I?m super excited to have this item on the agenda, it?s been a couple years in the making, behind the scenes inquiries, reaching out and it?s finally gotten into a little bit of a tangible project now,? Brown said during discussion on the item.

According to Ben Nielsen, engineer with McLaughlin Whitewater, the project is several years away from any construction beginning, and McLaughlin would not be involved in doing any of the construction but would be designing plans only.

Nielsen said he could not estimate on what the cost of construction would be without completing initial studies, but that it would likely be into the millions of dollars. Sup. Brown said that he is hopeful much or all of the costs could be covered through grants and other forms of funding outside of the general fund. The initial $35,000 allocated came from the general fund, but Brown said that amount too could likely be reimbursed through grants once the scoping is completed.

During public comment a few residents asked about the possibility of placing the park somewhere else on the river. Near Junction City was the area most suggested during public comment due its nearby proximity to Weaverville with more services and amenities.

Nielsen said other sites were considered, but that the Big Flat access area was the best spot because of already existing whitewater conditions in multiple close-proximity locations that could more easily be transformed into standing wave features.

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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Apr 26 16:52:57 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2022 23:52:57 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Unprecedented water restrictions ordered as MWD
 declares water shortage emergency
References: <1359247227.1311551.1651017177202.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1359247227.1311551.1651017177202@mail.yahoo.com>

https://www.latimes.com
Unprecedented water restrictions ordered as MWD declares water shortage emergency?
Dropping water levels leave a ?bathtub ring? around Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet in June. The reservoir is a major drinking water storage facility for 18 million Southern Californians. On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Water District declared a water shortage emergency and moved to restrict outdoor watering to just once a week in parts of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, as well as certain areas of the Inland Empire.(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)BY?IAN JAMESSTAFF WRITER?APRIL 26, 2022?3:19 PM PT?   
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Southern California water officials took the unprecedented step Tuesday of declaring a water shortage emergency and restricting outdoor watering to just one day a week in parts of Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties ? an action that will impact about 6 million people.?

The outdoor watering restrictions would take effect June 1, according to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and apply to areas that are dependent on water from the drought-ravaged State Water Project.

?We are seeing conditions unlike anything we have seen before,? said Adel Hagekhalil, the district?s general manager. ?We need serious demand reductions.?

The MWD?s board has never before taken such a step and?the resolution adopted by the water wholesaler?marks the first widespread water restrictions imposed in Southern California during this most recent period of?extreme drought.

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT

California salmon are at risk of extinction. A plan to save them stirs hope and controversy

April 7, 2022

With the state?s major reservoirs at low levels, the MWD has been left without enough water to meet demands in parts of Southern California, officials said.

MWD?s board voted to adopt the emergency measures to ?reduce non-essential water use? in certain areas. Cities and smaller water suppliers that get water from MWD are required to start restricting outdoor watering to one day a week, or to find other ways to cut usage to a new monthly allocation limit.

Any water suppliers that fail to comply could face large fines from the MWD for exceeding their monthly allocations.

The State Water Project delivers water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to farmlands and cities to the south. The project includes canals, pipelines, reservoirs and pumping facilities, which transport water to approximately 27 million Californians.

CALIFORNIA

As drought hammers Mono Lake, thirsty Los Angeles must look elsewhere for water

April 15, 2022

After a record dry start to 2022, California?water officials slashed the project?s expected deliveries?this year to just 5% of full allocations.


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California slashes State Water Project allocation as year begins with re...

After a record-dry start to 2022, California water officials have slashed State Water Project allocations from 1...
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Areas that depend heavily or entirely on the State Water Project include northwestern L.A. County and Ventura County, parts of the San Gabriel Valley and parts of the Inland Empire.

The MWD imports water from the State Water Project and the Colorado River, serving 26 public water agencies across six counties that supply 19 million people, about half the state?s population.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.


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From tgstoked at gmail.com  Wed Apr 27 11:03:12 2022
From: tgstoked at gmail.com (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2022 11:03:12 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Spring releases raise Trinity River TRRP addresses
	concerns amid drought
Message-ID: <CABnDsn-xP0ATx7S406i1=T5NN4Hxhe0FikicPB__FVvCs=2wiQ@mail.gmail.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_a2321f84-c5b0-11ec-8c20-0bde63c98700.html

Spring releases raise Trinity RiverTRRP addresses concerns amid drought

   - By Tony Reed The Trinity Journal
   - 4 hrs ago
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1 of 4
[image: Spring flows]
<http://www.trinityjournal.com/content/tncms/live/#1>

Along Highway 299 west of Junction City, the Trinity River was noticeably
higher during spring flows.

   - Tony Reed | The Trinity Journal

[image: Ruth Lake]
<http://www.trinityjournal.com/content/tncms/live/#2>

Having some fun aboard personal watercraft, taking advantage of a full Ruth
Lake Sunday.

   - Tony Reed | The Trinity Journal

[image: image.png]
<http://www.trinityjournal.com/content/tncms/live/#3>

TRRP's flow schedule for 2022.

   - Tony Reed | The Trinity Journal

[image: image.png]
<http://www.trinityjournal.com/content/tncms/live/#4>

A measure on the Trinity River in Junction City showed the water height at
just under 7 feet during peak flows. According to the US Geological Survey
which monitors the water there, the typical winter flow level is between 2
and 3 feet.

   - Tony Reed | The Trinity Journal


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It was hard not to notice on a rainy Wednesday morning, April 20, that the
Trinity River appeared to be running much higher than in previous days.
However, it?s not the rain that brought the level up, it was the start of
an intentional discharge of 369,000 acre-feet of water from Trinity Dam.

TPUD Manager Paul Hauser said he refers to the yearly action as the
?artificial spring flood,? adding that he has argued against doing so for
years, to no avail.

?Why are we dumping 369,000 acre-feet of water when we?re in the middle of
a historic drought?? he asked Wednesday morning.

While it seems an obvious question, staff at the Trinity River Restoration
Program say it needs to happen to regulate temperatures, deter certain
species of frogs from breeding and to flush dirt, silt and mosses from the
riverbed to improve fish habitat.

Mike Dixon, Ph.D., executive director of TRRP, said that on April 15, flows
from the dam were bumped up from 1,400 cubic feet per second to a peak of
5,700 cfs by April 21. That amount will level off for the first 17 days of
May before returning to normal rates, he said.

Asked if the increased flows were timed to coincide with a week of rain and
snow showers, Dixon called it a ?happy accident.? He said it was decided to
make a quick release early in spring, rather than extend a slow release out
into the summer months, partly to encourage salmon to head for the ocean
earlier.

He explained that continually releasing cold water into the river
encourages fish to stay, rather than return to the ocean, which can cause a
die-off in the Klamath River.

 ?The idea is that when we start our spring release from the dam, depending
on how much water we?re releasing, the flows can drop the temperature of
the river by over 10 degrees Fahrenheit, because that water is coming off
the bottom of the reservoir,? he explained. ?When the water is colder, it
slows down fish growth.?

He said one cue that sends fish to the ocean is reaching a certain size, so
keeping cold water in the rivers encourages them to stay longer.

?It?s a nice place to be when the river is nice and cold up here, but
unfortunately, just because it?s nice and cold up here doesn?t mean that
the lower Trinity and the lower Klamath [River] are going to be as
hospitable, so we?ve had big disease problems for many years in the lower
Klamath.? He said the reasons have been many, but it?s determined that
disease is much worse in drought years. Dixon recalled that as many as 90
percent of fish migrating out of the Klamath died. Dixon said fish can
sense declining flows and temperature differences which also indicate they
should head back to the ocean.

*Scour the channel*

Dixon explained that another purpose of the spring flows is to ?scour the
channel,? meaning to move silt, gravel and sediment away. He said it?s not
a regular objective, but had not been done following an unprecedented three
years of critically dry conditions. It was determined to be necessary in
order to move gravel and scour willow bushes from river edges. Dixon said a
common issue for the Trinity is a lack of connection to the flood plain.

?Flood plains are really important to fish,? he said. ?People think of the
river as the part that has water in it, but the river is the whole valley.
If we build all this habitat for fish by lowering flood plains and creating
these off-channel features, we want to make sure we are managing that water
by getting the habitat wet at the right times.? He said early on, an issue
that disconnected the Trinity from its flood plain was willow bushes.

?We had willows grow right on the edge of the river because we were
releasing the same amount of water every day, 365 days a year,? he said.
When that happened, dense sand would then accumulate and create levies that
kept the river from accessing its flood plain. When flows increase, the
tight channel will speed water flow through an area, confining it to a
tight channel. Dixon said that after 18 years of trying to open the
channel, TRRP is trying to keep the river from returning to the tight
channel condition.

Asked if flushing helps to resolve issues around toxic algal blooms, Dixon
said those typically occur later in the summer when releases are not
happening. However, he said TRRP will sometimes release water in fall to
lower temperatures and increase flows in the lower Klamath River, which can
mitigate or stop the proliferation of blue green algae.

?That?s not an objective, it would just be a convenient consequence,? he
said.

*Because we have to*

?What it really boils down to is that we have to release the water,? he
said. ?We have a set allocation for restoration purposes and we are
releasing the minimum amount we are legally allowed to release and we are
doing it in a way that is informed by the 20 years of science we?ve
accumulated since the program started.?

Asked to address common concerns from the public, Dixon noted questions
about why water can?t be retained for recreation or as storage for future
dry years.

?It really boils down to the purpose of Trinity Dam, based on what Congress
said,? he explained. ?The purpose of Trinity Dam is for irrigation. It?s
not even for flood control. If it controls flood, it?s also a consequence
of holding back water for subsequent diversion for irrigating.? Dixon said
the program gets a set amount of water for restoration purposes, but all
else is available for diversion to the Central Valley Project. He said
there are no minimum constraints to accommodate boat ramps in the reservoir
or recreation, because it?s not the intended purpose of the dam.

?Congress authorized that specifically to hold onto water to use for
irrigation and if we can generate power on the way to irrigation, all the
better,? he said. ?That?s why we have some of the cheapest power in
California.?

Asked if the release increases significantly lower the level of Trinity
Lake, Dixon said they can release 369,000 acre feet of water in a
critically dry year, and all but 98,000 acre-feet becomes the summer and
winter base flows.

?The 98,000 extra acre-feet comes out of a total lake storage of 2.5
million acre-feet,? he said. ?What we ae seeing right now is fairly small
relative to the capacity of the lake,? he said, ?but, to be fair, the
lake?s only at 772,000 acre-feet of storage right now. We?re at, I think,
42 percent of the historical average for the date. It?s quite low, almost
unprecedentedly low, but not quite.?

*For more info*

Asked if he would like the public to know anything about TRRP, Dixon said
staff enjoy sharing information with the public at events or one-on-one.

?We love this stuff,? he said. ?We really like communicating and ? the
conversation doesn?t happen properly over social media. It?s hard to engage
properly and share the right information.?

As for who makes the decision to release or hold water, it?s rarely one
office.

?We?re an eight-agency partnership who are all here to work together to
restore the river, so these decisions on how and when to release water,
it?s not the Bureau of Reclamation that?s formulating these hydrographs.
It?s the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, it?s the National
Marine Fisheries Service and the Yurok Tribe and Trinity County,? he said.
?All of these entities get together and decide at the technical level and
then, at the policy level, what we?re trying to accomplish this year and
that?s what we end up doing.?

For more information, questions or to schedule an information meeting or
event, send an email to info at trrp.net for the quickest response.

*A different prediction*

Asked if he would like to weigh in, Tom Stokely, representing the Save
California Salmon and other Trinity River groups, began by noting that 2022
will go down as one of the driest years in history, and even after last
week?s rain and snow, the lake will reach its lowest level since 1977.

?Thanks to mismanagement of the cold water pool by the Bureau of
Reclamation, with the blessing of the State Water Resources Control Board,
river temperatures in 2022 are expected to be very warm for all life stages
of salmon and steelhead, particularly during fall spawning. Therefore,
significant salmon spawning failure and pre-spawn mortality is expected in
2022. Spring chinook salmon are listed as threatened under the California
Endangered Species Act, and coho salmon are listed as threatened under the
state and federal ESAs.?

Stokely said the Bureau of Reclamation?s April 6 Draft Temperature
Management Plan predicts Trinity Lake storage at 399,000 acre-feet at the
end of October, with Lewiston Dam outflow temperatures for October at 56.9
degrees Fahrenheit.

?Under water right order 90-5, temperatures should be 56 degrees at the
North Fork confluence in October, 40 miles downstream,? he said. ?I don?t
expect the recent precipitation to make a huge difference because the
ground is so dry and a very hot summer is likely.?

Stokely said warm waters in Trinity Lake in the last two months of 2021
resulted in significant mortality and unpermitted take of coho eggs at the
Trinity River Hatchery. He predicted the action will be repeated this year.

?Hydropower will also be adversely impacted by the low storage this year,?
he said. ?There will hopefully be strategic powerplant bypasses to provide
colder water for salmon during fall spawning, but it remains to be seen how
much cold water will be left in Trinity Lake at all by October.?

According to Stokely, Save California Salmon, the California Sportfishing
Protection Alliance and California Water Impact Network submitted an
alternative water operations plan for 2021 to the SWRCB that would have
resulted in an additional 500,000 acre-feet of stored water in Trinity and
Shasta reservoirs for 2022.

?Unfortunately, our plan was rejected and now we face a serious salmon and
hydropower crisis,? he said. ?Protections for the Trinity River that are
contained in SWRCB Water Right Order 90-5 have been completely ignored.
Save California Salmon is the only organization that has spoken up to the
SWRCB about their failure to protect the Trinity River. ?

Stokley asserted that in order to save this year?s run of salmon in the
Trinity River, export of Trinity River water to Whiskeytown Lake and the
Sacramento River should be further curtailed per the letter from
Congressman Huffman to the Commissioner of Reclamation.

?To do otherwise spells disaster for those who depend on Trinity and
Klamath River salmon and steelhead,? he said.

*Ruth Lake full*

Over on Ruth Lake April 19, water was cresting the spillway for the first
time since last October.

Ruth Lake Community Services District Manager Caitlyn Canale said the
spillover happens naturally when the lake is full. Unlike Trinity Lake, the
7-mile-long reservoir in southern Trinity County doesn?t take long to fill.

?We?re rather fortunate, being as small as we are, that one rainstorm can
fill it,? Canale said. ?For example, we were pretty low back in October and
one huge storm filled it completely.?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website, the reservoir was
formed by the damming of the Mad River in 1962. It provides water to
Humboldt County and serves as a recreation area for many.

While the dam does not generate power, it brings tourism revenue to the
area, mostly in fishing-related commerce.

?The lake is popular for largemouth bass fishing and this year, we are
doing three bass tournaments,? she said. ?We had one on April 2 and we?ll
have one on April 30 and another on June 4. They usually have really good
turnouts.?

Asked what other fish one can expect to catch in Ruth Lake, Canale said
trout, bluegill and catfish are common.

According to the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District, the level of Ruth
Lake on April 19 was 104 percent of capacity.
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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Apr 30 17:47:24 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 1 May 2022 00:47:24 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Mark Arax is doing a virtual talk about The Dreamt
	Land
References: <577817502.2442147.1651366044471.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <577817502.2442147.1651366044471@mail.yahoo.com>

 
FYI Mark Arax is doing a virtual talk aboutThe Dreamt Land (moderated by Felicia Marcus) this Wednesday at 2-3 pm: https://west.stanford.edu/events/mark-arax-dreamt-land.
 
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From kierassociates at att.net  Sat Apr 30 21:31:44 2022
From: kierassociates at att.net (kierassociates at att.net)
Date: Sat, 30 Apr 2022 21:31:44 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Mark Arax is doing a virtual talk about The
	Dreamt	Land
In-Reply-To: <577817502.2442147.1651366044471@mail.yahoo.com>
References: <577817502.2442147.1651366044471.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
 <577817502.2442147.1651366044471@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <000001d85d14$5d52b4a0$17f81de0$@att.net>

On it, Tom ? thanks

 

Bill

 

From: env-trinity <env-trinity-bounces at mailman.dcn.org> On Behalf Of Tom Stokely
Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2022 5:47 PM
To: env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org
Subject: [env-trinity] Mark Arax is doing a virtual talk about The Dreamt Land

 

FYI Mark Arax is doing a virtual talk about The Dreamt Land (moderated by Felicia Marcus) this Wednesday at 2-3 pm: https://west.stanford.edu/events/mark-arax-dreamt-land.

 

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri May  6 10:48:54 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 6 May 2022 17:48:54 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Youtube of Mark Arax interview with Felicia Marcus
References: <330068.279632.1651859334428.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <330068.279632.1651859334428@mail.yahoo.com>

If you missed this event from last Wednesday, you can see it after the fact on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46Iyydq-qw0
Tom Stokely?Salmon and Water Policy Consultant530-524-0315?tstokely at att.net?
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun May 15 07:25:11 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 15 May 2022 14:25:11 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: House Committee refers former Interior Secretary
 David Bernhardt to DOJ on allegations of criminal bribery
In-Reply-To: <CAExJcNDGi6fz38PegRmDturct0AU=qkSJhQL+FYCqTK_iZ2b9Q@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAExJcNDGi6fz38PegRmDturct0AU=qkSJhQL+FYCqTK_iZ2b9Q@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <159258822.2725046.1652624711184@mail.yahoo.com>

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Dan Bacher <danielbacher53 at gmail.com>To: "undisclosed-recipients:;" <undisclosed-recipients:;>Sent: Saturday, May 14, 2022, 01:51:36 PM PDTSubject: House Committee refers former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to DOJ on allegations of criminal bribery
 
https://www.dailykos.com/story/2022/5/12/2097549/-House-Committee-refers-Trump-Interior-Secretary-David-Bernhardt-on-allegations-of-criminal-bribery?

House Committee refers former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to DOJ on allegations of criminal bribery


by Dan Bacher

Washington, D.C.?? David Bernhardt, former Interior Secretary under President Donald Trump and a lobbyist for the Westlands Water District and Big Oil who oversaw the creation of the environmentally devastating,?salmon-killing?Trump Water Plan in California,?is back in the news over alleged bribery?he engaged in during his tenure as Secretary.?

Natural Resources Committee Chair Ra?l M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Katie Porter (D-Calif.) today made a?criminal referral?to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) outlining evidence of a likely criminal?quid pro quo?between Trump administration officials, including former U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary David Bernhardt, and real estate developer Mike Ingram.

The criminal referral is the first one made?by the Committee, which uncovered?$241,000 in coordinated donations?from associates of developer Mike Ingram to the Trump Victory Fund and Republican National Committee.

?Ingram is the owner of El Dorado Holdings, which proposed to build the Villages at Vigneto (Vigneto), a 28,000-unit housing and commercial development spanning more than 12,000 acres near the?endangered?San Pedro River in Benson, Arizona,? according to a press statement from Grijalva and Porter. ?Evidence from the Committee?s investigation strongly suggests that Ingram and several other Arizona donors gave nearly a quarter of a million dollars to the Trump Victory Fund and the Republican National Committee in exchange for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) changing its position about a Clean Water Act permit for Vigneto.??

The redacted criminal referral to DOJ is available here:?https://bit.ly/37AbiIf?

?The findings of this investigation show us yet again that the previous administration cast career staff expertise aside while they handed out federal agency decisions to Trump?s buddies and big donors on a pay-to-play basis,? Chair Grijalva said. ?The Villages at Vigneto may not be a household name for many Americans, but to Arizonans, it?s been a looming threat to our fragile desert ecosystem for years. Allowing the development of 28,000 homes, golf courses, resorts, and other commercial buildings to suck the San Pedro River dry during a time of unprecedented drought is nonsensical on its face and agency staff were right to be concerned.?

?It seems Vigneto?s developer figured backroom deals with top Trump officials would be a more fruitful avenue for getting his way?it?s a shame he wasn?t wrong. I strongly urge the Justice Department to take up this investigation and make sure the right people are held accountable for what they?ve done and how they?ve betrayed the trust of the American people,? he stated.

?An exchange of money for a specific government action is the clearest form of corruption there is, and Americans?Democrats, Republicans, and Independents?share an understanding that this kind of?quid pro quo?erodes our democracy,? Rep. Porter said. ?In this case, our oversight uncovered that the Trump administration?s Department of the Interior overruled local career professionals and reversed a longstanding position on environmental review requirements, just weeks after politically connected donors made nearly a quarter of a million dollars? worth of contributions benefiting the Trump campaign.?

?This concerning fact pattern demands additional fact finding, at a minimum, so the American people have answers on whether the Trump administration was acting in the public?s interest or the interests of the highest bidder. We?re calling on the Department of Justice to conduct a thorough investigation and to determine whether criminal charges are appropriate,? added Porter.

Environmental and fishery groups applauded the House Committee?s referral of Bernardt?to the Department of Justice on allegations of criminal bribery.

?We said all along that David Bernhardt was too compromised and too corrupt to be a Cabinet secretary,? said Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities, in a statement. ?This is damning evidence of a straight up pay-for-play favor.? ? ?

John McManus, the President of the Golden State Salmon Association (GSSA), noted in a tweet, ?Bernhardt also ordered federal officials to adopt a salmon-killing water delivery plan in CA.? Westlands and Resnicks benefited.?@CAgovernor?embraces it in VA's (voluntary?agreements).????

The ?Westlands? that McManus mentions is?the?Westlands Water District. Located on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, Westlands is the largest agricultural water district in the nation. The?district has been a consistent advocate of increased water deliveries to almond, pistachio and fruit?growers who farm drainage-impaired land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley.?

They are big contributors to the campaigns of both Republican and Democratic politicians who support massive water exports to corporate agribusiness at great expense to endangered?Delta smelt, spring and winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead and green sturgeon.

The ?Resnicks? McManus mentions are?Beverly Hills billionaires?Stewart and Lynda Resnick, the owners of the Wonderful Company and?the largest tree fruit growers in the world.? They?have contributed many millions of dollars to candidates from both sides of the political aisle and to proposition campaigns so they can continue selling back public water to the public at a huge profit while promoting legislation and other efforts to weaken laws protecting fish, wildlife and water. For more information, go to:?www.dailykos.com/??

Here are more details on the investigation from the Natural Resources Committee:

Investigation Background

In April 2019, the?Arizona Daily Star?s Tony Davis?reported?the whistleblower account of Steve Spangle, a now-retired Field Supervisor at FWS? Arizona office, who claimed he was directed by a ?high level politico? to reverse FWS? position about whether issuance of Clean Water Act permit for Vigneto could potentially have adverse impacts on endangered species or critical habitat. Subsequent reporting revealed that then?Deputy Secretary Bernhardt directed the decision reversal. Spangle noted that he never received such pressure in his more than three decades in public service.

Additional reporting revealed that Dep. Secretary Bernhardt had a private breakfast meeting in Billings, Montana, with Mike Ingram on Aug. 18, 2017, two weeks before Spangle received the phone call directing him to reverse the Vigneto decision. The meeting was not disclosed in Bernhardt?s public calendar or travel documents. Then, on Oct. 6, 2017, Ingram made an unusual out-of-cycle $10,000 donation to the Trump Victory Fund. Less than three weeks later, on Oct. 26, 2017, Spangle officially reversed FWS? decision on Vigneto.?

New Evidence Uncovered in the Committee?s Investigation

The Committee launched an investigation into the Vigneto decision shortly after the incident was publicly reported. Committee staff obtained multiple document productions from DOI and El Dorado, conducted an in-camera review of documents at DOI, questioned then?DOI Chief of Staff Todd Willens, and reviewed Federal Election Commission records. ?

The Committee?s investigation uncovered several additional pieces of evidence in the case, which now warrants criminal investigation by DOJ: ?
   
   - An extensive review of the document productions shows that career officials at FWS, including Spangle and his colleagues in FWS? Arizona Field Office, FWS? Regional Office and DOI?s Office of the Solicitor all maintained consensus about FWS? legal position on Vigneto for more than a decade before Bernhardt demanded that Spangle reverse that position. After being told to reverse the decision, FWS and DOI career employees struggled to credibly defend the new position, citing concerns that it would appear as if it had been ?arbitrarily about-faced.?
   - Ingram was not the only person who made a large campaign donation on Oct. 6, 2017. Twelve other individuals from Arizona, most of whom have personal or professional connections to Ingram, donated a total of $241,600 to the Trump Victory Fund or the Republican National Committee on or near the same day. All 13 individuals donated in a similar pattern, indicating a coordinated effort. Conspicuously, throughout the entire 2017?2018 election cycle, there were no other days in which more than three people from Arizona donated $2,700 or more to the Trump Victory Fund.
   - On the same day as Ingram?s donation, October 6, 2017, the Trump administration announced it would re-evaluate Vigneto?s Clean Water Act permit. There is evidence that Ingram had advance notice of this announcement, giving him time to coordinate the donations.
   - Ingram had frequent access to multiple Trump senior officials, including personal email addresses and cell numbers, indicating a high level of influence within the administration.





  
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From clint at pacific.net  Sun May 15 08:23:10 2022
From: clint at pacific.net (clint)
Date: Sun, 15 May 2022 08:23:10 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] FW: Fw: House Committee refers former Interior
 Secretary David Bernhardt to DOJ on allegations of criminal bribery
In-Reply-To: <159258822.2725046.1652624711184@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <20220515152312.7CF7B4F96@hostedbypacific.net>

FYI ?Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S10e, an AT&T 5G Evolution capable smartphone
-------- Original message --------From: Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net> Date: 5/15/22  7:25 AM  (GMT-08:00) To: env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: House Committee refers former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to DOJ on allegations of criminal bribery ----- Forwarded Message -----
                From: Dan Bacher <danielbacher53 at gmail.com>To: "undisclosed-recipients:;" <undisclosed-recipients:;>Sent: Saturday, May 14, 2022, 01:51:36 PM PDTSubject: House Committee refers former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to DOJ on allegations of criminal bribery
                https://www.dailykos.com/story/2022/5/12/2097549/-House-Committee-refers-Trump-Interior-Secretary-David-Bernhardt-on-allegations-of-criminal-bribery?House Committee refers former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to DOJ on allegations of criminal briberyby Dan BacherWashington, D.C.?? David Bernhardt, former Interior Secretary under President Donald Trump and a lobbyist for the Westlands Water District and Big Oil who oversaw the creation of the environmentally devastating,?salmon-killing?Trump Water Plan in California,?is back in the news over alleged bribery?he engaged in during his tenure as Secretary.?Natural Resources Committee Chair Ra?l M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Katie Porter (D-Calif.) today made a?criminal referral?to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) outlining evidence of a likely criminal?quid pro quo?between Trump administration officials, including former U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary David Bernhardt, and real estate developer Mike Ingram.The criminal referral is the first one made?by the Committee, which uncovered?$241,000 in coordinated donations?from associates of developer Mike Ingram to the Trump Victory Fund and Republican National Committee.?Ingram is the owner of El Dorado Holdings, which proposed to build the Villages at Vigneto (Vigneto), a 28,000-unit housing and commercial development spanning more than 12,000 acres near the?endangered?San Pedro River in Benson, Arizona,? according to a press statement from Grijalva and Porter. ?Evidence from the Committee?s investigation strongly suggests that Ingram and several other Arizona donors gave nearly a quarter of a million dollars to the Trump Victory Fund and the Republican National Committee in exchange for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) changing its position about a Clean Water Act permit for Vigneto.??The redacted criminal referral to DOJ is available here:?https://bit.ly/37AbiIf??The findings of this investigation show us yet again that the previous administration cast career staff expertise aside while they handed out federal agency decisions to Trump?s buddies and big donors on a pay-to-play basis,? Chair Grijalva said. ?The Villages at Vigneto may not be a household name for many Americans, but to Arizonans, it?s been a looming threat to our fragile desert ecosystem for years. Allowing the development of 28,000 homes, golf courses, resorts, and other commercial buildings to suck the San Pedro River dry during a time of unprecedented drought is nonsensical on its face and agency staff were right to be concerned.??It seems Vigneto?s developer figured backroom deals with top Trump officials would be a more fruitful avenue for getting his way?it?s a shame he wasn?t wrong. I strongly urge the Justice Department to take up this investigation and make sure the right people are held accountable for what they?ve done and how they?ve betrayed the trust of the American people,? he stated.?An exchange of money for a specific government action is the clearest form of corruption there is, and Americans?Democrats, Republicans, and Independents?share an understanding that this kind of?quid pro quo?erodes our democracy,? Rep. Porter said. ?In this case, our oversight uncovered that the Trump administration?s Department of the Interior overruled local career professionals and reversed a longstanding position on environmental review requirements, just weeks after politically connected donors made nearly a quarter of a million dollars? worth of contributions benefiting the Trump campaign.??This concerning fact pattern demands additional fact finding, at a minimum, so the American people have answers on whether the Trump administration was acting in the public?s interest or the interests of the highest bidder. We?re calling on the Department of Justice to conduct a thorough investigation and to determine whether criminal charges are appropriate,? added Porter.Environmental and fishery groups applauded the House Committee?s referral of Bernardt?to the Department of Justice on allegations of criminal bribery.?We said all along that David Bernhardt was too compromised and too corrupt to be a Cabinet secretary,? said Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities, in a statement. ?This is damning evidence of a straight up pay-for-play favor.? ? ?John McManus, the President of the Golden State Salmon Association (GSSA), noted in a tweet, ?Bernhardt also ordered federal officials to adopt a salmon-killing water delivery plan in CA.? Westlands and Resnicks benefited.?@CAgovernor?embraces it in VA's (voluntary?agreements).????The ?Westlands? that McManus mentions is?the?Westlands Water District. Located on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, Westlands is the largest agricultural water district in the nation. The?district has been a consistent advocate of increased water deliveries to almond, pistachio and fruit?growers who farm drainage-impaired land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley.?They are big contributors to the campaigns of both Republican and Democratic politicians who support massive water exports to corporate agribusiness at great expense to endangered?Delta smelt, spring and winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead and green sturgeon.The ?Resnicks? McManus mentions are?Beverly Hills billionaires?Stewart and Lynda Resnick, the owners of the Wonderful Company and?the largest tree fruit growers in the world.? They?have contributed many millions of dollars to candidates from both sides of the political aisle and to proposition campaigns so they can continue selling back public water to the public at a huge profit while promoting legislation and other efforts to weaken laws protecting fish, wildlife and water. For more information, go to:?www.dailykos.com/??Here are more details on the investigation from the Natural Resources Committee:Investigation BackgroundIn April 2019, the?Arizona Daily Star?s Tony Davis?reported?the whistleblower account of Steve Spangle, a now-retired Field Supervisor at FWS? Arizona office, who claimed he was directed by a ?high level politico? to reverse FWS? position about whether issuance of Clean Water Act permit for Vigneto could potentially have adverse impacts on endangered species or critical habitat. Subsequent reporting revealed that then?Deputy Secretary Bernhardt directed the decision reversal. Spangle noted that he never received such pressure in his more than three decades in public service.Additional reporting revealed that Dep. Secretary Bernhardt had a private breakfast meeting in Billings, Montana, with Mike Ingram on Aug. 18, 2017, two weeks before Spangle received the phone call directing him to reverse the Vigneto decision. The meeting was not disclosed in Bernhardt?s public calendar or travel documents. Then, on Oct. 6, 2017, Ingram made an unusual out-of-cycle $10,000 donation to the Trump Victory Fund. Less than three weeks later, on Oct. 26, 2017, Spangle officially reversed FWS? decision on Vigneto.?New Evidence Uncovered in the Committee?s InvestigationThe Committee launched an investigation into the Vigneto decision shortly after the incident was publicly reported. Committee staff obtained multiple document productions from DOI and El Dorado, conducted an in-camera review of documents at DOI, questioned then?DOI Chief of Staff Todd Willens, and reviewed Federal Election Commission records. ?The Committee?s investigation uncovered several additional pieces of evidence in the case, which now warrants criminal investigation by DOJ: ?An extensive review of the document productions shows that career officials at FWS, including Spangle and his colleagues in FWS? Arizona Field Office, FWS? Regional Office and DOI?s Office of the Solicitor all maintained consensus about FWS? legal position on Vigneto for more than a decade before Bernhardt demanded that Spangle reverse that position. After being told to reverse the decision, FWS and DOI career employees struggled to credibly defend the new position, citing concerns that it would appear as if it had been ?arbitrarily about-faced.?Ingram was not the only person who made a large campaign donation on Oct. 6, 2017. Twelve other individuals from Arizona, most of whom have personal or professional connections to Ingram, donated a total of $241,600 to the Trump Victory Fund or the Republican National Committee on or near the same day. All 13 individuals donated in a similar pattern, indicating a coordinated effort. Conspicuously, throughout the entire 2017?2018 election cycle, there were no other days in which more than three people from Arizona donated $2,700 or more to the Trump Victory Fund.On the same day as Ingram?s donation, October 6, 2017, the Trump administration announced it would re-evaluate Vigneto?s Clean Water Act permit. There is evidence that Ingram had advance notice of this announcement, giving him time to coordinate the donations.Ingram had frequent access to multiple Trump senior officials, including personal email addresses and cell numbers, indicating a high level of influence within the administration.

            
        
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed May 18 18:06:38 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 19 May 2022 01:06:38 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING - RELEASE OF PRELIMINARY
 CHANGES TO DROUGHT EMERGENCY REGULATION FOR SCOTT RIVER AND SHASTA RIVER
 WATERSHEDS
In-Reply-To: <LYRIS-222842-9157219-2022.05.18-15.02.02--tstokely#att.net@swrcb18.waterboards.ca.gov>
References: <LYRIS-222842-9157219-2022.05.18-15.02.02--tstokely#att.net@swrcb18.waterboards.ca.gov>
Message-ID: <1099138894.126754.1652922398433@mail.yahoo.com>

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: lyris at swrcb18.waterboards.ca.gov <lyris at swrcb18.waterboards.ca.gov>To: Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net>Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2022, 03:05:34 PM PDTSubject: NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING - RELEASE OF PRELIMINARY CHANGES TO DROUGHT EMERGENCY REGULATION FOR SCOTT RIVER AND SHASTA RIVER WATERSHEDS
  
  ??This is a message from the State Water Resources Control Board
 
The Notice of Public Meeting and Release of Preliminary Changes to Drought Emergency Regulation for Scott River and Shasta River Watersheds has been posted and can be accessed at: https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/public_notices/notices/notice_scott_shasta_eregs_052522.pdf
 
 ?
 
The virtual public meeting is scheduled for May 25, 2022.
 
 ?
 
For additional information, please access the Notice by the link above.
 
 ?

  
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From tstokely at att.net  Sun May 22 10:52:38 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 22 May 2022 17:52:38 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fishermen threaten to sue Bureau of Reclamation over
 Trinity River diversions
References: <515864254.1092252.1653241959258.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <515864254.1092252.1653241959258@mail.yahoo.com>

The 60 day notice is attached.
TS
 
Fishermen threaten to sue Bureau of Reclamation over Trinity River diversions
 



 
A haze moves slowly over the mountains as the Trinity River flows fairly high near Hawkins Bar in May 2019. Local fishermen and tribes are demanding the federal government address how water diversions from the river are threatening endangered species like coho salmon. (Shaun Walker/The Times-Standard file)
 
By?SONIA WARAICH?|?swaraich at times-standard.com?| Eureka Times-Standard
 
May 21, 2022 at 1:19 p.m.
 
 ?
 
A Trump era decision has further imperiled endangered fish species in the Trinity River, and commercial fishermen and local tribes are demanding the federal government take action.
 
This week, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations and its sister organization Institute for Fisheries Research sent the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation a 60-day notice of their intention to sue the federal agency for violating the Endangered Species Act. The amount of water the bureau is diverting from the Trinity River to the Central Valley Project has decimated the river?s salmon populations and the fishermen are demanding a new biological opinion on the conservation methods and measures that should be required to protect them.
 
?There hasn?t been an updated biological opinion on the Trinity River since the year 2000,? Tom Stokely, a consultant to the federation who has been working on the Trinity River for decades, told The Times-Standard. ?When they did the last biological opinion, they did not anticipate the take of coho salmon from warm water.?
 
Under the Endangered Species Act, it?s illegal to ?take? an endangered species, which ranges from harming and harassing to trapping and killing them. The law also requires agencies like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service to prepare a biological opinion detailing how a federal agency?s actions could jeopardize the habitat or existence of an endangered species, along with conservation methods to help those species recover.
 
In the case of the fish in the Trinity River, the bureau is required to maintain a temperature of 56 degrees at specific locations along the river during the salmon spawning periods starting in mid-September. Last year, the water diversions resulted in harm to the species by allowing lethal temperatures in the Trinity River Hatchery that killed up to 75% of the coho salmon eggs.
 
Conditions aren?t expected to improve this fall, Stokely said. The water temperature at Lewiston Dam is projected to be 58.6 degrees in October, which is 2.5 degrees warmer than it?s supposed to be 40 miles downstream.
 
?So we expect very significant mortality of spring Chinook salmon, fall Chinook salmon as well as coho,? Stokely said.
 
The only thing that might save the fish this year is the bureau?s decision to bring chillers to the Trinity River Hatchery for the coho salmon eggs, but Stokely said they don?t have chillers for the spring or fall Chinook salmon.
 
Much of this is the result of a 2019 biological opinion that assessed the impact to species across the footprint of the Central Valley Project ? a network of dams, reservoirs, canals and other infrastructure that provides hydroelectricity and supplies water to the likes of Central Valley farmers and municipal customers across 29 counties, among other things ? without factoring in impacts to the Trinity River.
 
That opinion had the net effect of taking more water out of the Trinity River and leaving it without any protections.
 
?Now we?re facing this crisis because under the Trump biological opinion, the cold water will be gone this fall and the salmon will experience very lethal temperatures during spawning,? Stokely said.
 
A joint March letter from the Yurok Tribe and Hoopa Valley Tribe to the bureau and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was attached to the notice of intent. It, too, calls for a separate biological opinion focused specifically on the impacts to the Trinity River, the health of which is significant in maintaining their ways of life.
 
?The pending re-consultation on operations of the (Trinity River Division) must remain separate and be completed prior to that of the larger (Central Valley Project),? the letter states. ?This will ensure that environmental impacts of reservoir management and water quality and quantity of river releases in the Trinity River Basin can be considered independent of the impacts in the Sacramento River.?
 
The letter also points out that the 1955 Trinity River Act that allowed for the construction and operation of the Trinity River Division of the Central Valley Project requires appropriate measures be taken to preserve fish and wildlife species in the Trinity before allowing diversions.
 
It lays out emergency measures, like ceasing diversions, the bureau should take to preserve the fish in the Trinity, which are ?vital to meet the cultural, ceremonial, subsistence and economic needs of the Hoopa Valley and Yurok Tribes.?
 
The bureau has a policy not to comment on pending litigation.
 Sonia Waraich can be reached at 707-441-0504.
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From tgstoked at gmail.com  Wed May 25 15:48:48 2022
From: tgstoked at gmail.com (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 25 May 2022 15:48:48 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Notice filed against Reclamation
Message-ID: <CABnDsn9JCaorhE9U_=8s0852=1k42WY2S=7m2B7MtLW8y-UOWw@mail.gmail.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_a6e5d992-dbb5-11ec-8d96-0333fd0588b6.html
Notice filed against ReclamationGroup says Bureau of Reclamation plans will
devastate Trinity River fishery

   - By Tony Reed The Trinity Journal
   - 3 hrs ago
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The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations has filed a 60-day
notice of intent to sue the US Bureau of Reclamation for what it calls
violations of the Endangered Species Act.

According to the notice which was sent to BOR Regional Director Ernest
Conant and Acting Regional Administrator Scott Rumsey Ph.D., the violations
arise from ?BOR?s continuing failure to comply with the ESA?s prohibition
against ?take? of ESA-listed species that applies to them, and its failure
to reinitiate ESA consultation in accordance with requirements imposed by
the October 12, 2000, ?Biological Opinion for the Trinity River Mainstem
Fishery Restoration EIS and Its Effects on Southern Oregon/Northern
California Coast Coho Salmon, Sacramento River Winter-run Chinook Salmon,
Central Valley Spring-run Chinook Salmon and Central Valley Steelhead.??

The notice asserts that Bureau of Reclamation plans for next year will
devastate the fishery resources of the Trinity River, which will throw away
years of restoration efforts.

*Claimed violations*

According to the notice, the Trinity River Dam was built in 1955 as part of
the Central Valley Project with a condition that operators take appropriate
measures to protect fish and wildlife.

Flow rates are mandated by the Record of Decision (ROD), which was signed
in 2000, designed to restore fisheries of the Trinity River. The ROD
defines the flow amounts released from the dam into the Trinity River, and
a biological opinion was issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service in
2000. According to the notice, the opinion included only endangered species
found in the Central Valley and Southern Oregon. Northern California
coastal coho salmon were also considered.

?Following the completion of the TRD, diversion of up to 90% of the flows
to the Central Valley led to significant riverine habitat degradation and
80-90% declines in salmon and steelhead populations. Although significant
restoration actions were later implemented, these actions were generally
ineffective in restoring the salmon and steelhead populations to pre-dam
levels.?

?The quantity and quality of water releases from the TRD into the Trinity
River greatly affect the fishery resources of the Trinity River and the
lower Klamath River,? the notice states. ?Water Right Order 90-5 contains a
provision that is intended to protect from harm Trinity River fishery
resources from operations of the TRD for temperature control on the
Sacramento River. These protections are stated as adult salmonid
temperature requirements of 56 degrees F at specific locations during the
salmon spawning periods starting Sept. 15.?

The notice contends that the BOR was required to keep waters at a certain
temperature, which was not out of its control. It also contends that by
failing to keep waters cool, the BOR caused a die-off, or ?take? of coho
salmon.

*The ?take?*

?The EPA?s 1992 approval of the Trinity River Basin Plan temperature
objectives and Interim Action Plan identifies that BOR is required to meet
these temperature objectives and also that diversions to the CVP are
?controllable factors.?? the notice states. ?Except as provided in the
statute, section 9 of the ESA makes it unlawful for any person to ?take? a
federally listed endangered fish species within the United States. The ESA
defines ?take? to mean ?harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill,
trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.?

?In the fall and early winter of 2021, operations of the TRD caused a
?take? of Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) Coho Salmon at
Trinity River Hatchery and presumably in the upper mainstem Trinity River
due to increased water temperatures resulting from TRD operations,? the
notice states. ?These water temperature increases resulted in significant
habitat modification, which may also constitute harm since it actually
resulted in the death or injury to wildlife.

*In a nutshell*

Tom Stokely, consultant to PCFFA, said that in a nutshell, the Bureau of
Reclamation is illegally taking coho salmon, in violation of the Endangered
Species Act, by allowing water temperatures to rise above survivable levels.

?We want a new biological opinion that is not mixed in with the Central
Valley Project,? he said, ?so that the Trinity River gets the protection it
deserves.?

Stokely explained that there has not been a biological opinion since 2000
when the ROD was approved, at which time the bureau could not have
anticipated the changes that would occur in the rivers and hatchery.

Stokely said the 60-day notice is necessary, but it?s hoped that the Bureau
will make a decision this week whether or not to seek a new biological
opinion and make needed changes to protect fisheries. If they opt to do so,
the notice letter will be withdrawn, he said.

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From kierassociates at att.net  Wed May 25 16:51:30 2022
From: kierassociates at att.net (kierassociates at att.net)
Date: Wed, 25 May 2022 16:51:30 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Notice filed against Reclamation
In-Reply-To: <CABnDsn9JCaorhE9U_=8s0852=1k42WY2S=7m2B7MtLW8y-UOWw@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CABnDsn9JCaorhE9U_=8s0852=1k42WY2S=7m2B7MtLW8y-UOWw@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <010a01d87092$5c247960$146d6c20$@att.net>

Just fyi, if you put ?Biological Opinion for the Trinity River Mainstem Fishery Restoration EIS and Its Effects on Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho Salmon, Sacramento River Winter-run Chinook Salmon, Central Valley Spring-run Chinook Salmon and Central Valley Steelhead? the first hit you get is Amazon trying to sell a copy as ?Forgotten Books? ? see image below



 

From: env-trinity <env-trinity-bounces at mailman.dcn.org> On Behalf Of Tom Stokely
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2022 3:49 PM
To: env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org
Subject: [env-trinity] Notice filed against Reclamation

 

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_a6e5d992-dbb5-11ec-8d96-0333fd0588b6.html


Notice filed against Reclamation


Group says Bureau of Reclamation plans will devastate Trinity River fishery


*	By Tony Reed The Trinity Journal

 

*	3 hrs ago

 

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*	Print
*	 <http://www.trinityjournal.com/content/tncms/live/> Save

The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations has filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the US Bureau of Reclamation for what it calls violations of the Endangered Species Act.

According to the notice which was sent to BOR Regional Director Ernest Conant and Acting Regional Administrator Scott Rumsey Ph.D., the violations arise from ?BOR?s continuing failure to comply with the ESA?s prohibition against ?take? of ESA-listed species that applies to them, and its failure to reinitiate ESA consultation in accordance with requirements imposed by the October 12, 2000, ?Biological Opinion for the Trinity River Mainstem Fishery Restoration EIS and Its Effects on Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho Salmon, Sacramento River Winter-run Chinook Salmon, Central Valley Spring-run Chinook Salmon and Central Valley Steelhead.??

The notice asserts that Bureau of Reclamation plans for next year will devastate the fishery resources of the Trinity River, which will throw away years of restoration efforts.

Claimed violations

According to the notice, the Trinity River Dam was built in 1955 as part of the Central Valley Project with a condition that operators take appropriate measures to protect fish and wildlife.

Flow rates are mandated by the Record of Decision (ROD), which was signed in 2000, designed to restore fisheries of the Trinity River. The ROD defines the flow amounts released from the dam into the Trinity River, and a biological opinion was issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2000. According to the notice, the opinion included only endangered species found in the Central Valley and Southern Oregon. Northern California coastal coho salmon were also considered.

?Following the completion of the TRD, diversion of up to 90% of the flows to the Central Valley led to significant riverine habitat degradation and 80-90% declines in salmon and steelhead populations. Although significant restoration actions were later implemented, these actions were generally ineffective in restoring the salmon and steelhead populations to pre-dam levels.?

?The quantity and quality of water releases from the TRD into the Trinity River greatly affect the fishery resources of the Trinity River and the lower Klamath River,? the notice states. ?Water Right Order 90-5 contains a provision that is intended to protect from harm Trinity River fishery resources from operations of the TRD for temperature control on the Sacramento River. These protections are stated as adult salmonid temperature requirements of 56 degrees F at specific locations during the salmon spawning periods starting Sept. 15.?

The notice contends that the BOR was required to keep waters at a certain temperature, which was not out of its control. It also contends that by failing to keep waters cool, the BOR caused a die-off, or ?take? of coho salmon.

The ?take?

?The EPA?s 1992 approval of the Trinity River Basin Plan temperature objectives and Interim Action Plan identifies that BOR is required to meet these temperature objectives and also that diversions to the CVP are ?controllable factors.?? the notice states. ?Except as provided in the statute, section 9 of the ESA makes it unlawful for any person to ?take? a federally listed endangered fish species within the United States. The ESA defines ?take? to mean ?harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.?

?In the fall and early winter of 2021, operations of the TRD caused a ?take? of Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) Coho Salmon at Trinity River Hatchery and presumably in the upper mainstem Trinity River due to increased water temperatures resulting from TRD operations,? the notice states. ?These water temperature increases resulted in significant habitat modification, which may also constitute harm since it actually resulted in the death or injury to wildlife.

In a nutshell

Tom Stokely, consultant to PCFFA, said that in a nutshell, the Bureau of Reclamation is illegally taking coho salmon, in violation of the Endangered Species Act, by allowing water temperatures to rise above survivable levels.

?We want a new biological opinion that is not mixed in with the Central Valley Project,? he said, ?so that the Trinity River gets the protection it deserves.?

Stokely explained that there has not been a biological opinion since 2000 when the ROD was approved, at which time the bureau could not have anticipated the changes that would occur in the rivers and hatchery.

Stokely said the 60-day notice is necessary, but it?s hoped that the Bureau will make a decision this week whether or not to seek a new biological opinion and make needed changes to protect fisheries. If they opt to do so, the notice letter will be withdrawn, he said.

*	 

 

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri May 27 09:19:19 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 27 May 2022 16:19:19 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Delta_water_crisis_linked_to_California?=
 =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=99s_racist_past=2C_tribes_and_activists_say?=
References: <2022740774.3009680.1653668359150.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <2022740774.3009680.1653668359150@mail.yahoo.com>

The Trinity River is included in the 169 page petition to the SWRCB.? You can do a word search for "Trinity".? See https://www.restorethedelta.org/wp-content/uploads/2022-05-24-Petition-for-Rulemaking-FINAL.pdf for the petition.TS


https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-05-26/california-delta-water-policy-tied-to-racist-past-tribes-say
Delta water crisis linked to California?s racist past, tribes and activists say?
Caleen Sisk, chief and spiritual leader of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, visits a creek near her home, a tributary of the Sacramento River where she recently saw salmon swimming.?(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)BY?IAN JAMESSTAFF WRITER?MAY 26, 2022?5 AM PT?   
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Tribes and environmental groups are challenging how the state manages water in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a major source for much of California, arguing the deterioration of the aquatic ecosystem has links to the state?s troubled legacy of racism and oppression of Native people.

A group of activists and Indigenous leaders is demanding that the state review and update the water quality plan for the Delta and San Francisco Bay, where fish species are suffering, algae blooms have worsened and climate change is adding to the stresses.

The tribes and environmental groups submitted a petition to the State Water Resources Control Board demanding the state change its approach and adopt science-based standards that ensure adequate flows in the Delta to improve water quality and sustain imperiled fish, including species that are at risk of extinction.

They said the ecological crisis in the Delta has its roots in California?s history of?violence against Native people, the taking of land from tribes and structural racism that shaped how the water rights system was established more than a century ago. They said deteriorating conditions in the estuary represent a ?continuation of California?s?discriminatory water management history.?

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT

California salmon are at risk of extinction. A plan to save them stirs hope and controversy

April 7, 2022

They wrote in their 169-page?petition?that the state water board?s ?failure to adopt sufficiently protective water quality standards entrenches a discriminatory system of water rights that was founded on the dispossession of Indigenous Californians and exclusion of communities of color, and that continues to prioritize large-scale agricultural interests over those of vulnerable Californians living in the Delta.?
ADVERTISEMENT
The petition was filed Tuesday by the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Save California Salmon, Little Manila Rising and Restore the Delta, who are represented by a legal team from Stanford Law School?s Environmental Law Clinic.

The petitioners called for the state water board to carry out a review of the Bay-Delta water quality standards through a public process and to consult with tribes in updating the standards, while recognizing and incorporating tribal uses of water.

They said the state should adopt new water quality standards that ensure adequate flows in the Delta. They urged the state water board to ?regulate and restructure water rights as necessary,? including the most senior pre-1914 water rights, to implement the standards and to limit diversions and exports of water.

?Business as usual cannot continue. It?s not sustainable,? said Caleen Sisk, chief and spiritual leader of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe. ?They need to rethink and redo. And do it better.?

For the Winnemem Wintu, whose ancestors were displaced by the construction of Shasta Dam, salmon are?central to their cultural and spiritual traditions. But endangered winter-run Chinook salmon, which migrate through the Delta, have suffered as years of drought and low reservoir levels have left the Sacramento River too warm for most of their offspring to survive.

Other threatened or endangered fish species include?delta smelt, longfin smelt, spring-run Chinook, green sturgeon and Central Valley steelhead.

Sisk and others who signed the petition said the crisis in the Delta has been ?exacerbated through the construction and operation of large-scale Delta water export projects to feed the growth of agricultural industries in arid areas to the south.?

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT

SoCal needs to keep vital trees alive despite unprecedented watering restrictions

May 24, 2022

Large quantities of water are diverted to supply vast farmlands growing almonds, pistachios, grapes, alfalfa and other crops. Water deliveries for agriculture have been?cut back substantially?during the drought, forcing growers to leave some lands dry or?pump more groundwater.

But Sisk and others said the water system is structured in a way that continues to give preferential treatment to large agricultural interests that have senior water rights.

Some of the oldest rights date to the 1800s, when white settlers staked their claims, sometimes by?nailing a notice to a tree.

Today, while many crops are exported in large quantities for profit, the water diversions are exacting a worsening environmental toll, Sisk said.

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT

Newsom urges aggressive water conservation and warns of statewide restrictions

May 23, 2022

?How is it that Big Ag uses 80% of the water and then ships its products out of state or out of country, and uses all this water, and that the state is left with the deficit?? Sisk said. She said the current system is giving agriculture too much water, while not dedicating nearly enough for local communities, fish and the environment.

In March, Gov. Gavin Newsom?s administration announced a controversial $2.6-billion deal with major water suppliers that they say would bolster the Delta?s ecosystem. Under these proposed?voluntary agreements, agencies that supply farms and cities would give up some water or secure additional supplies to help threatened species, while state, federal and local agencies would fund projects to improve habitat in the watershed.

The plan has been?condemned by environmentalists?as a set of backroom deals negotiated out of the public eye that wouldn?t provide nearly enough water for threatened fish or the overall health of the watershed.

Those who filed the petition said the proposed agreements, which have yet to be endorsed by the state water board, are the wrong approach. They said the tribes should have been consulted and the process should instead start with updating the water quality standards.

?That process is moving forward with a framework that is not protective of the Delta,? said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta. ?And science already has shown that what the Delta needs is more water moving through it.?

State data show that on average, about 47% of the state?s water?goes to the environment, staying in rivers and wetlands. About 42% is used by agriculture, while 11% is used in cities and towns.

But the groups said in their petition that dams and water diversions have drastically reduced flows in the Delta. On average, they said, about 31% of the watershed?s flow is diverted upstream from the Delta, and the combined effect of these diversions and water exports cut average annual outflow from the Delta by nearly half between 1986 and 2005.

?If nothing changes, the climate crisis will push these already tenuous conditions to the brink of disaster,? they said in the petition. ?Without improved management, the results will include increasing salinity, proliferation of harmful algal blooms, spread of nonnative invasive species, decline of native fish species, and other harms to the estuarine ecosystem ? all of which will do further violence to tribes and other vulnerable Delta communities.?

Elaine Labson, health equity director of Little Manila Rising, said people who immigrated to California during the U.S. occupation of the Philippines worked in the Delta building levees and laboring in fields of asparagus, onions and potatoes. However, they didn?t gain water rights.

?From 1913 to 1945, California?s racist Alien Land Law prevented Filipinos from owning property, which is a prerequisite for acquiring water rights,? Labson said in a?statement.

Today, she said, the degraded state of Delta waterways in and around Stockton poses health risks for residents. Labson noted that high nutrient levels and warm waters, resulting in part from low flows in the San Joaquin River, create conditions that allow harmful algal blooms.

She pointed out that last year the state water board adopted a?racial equity resolutionin which officials ?acknowledged that the historical effects of institutional racism must be confronted throughout government.? If this resolution is to have meaning, Labson said, the board ?must take action to restore flows to the Delta.?

The state water board said officials will need to carefully evaluate the petition before responding.

?Updating the?Bay-Delta Plan?is one of the board?s highest priorities,? the agency said in a?statement. ?The board completed a significant update in 2018 for the Lower San Joaquin River tributaries and anticipates completing updates for the Sacramento River and Delta in the next two years.?

It said this process will include an analysis of the proposed voluntary agreements, and the board will analyze the agreements ?in conjunction with other alternatives for updating the Bay-Delta Plan.?

Sydney Speizman, a student attorney with the Stanford Environmental Law Clinic who helped prepare the petition, said the board is supposed to update the plan and its water quality standards every three years, but it?s been at least 16 years since that last happened.

?They?ve fallen woefully short of that duty with the standards that they have put forward,? Speizman said. ?The Delta is in crisis, and climate change is pushing that to the brink. And the board, we?re saying, needs to act upon its duties under the law to protect this ecosystem.?
CALIFORNIACLIMATE & ENVIRONMENTCALIFORNIA DROUGHT

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Sat Jun  4 17:07:08 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Sun, 5 Jun 2022 00:07:08 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 Trinity River Project trapping summary
	through Julian week 22
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB57956EE9689B81377739FB48BAA39@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 22 (June 3).
Junction City weir was installed this week and trapped two days.

And so we begin another season!
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm currently teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Jun  6 15:46:59 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2022 22:46:59 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] California lawmakers mull buying out farmers to save
	water
References: <1666013186.73679.1654555619329.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1666013186.73679.1654555619329@mail.yahoo.com>

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article262188527.htmlCalifornia lawmakers mull buying out farmers to save water 
By ADAM BEAM Associated Press 
June 06, 2022 6:13 PM FILE - 
People fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta's Elk Slough near Courtland, Calif., Tuesday, March 24, 2020. 

A proposal in the California state Senate aims to keep more water in California's rivers and streams to benefit endangered species of fish. Under the plan the state would spend up to $1.5 billion to buy up "senior water rights" that farmers use to take water from the state's rivers and streams to grow their crops. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) FILE - People fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta's Elk Slough near Courtland, Calif., Tuesday, March 24, 2020. A proposal in the California state Senate aims to keep more water in California's rivers and streams to benefit endangered species of fish. Under the plan the state would spend up to $1.5 billion to buy up "senior water rights" that farmers use to take water from the state's rivers and streams to grow their crops. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) Rich Pedroncelli AP SACRAMENTO, Calif. After decades of fighting farmers in court over how much water they can take out of California's rivers and streams, some state lawmakers want to try something different: use taxpayer money to buy out farmers. A proposal in the state Senate would spend up to $1.5 billion to buy ?senior water rights? that allow farmers to take as much water as needed from the state's rivers and streams to grow their crops. If state officials owned those rights, they could leave the water in the rivers to benefit endangered species of salmon and other fish. California has been mired in drought for most of the last two decades, prompting intense scrutiny of the state?s complex water system and how it might be modified to ensure steady supplies during exceptionally dry periods ? including a separate state proposal that would pay farmers to grow fewer crops to save water. TOP VIDEOS ? Current readings show about 98% of the state has severe drought conditions as California heads into summer months that rarely produce any significant precipitation. Many areas have begun restricting water use for homeowners, largely by reducing outdoor use such as lawn irrigation. And farmers have had their allocation from the two major state-owned water systems reduced ? in some cases down to zero. Legally, all of the water in California is the property of the government. But farmers have ?water rights? that let them take water for agriculture. Farmers have used those rights ? governed by a complicated system based on seniority and other factors ? to turn California's Central Valley into an agricultural powerhouse that provides much of the nation's fruits, nuts and vegetables. Get unlimited digital access Subscribe now for just $2 for 2 months. CLAIM OFFER But siphoning off all that water also has disrupted the fragile ecosystem of the San Joaquin/Sacramento river delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast and home to endangered salmon and other fish. Environmental groups and farmers have battled for years over state and federal rules governing just how much water can be diverted for agriculture, which uses far more water than any other sector of the economy. Now, with California having a record budget surplus of nearly $100 billion, Democrats in the state Senate have proposed using up to $1.5 billion to buy senior water rights ? by either buying the land associated with the rights, buying just the right itself, or putting an easement on the land that requires the water to be used for fish and other fauna and flora. The proposal is part of budget negotiations between lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration that should wrap up by the end of this month. ?It's like we're taking a page from corporate America and we're buying back stock,? said state Sen. Bob Wieckowski, a Democrat who represents the San Francisco Bay Area and is chair of a budget subcommittee overseeing environmental spending. While $1.5 billion sounds like a lot of money, it wouldn't buy that much water. Regulators measure water by ?acre foot," defined as enough water to cover 1 acre (0.4 hectares) of land to a depth of 1 foot (30 centimeters). That's the equivalent of 325,851 gallons (1.2 million liters). Afternoon Observer Everything you need to know about the day's news in Charlotte, direct to your inbox Monday-Friday. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. A typical household uses 1 acre foot of water each year. Farmers collectively use up to 35 million acre feet of water each year, according to the Water Education Foundation. The $1.5 billion would be enough to buy about 200,000 acre feet of water, based on an average price of $7,500 per acre foot, according to Tom Birmingham, general manager of Westlands Water District, the largest agricultural water district in the country. Still, Birmingham says the idea ?makes an awful lot of sense" because ?it is a means by which conflict can be avoided.? Right now, the only way to get more water flowing in rivers and streams is to get state and federal regulators to change the rules. They can do that by requiring more water be left in rivers and streams, but that means less water for farmers. Those rule changes often prompt lawsuits, which can take a decade or longer to resolve, said Lester Snow, a former secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency and regional director of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. ?We need a way to take much quicker action. And I think acquiring water rights for that purpose is one of the ways to do that,? he said. ?With climate change, we just don't have that kind of time.? For this to work, farmers would have to voluntarily sell their valuable water rights ? something Birmingham says shouldn't be a problem. Lots of farmers try to sell their water rights to Westlands Water District every year, Birmingham said. ?For many farmers ... their children simply are not interested in continuing to farm,? Birmingham said. But state Sen. Brian Dahle, a republican running for governor whose family has been farming in California for 92 years, said the only reason farmers would be willing to sell is because state officials are driving them out of business with burdensome regulations. ?This makes my blood boil. It's ridiculous,? Dahle told his colleagues during a legislative hearing on the proposal. ?You are forcing them into a corner where they have no other option.? John McManus, executive director of the Golden State Salmon Association, said as with any legislative proposal ?the devil will be in the details.? He said he'd want to see rules that make sure any additional water purchased by the state will remain in the rivers and not be removed by someone else with water rights farther downstream. But he is hopeful the program will work because he said there are about six native fish species that are ?on life support right now because we don't have enough water flowing through the Delta." ?So anything that can be done to address that problem is appreciated,? he said.
Read more at: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article262188527.html#storylink=cpy
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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Sun Jun 12 15:24:00 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Sun, 12 Jun 2022 22:24:00 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 Trinity River Project trapping summary
	through Julian Week 23
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB579578C04158AFCCE05C13DDBAA89@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 23 (June 10).

Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm currently teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From MDixon at usbr.gov  Mon Jun 13 14:30:58 2022
From: MDixon at usbr.gov (Dixon, Michael D)
Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2022 21:30:58 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] June 15-16 Trinity Management Council agenda
Message-ID: <PH0PR09MB842619576B7BE97AC8C25588A5AB9@PH0PR09MB8426.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Hello,
For those who are interested, this week's Trinity Management Council agenda and meeting materials are available here: https://www.trrp.net/calendar/event/?id=11731
[https://www.trrp.net/images/TRRP_logo_300px_transparent.png]<https://www.trrp.net/calendar/event/?id=11731>
Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP): Event Details<https://www.trrp.net/calendar/event/?id=11731>
/
www.trrp.net

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Jun 17 15:59:28 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2022 22:59:28 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 Trinity River Project trapping summary
	through Julian week 24
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB5795DE652AE6AD30E4ABCD81BAAF9@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 24 (Jun 17).
Junction City saw some more spring Chinook push through this week, a few others as well.

I hope you all have a fine Father's Day weekend.
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm currently teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Wed Jun 29 16:53:45 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2022 23:53:45 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 Trinity River Project trapping summary
	through Julian week 25
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB5795ED62754A14A0A10486A8BABB9@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 25 (June 24),
More springers! And a few steelhead.

Sorry I'm lagging a little on this, I've been out of town.
Cheers!
MC


******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Tue Jul  5 12:01:09 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2022 19:01:09 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 Trinity River Project trapping summary
	through Julian week 26
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB5795800DA587D51C4EC36D41BA819@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 26 (July 1).
First ad-clipped steelhead of the year were seen, and a pretty good haul of Chinook Salmon.
Water is warming up, so if you're fishing, you'll probably need to get out early. . .
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Mon Jul 11 14:02:33 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2022 21:02:33 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 27
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB5795CA4AFB31F7A8CCCEFEF8BA879@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 27 (July 8).
'Still getting some bright fish at Junction City, but the water temp has the algae ticking up a little.
Let's hope this heat doesn't persist!
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Mon Jul 18 15:04:10 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2022 22:04:10 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] FW: 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping
 summary through Julian week 28
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB57957DFD0CE370A0D4B54C73BA8C9@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 27 (July 15).
Another stellar trapping week at JC...
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Mon Jul 25 13:08:56 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Mon, 25 Jul 2022 20:08:56 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 29
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB57954B880A50909C8B9B0B2DBA959@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 29 (July 22).
Not much to report.
Small numbers of Chinook Salmon moving through the weir.
Triple digit forecast all week.

MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Aug  4 19:07:16 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2022 02:07:16 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 30
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB5795500F526E3E0E08606BD3BA9E9@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 30 (July 29).
Sorry for the lateness of the report, but I was off salmon fishing out of SF bay with my family (my brother?s birthday trip).
As is normal, lower numbers of fish moving as water heats up and getting toward the end of the springers. Water temp in Hoopa is in the high 70s, running between 63 and 66 degrees at Douglas City, likely a lot of fish just hunkering down.

Next report out soon.
(And yes, we did limit out on our chartered 6-pack out of SF Bay ?)
Cheers!
MC


******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist ? Fisheries
(I?m often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you?d like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project?s trapping summaries let me know.

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From tgstoked at gmail.com  Fri Aug  5 16:31:22 2022
From: tgstoked at gmail.com (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2022 16:31:22 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Fwd: Karuk Tribe: Fires Lead to Klamath River Fish
	Kill
In-Reply-To: <CAExJcNBmon3HtfC06dsHtK3sJYd5JCanYaWFNwqdzfXKHkmZbA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAExJcNBmon3HtfC06dsHtK3sJYd5JCanYaWFNwqdzfXKHkmZbA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <CABnDsn9-LxUN02tB7NH2hWCdigyxUZEqH=1UG8KAHMr3eYqkpQ@mail.gmail.com>

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Dan Bacher <danielbacher53 at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Aug 5, 2022 at 4:23 PM
Subject: Karuk Tribe: Fires Lead to Klamath River Fish Kill
To:


https://www.dailykos.com/story/2022/8/5/2114817/-Karuk-Tribe-Fires-Lead-to-Klamath-River-Fish-Kill
[image: 297528826_458566332945685_7459144785138507290_n.jpg]

Debris flow stemming from the McKinney Fire
<https://twitter.com/hashtag/McKinneyFire?src=hashtag_click>, then heavy
rains, are causing a fish kill on the Klamath River in Northern California.

?Very large numbers of dead fish, of all species, are being observed in the
vicinity of Happy Camp, CA along the mainstem Klamath River,? according to
a press advisory released an hour ago from the Karuk Tribe. The advisory
states:

? ?Preliminary observations suggest that massive debris flows following
flash flood events on August 3rd in areas impacted by the McKinney Fire are
the cause.

? Road closures in an active fire zone are limiting detailed observations.

? The Karuk Tribe is working with the Yurok Tribe along with state and
federal agencies to gain access to the fire zone to better document and
evaluate river conditions.

? Note that observations of dead fish are being made over 20 miles from the
source of debris flows. The severity of the event is impossible to
characterize until biologists can make direct observations in currently
restricted areas.

? It is currently unknown if the event will affect the fall migration of
Chinook salmon, which is just beginning, or areas of the river downstream.

? More information will be released as observations are made.?

As I receive more information, I will post it here.

Here?s a link to a video showing the devastation of the flash flooding:
https://twitter.com/wildland_zko/status/1555034838234632192?s=20&t=h51L8DZuyeBrIXf4wR5MVQ
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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Wed Aug 10 10:46:15 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2022 17:46:15 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 31
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB57955AD6AA12DC346D2B4F36BA659@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 31 (August 5).
There was a landslide up Dutch Creek (probably as a result of a downpour on a burn scar) that sullied the river to the extent that we did not trap Sunday or Monday nights, so it was a short trapping week at Junction City weir.
The water temperature appears to have peaked for the summer and the (unfortunate) wildfires in and around Willow Creek will provide smokey shade to the river so that cooling trend will likely continue.
I hope all of you Willow Creekans are safe.
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Aug 12 14:01:17 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2022 21:01:17 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 32
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB57958683B6CCF6F37F840BE8BA679@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 32 (Aug 12).
The Junction City weir trapped all week but had three zero fish days. It's that time of the year where the fish are hunkered down a bit.
The water column has largely cleared of that Dutch Creek sediment from the slide last week.
The water temperature continues its downward trend.
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Aug 26 13:51:53 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2022 20:51:53 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fwd: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam
References: <1719124212.333318.1661547113509.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1719124212.333318.1661547113509@mail.yahoo.com>



Begin forwarded message:


From: "'Patton, Thomas K' via trinity-releases" <trinity-releases at googlegroups.com>
Date: August 26, 2022 at 10:13:26 AM PDT
To: 
Subject: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam
Reply-To: "Patton, Thomas K" <tpatton at usbr.gov>



?

Please make the following release changes to the Trinity River.

?

?

Date? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Time??????? ? From (cfs)? ? ? ? To (cfs)

?

8/26/2022? ? ? ? 1200? ? ? ? ? ? ?450? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?550

8/26/2022? ? ? ? 1600? ? ? ? ? ? ?550? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?800

8/26/2022? ? ? ? 2000? ? ? ? ? ? ?800? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?1050

?

?

Comment:? Augmentation flows to target 2800 cfs at KNK gage

?

Issued by: Tom Patton


-- 
View online at http://www.trrp.net/restore/flows/release-email/
--- 

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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Aug 26 14:03:19 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2022 21:03:19 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] TRRP announces increased flow to combat salmon
 disease in lower Klamath
References: <935848764.332645.1661547799538.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <935848764.332645.1661547799538@mail.yahoo.com>

 
TRRP announces increased flow to combat salmon disease in lower Klamath
   
   - By Josh Cozine The Trinity Journal
?   
   - Aug 26, 2022?Updated?58 min ago
?   
   - ?
Water is now being released from Lewiston Dam at an increased rate according to a?Facebook post?from Trinity River Restoration Program.
The increased flow is said to be offset by reducing water released elsewhere, according to a comment made by TRRP on the posting authored by Executive Director Mike Dixon. The decision was made by the Bureau of Reclamation, of which TRRP is a part.

?Fortunately, there should not be a major impact on reservoir storage at this release rate, as the increase in release at the Lewiston Dam will largely be achieved by curtailing the diversion through the Clear Creek Tunnel,? Mike Dixon said through the group's Facebook.

Dixon spoke with The Journal further and said that Yurok Tribe fisheries experts had supplied data showing an increase in levels of fish-borne diseases ich and columnaris in salmon in the lower Klamath. The diseases have led to historic salmon die-offs in recent history, including a September 2002 catastrophic event which eventually led to a 2017 BoR decision to put in place protocols to try and stop it from happening again.

Dixon explained the diseases occur in greater numbers in warm water where salmon will clump up in high density groupings near any colder water pockets they can find, and the close proximity causes the diseases to spread.

As the salmon are currently heading upstream for spawning season, the idea behind the increased flow to fight the disease spread is two-fold. The increase in cold water throughout the stream should prompt the salmon to break up the high-proximity groupings near other cold water refuges, and the increase in flow and water volume should dilute the levels of infected water to safer levels for the fish.

The increased flow could extend until Sept. 21 at the latest, Dixon said, depending on if conditions improve or not. He added the BoR protocols also have further tiered responses if conditions do not improve.

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From pcatanese at dhscott.com  Fri Aug 26 14:03:46 2022
From: pcatanese at dhscott.com (Paul Catanese)
Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2022 21:03:46 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Fwd: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston
	Dam
In-Reply-To: <1719124212.333318.1661547113509@mail.yahoo.com>
References: <1719124212.333318.1661547113509.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
 <1719124212.333318.1661547113509@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <BC1E94C4-C197-47A3-A028-37BC3BA4B149@dhscott.com>

thanks so much. any indication how long this flow will be maintained?

Paul J. Catanese, Partner

D.H. Scott & Company
O: 530.243.4300 | F: 530.243.4306
900 Market St, Redding, CA 96001
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This communication (including any attachments) may contain privileged or confidential information intended for a specific individual and purpose, and is protected by law. If you are not the intended recipient, you should delete this communication and/or shred the materials and any attachments and are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, or distribution of this communication, or the taking of any action based on it, is strictly prohibited. Thank you.

Disclaimer:  Any accounting, business or tax advice contained in this communication, including attachments and enclosures, is not intended as a thorough, in-depth analysis of specific issues, nor a substitute for a formal opinion, nor is it sufficient to avoid tax-related penalties.  If desired, D.H. Scott & Company would be pleased to perform the requisite research and provide you with a detailed written analysis.  Such an engagement may be the subject of a separate engagement letter that would define the scope and limits of the desired consultation services.

On Aug 26, 2022, at 1:52 PM, Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net> wrote:

?


Begin forwarded message:

From: "'Patton, Thomas K' via trinity-releases" <trinity-releases at googlegroups.com>
Date: August 26, 2022 at 10:13:26 AM PDT
To:
Subject: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam
Reply-To: "Patton, Thomas K" <tpatton at usbr.gov>

?

Please make the following release changes to the Trinity River.





Date                  Time          From (cfs)        To (cfs)



8/26/2022        1200             450                   550

8/26/2022        1600             550                   800

8/26/2022        2000             800                 1050





Comment:  Augmentation flows to target 2800 cfs at KNK gage



Issued by: Tom Patton

--
View online at http://www.trrp.net/restore/flows/release-email/
---

_______________________________________________
env-trinity mailing list
env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org
http://mailman.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity
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From MDixon at usbr.gov  Fri Aug 26 15:10:30 2022
From: MDixon at usbr.gov (Dixon, Michael D)
Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2022 22:10:30 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] [EXTERNAL] TRRP announces increased flow to
 combat salmon disease in lower Klamath
In-Reply-To: <935848764.332645.1661547799538@mail.yahoo.com>
References: <935848764.332645.1661547799538.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
 <935848764.332645.1661547799538@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <PH0PR09MB84262028E03954131DD7EE98A5759@PH0PR09MB8426.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

I would like to make clear in a way that was not clear in the Trinity Journal article that this is not a TRRP action - it is an action by the Bureau of Reclamation based upon the recommendation of an interagency technical team. The TRRP leveraged local social media groups as a means to notify the local community about the impending flow change, but was not responsible for the decision to release lower Klamath augmentation flows.


Mike Dixon<https://www.trrp.net/program-structure/trrp-staff/#MikeDixon>, PhD (he/him) | Executive Director | Trinity River Restoration Program<http://www.trrp.net> | U. S. Bureau of Reclamation<https://www.usbr.gov/> | 1313 S. Main St., Weaverville, CA 96093 | 530-623-1811 (desk) | 530-351-4760 (mobile) | mdixon at usbr.gov<mailto:mdixon at usbr.gov> | ?The most dangerous worldviews are the worldviews of those who have never viewed the world." - Alexander von Humboldt

________________________________
From: env-trinity <env-trinity-bounces at mailman.dcn.org> on behalf of Tom Stokely <tstokely at att.net>
Sent: Friday, August 26, 2022 2:03 PM
To: env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org <env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] [env-trinity] TRRP announces increased flow to combat salmon disease in lower Klamath




 This email has been received from outside of DOI - Use caution before clicking on links, opening attachments, or responding.



TRRP announces increased flow to combat salmon disease in lower Klamath

  *   By Josh Cozine The Trinity Journal

  *   Aug 26, 2022 Updated 58 min ago

  *    <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trinityjournal.com%2Fnews%2Fenvironment%2Farticle_5578cd7c-256f-11ed-a3a0-1bd2af7cd3c4.html%23comments&data=05%7C01%7Cmdixon%40usbr.gov%7C3cd200418aa54c54ba7208da87a68d3f%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C637971446654385856%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C2000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=HJDnlZl1wWrZePByY4HGbUdeUUA5JqJAFM%2FALCr%2B00w%3D&reserved=0>

Water is now being released from Lewiston Dam at an increased rate according to a Facebook post<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fgroups%2F1719216448308263%2Fpermalink%2F3423025941260630%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cmdixon%40usbr.gov%7C3cd200418aa54c54ba7208da87a68d3f%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C637971446654385856%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C2000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=urR0fgSAMy2ba7dV0XFikQon1LdjjqXov1RM5jHiWdI%3D&reserved=0> from Trinity River Restoration Program.

The increased flow is said to be offset by reducing water released elsewhere, according to a comment made by TRRP on the posting authored by Executive Director Mike Dixon. The decision was made by the Bureau of Reclamation, of which TRRP is a part.

?Fortunately, there should not be a major impact on reservoir storage at this release rate, as the increase in release at the Lewiston Dam will largely be achieved by curtailing the diversion through the Clear Creek Tunnel,? Mike Dixon said through the group's Facebook.

Dixon spoke with The Journal further and said that Yurok Tribe fisheries experts had supplied data showing an increase in levels of fish-borne diseases ich and columnaris in salmon in the lower Klamath. The diseases have led to historic salmon die-offs in recent history, including a September 2002 catastrophic event which eventually led to a 2017 BoR decision to put in place protocols to try and stop it from happening again.

Dixon explained the diseases occur in greater numbers in warm water where salmon will clump up in high density groupings near any colder water pockets they can find, and the close proximity causes the diseases to spread.

As the salmon are currently heading upstream for spawning season, the idea behind the increased flow to fight the disease spread is two-fold. The increase in cold water throughout the stream should prompt the salmon to break up the high-proximity groupings near other cold water refuges, and the increase in flow and water volume should dilute the levels of infected water to safer levels for the fish.

The increased flow could extend until Sept. 21 at the latest, Dixon said, depending on if conditions improve or not. He added the BoR protocols also have further tiered responses if conditions do not improve.

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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Aug 30 10:47:31 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2022 17:47:31 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam
In-Reply-To: <CO6PR09MB8248E38B1F47BF653077A594D8799@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
References: <DM6PR09MB4710DA63132FC3ABD125D88ED8080@DM6PR09MB4710.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <CO6PR09MB8248C036C85A3898D31F9AC4D8759@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <CO6PR09MB8248D474FFA267F41F652923D8759@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <CO6PR09MB8248E38B1F47BF653077A594D8799@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
Message-ID: <346323567.1447474.1661881651991@mail.yahoo.com>

As I understand it, Iron Gate Dam releases are increasing so Trinity releases are decreasing.
TS

   ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: 'Patton, Thomas K' via trinity-releases <trinity-releases at googlegroups.com>To: 
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2022 at 09:12:52 AM PDTSubject: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam
 
Please make the following release changes to the Trinity River.

?

?

Date? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Time??????? ? From (cfs)? ? ? ? To (cfs)

?

9/1/2022? ? ? ? ? 1200? ? ? ? ? ? 1050? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 950




?

?

Comment:? Augmentation flows to target 2800 cfs at KNK gage.? IGD increasing.

?

Issued by: Tom Patton


-- 
View online at http://www.trrp.net/restore/flows/release-email/
--- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "trinity-releases" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to trinity-releases+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/trinity-releases/CO6PR09MB8248E38B1F47BF653077A594D8799%40CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com.
  
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From pcatanese at dhscott.com  Tue Aug 30 11:05:19 2022
From: pcatanese at dhscott.com (Paul Catanese)
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2022 18:05:19 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam
In-Reply-To: <346323567.1447474.1661881651991@mail.yahoo.com>
References: <DM6PR09MB4710DA63132FC3ABD125D88ED8080@DM6PR09MB4710.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <CO6PR09MB8248C036C85A3898D31F9AC4D8759@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <CO6PR09MB8248D474FFA267F41F652923D8759@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <CO6PR09MB8248E38B1F47BF653077A594D8799@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <346323567.1447474.1661881651991@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <BYAPR04MB5719D17E08BBDEB652A11383BC799@BYAPR04MB5719.namprd04.prod.outlook.com>

Thanks all

Paul J. Catanese, Partner

[cid:image001.gif at 01D8BC60.64060CB0]<http://www.dhscott.com/>
D.H. Scott & Company
O: 530.243.4300 | D: 530.638.8219 | F: 530.243.4306
900 Market St, Redding, CA 96001
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This communication (including any attachments) may contain privileged or confidential information intended for a specific individual and purpose, and is protected by law. If you are not the intended recipient, you should delete this communication and/or shred the materials and any attachments and are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, or distribution of this communication, or the taking of any action based on it, is strictly prohibited. Thank you.

Disclaimer:  Any accounting, business or tax advice contained in this communication, including attachments and enclosures, is not intended as a thorough, in-depth analysis of specific issues, nor a substitute for a formal opinion, nor is it sufficient to avoid tax-related penalties.  If desired, D.H. Scott & Company would be pleased to perform the requisite research and provide you with a detailed written analysis.  Such an engagement may be the subject of a separate engagement letter that would define the scope and limits of the desired consultation services.

From: env-trinity <env-trinity-bounces at mailman.dcn.org> On Behalf Of Tom Stokely
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2022 10:48 AM
To: env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam

As I understand it, Iron Gate Dam releases are increasing so Trinity releases are decreasing.

TS

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: 'Patton, Thomas K' via trinity-releases <trinity-releases at googlegroups.com<mailto:trinity-releases at googlegroups.com>>
To:
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2022 at 09:12:52 AM PDT
Subject: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam


Please make the following release changes to the Trinity River.





Date                  Time          From (cfs)        To (cfs)



9/1/2022          1200            1050                  950







Comment:  Augmentation flows to target 2800 cfs at KNK gage.  IGD increasing.



Issued by: Tom Patton
--
View online at http://www.trrp.net/restore/flows/release-email/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "trinity-releases" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to trinity-releases+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com<mailto:trinity-releases+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com>.
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/trinity-releases/CO6PR09MB8248E38B1F47BF653077A594D8799%40CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com<https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/trinity-releases/CO6PR09MB8248E38B1F47BF653077A594D8799%40CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>
.
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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Sun Sep  4 15:21:17 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2022 22:21:17 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 35
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB5795C85674BDB1E09795CF4EBA7C9@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 35 (September 2).
I've just realized that I've missed more than a week of these, so my apologies. A lot going on in the Trinity basin the last couple of weeks.
In mid-August the fish were looking none too good down in the Klamath so the flows were ramped up (out of Lewiston, on the Trinity) to try to improve conditions. The flow augmentation happened on such short notice that although we had been staging to install the Willow Creek weir we were unable to do so because of the hiked flows. We got about a third of it built before it got too deep/swift at our current site.
We've been dealing with elevated smoke levels at both weir sites, though often it's only a couple of hours a day that are hazardous.
We look to be in between runs at JCW, only a few steelhead caught all last week. We certainly expect that to change soon.
Keep in mind the ad-clipped Chinook numbers will be quite low this year as the largest segment of the returning fish (3 year olds) are the fish from brood year 2019 that received no clips due to Covid-19.
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Sep  8 11:14:51 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2022 18:14:51 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam
In-Reply-To: <CO6PR09MB824886204DF391EC4330842FD8419@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
References: <DM6PR09MB4710DA63132FC3ABD125D88ED8080@DM6PR09MB4710.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
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 <CO6PR09MB8248D474FFA267F41F652923D8759@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <CO6PR09MB8248E38B1F47BF653077A594D8799@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
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 <CO6PR09MB824886204DF391EC4330842FD8419@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
Message-ID: <1547398466.744030.1662660891805@mail.yahoo.com>

  ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: 'Patton, Thomas K' via trinity-releases <trinity-releases at googlegroups.com>To: 
Sent: Wednesday, September 7, 2022 at 09:39:43 AM PDTSubject: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam
  
Please make the following release changes to the Trinity River.

?

?

Date? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Time??????? ? From (cfs)? ? ? ? To (cfs)

?

9/9/2022? ? ? ? ? 0001? ? ? ? ? ? ?950? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 850
9/9/2022? ? ? ? ? 0400? ? ? ? ? ? ?850? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 750
9/9/2022? ? ? ? ? 0800? ? ? ? ? ? ?750? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 650
9/9/2022? ? ? ? ? 1200? ? ? ? ? ? ?650? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 550
9/9/2022? ? ? ? ? 1600? ? ? ? ? ? ?550? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 450


9/12/2022? ? ? ? 0800? ? ? ? ? ? ?450? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 550

9/13/2022? ? ? ? 0800? ? ? ? ? ? ?550? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 700

9/14/2022? ? ? ? 0800? ? ? ? ? ? ?700? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 850

9/15/2022? ? ? ? 0800? ? ? ? ? ? ?850? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?1000


?




Comment:? Augmentation flows to target 2800 cfs at KNK gage during IGD pulse.

?

Issued by: Tom Patton


-- 
View online at http://www.trrp.net/restore/flows/release-email/
--- 

  
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Sep  8 18:08:07 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2022 01:08:07 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam -
	CANCELED
References: <1268492498.873436.1662685687348.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1268492498.873436.1662685687348@mail.yahoo.com>

  ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: 'Patton, Thomas K' via trinity-releases <trinity-releases at googlegroups.com>To: 
Sent: Thursday, September 8, 2022 at 05:19:40 PM PDTSubject: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam - CANCELED
 
Please cancel the following change order and remain at 950 cfs until further notice.

  
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From tstokely at att.net  Fri Sep  9 10:11:32 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2022 17:11:32 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?LA_Times_Editorial_Board=3A_Newsom?=
 =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=99s_water_supply_plan_is_only_half-full?=
References: <1273213949.1102781.1662743492963.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1273213949.1102781.1662743492963@mail.yahoo.com>

    https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-09-04/newsom-water-supply-strategy-falls-short
 Editorial:?Newsom?s water supply plan is only half-full 
    A kayaker fishes in Lake Oroville on Aug. 22, 2021. (Associated Press)     By The Times Editorial Board   Sept. 4, 2022 5 AM PT    
Amid California?s very hot and very dry summer, with reservoir levels dropping to historic lows and parched mountainsides yielding little melting snow, a key state official posted a blistering critique of Gov. Gavin Newsom?s response to the threatened water supply.

Max Gomberg, water conservation and climate change manager at the State Water Resources Control Board, quit in July and wrote a resignation letter charging that Newsom hasn?t let the board do the work it must do to properly manage the state?s water. His note cited, among other things, a need to ?quickly and permanently [reduce] agriculture to manage the loss of water to aridification.?

The following month, Newsom presented a Water Supply Strategy that lays out his program for adapting to a future with at least 10% less usable water within the next two decades because of changing climate patterns. California is getting less rain and snow when we need it and more heat, drawing moisture from the landscape. 

The most welcome aspect of the document is the straightforward terms used to discuss the looming crisis. For example, rather than merely discussing how California can rebound from a drought ? a difficult but temporary dry period ? there is an acknowledgment that the state will continue to get hotter and drier. But in leveling with Californians, the governor could stand to be even more frank. Much of the state is in danger of becoming desert.
   
Opinion
 
 Editorial: California?s drought response isn?t working. It?s time to order cuts in water use.  
 
March 21, 2022
 Advertisement
As for proposed actions, the plan is more a recapitulation of existing programs and policies, most of them inadequate, than a bold new response to the belated official realization that California needs far more than drought resilience. It is not a plan to prevent a supply crisis like the one in South Africa, which has a similar climate, and in 2017 Cape Town came close to becoming the world?s first major city to run out of water (the emergency remains dire in much of the region). 

Newsom is correct to note that conservation alone will be insufficient. But California still needs to reduce its water use, and to a greater degree than the governor has ordered or proposes in his supply plan. His predecessor imposed the first-ever statewide mandatory water-use restrictions in 2015. The current shortage is even more severe, yet Newsom demanded only voluntary cuts during the recent record-setting arid winter. Californians didn?t cut back, perhaps because the governor?s response seemed to downplay the emergency.

Turf-removal programs and water-limiting plumbing standards are fine programs but have been in place for decades. We need pricing structures and conservation incentives updated to reflect projected 2040 supplies, and not just bounties for ripping out lawns.


 
Newsom promotes water recycling, yet his 800,000 acre-foot annual target is actually a rollback from 20-year-old state goals. State funding is helping ambitious programs like the Metropolitan Water District?s recycling plant in Carson or the city of Los Angeles? proposed conversion of the Hyperion treatment plant into a water purification and distribution complex, but not enough. The need is great, and immediate.
   
Opinion
 
 Editorial: There is no drought 
 
May 6, 2021
 
Desalination of seawater and brackish groundwater is appropriately part of the governor?s plan but because of energy and operating costs will never be the comprehensive or quick-fix solution that many imagine.

Nor will more dams, notwithstanding a handful of solid and cost-effective projects that should go forward. The water level at Lake Mead is already so low that states relying on the Colorado River had to accept unprecedented cuts to their supplies. California won?t be saved by building more reservoirs that we can?t fill. 

Most notably, the missing link in Newsom?s Water Supply Strategy is the very thing Gomberg noted on his way out the door: a plan to reduce use by agriculture. 


| 
| 
| 
|  |  |

 |

 |
| 
|  | 
Letters to the Editor: On drought, Gov. Newsom ignores the cow in the room

The state's 'aggressive' drought plan won't work if it allows animal agriculture to continue guzzling water.
 |

 |

 |




Farming uses 80% of all water diverted for human use in the state. And as aridity increases, agricultural acreage expands, and much of it is devoted not to annual crops like vegetables that allow fields to lie fallow in particularly dry years, but perennial orchard crops, like almonds, that demand constant irrigation even ? and in fact especially ? during dry years.

A water-wise California that continues to thrive in coming decades cannot survive without fallowing or retiring a portion of farmland that sucks up too much of the state?s water supply. There is little dispute about that. The only remaining question is whether we will face the key decisions head-on to determine which land will be fallowed, when that needs to happen and what compensation would be provided ? or else proceed haphazardly, using up precious water and risk passing Cape Town as the spot on the globe most likely to run dry.
 
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From MDixon at usbr.gov  Fri Sep  9 10:15:00 2022
From: MDixon at usbr.gov (Dixon, Michael D)
Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2022 17:15:00 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] September Trinity Management Council agenda
Message-ID: <PH0PR09MB8426905FCA044CBA8DDA8DD3A5439@PH0PR09MB8426.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

The draft agenda for the TMC meeting Sept 21-22, as well as accompanying materials, can be found here: TRRP: Event Details<https://www.trrp.net/calendar/event/?id=11732>
[https://www.trrp.net/images/TRRP_logo_300px_transparent.png]<https://www.trrp.net/calendar/event/?id=11732>
Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP): Event Details<https://www.trrp.net/calendar/event/?id=11732>
/
www.trrp.net
Additional meeting materials will be posted by the Monday before the meeting. Please note that all agendas are draft until the day of the meeting, and the version on the website may be updated to reflect changes in presenter availability or other changes.


Mike Dixon<https://www.trrp.net/program-structure/trrp-staff/#MikeDixon>, PhD (he/him) | Executive Director | Trinity River Restoration Program<http://www.trrp.net> | U. S. Bureau of Reclamation<https://www.usbr.gov/> | 1313 S. Main St., Weaverville, CA 96093 | 530-623-1811 (desk) | 530-351-4760 (mobile) | mdixon at usbr.gov<mailto:mdixon at usbr.gov> | ?The most dangerous worldviews are the worldviews of those who have never viewed the world." - Alexander von Humboldt
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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Wed Sep 14 11:26:25 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 18:26:25 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 36
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB5795E351EC5C85F9A3FD7D02BA469@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 36 (Sept 9).
Included is the inaugural Trinity River Hatchery (TRH) trapping of the 2022/23 season. Please keep in mind that the only fish reported here for TRH are those that are fully processed (either spawned and/or killed). The total number of fish ENTERING TRH is not reflected in these numbers.
Junction Creek weir still in the lull before the falls, mostly.
Willow Creek weir is still not in, but we are getting close. I am fairly certain we will be fishing Friday night at WCW.
Cheers!
MC

PS I have included a tag return form for any of you lucky enough to get a tagged Trinity River fish. Remember, we'd love to see those return forms before our management meeting in January and any tag turned in after May 1 will not be eligible for the reward if there is one. (THANKS!)

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Sep 14 17:46:09 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2022 00:46:09 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Federal Court closes doors to irrigators
References: <2084337466.435461.1663202769270.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <2084337466.435461.1663202769270@mail.yahoo.com>

The link has the court decision included.? 
https://www.klamathfallsnews.org/news/federal-court-closes-doors-to-irrigators 
Federal Court closes doors to irrigators
  September 13, 2022/    Press Release


       The following is a press release from the Klamath Water Users Association.
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - Last Thursday, the United States Court of Appeals issued a decision that denies Klamath Project irrigators the right to challenge federal agency decisions in court. The ruling, in a case titled Klamath Irrigation District, et al. v. United States, et al., found that irrigation parties could not file legal challenges to federal agency actions or decisions that the irrigators believe are unlawful, unless tribes in the Klamath Basin voluntarily agree to join the case as parties. 

?This is hard to process,? said Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) President Ben DuVal. ?Any number of tribal and non-tribal parties can sue the government to take water away from irrigators, but irrigators can?t sue to protect their own interests in water.??

KWUA was one of several parties that filed a lawsuit in 2019 against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), with a parallel lawsuit also filed by Klamath Irrigation District (KID). The irrigation parties claimed that Reclamation adopted decisions and actions that were outside its legal authority, to the detriment of Project irrigation.?

The Hoopa Valley Tribe and the Klamath Tribes were allowed to intervene in the cases for the limited purpose of arguing that the cases should be dismissed. They contended that under federal court procedural rules, they are necessary parties such that the lawsuits could not go forward without them being joined, and that because they declined to join the lawsuits voluntarily, the cases had to be dismissed.?

The Federal District Court for the District of Oregon, where the cases were filed, agreed, and dismissed the cases. Today, the Ninth Circuit upheld the dismissal, and the cases cannot go forward.?

?We believe the government is acting outside its legal authority,? said DuVal. ?We may be right, or we may be wrong. But it?s beyond disappointing that we can?t get our day in court.??

Rich Deitchman, an attorney who represented KWUA and other districts in the appeal, said that he, and the attorneys representing KID in its appeal, will confer with their boards of directors about whether to pursue the cases further. Legally, he said, the irrigation parties could seek rehearing in the Ninth Circuit or petition the United States Supreme Court to review the decision. ?It?s too early to say whether or not this is the end of the road in this case,? said Deitchman.?

Irrigators are also evaluating how any other existing lawsuits have the potential to provide judicial resolution of the issues they believe are important.?

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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Sep 19 17:20:07 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2022 00:20:07 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam
In-Reply-To: <CO6PR09MB82481AE9F96282E57E09C35CD8489@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
References: <DM6PR09MB4710DA63132FC3ABD125D88ED8080@DM6PR09MB4710.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <CO6PR09MB8248C036C85A3898D31F9AC4D8759@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <CO6PR09MB8248D474FFA267F41F652923D8759@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <CO6PR09MB8248E38B1F47BF653077A594D8799@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <CO6PR09MB82485B24AEDEEAD12EF548EFD87E9@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <CO6PR09MB824886204DF391EC4330842FD8419@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <CO6PR09MB82481AE9F96282E57E09C35CD8489@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
Message-ID: <1829079415.48895.1663633207465@mail.yahoo.com>


----- Forwarded Message ----- From: 'Patton, Thomas K' via trinity-releases <trinity-releases at googlegroups.com>To: 
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2022 at 04:33:43 PM PDTSubject: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam
 
Please make the following release changes to the Trinity River.

?

?

Date? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Time??????? ? From (cfs)? ? ? ? To (cfs)

?

9/22/2022? ? ? ? ? 0001? ? ? ? ? ? ?950? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 850
9/22/2022? ? ? ? ? 0400? ? ? ? ? ? ?850? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 750
9/22/2022? ? ? ? ? 0800? ? ? ? ? ? ?750? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 650
9/22/2022? ? ? ? ? 1200? ? ? ? ? ? ?650? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 550
9/22/2022? ? ? ? ? 1600? ? ? ? ? ? ?550? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 450


Comment:? Returning to minimum summertime flow.

?

Issued by: Tom Patton


-- 
View online at http://www.trrp.net/restore/flows/release-email/
--- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "trinity-releases" group.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/trinity-releases/CO6PR09MB82481AE9F96282E57E09C35CD8489%40CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com.
  
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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Mon Sep 19 14:08:49 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2022 21:08:49 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 37
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB579566E69F70EF81822D1098BA4D9@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 37 (Sep 16).

We were not able to get Willow Creek weir fishing for JW 37 but are fishing now.
I think you can expect to see increasing numbers of fish at both weirs for the next few weeks.
Fire camp is still at Kimtu but seems to be decreasing in size. I imagine they'll be opening the forest back up in the next couple of weeks.
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From tgstoked at gmail.com  Fri Sep 30 11:07:05 2022
From: tgstoked at gmail.com (Tom Stokely)
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2022 11:07:05 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River winter flow rates still undecided
Message-ID: <CABnDsn9YmNC23oSf5-Xf_MTAUXS20yasb_nx-LR-1gTwiBegJw@mail.gmail.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_657a31d0-3ebe-11ed-9875-5b49995f485c.html#tncms-source=login
Trinity River winter flow rates still undecidedSupervisors briefly consider
changing vote

   - By Josh Cozine The Trinity Journal
   - Sep 28, 2022
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A proposal to increase water flow rates for the Trinity River during the
months of January and February is on hold after the meeting where a vote on
the matter was meant to be held but did not go forward.

Over the past few months, a new ?Winter Flow Project,? which would see more
water released down the river during winter months, has been discussed at
length in front of the county supervisors by representatives of Trinity
River Restoration Project and members from their governing agency, Trinity
Management Council. Trinity County holds one of eight seats on the council,
and the council was set to vote on the Winter Flow Project Sept. 21 until
the item was pulled from the agenda and the meeting was concluded.

On Sept. 6, county supervisors voted to direct Sup. Liam Gogan to vote in
favor of the proposal after he had indicated he would vote against it. (The
Trinity Journal, ?Trinity River winter flow disagreement comes to head,?
Sept. 14).

The Hoopa Valley Tribe also holds one of eight seats and TMC voting
representative for the tribe, Mike Orcutt, indicated at the same meeting he
was in opposition to the proposal, and TMC governing rules are such that
two votes against a proposal will cause it to fail.

More recently, at the following Sept. 20 county supervisors meeting before
it was known the Winter Flow Project vote would be pulled, Sup. Jeremy
Brown said he had rethought his vote and reached out to the Hoopa Valley
and Yurok tribes for more information and made a motion for the board to
reconsider their earlier vote directing Sup. Gogan to vote in favor of the
Winter Flow Project.

Sup. Jill Cox seconded the motion for discussion purposes, but then
withdrew her second to Brown?s motion later. According to County Counsel,
only those who voted in favor of the first vote (Brown, Cox and Groves)
could second a motion to reconsider a vote, leaving only Groves who
remained silent. With no second, Brown?s motion to reconsider the vote died
on the floor.

According to TRRP Executive Director Mike Dixon, the vote was removed from
the TMC agenda due to objections raised by the Hoopa Valley Tribe and
because of disagreements between the Hoopa and the Yurok tribe ? who also
serves as a TMC voting representative. Orcutt, with the Hoopa Valley Tribe,
said the group had requested to speak with the Department of the Interior
and that the project was of big enough scope that the federal trust
responsibility between the U.S. government and native tribes should come
into effect, and a conversation with higher-ups in the federal government
was warranted.

TMC holds quarterly meetings with the next meeting scheduled for Dec. 7 and
8. So far, no agenda has been posted. According to Dixon with TRRP, it is
still possible the Winter Flow Project could show up on a future agenda,
but it is unknown for now.

*Science on Tap talks sedimentation*

Join Science on Tap at 6 p.m. today, Sept. 28, Trinity County Brewing
Company, 301 Main St., Weaverville. The topic this month will be ?Fine
sediments in the Trinity River: then and now,? presented by Todd Buxton of
the Trinity River Restoration Program.

Grab a beer and dive into local science. This educational series will take
place on the fourth Wednesday of each month, featuring local scientists and
natural resource professionals presenting on scientific topics relevant to
Trinity County.

   -
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From FGutermuth at usbr.gov  Fri Sep 30 11:47:15 2022
From: FGutermuth at usbr.gov (Gutermuth, Frederic Brandt)
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2022 18:47:15 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] [EXTERNAL] Trinity River winter flow rates still
 undecided
In-Reply-To: <CABnDsn9YmNC23oSf5-Xf_MTAUXS20yasb_nx-LR-1gTwiBegJw@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CABnDsn9YmNC23oSf5-Xf_MTAUXS20yasb_nx-LR-1gTwiBegJw@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <SA0PR09MB69059E87788DE08DE6024420AF569@SA0PR09MB6905.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Dear Trinity River enthusiasts-

The TRRP office of Reclamation produced a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) on this winter flow proposal in 2021 but the Trinity Management Council must approve the winter release schedule. Our 2021 EA has been edited into report form and the winter flow analyses are available via our winter flow page at: TRRP: Winter Flow Variability<https://www.trrp.net/restoration/flows/winter-flow-variability/>
[https://www.trrp.net/images/TRRP_logo_300px_transparent.png]<https://www.trrp.net/restoration/flows/winter-flow-variability/>
TRRP: Winter Flow Variability - Trinity River<https://www.trrp.net/restoration/flows/winter-flow-variability/>
Updated February 14, 2022. Thank you to all who provided input on our Draft Trinity River Winter Flow Variability Environmental Assessment. Your input has been helpful in our effort to understand implications of the proposed action and to analyze potential impacts of the recommended flow change.
www.trrp.net

Or in report format on our website at: https://www.trrp.net/library/document/?id=2566
[https://www.trrp.net/images/TRRP_logo_300px_transparent.png]<https://www.trrp.net/library/document/?id=2566>
Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP): Document Details Page<https://www.trrp.net/library/document/?id=2566>
Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP). 2022. Trinity River winter flow project. Report for the TRRP. TRRP, Weaverville, California. --- TRRP's DataPort includes a library of documents and data relevant to restoration of the Trinity River and watershed, that can be downloaded or linked.
www.trrp.net
The winter flow variability proposal required use of ROD water earlier in the year (in winter) to better emulate natural conditions than the constant 300 cfs winter release that we see now. Under a more variable winter flow, the floodplains which we have lowered with our Channel rehabilitation projects would potentially be available as habitat when outmigrating fish are moving through (in winter) and the riverine vegetation would be watered more than once a year during our spring releases.

Check the report out for details.

Best to you-
Brandt


Brandt Gutermuth  (he/him)
Environmental Scientist| Trinity River Restoration Program<http://www.trrp.net/> | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation<https://www.usbr.gov/> |
PO Box 1300, 1313 S. Main St., Weaverville, CA| 530.623.1806 w; 530.739.2802 cell|FGutermuth at usbr.gov<mailto:BGutermuth at usbr.gov>
Attachments area


________________________________
From: env-trinity <env-trinity-bounces at mailman.dcn.org> on behalf of Tom Stokely <tgstoked at gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2022 11:07 AM
To: env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org <env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] [env-trinity] Trinity River winter flow rates still undecided




 This email has been received from outside of DOI - Use caution before clicking on links, opening attachments, or responding.



http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/environment/article_657a31d0-3ebe-11ed-9875-5b49995f485c.html#tncms-source=login<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trinityjournal.com%2Fnews%2Fenvironment%2Farticle_657a31d0-3ebe-11ed-9875-5b49995f485c.html%23tncms-source%3Dlogin&data=05%7C01%7Cfgutermuth%40usbr.gov%7Cc7595a0caa2940dfc83608daa30eb707%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C638001580850527792%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=wufk0iJypZo59NKfBTagAMTaxxBg5IikMJYwt6c%2B2R0%3D&reserved=0>
Trinity River winter flow rates still undecided
Supervisors briefly consider changing vote

  *   By Josh Cozine The Trinity Journal

  *   Sep 28, 2022

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A proposal to increase water flow rates for the Trinity River during the months of January and February is on hold after the meeting where a vote on the matter was meant to be held but did not go forward.

Over the past few months, a new ?Winter Flow Project,? which would see more water released down the river during winter months, has been discussed at length in front of the county supervisors by representatives of Trinity River Restoration Project and members from their governing agency, Trinity Management Council. Trinity County holds one of eight seats on the council, and the council was set to vote on the Winter Flow Project Sept. 21 until the item was pulled from the agenda and the meeting was concluded.

On Sept. 6, county supervisors voted to direct Sup. Liam Gogan to vote in favor of the proposal after he had indicated he would vote against it. (The Trinity Journal, ?Trinity River winter flow disagreement comes to head,? Sept. 14).

The Hoopa Valley Tribe also holds one of eight seats and TMC voting representative for the tribe, Mike Orcutt, indicated at the same meeting he was in opposition to the proposal, and TMC governing rules are such that two votes against a proposal will cause it to fail.

More recently, at the following Sept. 20 county supervisors meeting before it was known the Winter Flow Project vote would be pulled, Sup. Jeremy Brown said he had rethought his vote and reached out to the Hoopa Valley and Yurok tribes for more information and made a motion for the board to reconsider their earlier vote directing Sup. Gogan to vote in favor of the Winter Flow Project.

Sup. Jill Cox seconded the motion for discussion purposes, but then withdrew her second to Brown?s motion later. According to County Counsel, only those who voted in favor of the first vote (Brown, Cox and Groves) could second a motion to reconsider a vote, leaving only Groves who remained silent. With no second, Brown?s motion to reconsider the vote died on the floor.

According to TRRP Executive Director Mike Dixon, the vote was removed from the TMC agenda due to objections raised by the Hoopa Valley Tribe and because of disagreements between the Hoopa and the Yurok tribe ? who also serves as a TMC voting representative. Orcutt, with the Hoopa Valley Tribe, said the group had requested to speak with the Department of the Interior and that the project was of big enough scope that the federal trust responsibility between the U.S. government and native tribes should come into effect, and a conversation with higher-ups in the federal government was warranted.

TMC holds quarterly meetings with the next meeting scheduled for Dec. 7 and 8. So far, no agenda has been posted. According to Dixon with TRRP, it is still possible the Winter Flow Project could show up on a future agenda, but it is unknown for now.

Science on Tap talks sedimentation

Join Science on Tap at 6 p.m. today, Sept. 28, Trinity County Brewing Company, 301 Main St., Weaverville. The topic this month will be ?Fine sediments in the Trinity River: then and now,? presented by Todd Buxton of the Trinity River Restoration Program.

Grab a beer and dive into local science. This educational series will take place on the fourth Wednesday of each month, featuring local scientists and natural resource professionals presenting on scientific topics relevant to Trinity County.

  *   <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsharer%2Fsharer.php%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.trinityjournal.com%252Fnews%252Fenvironment%252Farticle_657a31d0-3ebe-11ed-9875-5b49995f485c.html%253Futm_medium%253Dsocial%2526utm_source%253Dfacebook%2526utm_campaign%253Duser-share&data=05%7C01%7Cfgutermuth%40usbr.gov%7Cc7595a0caa2940dfc83608daa30eb707%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C638001580850527792%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=yhTnvWA3DOlpJLWyMQatkNYqXroqLgDKw1NR%2FY0aPOE%3D&reserved=0>


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From tgstoked at gmail.com  Tue Oct  4 12:26:16 2022
From: tgstoked at gmail.com (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 4 Oct 2022 12:26:16 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] California drought pits farmers vs. cities. But
 neither is the biggest water victim
Message-ID: <CABnDsn8k5O_9SZ38Sfx-GVKPOoYOv017TpkxY_Mm_TJitNyn7A@mail.gmail.com>

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-03/californias-environment-takes-biggest-hit-during-drought


California drought pits farmers vs. cities. But neither is the biggest
water victim
[image: Crews conduct a survey of dead fall-run Chinook salmon in the
Sacramento River.]
Crews conduct a survey of dead fall-run Chinook salmon in the Sacramento
River in January of this year.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
BY HAYLEY SMITH <https://www.latimes.com/people/hayley-smith>STAFF WRITER
OCT. 3, 2022 UPDATED 6:59 AM PT

   - Facebook
   <https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=134435029966155&display=popup&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fcalifornia%2Fstory%2F2022-10-03%2Fcalifornias-environment-takes-biggest-hit-during-drought>
   - Twitter
   <https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fcalifornia%2Fstory%2F2022-10-03%2Fcalifornias-environment-takes-biggest-hit-during-drought&text=California%20drought%20pits%20farmers%20vs.%20cities.%20But%20neither%20is%20the%20biggest%20water%20victim>
   - Show more sharing options
   <https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-03/californias-environment-takes-biggest-hit-during-drought#>

As California fast approaches what is likely to be a fourth year of
punishing drought
<https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-22/a-fourth-dry-year-likely-in-california-officials-say>,
residents are being asked to cut their water use to historic lows. But
while city dwellers are rising to the occasion ? including record reductions
<https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-16/angelenos-are-using-record-low-amounts-of-water-now-what>
 in Los Angeles in August ? urban consumption still represents only a small
fraction of total water use in the state.

Where the rest of it goes depends on whom you ask. The California
Department of Water Resources says 50% of the state?s water goes toward
environmental purposes, 40% toward agriculture and 10% toward urban areas.

But experts say that calculation tells only part of the story, especially
because the environment?s share tends to shrink dramatically during dry
years. Instead, a clearer picture begins to emerge when you consider water
designated for domestic and business use. Of that, 80% goes toward
agriculture and 20% toward urban areas.

While agriculture?s share may seem outsized to some urban residents being
asked to let their lawns go brown
<https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-04-28/southern-california-reacts-to-new-drought-restrictions>,
experts say the sector is also dealing with cuts, shortages and shifts
brought on by drought and climate change, even as it continues to play a
major role in feeding the state and nation. California?s environment,
however, is often overlooked in the noisy debate over urban and
agricultural water use, as its constituents ? plants, animals, rivers and
aquifers ? have little voice in the matter.

The 50-40-10 breakdown ?is misleading,? said Peter Gleick, co-founder and
senior fellow of the Pacific Institute. ?Because first of all, it implies
that we, as a society, have made a decision to give half of the water to
the environment. When what?s in fact the reality is that we have taken 50%
of the water from the environment. The environment used to have it all.?
ADVERTISEMENT

[image: Lake Oroville, CA - July 20: Lake Oroville, located about 80 miles
north of Sacramento is the largest reservoir in a state system that
provides water to 27 million Californians on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, in
Lake Oroville, CA. Officials had warned the lake - key to the roughly
700-mile State Water Project, which pumps and ferries water across the
state for agricultural, business, and residential use - was at "critically
low" levels on May 8. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)]
<https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-22/a-fourth-dry-year-likely-in-california-officials-say>

CALIFORNIA <https://www.latimes.com/california>
California should expect a ?fourth dry year? as drought persists
<https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-22/a-fourth-dry-year-likely-in-california-officials-say>

Sept. 22, 2022

That?s not to say environmental water doesn?t still play an important role
in California. Each year, the state?s water managers are tasked with doling
out enough supplies to maintain the state?s scenic rivers, managed wetlands
and wildlife habitats as well as the salinity of sources used by farms and
cities.

But the accounting system is based on a normal year, and in California,
those are increasingly rare. When the state faces dry conditions, the
environment is among the first to take a hit, and that can have harsh
consequences for wildlife.

Last year, for example, limited environmental releases from Shasta Lake
caused river levels to drop and waters to grow warmer ? conditions
that are inhospitable
to the state?s Chinook salmon
<https://www.latimes.com/projects/can-endangered-california-chinook-salmon-be-saved-from-extinction>.
Officials have now taken to trucking the fish
<https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-05-19/northern-california-chinook-salmon-trucked-to-cooler-waters>,
which are at risk of extinction, to cooler waters where they have a better
chance at survival.

Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of
California, said it is all part of an annual equation made more delicate by
worsening drought conditions and the demands of urban and agricultural
water users. Critically, about 3.5 to 4 million acre-feet of water must
flow out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ? a linchpin of the state?s
system that provides water to millions of Californians ? otherwise ?the
Delta gets too salty for people to use it,? Mount said.

In 2021, the bulk of the water that ran off the surface of the Sacramento
and San Joaquin Delta watershed was used for agriculture, Mount said. The
water Southern California got was primarily from reservoirs, ?and there was
almost nothing for the environment.?

?It is a mistake to actually blend the environment into the discussion,? he
said. ?That?s why the 50-40-10 number is so misleading, and probably is not
the thing we should be talking about. But it is fair to discuss the
relationship between what we call consumptive use of water ? that is, water
to support domestic and business uses in California. And that 80% number
for agriculture is correct.?

[image: ALTADENA, CA - JUNE 27: Portrait of Seriina Covarrubias along with
her dogs, Sage and Dusty, at her home in Altadena on Monday, June 27, 2022
in Altadena, CA. Covarrubias replaced her once green lawn with California
natives, a stone pond water catchment area and an array of drought tolerant
plants. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)]
<https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-16/angelenos-are-using-record-low-amounts-of-water-now-what>

CALIFORNIA <https://www.latimes.com/california>
L.A. is conserving water at record levels, but it?s not enough as drought
worsens
<https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-16/angelenos-are-using-record-low-amounts-of-water-now-what>

Sept. 16, 2022

While it may be tempting to vilify agriculture for its massive share, Mount
and other experts said the sector plays an invaluable role in the nation?s
food supply. Though agriculture accounts for only about 3% of the state?s
gross domestic product, it?s about 13% of all agricultural production in
the country, more than any other state. In some ways, its proportion makes
sense.

?It?s hugely imbalanced, but it also is sort of logical because of history
and because of economics,? Gleick said.

Part of the reason agriculture uses such a massive share of the state?s
water is because it is consumptive, Gleick explained ? meaning most water
used by crops does not make it back into the system. By contrast, water
that runs down a bathroom sink can be captured, treated and reused for
other purposes.

The consumptive nature of agriculture is the same reason why outdoor
watering is among the first cuts to be made in urban areas, where an
estimated 44% of water
<https://pacinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/PI_California_Untapped_Urban_Water_Potential_2022-1.pdf>goes
toward irrigating lawns and other uses outside the home. In Southern
California, for example, officials this summer limited millions of
residents to one- or two-day-a-week outdoor watering
<https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-06-01/southern-california-new-drought-rules-june-2022>
 and saw a significant reduction in demand as a result.

But the total volume of water is only one metric for considering
agriculture?s share, according to Isaya Kisekka, a professor of
agricultural water management at UC Davis. Instead, he said, the best way
of looking at water use is to look at nutritional water productivity, or
how much protein, nutrients and calories are produced by a unit of water.

Farmers also consider economic water productivity ? or how much economic
value is produced by that unit of water ? which ?has been increasing in the
state for a few years now,? he said. ?That?s when crops like almonds,
pistachios, grapes come into play, and that?s why you?ve seen a lot of
growers shift to these crops, because they have very high economic water
productivity.?

Indeed, the state has seen a dramatic swing away from field crops such as
wheat, cotton and alfalfa and toward fruits, vegetables and nuts in recent
years. Production of cotton, for example, was down 26% in 2020 compared to
the year prior, while pistachios and almonds were up 41% and 22%,
respectively, according to the California Department and Food and
Agriculture
<https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Statistics/PDFs/2021_Ag_Stats_Review.pdf>.

[image: Covina, CA, Tuesday, May 24, 2022 - A barren median on N. Citrus
Ave. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)]
<https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-06-01/southern-california-new-drought-rules-june-2022>

CALIFORNIA <https://www.latimes.com/california>
Unprecedented water restrictions hit Southern California today: What they
mean to you
<https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-06-01/southern-california-new-drought-rules-june-2022>

June 1, 2022

The reason for that shift is primarily economic, Mount said.

?Agriculture is not some public trust resource that belongs to everybody,?
he said. ?Agriculture is run by businessmen and women, and they seek to
maximize profits on their throughput.?

But its footprint is shrinking, especially as the state ramps up
enforcement of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
<https://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-groundwater-regulation-bills-20140916-story.html>,
a 2014 act aimed at reducing the pumping of groundwater from beneath the
state?s surface. (During dry years, farmers tend to lean heavily on those
underground supplies, which is leading to a host of problems including drying
wells
<https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-09-01/central-california-shoulders-drought-inequities>
 and land subsidence in the state.)

The act ?changes everything, because they?ve been mining groundwater for a
hundred years and now they have to stop doing that,? Mount said of farmers.
?Right there, that?s 500,000 to 700,000 acres of irrigated land that has to
come out of production to meet the requirements of that law.?

Last year, severe drought and reduced water deliveries resulted in 395,000
acres of California cropland ? an area larger than Los Angeles ? going dry
and unplanted, costing an estimated 8,745 jobs and $1.2 billion in direct
costs
<https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-02-25/california-agriculture-takes-1-2-billion-hit-during-drought>.
This year?s impacts could be even larger, with researchers projecting that
nearly 800,000 acres may be fallowed, including about half of all rice
acreage in the state.

That could have disastrous and unintended consequences for migratory birds,
Mount said, because they rely on flooded rice fields during their annual
fall migration.

[image: DELANO, CA - AUGUST 13: Farmworker Alma Guedea packs up freshly
harvested grapes Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020 in Delano, CA. Brian van der Brug
/ Los Angeles Times)]
<https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-02-25/california-agriculture-takes-1-2-billion-hit-during-drought>

CALIFORNIA <https://www.latimes.com/california>
California agriculture takes $1.2-billion hit during drought, losing 8,700
farm jobs, researchers find
<https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-02-25/california-agriculture-takes-1-2-billion-hit-during-drought>

Feb. 25, 2022

Driven by both nature and economics, farmers are improving their irrigation
practices, Kisekka said. That includes shifting away from flood irrigation
? a practice that literally includes flooding fields ? and toward
techniques such as drip irrigation, which dole out one drop at a time.

However, conditions today are more dire than almost any time on record
<https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-02-14/western-megadrought-driest-in-1200-years>:
The state appears poised to enter yet another year of drought; pressure is
mounting on Southern California to slash its use of Colorado River water
and warming temperatures driven by human-caused climate change are
continuing to evaporate more of the state?s surface water
<https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-06-30/aridification-kills-civilizations-is-california-next>.
Another round of severe reductions in water allocations from state and
federal suppliers is also looking increasingly likely in 2023
<https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-04/california-water-agencies-brace-for-colorado-river-cuts>
.

As with other sectors, ?agricultural water users have experienced
unprecedented cuts to both their surface water diversions and allocations
from the state and federal water projects since the governor?s first
drought proclamation
<https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2021-04-21/california-drought-newsom-mendocino-sonoma>
 in April 2021,? Steve Lyle, director of public affairs for the California
Department of Food and Agriculture, said in an email. He said allocations
from the projects have at times been ?as little as five percent of
contracts.?

Yet while California has a framework to control allocations, it cannot go
so far as to tell farmers what crops they should grow. Alfalfa, for
example, saw a 22% increase in production in 2020 despite being so water
intensive.

Kisekka said farmers have continued to grow alfalfa ? and export it to
other states and nations ? because demand remains ?sky high? and prices
have been soaring. Many dairies, feed lots and other operations use alfalfa
in their feed rotations.

The state is also somewhat stymied when it comes to water rights, which in
California have long operated under an antiquated system
<https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-12-27/can-california-water-rights-enter-the-digital-age>
 sometimes referred to as ?first in time, first in right,? which basically
means water rights are doled out based on whoever was first in line, Mount
said.

?There is authority to take water away from people, but you have to make a
very compelling case that it?s waste and unreasonable use,? he said, adding
that the current laws are very clear that ?growing a crop is not viewed as
waste and unreasonable use.?

The rules have long been a battleground in the state, with some farmers quick
to fight against curtailments
<https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-08-23/ranchers-told-to-stop-diverting-water-in-drought-hit-area>
 and other efforts to reduce their use. Gov. Gavin Newsom?s water supply
strategy, released in August, also drew criticism from experts for its
apparent unwillingness to take on ?Big Ag
<https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-08-11/newsom-outlines-sweeping-strategy-to-bolster-water-supplies>
.?

?It?s long past time to revamp the water rights rules in California, but to
say that that?s a heavy lift politically would be an understatement,? said
Gleick, of the Pacific Institute.

[image: An illustration of the map of California as cracked, dry land]
<https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-drought-status-maps-water-usage>

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT <https://www.latimes.com/environment>
Tracking the California drought
<https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-drought-status-maps-water-usage>

July 8, 2022

That doesn?t mean urban users are off the hook either. While farmers have
received scrutiny for using the state?s water to grow crops that are
exported overseas, Californians also import immense amounts of water ?
often in the form of manufactured goods such as cars, lumber and even craft
beers, Mount said.

Kisekka added that a lot of water is represented in the meals on
Californians? dinner plates, and that ?we should make sure we are not
throwing away food.?

And while agriculture?s 80% share strikes a nerve among some, it?s not all
that different from usage elsewhere in the world. Both nationally and
globally, about 70% to 80% of water goes toward agriculture.

As for whether an almond orchard should take precedence over an urban lawn
? that probably depends on whom you ask, Gleick said.

?It?s understandable that a homeowner asked to let their beautiful lawn go
dry sees farmers using 80% of the water and they think, ?Well that doesn?t
seem fair,?? Gleick said. ?I completely understand that. It?s just not the
way it really works. Farmers really do have, also, many challenges that
they have to face during droughts.?

Put simply, he said, ?agriculture uses a lot of water because it takes a
lot of water to grow food.?
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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Wed Oct  5 14:49:37 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Wed, 5 Oct 2022 21:49:37 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] CA Dept of Fish and Wildlife Trinity River Project
 trapping summary through Julian week 38
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB5795D1C9260DFD69244FF3E5BA5D9@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JWeek 38 (Sep 23).
Sorry for the lag folks, we're catching up on data input.

The good news is the Willow Creek weir was finally catching some fish in JW 38.
Please read the first page of the workbook if you are new to the list to understand the numbers you're seeing, or shoot me questions, I always try to be available for those.
Julian week will be out soon, I hope.
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Oct  6 10:21:39 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 6 Oct 2022 17:21:39 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 39 (partial)
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB5795787542FF3AE0042D6C52BA5C9@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 39 (September 30).
This summary only reflects totals for the weirs, TRH records are still being input, but I know some of you are curious about what's been going on in the river, so I thought I'd send it out incomplete. I will update TRH numbers as I get them.

Big slug of fish coming up will be reflected in JW40 summary. Hopefully, I can get those totals out early next week.
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Thu Oct  6 10:45:20 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Thu, 6 Oct 2022 17:45:20 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] Julian week 39 WITH Junction City weir included
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB57954AEAEF5DB6EAF88E304EBA5C9@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Sorry for the double mailing
Apparently that last summary didn't have JC on it for JW 39. I must've hit "send" before "save"
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From tgstoked at gmail.com  Wed Oct 12 10:18:29 2022
From: tgstoked at gmail.com (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2022 10:18:29 -0700
Subject: [env-trinity] California's opening bid won't solve the Colorado
	River crisis alone
Message-ID: <CABnDsn-tRo5d_162q4hdcQkpu3ENkCYe3iPXKg7KW0sg4eTjOg@mail.gmail.com>

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/11/californias-opening-bid-wont-solve-the-colorado-river-crisis-alone-00060851
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT <https://www.politico.com/energy-and-environment>
California's opening bid won't solve the Colorado River crisis alone

Outside observers say the fact of a formal offer at all from the largest
player on the river is an important move at a time when negotiations have
been stalled.
[image: A sign reading &quot;keep out&quot; is displayed in the water by
the Glen Canyon Dam at Lake Powell.]

Water levels at Arizona's Glen Canyon Dam are predicted to next year fall
within a few feet of the point at which hydropower production would cease.
| Brittany Peterson/AP Photo

By ANNIE SNIDER <https://www.politico.com/staff/annie-snider>

10/11/2022 09:44 AM EDT

   -
   <http://api.addthis.com/oexchange/0.8/forward/facebook/offer?pco=tbx32nj-1.0&url=https://politi.co/3rK0A8n&pubid=politico.com>
   -
   <http://api.addthis.com/oexchange/0.8/forward/twitter/offer?pco=tbx32nj-1.0&url=https://politi.co/3rK0A8n&text=California%27s+opening+bid+won%27t+solve+the+Colorado+River+crisis+alone&pubid=politico.com&via=politico>
   -
   <https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/11/californias-opening-bid-wont-solve-the-colorado-river-crisis-alone-00060851#>
   -
   <https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/11/californias-opening-bid-wont-solve-the-colorado-river-crisis-alone-00060851#>

California?s offer to conserve some of its share of Colorado River water
over the next few years won?t solve the looming water and power crisis in
the West ? but it might be enough to kickstart negotiations among the
states on a deal that could.

The biggest hurdle to striking an agreement that would sharply curtail
water use among the seven states that share the river has been the impasse
between the two thirstiest states ? California and Arizona ? over which
should shoulder the brunt of the cuts as climate change fuels the deepest
drought in the region in 1,200 years.

California?s offer in a letter to federal officials last week to
voluntarily reduce its consumption of Colorado River water by 400,000 acre
feet per year between 2023 and 2026 doesn?t move the dial on that dispute.
But it does represent the first time California ? the biggest user and
senior water rights holder on the system ? has put an offer in writing. And
it makes an explicit overture to other states to ?immediately reengage? in
broader negotiations.

?This is a step in the right direction,? Thomas Buschatzke, director of
Arizona?s Department of Water Resources told POLITICO. ?We absolutely agree
with the need to continue the discussions as proposed in the letter to keep
moving forward in a positive manner.?

Entrenched drought and decades of overuse have driven water levels at the
river?s two main reservoirs precariously low, with levels at Glen Canyon
Dam predicted to next year fall within a few feet of the point at which
hydropower production would cease and the ability to deliver water
downstream could be jeopardized. The federal Bureau of Reclamation has said
that states need to conserve 2 million to 4 million acre feet next year
just to head off a near-term disaster at the reservoirs.

The offer outlined by California?s agricultural and urban water agencies
last week matches the proposal the Golden State made during negotiations on
a multi-state deal in August, which Arizona rejected as insufficient,
Buschatzke said.

?The reason I didn?t sign off on a plan in August was because there wasn?t
enough water involved in total, and there wasn?t enough water involved in
looking at comparatively what Arizona would put on the table and what
California would put on the table,? Buschatzke said.

Four hundred thousand acre feet represents 9 percent of California?s
allocation of Colorado River water and only 20 percent of the lower end of
the range of that federal Bureau of Reclamation says needs to be conserved.
Arizona is using nearly 800,000 acre feet less than it is entitled to this
year, whereas California is using its full allocation, and is pulling out
additional water from Lake Mead on the Nevada-Arizona border that it had
previously banked in the reservoir.

But whether California?s ante makes significant progress on the goals laid
out by Reclamation depends on whether it represents the sum total of
California?s contribution, or comes on top of mandatory cuts being floated
by the federal government.

Although Reclamation didn?t follow through on its threat
<https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/16/interior-water-cuts-colorado-river-negotiations-00052162>
 to act unilaterally to impose cuts in August when the states failed to
reach a deal, Interior Department officials have been discussing a handful
of levers at their disposal.
<https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/12/colorado-river-water-cuts-00051235>Those
include, most prominently, the option of subtracting the amount of water
lost to evaporation or canal leaks from the total amount of deliveries that
California, Arizona and Nevada are entitled to. This option could conserve
a significant amount of water ? an estimated 1.2 million acre feet ? and
could spread the pain proportionally among users in a way that is otherwise
difficult to do within the water rights system.

Every state except California has publicly backed this option, and Interior
officials recently told states to begin preparing for the changes in 2024,
according to Buschatzke.

Chuck Cullom, executive director of the Upper Colorado River Commission,
said adding those federally mandated cuts to California?s conservation
offer appears to be the only way the states can get close to the amount of
water savings Reclamation is seeking.

?We want to be clear that we see the contributions outlined by California
would be in addition to, or on top of, the application of evaporation and
losses in the lower basin,? he said.

But California?s offer appears to be aimed at heading off such moves.

?It is California?s intention that this proactive voluntary action builds
on existing agreements, contracts, compacts, and water rights to catalyze
broader basin-wide conservation and helps to avoid protracted litigation
that might otherwise result from regulatory or mandated actions,? the
California water agencies said in the letter last week.

The fact that California water users caveated their commitment as
?voluntary? is also controversial. In 2021, California agreed to voluntary
reductions in use as part of a deal with Arizona and Nevada to try to
stabilize levels at Lake Mead, but the state wasn?t able to follow through
with its part of the agreement, said Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl
Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University.

?That it?s voluntary makes it a little bit weaker, even weaker than it
might seem when you look at the number,? Porter said. ?It?s simply not the
same thing as saying, ?We will take a cut.?

And the reductions floated by the Golden State are a short-term fix for the
next three years ? seen by many as simply a band-aid meant to stave off an
imminent disaster at the reservoirs ? rather than a long-term solution to
refill reservoirs and address the worsening condition of the river that
climate scientists say will be the new normal.

?While the reductions proposed by California are step in the right
direction, it is imperative to implement meaningful, permanent solutions to
reduce water demands to help stabilize the Colorado River system and Lake
Mead,? the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Nevada?s lead agency on
Colorado River issues, said in a statement.
 MOST READ
[image: aptopix-capitol-riot-investigation-95910.jpg]
<https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/11/kinzinger-endorses-dems-in-major-governor-secretary-of-state-races-00061128>

   1. Kinzinger endorses Dems in major governor, secretary of state races
   <https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/11/kinzinger-endorses-dems-in-major-governor-secretary-of-state-races-00061128>
   2. Russian ally cancels Russian-led military drill on its land
   <https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/09/russian-ally-cancels-russian-led-military-drill-on-its-land-00061081>
   3. Biden?s about to turn 80. Don?t expect a blowout birthday bash.
   <https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/11/bidens-about-to-turn-80-dont-expect-a-blowout-birthday-bash-00061090>
   4. Biden calls for the resignations of LA council members as racist
   remarks roil City Hall
   <https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/11/los-angeles-city-council-racist-remarks-00061203>
   5. NATO pivots to sending Ukraine air defenses after Russian missile
   attacks
   <https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/11/nato-sending-ukraine-air-defenses-russian-missile-attacks-00061223>

The river?s major players broadly recognize that such deals will be needed
in the near-term, as longer term solutions like upgrading irrigation
infrastructure and removing grass from desert cities, are implemented ?
though how money should be spent on those short-term efforts is a major
point of controversy.

The California water agencies said their offer is dependent on federal
funding to compensate users ? and additional federal funding to deal with
the environmental crisis at the Salton Sea. That water body is fed by
irrigation runoff from the Imperial Irrigation District; as that runoff is
reduced for the purposes of conservation, the sea will further shrink,
exposing toxic dust that threatens air quality for nearby communities.

But, California doesn?t name a price in the letter. A spokesman for
Imperial, a signatory of the letter and the largest single user of Colorado
River water, said the district has discussed funding with federal
officials, but did not name a figure.

Congress approved $4 billion in drought relief as part of Democrats?
Inflation Reduction Act ? a large pot of money, but one that certainly
won?t be enough on its own, especially at the rates that some farmers were
seeking for a single year?s worth of conservation during the run-up to
Reclamation?s August deadline. Those rates so alarmed some players that
Nevada?s lead Colorado River negotiator warned of ?drought profiteering.?

?There is definitely a disagreement over whether dollars should be given ?
let?s just put it out there ? to farmers to use less water temporarily,?
said ASU?s Porter. ?Four billion is a lot of money, but if we were paying
the farmers at the levels they?re asking, it wouldn?t be sufficient.?

Interior officials have said they plan to put out two separate funding
opportunities related to the $4 billion from the IRA ? one focused on
near-term deals like the one put forth by California, and another for
projects that make longer-term water use reductions. There has also been
discussion of giving participants in near-term projects priority for
receiving awards in the second round, a factor that could have motivated
California to formalize its conservation proposal last week.

But, despite all the tensions California?s letter raises, outside observers
say the fact of a formal offer at all from the largest player on the river
is an important move at a time when negotiations have been stalled.

?Rather than waiting for the laborious process of these complex
interlocking agreements where everybody agrees to how much they?re going to
cut*,* for California to say, ?This is important, we?re going to go it
alone? ? that?s really important because the attempt to negotiate shared
sacrifice is gridlocked,? said John Fleck, a water policy professor and
writer at the University of New Mexico.
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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Mon Oct 10 12:48:41 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Mon, 10 Oct 2022 19:48:41 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 39 for TRH and 40 for the weirs
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB57951E7ACF4E94C5DC6458F4BA209@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 39 (September 30) for Trinity River Hatchery, and through JW 40 (Oct 7) for Junction City and Willow Creek weirs.
The water is cool, the air is clear.
We'll see how long the fish keep coming!
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Oct 13 11:04:28 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2022 18:04:28 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam
In-Reply-To: <SA1PR09MB92275DF44D162438E2827D47D8259@SA1PR09MB9227.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
References: <DM6PR09MB4710DA63132FC3ABD125D88ED8080@DM6PR09MB4710.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <CO6PR09MB8248C036C85A3898D31F9AC4D8759@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
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 <CO6PR09MB824886204DF391EC4330842FD8419@CO6PR09MB8248.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
 <SA1PR09MB92275DF44D162438E2827D47D8259@SA1PR09MB9227.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>
Message-ID: <829563268.1158073.1665684268659@mail.yahoo.com>


---- Forwarded Message ----- From: 'Patton, Thomas K' via trinity-releases <trinity-releases at googlegroups.com>To: 
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 08:28:56 AM PDTSubject: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam
 
Please make the following release changes to the Trinity River.

?

?

Date? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Time??????? ? From (cfs)? ? ? ? To (cfs)

?

10/16/2022? ? ? ? ? 0800? ? ? ? ? ? ?450? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 400
10/16/2022? ? ? ? ? 1200? ? ? ? ? ? ?400? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 350
10/16/2022? ? ? ? ? 1600? ? ? ? ? ? ?350? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 300

?




Comment:? Winter base flow

?

Issued by: Tom Patton


-- 
View online at http://www.trrp.net/restore/flows/release-email/
--- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "trinity-releases" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to trinity-releases+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/trinity-releases/SA1PR09MB92275DF44D162438E2827D47D8259%40SA1PR09MB9227.namprd09.prod.outlook.com.
  
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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Sun Oct 16 17:03:13 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2022 00:03:13 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 41 (October 14)
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB57959E8D3FCF87CC552D6717BA299@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 41 (Oct 14).
Trinity River Hatchery was in its spawning break (so no trapping) during JW41, but this summary includes the JW 40 totals there.
Junction City weir and Willow Creek weir were both operating throughout JW 41.

I?ve yet to include 2021 historical numbers for WCW or TRH, I will make sure to do that before next week.
New recipients, check out the first tab (info page) for what this summary is, and isn?t.
Please send me any questions you might have.
For those of you fishing, I am attaching a tag return form for you lucky harvesters. Please be sure to get your tag returns in early (and often) ?
Thanks so much.
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist ? Fisheries
(I?m often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you?d like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project?s trapping summaries let me know.

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Tue Oct 25 14:33:25 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2022 21:33:25 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 42 (October 21)
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB579503A4C4FC0BE1CFF8FD27BA319@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 42 (Oct 21).
Trinity River Hatchery was not trapping this past week as were still in their spawning break. They restarted spawning operations this week so will be included in the next summary.
The runs are slowing down at Willow Creek weir. I'm hoping to see steelhead numbers improve with some rain, possibly this weekend!
Cheers!
MC


******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Sun Oct 30 16:45:11 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 2022 23:45:11 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 43 (October 28)
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB579515D12E88A42F17A14F85BA349@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 43 (Oct 28).
Although Trinity River Hatchery was operating this past week the data has not yet been fully entered, therefore this trapping summary just captures the Junction City and Willow Creek weir catches for the week.
Trapping is still slow, awaiting rain.
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Nov  2 10:53:29 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 2 Nov 2022 17:53:29 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Daily Kos: Hoopa Valley Tribe Renews 2020 Lawsuit
 Filed Against Feds Over $400, 000 CVP Water Contractors Owe
References: <2142986661.2648634.1667411609592.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <2142986661.2648634.1667411609592@mail.yahoo.com>

 Hoopa Valley Tribe Renews 2020 Lawsuit Filed Against Feds Over $400,000 CVP Water Contractors Owe

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Hoopa Valley Tribe Renews 2020 Lawsuit Filed Against Feds Over $400,000 ...

Year-Long Settlement Negotiations with Federal Government Fail ?Tribe Returns to Court On October 31, the Hoopa ...
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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/1/2132871/-Hoopa-Valley-Tribe-Renews-2020-Lawsuit-Filed-Against-Feds-Over-400-000-CVP-Water-Contractors-Owe?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source=Dan%20Bacher

 Dan BacherCommunity(This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.) Tuesday November 01, 2022? 12:32 PM PDTRecommend15Tweet1Comment1 New The Trinity River below Lewiston Dam. Photo by Dan Bacher.RSSPUBLISHED TO   
   - Dan Bacher
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   - Climate Action Hub
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TAGS   
   - Environment
   - Interior
   - reclamation
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   - WestlandsWaterDistrict
   - HoopaValleyTribe
   - CentralValleyProject
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Year-Long Settlement Negotiations with Federal Government Fail??Tribe Returns to Court

On October 31, the Hoopa Valley Tribe renewed a 2020 lawsuit it had filed against the Trump ?Administration for financial misconduct, environmental depredation, and violation of tribal sovereignty and fishing rights in California?s Trinity River fishery,?according to a press statement from the Tribe.
   
?For more than a year, the Tribe made repeated attempts to have the Biden Administration hold the ?Bureau of Reclamation accountable for illegally waiving at least $400 million owed to the Treasury by ?contractors who use water and power from Reclamation?s massive Central Valley Project in California, and falsely claiming that federal programs to restore environmental damage caused by industrial farming ?operations and other actions were both complete and successful,? the Tribe stated.

The Tribe?s 60-page complaint, supported by hundreds of pages of exhibits, is at this?link:?bit.ly/...


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?Wiping out the debt and declaring `Mission Accomplished? for environmental restoration meant ?that Reclamation could close the books on continuing payments owed by contractors for environmental ?restoration not only of the Trinity River but also throughout Central California,??said Michael Orcutt, Hoopa Fisheries Director. ?In reality those actions devastate our Tribe.?

?In 2004, the Federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals wrote that restoration of the Trinity River is ?`unlawfully long overdue,?? said Tribal Chairman Joe Davis. ?Because of Reclamation?s conduct, that is still the case. Our fishery is by no means restored; today, federal regulators limit our harvest to a few ?hundred fish for our many thousands of tribal members. We return to court knowing that our tribal ?existence is at stake.?

Vice Chairman Colegrove added, ?Since time immemorial, the Trinity fishery nourished us not ?only physically but spiritually. The river is the basis for our culture, religion and economy. Our ancestors ?saw what the near extinction of the buffalo did to Indian tribes on the Great Plains. We know that the loss ?of our salmon would be just as catastrophic for the Hupa people.??

?These truths about our fishery are known to all in authority in the federal and state ?governments?, said Council Member Jill Sherman. ?Leaders of Congress, Presidents, cabinet officials, ?and judges have confirmed our rights to protection from Reclamation dams and irrigation projects. We ?live by the law, and we expect our leaders in Washington, D.C. to do the same.? ?

?That knowledge is our power. We will use that power because we have no place else to go except to the ?Federal Court system,?? said Chairman Davis. ?

Council Member Darcy Miller said, ?We continue to have high hopes for Secretary Haaland ?because she knows the lives of Native people?.

?But Reclamation has hijacked her policies and with it our fishery and our sovereignty,??said ?Council Member Sherman-Warne. ?So we will use the courts to fight for our homeland and our fishery ?until the end.? ?

Background from the Tribe:?

At stake in the dispute are the Tribe?s homeland and fishery on the Trinity River in California?s Klamath ?River Basin, where the Tribe has lived since time immemorial.

In the 1950s, accompanied by promises to protect the Trinity River, the federal government dammed the ?Trinity River, destroyed vast stretches of salmon habitat, decimated salmon populations, and diverted ?water to industrial agricultural corporations in California?s Central Valley 400 miles from Hoopa ?

The dams on the Trinity River generate electricity and irrigate arid lands in the Central Valley, including ?the Westlands Water District, a sprawling desert the size of Rhode Island. The District includes land that ?the Bureau of Reclamation and the State of California have known for more than a half century could not ?be practicably irrigated because it has no surface water and poorly drained soils with high concentrations ?of naturally occurring toxins. ?

In the decades since, use of Trinity water to irrigate Westlands and elsewhere in the Central Valley has ?leached toxins, poisoned land, polluted water and genetically deformed Pacific Flyway wildfowl. ?Meanwhile, Reclamation?s Central Valley Project contractors have reaped billions from federal subsidies ?and profiteering associated with the Trinity?s irrigation and power development. ?

By 1992, galvanized by the shocking environmental destruction and urged by numerous interests seeking ?environmental justice and fiscal responsibility, including Hoopa, Congress passed and President George ?H. W. Bush signed the Central Valley Project Improvement Act. Over the objections of Project contractors, Congress made environmental restoration a formal purpose of the Project, on a par with water ?development. It specified environmental restoration activities and made the Project contractors pay for ?them as a cost of doing business.

The CVPIA imposed an explicit trust responsibility on the Bureau of ?Reclamation for restoration of Hoopa?s fishery resources. The CVPIA also required revision of all Project contracts to reflect this change in the law. For decades, Westlands and other contractors waged a ?prolonged, but for the most part losing, war against the CVPIA, including against the restoration of ?Hoopa?s Trinity River fishery. ?

This is where the Trump Administration comes in. Of all the candidates President Trump could have ?chosen to be Secretary of the Interior, he selected Westlands? long-time attorney, David Bernhardt. In his ?tenure, Secretary Bernhardt did three things.

First, he instructed the Bureau of Reclamation to engage in ?fraudulent federal cost accounting that, if unchecked by the Biden Administration, will?by the ?contractors? own admission?wipe out more than $400 million in environmental restoration and other ?Project cost obligations that they owe to the Federal Treasury. That money would be vital to the ?President?s infrastructure plan. Hoopa documented that fraud and submitted its evidence to the ?Department, the Office of Management and Budget, and Congress in the past two months. ?

Second, perhaps concerned that he might need a hedge against the potential failure of his accounting ?scheme, Secretary Bernhardt ordered a set of memoranda from the Bureau of Reclamation, the Fish and ?Wildlife Service, and the Solicitor?s Office to conclude, against all facts?and law, that the CVPIA?s ?environmental restoration, including Trinity River fishery restoration, was complete so that certain ?restoration costs to the contractors could be reduced further. Secretary Bernhardt signed off on that ?conclusion on January 19, 2021. ?

Third, Secretary Bernhardt ordered the approval of new water contracts for Westlands and others that ?violated numerous cost and environmental protection provisions established in the CVPIA and other ?federal law, including essential protections for Hoopa?s fishery.

After Hoopa sued the Trump Administration about these issues in 2020, the United States District Court ?for the Eastern District of California asked the Biden Administration whether it wanted to remain ?Hoopa?s adversary in this case. The Administration had to make up its mind by May 12, 2021. The ?government rejected the court?s invitation to change position and stand with its trust beneficiary against ?the predatory CVP contractors. ?
The case is: Hoopa Valley Tribe v. Bureau of Reclamation, Case No. 1:20-cv-01814-JLT-EPG (United ?States District Court, Eastern District of Calif. Filed August 13, 2020).



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From FGutermuth at usbr.gov  Fri Nov  4 16:19:18 2022
From: FGutermuth at usbr.gov (Gutermuth, Frederic Brandt)
Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2022 23:19:18 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] TRRP Watershed Programmatic Env Assessment (PEA):
 Public Scoping Nov 4- Dec 5, 2022
Message-ID: <SA0PR09MB690508788B12C41FC3F54B6DAF3B9@SA0PR09MB6905.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Dear Trinity River enthusiasts -

The Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP), Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and Bureau of Land Management are preparing a Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) to evaluate aquatic habitat restoration activities in the Trinity River watershed and facilitate their implementation. The PEA will focus on restoration activities that improve the quality and quantity of accessible cold water aquatic habitat. We appreciate your input.
We will be hosting a public meeting at our TRRP office in Weaverville (1313 S. Main St. - by Holiday Market) the evening of Thursday, November 17 with an option to attend virtually or in-person. Visit the TRRP website<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.trrp.net%2Frestoration%2Fwatershed-activities%2Fwatershed-ea%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cfgutermuth%40usbr.gov%7Cc2763ded151e43a6c3ae08dabeb8842a%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C638031997080526071%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=jk4V8vUQ2sIAooZ%2BT99Icjk3xO8m9hmRdojolej5If8%3D&reserved=0> leading up to the event for details on how to participate.
?????The Scoping Notice is available at: https://www.trrp.net/restoration/watershed-activities/watershed-ea/
[https://www.trrp.net/images/TRRP_logo_300px_transparent.png]<https://www.trrp.net/restoration/watershed-activities/watershed-ea/>
Trinity River Watershed Restoration Project ? Programmatic Environmental Assessment - trrp.net<https://www.trrp.net/restoration/watershed-activities/watershed-ea/>
Introduction The Bureau of Reclamation?s (Reclamation) Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP or Program), US Forest Service?s Shasta-Trinity National Forest (Forest) and Bureau of Land Management?s (BLM) Redding Field Office are preparing a Programmatic Environmental Assessment [1] (PEA) to evaluate aquatic habitat restoration activities in the Trinity River watershed.
www.trrp.net

Have a great weekend.

Brandt




Brandt Gutermuth (he/him)
Environmental Scientist| Trinity River Restoration Program<http://www.trrp.net/> | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation<https://www.usbr.gov/> |
PO Box 1300, 1313 S. Main St., Weaverville, CA| 530.623.1806 w; 530.739.2802 cell|FGutermuth at usbr.gov<mailto:BGutermuth at usbr.gov>
Attachments area


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From tstokely at att.net  Tue Nov  1 14:31:33 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2022 21:31:33 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Hoopa Valley Tribe sues US over California water
	contracts
References: <282679382.1498518.1667338294132.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <282679382.1498518.1667338294132@mail.yahoo.com>

The Hoopa Valley Tribe's press release is attached.
 Hoopa Valley Tribe sues US over California water contracts

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Hoopa Valley Tribe sues US over California water contracts

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) ? The Hoopa Valley Tribe alleged in a lawsuit Monday that the federal government is viol...
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) ? The Hoopa Valley Tribe alleged in a lawsuit Monday that the federal government is violating its sovereignty and failing to collect money from California farms that rely on federally supplied water to pay for damages to tribal fisheries.

The tribe, which has a reservation in northwest California, says in its lawsuit against the Biden administration that the Trinity River that it relies on for food and cultural purposes has been decimated by decades of the federal government diverting water. 

The suit alleges the U.S. Department of the Interior has failed to follow laws that require the contractors who use that water to pay money for habitat restoration projects. It says those contractors owe $340 million for environmental restoration work along the Trinity River and other places damaged by water diversions.

?The river has become a place that is no longer a healing place, but a place that is a sick place,? said Jill Sherman-Warne, a member of the Hoopa tribal council. 
ADVERTISEMENT
The suit also alleges that the federal government has failed to appropriately consult with the tribe on matters related to the river. 

The Interior Department declined to comment through spokesman Tyler Cherry.

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Since the 1950s, the Trinity River has been a major source of water for the Central Valley Project, a system of dams, reservoirs and canals that sends water south to farmers who harvest fruits, nuts and other crops. Fish that swim through the river include the coho salmon, which is listed as an endangered species. Twelve miles of the river flow through the tribe?s reservation.

Congress updated laws governing the water project?s operation in 1992. It gave the tribe some power to concur over changes to river flows, added requirements for protecting fish in the Trinity River, and stated any renewals of long-term water contracts had to follow existing laws. 

At the end of the Obama administration, Congress passed a law saying that any temporary federal contracts for water could be turned into permanent ones if they pay back the federal government for certain costs. Previously, the contracts had to be reapproved on a regular basis. 

Westlands Water District, the nation?s largest agricultural water district, was one of the contractors that converted its water contract to a permanent one. The new agreement doesn?t grant Westlands any additional water or promise that it will get everything in dry years, but it effectively gives the district a contract for water in perpetuity. 
ADVERTISEMENT
The deal was controversial because David Bernhardt, a former Westlands lobbyist, was interior secretary when the contract was approved and a judge later declined to validate it. But Westlands and the federal government are still moving forward with it, Westlands spokeswoman Shelley Cartwright said. The district has rejected claims it received special treatment.

The suit alleges the contract fails to include requirements for habitat restoration payments. As Bernhardt left office, he wrote a memo agreeing with staff recommendations that most environmental mitigation work related to the Central Valley Project was complete. 
ADVERTISEMENT
Daniel Cordalis, deputy solicitor for water resources in Biden?s Interior Department, later rescinded that decision. But the tribes allege the money has still not been paid. Cherry, the interior spokesman, didn?t respond to an email asking for the department?s current position on whether the work is done. 

Tribal leaders, though, say restoration work is far from complete and that the river is in dire need of help.

?An integral part of the life here is the Trinity River. That changed dramatically in the 1950s when Congress chose to dam up the river,? said Mike Orcutt, fisheries director for the Hoopa Valley Tribe. ?We?ve been fighting for decades to right that wrong.?

Cartwright, the Westlands? spokeswoman, said the district pays a set fee to a restoration fund based on how much water it receives. She said in an email that the contract ?provides for the payment of money, consistent with federal law.? 
ADVERTISEMENT
The tribe initially sued during the Trump administration but later put the lawsuit on hold and hoped to settle with the Biden administration. The current interior secretary is Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna Tribe and the first Native American to hold a cabinet position. Tribal officials chose to renew the lawsuit because the Biden administration has not changed course, leaders said.

__

This story has been updated to say Westlands Water District has a permanent contract for water, not a permanent right. It has also been corrected to say the tribe previously put the lawsuit on hold. 

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Mon Nov  7 10:04:27 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2022 18:04:27 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 44 (November 4)
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB57952D04DCE82F9419DA9E0EBA3C9@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 44 (Nov 4) for the weirs, and through JW 43 for Trinity River Hatchery.
We still have some fish coming through the weirs and finally (though you won't see them until next week's report) we got a big push of steelhead through WCW with the rain over the past couple of days (over 100 tagged Sunday alone). Yippee!
I'm hoping we'll have WCW in for another week or two, storms willing, and JCW will remain in likely into mid-December.
If you're a steelhead angler, go get 'em!
Cheers!
MC


******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From tstokely at att.net  Sat Nov 12 11:26:10 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sat, 12 Nov 2022 19:26:10 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: FERC will vote on staff recommendation to remove
 four PacifiCorp dams at Nov. 17 meeting
In-Reply-To: <CAExJcNDfguQj6QPuz7ZApAktvY7Z5GdZB_tuDVkunEZXcCGPUw@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAExJcNDfguQj6QPuz7ZApAktvY7Z5GdZB_tuDVkunEZXcCGPUw@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1527533286.183710.1668281170760@mail.yahoo.com>

  ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Dan Bacher <danielbacher53 at gmail.com>Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 09:56:13 AM PSTSubject: FERC will vote on staff recommendation to remove four PacifiCorp dams at Nov. 17 meeting
 
https://www.dailykos.com/story/2022/11/11/2135354/-FERC-will-vote-on-staff-recommendation-to-remove-four-PacifiCorp-dams-at-Nov-17-meeting 



FERC will vote on staff recommendation to remove four PacifiCorp dams at Nov. 17 meeting

by Dan Bacher

On November 17?at 7 am PST, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)?will vote on the staff recommendation to surrender the license for the four lower?PacifiCorp dams on the Klamath River and begin the dam removal process.?

In an action celebrated by Klamath Basin Tribes, conservationists and fishing groups, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) staff on August 27, 2022?released the final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) recommending the removal of the lower four Klamath River Dams.

Dam removal on the Klamath will open up over 240 stream-miles of salmon and steelhead habitat that has been blocked to fish migration for over 100 years. The project, the largest of its kind in U.S. history, is funded by dam owner PacifiCorp and a voter-approved California bond measure.

Frankie Myers, Vice Chair of the Yurok Tribe,?said in a tweet,??Klamath Dam removal is on the agenda for the November 17 FERC meeting. With approval next week it marks the last major regulatory hurdle to begin deconstruction. The largest dam removal in US HISTORY!?

?After 20 years of action dam removal can begin in 2023 and will be finished in 2024, if FERC approves next week,? said Regina Chichizola, co-director of Save California Salmon. ?This is one of the final permits and decisions needed for dam removal, and is the most important approval.?

?It is only happening ?due to the Klamath River Tribes and communities refusing to give up. Congratulations to the?Klamath River Communities.,? she stated.

?We can see the light at the end of the dam removal tunnel,? said Karuk Chairman Russell ?Buster? Attebery in a press statement. ??I am so proud of everyone in our river communities that have worked so hard for the past 20 years to realize our vision of river restoration.?

The live stream information will be posted at?https://www.ferc.gov/.../november-17-2022-open-meeting?

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is composed of up to five commissioners who are appointed by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate. Commissioners serve five-year terms, and have an equal vote on regulatory matters.?

The current commissioners are Chairman Richard Glick, Commissioner James Danly, Commissioner Allison Clements, Commissioner Mark C. Christie, and Commissioner Willie L. Phillips.

The document for license surrender, decommissioning and removal of four dams ? Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2, J.C. Boyle and Iron Gate ? contains the FERC staff?s evaluation of the environmental, cultural and economic impacts associated with dam removal. ??

The FEIS was released nearly 20 years after a massive fish kill left over 60,000 adult salmon rotting along the banks of the Klamath River on the Yurok Reservation in September 2002, a disaster that I was one of the first journalists to cover. The fish perished from disease spurred by low, warm water conditions under abysmal water management of the river by the G.W. Bush Administration.

"The fish kill is a lot worse than everybody thinks," said a shaken Walt Lara, then the Requa representative to the Yurok Tribal Council, in a phone interview with me on Monday, September 23, 2002. "It's a lot larger than anything I've seen reported on the T.V. news or in the newspapers. The whole chinook run will be impacted, probably by 85 to 95 percent. And the fish are dying as we speak. They're swimming around in circles. They bump up against your legs when you're standing in the water. These are beautiful, chrome-bright fish that are dying, not fish that are already spawned out."

The fish kill served as a lightning rod to unite Klamath River Tribes, environmentalists, fishing groups and the public around the cause of dam removal and salmon restoration on the Klamath, the second largest producer of Chinook salmon in California next to the Sacramento River at this time.

For more information, go to:?www.dailykos.com/...
  
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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Mon Nov 14 09:42:18 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2022 17:42:18 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 45 (November 11)
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB57958793B7763FF8CB92B6C5BA059@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 45 for the weirs, and through JW 44 for Trinity River Hatchery.
The rain we had last week was enough that we had to pull conduit at WCW and leave It open for big(gish) flows after two days of steelhead trapping. We only have a couple of days left of trapping at WCW, and will be pulling the weir out of the water on the 16th.
We were able to fish straight through the rainy week at JCW and intend to stay in there until mid-December.
'Doing the annual data input catch up at TRH so we'll get you JW 45 for you when we can.
Cheers!
MC
'

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Nov 17 11:00:49 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2022 19:00:49 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] PRESS RELEASE- VICTORY!
References: <1210648472.1378761.1668711649516.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1210648472.1378761.1668711649516@mail.yahoo.com>

 
P R E S S ??R E L E A S E

Karuk Tribe ? Yurok Tribe ? Klamath Tribes?? Hoopa Valley Tribe
Trout Unlimited ? Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations?
?Institute for Fisheries Resources ? Sustainable Northwest ? Salmon River Restoration Council ? Save California Salmon ? Native Fish Society ? Environmental Protection Information Center ? American Rivers ? American Whitewater ? California Trout ? Northern California?Council, Fly Fishers International ? Ridges to Riffles
?
?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:???November 17, 2022

Media Contacts:


Craig Tucker,?Karuk Tribe, Natural Resources Policy Consultant: (916)?207-8294,?craig at suitsandsigns.com

Matt Mais,?Yurok Tribe, Public Relations Director:?(707) 954-0976?mmais at yuroktribe.nsn.us

Glen Spain,?Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations (PCFFA): (541) 689-2000?fish1ifr at aol.com

Regina Chichizola,?Save California Salmon Executive Director:?(541) 951-0126?regina at californiasalmon.org

Greg Block,?Sustainable Northwest?President:?(503) 201-3678?gblock at sustainablenorthwest.org

Curtis Knight,?California Trout,?Executive Director:?(415) 859-1872?cknight at caltrout.org

Joe Davis,?Hoopa Valley Tribe Chairman,?(530) 515-0433?hoopachairman at gmail.com

?

FEDERAL REGULATORS GREEN LIGHT LARGEST RIVER RESTORATION PROJECT IN US HISTORY

Removal of Four Klamath River Dams to Begin in 2023

??
Washington, DC??Today the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued?a License Surrender Order for the Lower Klamath River Hydroelectric Project. This clears the last major hurdle necessary to implement the world?s largest river restoration project ? removal of the lower four Klamath River dams. With this order in place, the?Klamath River Renewal Corporation, the non-profit entity created to oversee Klamath River dam removal and related restoration activities, and the States of Oregon and California can accept transfer of the Lower Klamath Project License from energy company PacifiCorp and start the dam removal process early next year.?

??The Klamath salmon are coming home,? proclaimed Yurok Chairman Joseph James. ?The people have earned this victory and with it, we carry on our sacred duty to the fish that have sustained our people since the beginning of time.?

?The dam removal and river restoration project was made possible through?a negotiated agreement?between Karuk Tribe, Yurok Tribe, California, Oregon, conservation organizations, commercial fishing organizations, and dam owner PacifiCorp, a subsidiary of Warren Buffet?s Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Today?s action by FERC is the last step in a six-year FERC regulatory oversight process that ensures dam removal is the most beneficial course of action to restore the Klamath River?s flagging salmon runs and improve poor water quality.

??Today?s victory was well earned by the thousands of people who fought for clean water, healthy fisheries, and environmental justice for Klamath River communities,? said Karuk Chairman Russell ?Buster? Attebery. ?I am grateful to everyone, from the youth to the elders, Governors Newsom and Brown, and the team from PacifiCorp who made this victory possible.?

?"Congratulations to all those who poured their blood, sweat and tears into making this happen. Water and fish health are at the heart of our identity as Native People and we are looking forward to seeing a healthier watershed and fishery which will result in healthier communities for all Klamath Basin tribes,? said Hoopa Valley Tribe Chairman Joe Davis. ?Now we must keep the momentum going and we are looking forward to working with all of our neighbors and partners in that effort."

Commercial salmon fishing families along the West Coast are also?celebrating. ?Restoring the Klamath gives our struggling salmon fishing industry a chance to survive,? said Vivian Hilliwell, a former commercial salmon harvester and now the Watershed Conservation Director for the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations (PCFFA). ?The possibility of revitalized Klamath fish runs gives us hope that we can continue our tradition of bringing healthy wild salmon to dinner tables across America.??

Dam removal activities are expected to?begin?in 2023 and be completed in 2024. Personnel and equipment will be deployed in early 2023 to commence pre-removal construction, including road and bridge improvements. Copco 2 dam will be removed first, and deconstruction of the remaining three dams will occur essentially at the same time in early 2024. All four dams will be removed by the end of 2024.?

?Upstream of the dams, the Klamath Tribes of Oregon are anxious to see salmon return. ?Our people have been without?c?iyaals (salmon) for over a century. We welcome the fish home to the Upper Klamath Basin with open arms,? said Klamath Tribes Chairman Clayton Dumont.

?In issuing the Final License Surrender Order, FERC Commission Chairman Richard Glick stated, ?Dam removal makes sense in large part due to fish and wildlife protections. But there is a discussion in the order on the impact on Tribes and the ability to have their traditions and cultural practices improved... I think it?s a very important issue. A number of years back the commission did not think about the impact of our decisions on Tribes. That?s an important element in today?s order??

?The decision comes almost exactly 20 years after a catastrophic fish kill left over 70,000 adult salmon dead along the banks of the Klamath River before they could spawn. That disaster galvanized the collective will of Klamath River Tribes, community members, fishermen, conservationists, and others who launched a two-decades-long effort to un-dam the Klamath and?Bring the Salmon Home.

?After the 2002 Fish Kill we committed ourselves to defending our river and our cultures no matter what it would take,? said Molli Myers, co-founder of the Klamath Justice Coalition and member of the Karuk Tribe. ?That kind of extraordinary commitment by ordinary Indians is what led to this victory.?

?Today?s Klamath River salmon returns are?less than 5% of their?historical abundance?with some runs of salmon completely extirpated from the system. Dams deny salmon access to hundreds of miles of?historical habitat, degrade water quality, and foster the spread of fish diseases.?Scientific studies and dam removal efforts in other watersheds demonstrate that dam removal can reverse these trends.

??This is a historic day for the Tribes of the Klamath River and for Indigenous People all over the world. When we act together with a unified voice no power in this universe can stop us,? said Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group Principal and Yurok Tribal member Amy Cordalis.

?Representatives from additional organizations that advocated for Klamath dam removal also commented on today?s significant action by FERC.

?"Restoring the Klamath River is a historic win for people, salmon, and everything that depends on a clean, healthy river. It demonstrates the power of persistence and collaboration. When people come together around a vision for their river, it really is possible to change the world." ??Brian Graber, Senior Director of River Restoration, American Rivers

??Dam removal represents a monumental achievement. As we look beyond this historic moment, Sustainable Northwest will continue partnering in the Klamath basin to build on this success to improve water quality and meet water demands that support Tribes, farmers, ranchers, and native wildlife.????Greg Block, President, Sustainable Northwest

"I inherited the responsibility to take care of my relatives, the salmon, from my father. While I have spent most of my life as an activist at protests and rallies, my hope is for?my children?to?spend more time fishing and less time protesting.? -?Save California Salmon Education Director Charley Reed, who was seven years old when with the Klamath?fish kill?set the Bring the Salmon Home movement in motion.

??It feels like a lifetime ago that we started working on this momentous effort together. It became clear early on in our efforts to protect and restore the wild Spring Chinook of the Salmon River that the Klamath dams would have to come down in order to realize that dream.??With partners around the basin, we have been working towards that goal for over 20 years and now, finally, we?re going to take down the Iron Gate Dam and let those fish run through!??- Petey Brucker, Salmon River Restoration Council?s co-founder who was involved in dam removal negotiations from their inception.

?The Klamath River has been Exhibit A for how dams, drought, imbalanced water management and climate change can strangle a river. Now, the Klamath is poised to become a prime example of how an entire river system, and the people and wildlife that depend on it, can be renewed. The major investments TU and others have made in improving water quality, fish passage and habitat in the upper Klamath Basin will soon pay their full dividends, as salmon and steelhead finally come back to their ancestral spawning grounds. We salute the Tribal, state, and federal leaders who have helped make this happen, and PacifiCorp and the KRRC for their commitment to bringing the Klamath back to life.? ??????????? Chrysten Rivard, Director, Trout Unlimited?s Oregon Program

?The removal of these dams begins the Klamath?s recovery from a century of dam-related impacts. We look forward to the many ways that people will experience the renewed Klamath, including the 41 miles of new whitewater river that will emerge when the dams come down.? ? Thomas O?Keefe, Pacific Northwest Stewardship Director, American Whitewater

?It?s been incredible for CalTrout to join forces with over 40 organizations and Native American Tribes in support of taking the Klamath dams out. Tribal leadership has been a central component of this effort. The Yurok, Karuk and Klamath River Tribes have led the effort to restore part of their cultural heritage and subsistence fishing for salmon and lamprey. With the Klamath River being the second largest river in California, it represents a huge opportunity to achieve native wild salmon and steelhead abundance in a way that we haven?t seen for many decades.??? Curtis Knight, Executive Director of California Trout
?

# # #
??

Editor?s notes:

???????Dam removal is funded by customers of dam owner PacifiCorp and a voter-approved California bond measure.?

???????For summaries and the full text of the Klamath Settlement Agreements that set the?terms for dam removal, as well as additional fact sheets on the terms of the Agreements, see:?https://klamathrenewal.org/

???????FERC Final Surrender Order can be found?here.

???????Toxic algae and dams?B-roll

???????Juvenile fish kill?B-roll

???????Download?photos

???????Un-dam the Klamath?YouTube Channel

?????



| 
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| 
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| S. Craig Tucker, Ph.D.?|?Principal |
| Pronouns:?He/Him
t:?916.207.8294
e:?craig at suitsandsigns.com
Suits & Signs Consulting?|?1085 I St. #214, Arcata, CA 95521 |




Subscribe to our weekly?Klamath News?briefing.?

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From unofelice at gmail.com  Fri Nov 18 15:20:42 2022
From: unofelice at gmail.com (Felice Pace)
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2022 15:20:42 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] A Klamath Dam Removal Lesson
Message-ID: <CA+BcFP=uGNG91hjAa+H-joDvyO+qNg5ePodcoZRTfbn235ed4A@mail.gmail.com>

*It is great that four of PacifiCorp's five Klamath River dams are coming
down
(https://www.hcn.org/articles/indigenous-affairs-dams-the-klamath-dams-are-coming-down
<https://www.hcn.org/articles/indigenous-affairs-dams-the-klamath-dams-are-coming-down>).
However, press reports should also acknowledge that this would have
happened a decade earlier if those tribes and fishing groups had not
abandoned the FERC process in favor of a sweetheart deal for PacifiCorp
owner Berkshire-Hathaway. *


*We will probably never know how tribal and other leaders were persuaded to
leave the FERC process in favor of a political deal for
Berkshire-Hathaway's benefit. But we do know Berkshire-Hathaway rewarded
Jared Huffman with a $9,000 donation for his help in keeping the deal on
track. *

*Abandoning the FERC process very likely delayed Klamath dam removal by a
decade. **There's a lesson in this for others seeking dam removal: stick to
the FERC process, beware of special backroom deals. *

Felice Pace
Klamath, CA 95548
707-954-6588
https://www.paceonearth.com/

Gratefully living since 1976 in the Shasta, Karuk and Polikla (Yurok)
homelands
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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Wed Nov 23 09:41:36 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2022 17:41:36 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 46 (November 18)
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB5795C5DEDB373455F7A43033BA0C9@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings! Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 46 for the weirs, and through JW 45 for Trinity River Hatchery.
We should be able to get TRH data up to date soon as the numbers continue to decline.
Our WC weir pull went much better than last year?scheduled and in the sun. Lovely.
I hope you all have most excellent Thanksgivings with someone you love, even if it?s a steelhead. ?
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist ? Fisheries
(I?m often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you?d like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project?s trapping summaries let me know.

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From tgstoked at gmail.com  Sun Dec  4 08:34:53 2022
From: tgstoked at gmail.com (Tom Stokely)
Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2022 08:34:53 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] Strong run of spring chinook in the Trinity River
Message-ID: <CABnDsn8j9+1rjpoZn4YH+UXCaXztd5O+4gL9Q0JJ9Dg-dySuKw@mail.gmail.com>

http://www.trinityjournal.com/sports/outdoors/article_9d346caa-69ff-11ed-84a5-87b6fbc3ee0c.html#tncms-source=login
Strong run of spring chinook in the Trinity River

   - Nov 22, 2022
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[image: Chinook salmon]

Chinook salmon.
Thomas Dunklin | Special to The Trinity Journal

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This year, the spring chinook run on the Trinity River appears higher than
it has been in years! Returning chinook at the Junction City weir was the
highest since 1978, and spring chinook redd counts in the mainstem Trinity
River were the highest observed in a decade. Redds are the rocky nests that
salmon make in the riverbed to lay their eggs, and are also one of the main
ways scientists monitor salmon populations in the Trinity River. The redd
surveys are a collaborative annual effort conducted by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Yurok Tribe,
Hoopa Valley Tribe and Shasta-Trinity National Forest with additional
funding from TRRP. Summer snorkel surveys on tributaries to the Trinity
River also showed higher spring chinook numbers than in recent years. A
total of 129 stream miles were surveyed throughout the month of July, with
171 spring chinook recorded. The snorkel surveys aim to count all spring
chinook and summer steelhead in the main tributaries to the Trinity River,
and are considered an index of the population abundance. The 2022 dives
were coordinated by the TCRCD and Watershed Research & Training Center with
funding from USFS.

There are many possible explanations for the strength of this year?s run,
but ocean conditions are undoubtedly a factor. ?The Northwest Pacific warm
water blob persisted for years,? says Kyle DeJuilio, fisheries biologist
for the Yurok Tribe. ?Ocean conditions turned around in late 2019 or early
2020, lasting through the present. This year?s strong return of three and
four-year old adults likely advantaged from improved ocean conditions since
that time.?

Spring chinook are born in freshwater streams and migrate to the ocean as
juveniles where they mature into adult fish. Spring chinook typically spend
1-3 years in the ocean before migrating back to the streams. This time in
the ocean is a critical part of the salmon life cycle. Salmon have a much
higher chance of survival if ocean conditions are good and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that ocean conditions in
2021 were the second best in the last 24 years.

Strong oceanic upwelling, paired with cold water and a high abundance of
northern copepods defined a highly productive year in the Pacific Ocean off
the Northern California coast. Copepods are small energy-rich organisms at
the base of the food web that support species all the way up to the top.

These improved conditions could help explain the higher salmon survival
rates in the ocean, and the higher returns to the river, though there are
many other factors that can contribute to a successful salmon return.

Fishery managers are excited to see evidence of strong returns this year
but temper their enthusiasm about the big picture. Kyle DeJuilio notes,
?The six-year period from 2015-2020 had five of the lowest observed
run-sizes ever recorded. Reversal of that trend is welcome, but abundance
remains low and is still a cause of concern.?

Klamath-Trinity River spring chinook were newly listed as a threatened
species by the state of California in June 2021. This listing allows
agencies to acquire more funding for restoration, and restricts actions
that would threaten the species. Klamath-Trinity River spring chinook have
yet to be listed by the federal government under the Endangered Species Act.

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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Dec  7 10:17:06 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2022 18:17:06 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?He_was_called_the_=E2=80=98Darth_Vader?=
 =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=99_of_California_water=2E_Farmers_now_want_a_friendlier_?=
 =?utf-8?q?face?=
References: <697351695.428360.1670437026505.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <697351695.428360.1670437026505@mail.yahoo.com>



  
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|  He was called the ?Darth Vader? of California water. Farmers now want a friendlier face  |
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When Sen. Dianne Feinstein weighed complex water policy decisions that stood to impact the livelihood of farmers and fish, she often dialed Tom Birmingham. On visits to Washington, the longtime head of the state?s most influential farmland water agency would meet in her office over glasses of chilled California chardonnay.

Cultivating relationships with power is a hallmark of Birmingham?s 36-year career at the Westlands Water District, the nation?s largest farm water utility that serves a few hundred Central Valley families and corporations growing nearly $2 billion in nuts, fruit, and vegetables a year.

Birmingham spearheaded the agency?s quest to keep water flowing as its longest serving general manager, largely through attempts to loosen environmental regulations. Known for his pugnacious approach backed by mountains of litigation, he is reviled by environmentalists and is perhaps the most polarizing figure in the turbulent world of California water politics.

?When I hear people say Tom Birmingham is the ?Darth Vader? of California water, I think some people may have that opinion and they?re entitled to have it,? he said, soon after announcing his retirement on Nov. 23. ?But the people who matter to me don?t have that opinion.?

He will leave by year?s end, forced out by a new generation of Westlands board members who want a different approach. It?s a political transition that speaks to larger debates within California agriculture, as some farmers forgo deep-rooted attachments to decades-old water promises and accept a climate reality that no number of lawsuits or important friends can sidestep.

?Landowners are tired of being known as big bullies and suing people. They just want to work with their neighbors,? said Sarah Woolf, a member of a large farming family in the district and political force behind the new leadership. ?There is a desire for a gentler approach as an overall district philosophy, and a growing concern that we have to have some alternative revenue streams to keep our farms and district viable.?

What is Westlands?

Westlands Water District occupies more than 1,000 square miles on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. Its wealth and size means it plays a pivotal role in shaping debates on California water supply and management.

The $300 million-a-year agency has a large government and public relations budget that, in years past, included a now-defunct astroturf organization fronted by Latino community leaders. It employs lobbying firms and staff with Washington and Sacramento experience, and its leaders donate hundreds of thousands to candidates who might be helpful in office. 

The federal government blessed Westlands farmers with subsidized water in the 1960s, a result of political jockeying that predates Birmingham but turned the district into an economic powerhouse. For almost five decades, the network of canals and reservoirs irrigating half of California agriculture brought farmers enough water from the state?s north to supply the city of Sacramento eight times over. 

Paradoxically, the district is also last last in line for water from the Central Valley Project during drought. That?s because it has junior water rights, having entered farming decades later than most in the state. The district also has longstanding soil problems, with much of it sitting atop a clay layer that prevents water from draining easily and can concentrate toxic metals. 

Westlands? water supply dwindled dramatically in the last two decades, squeezed by the region?s prolonged drought and environmental regulations that gave fish such as winter-run Chinook salmon and Delta smelt more water to survive. Farmers responded by drilling into the ground, sucking out hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water from aquifers each year and causing the land to sink dramatically.

Experts warn that the district?s future is bleak as tightened state regulations governing the use of groundwater come into effect. The Department of Water Resources also estimated that Westlands will see a 50% drop in surface water supplies over the next two decades.

?I don?t know what the future holds in terms of additional constraints,? said Birmingham. ?But one thing that is almost certain is that as the climate continues to change and as laws continue to be implemented, it will be more difficult to supply water to farmers not just in Westlands Water District but up and down the San Joaquin Valley and potentially areas of the Sacramento Valley.?

A political force

Despite these worsening conditions, the district was a formidable political force under Birmingham?s leadership. At every turn, he used Westlands? wealth, Washington connections, and the courts to obtain additional water for its farmers ? with mixed success.

In an interview last week at his Sacramento office, much of which is already packed up in boxes, Birmingham expressed pride in his years advocating for Westlands interests and his relationships with members of elected officials in particular. 

?When someone asked a question of Westlands Water District, they could be confident that the information provided to them was reliable,? he said. ?We have a perspective but I said I?m willing to work with anyone interested in solving these problems. And I?m not talking just about supplying water to the district, I?m talking about achieving a reasonable balance among multiple competing uses of water in a way that doesn?t harm the environment and will sustain the economy and the state.?

Birmingham, 67, represented the district as an outside counsel starting in 1986 before becoming general counsel nine years later. He was hired as general manager in 2000 before the district split the jobs and hired a separate general counsel in 2016. Last year he took home $497,829.40 in salary and benefits, and will retire with a CalPers pension and 18-month severance package .

During his tenure, Birmingham employed high-priced Sacramento lobbyist David Bernhardt to get bills introduced and passed in Congress. They included the WIIN Act, which Feinstein was key to passing, that relaxed pumping restrictions in the Delta. Bernhardt later became President Trump?s Interior Secretary.

He spearheaded a controversial plan to raise Shasta Dam for more water storage, which has since stalled. Under Birmingham, the district went so far as to purchase land above the lake to facilitate the project. He regretted not making more progress, saying it would have benefited salmon in need of cold water to spawn in 2019, a recent wet year. 

Apart from environmental advocates and regulators, the primary opponent to Westlands? efforts expanding Shasta was the Winnemem Wintu Tribe because it would further inundate their cultural sites originally flooded by the dam?s creation in the 1940s. 

In 2018, Birmingham used his political muscle to cut a deal with the federal government and Gov. Jerry Brown?s administration that gave Westlands more state water. And under his leadership the board effectively killed Brown?s Delta tunnels plan, which sought to make moving water south easier, by refusing to help pay for it. 

Before Donald Trump was elected to office, he hired Johnny Amaral, Devin Nunes? chief of staff, who coached Trump in 2016 as he promised to ?open up the water? for farmers and mocked ?a certain kind of three inch fish? in a Fresno rally ? a reference to the Delta smelt. 

Birmingham also played a role in Gov. Gavin Newsom?s decision to back off from fighting President Trump?s rewrite of environmental rules to allow more water to be pumped south through the Delta, after Westlands threatened to withdraw from negotiations over the governor?s water-sharing plan. 

And from the day he began working for Westlands as an outside counsel, Birmingham shifted responsibility for the district?s reason for being: a drain for toxins generated by irrigating impermeable soil. The need to expel contaminated water was an explicit condition for getting imported water half a century ago, but money to build the drain in full never materialized. 

Infamously, a half-constructed drain that emptied excess salts into Kesterson Reservoir killed and deformed hundreds of birds in the 1980s. As outside counsel, Birmingham successfully argued it was the federal government?s problem to fix. Several lawsuits and more than a decade later, the district reached a contentious settlement with the Obama administration in 2015.

The settlement would have made Westlands water contracts permanent and relieved the district of $350 million in debt in exchange for transferring drainage responsibility to the district, but it was never approved by Congress. Birmingham said about 100,000 acres of problematic land have been fallowed since, and that the district can shoulder the drainage responsibility on its own.

Friends and foes

As a boy growing up in Yreka, a town in California?s conservative northernmost corner, Birmingham said he ?didn?t really have a lot of choice? in his career path. 

His mother Lulu, who lacked educational opportunities, pulled him out of school on days the local courthouse was hearing an interesting case to go see the trial. She had decided that her son would command a courtroom someday, and command it he did.

Birmingham studied political science at UCLA and graduated from McGeorge School of Law, where he was captivated by the profound implications of water history and law. The fascination led him first to a job at a private firm in Sacramento.

The lawyer prone to encyclopedic tangents attempted self-deprecation in a wide-ranging interview, habitually calling himself ?not very bright? and ?from a small town.? Still receiving phone calls with well wishes and job offers after his retirement announcement, he waxed nostalgic.

But Birmingham would be the first to admit his dogged approach to defending the interests of San Joaquin Valley farmers made him some adversaries. Members of California?s environmental movement saw his policies as flagrant attempts to erode the Endangered Species Act and uphold antiquated water contracts. 

 ?Westlands hasn?t adopted policies that recognize we?re in this new reality of climate change, which Tom Birmingham denied. He was constantly looking backwards to get a contract for water that doesn?t exist in reality,? said Patricia Schifferle, who has papered the district with public records requests for decades and directs the environmental consulting firm Pacific Advocates.

?He is viewed as a stern and humorless opponent,? said Kathryn Phillips, former director of Sierra Club California. ?Water use shouldn?t be driven by a small number of agricultural interests in a particular region, and that?s the problem. They?ve been the most powerful voice in the room.?

The Land Park resident is known to have little patience for opinions he disagrees with, which led to a reputation as the ?Darth Vader? of California water politics coined by a group of fly fishermen whose land Westlands purchased in anticipation of raising Shasta Dam. 

He also has an acerbic sense of humor, on display in 2016 when the Securities and Exchange Commission slapped Westlands with penalties for faking financial records. He joked that he and the board had engaged in ?a little Enron accounting.?

But even those who disagreed with his advocacy for the district or his management style admired his sharp legal mind and exhaustive knowledge of water policy.

?Tom has played a huge role, often to the benefit of Westlands. Some good people will argue that he was sometimes overly aggressive,? said Jeff Kightlinger, former general manager of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. ?But it?s going to be a big change regardless of who steps into his shoes. And they?re big shoes to fill.?

Felicia Marcus, former chair of the state water board and fellow at Stanford University, offered a similarly nuanced view. 

?Tom Birmingham is a very complex, accomplished and talented person who I?ve seen stick up against the pack and speak the truth on issues of conservation or water rights or curtailment when his peers wouldn?t,? she said. ?I think he?s much more complex than the caricatures have been made out to be.?

A new era

It is Birmingham?s reputation and Westlands frequent appearance in the news that may have planted the seeds of his ouster. A coalition of reform candidates, frustrated with the district?s approach, took over the board of directors this fall with the explicit intention of making a leadership change.

Out of loyalty to the district, Birmingham said, he decided to step away to avoid unnecessary internal conflict. ?You ride for the brand,? he said, something his pals often said in cattle country.

Much of the political force behind the coalition is Sarah Woolf, a member of one of the district?s largest farming families and former board member who resigned in frustration several years ago. Kevin Assemi, part of a family that moved to Fresno from Iran and became powerful growers, are also considered reformers.

The group of new board members, called the ?change coalition,? identified a list of priorities. They included more investment in replenishing aquifers, providing growers with clear pumping regulations, and improving relations with neighboring water districts and disadvantaged communities.

Whether the board is simply looking for a new face on its old ways or a substantive change in their approach is unclear. Some environmental advocates are optimistic that Westlands may become more conciliatory and turn further toward reusing farmland for other purposes like solar energy.

But what is undeniable is that the original gift of cheap water from the state?s north was granted under expectations of a static climate. Long term outlooks show that to be far from the case, a reality impacting the district faster than other growers but forcing the state?s entire agricultural industry to adapt to less water.

?God himself could not have made a difference that would have satisfied growers. Tom has been criticized by many from the cheap seats because they don?t understand the moving pieces,? said Mark Borba, a fourth generation farmer in Westlands who lived through the district?s evolution from growing cotton and beets to almonds and pistachios.

?He is very black and white, and sometimes when you?re in discussions with others a little flexibility can be helpful. The new board wants to take the district in a new direction... I hope it works.?
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From tstokely at att.net  Mon Dec 12 14:43:25 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2022 22:43:25 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Trinity County votes to oppose Delta Tunnel,
 citing impacts to already stressed Trinity River
In-Reply-To: <CAExJcND34ya284higOSehTitANbUXPcWJfgPojtUovMr2gyJHw@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAExJcND34ya284higOSehTitANbUXPcWJfgPojtUovMr2gyJHw@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <54736891.3692034.1670885005224@mail.yahoo.com>

  ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Dan Bacher <danielbacher53 at gmail.com>Sent: Monday, December 12, 2022 at 11:08:23 AM PSTSubject: Trinity County votes to oppose Delta Tunnel, citing impacts to already stressed Trinity River
 



https://www.dailykos.com/story/2022/12/10/2141136/-Trinity-County-votes-to-oppose-Delta-Tunnel-citing-impacts-to-already-stressed-Trinity-River?

County votes to oppose Delta Tunnel, citing impacts to already stressed Trinity River


by Dan Bacher

On Dec. 7, the?Trinity County Board of Supervisors in Northern California voted to oppose?the Newsom administration?s?Delta Tunnel project.

The county?joins Sacramento, San Joaquin, Yolo, Solano and Contra counties and a wide array of?recreational fishing groups, Tribes, environmental organizations, family farmers, Delta residents, Southern California water ratepayers and numerous?elected officials in opposition to the project.

The Board officially endorsed?the letter?opposing the tunnel that was adopted by the Trinity County?Fish and Game Advisory Commission.?

In the letter, Don Frasier, Chair?of the Trinity County Board of Supervisors, said the Commission is ?particularly concerned about the draw-downs to the Sacramento River and their potential impact on the already stressed Trinity River.??

?The environment impact statement says that the tunnel will draw an additional 500,000 acre feet from the Sacramento River in normal years, and 200,000 to 300,000 acre feet in dry years,? the letter stated.??An average of 50 percent is already delivered to the Sacramento River for downstate water customers. As a result, the Trinity River?s salmon and trout population has already dramatically dropped to the point their survival is threatened.? ?

The letter?proposes?that the Delta Conveyance?Project ?be postponed until we can be assured the Trinity River is adequately protected. In that event the Commission will reconsider our opposition to the project.??

The Trinity River is the main?tributary of the Klamath River, currently the second largest producer of salmon in California.?Klamath and Trinity River salmon and steelhead have been central?to the culture and livelihoods of the?Hoopa Valley, Yurok, Karuk?and other tribes?along the river since time immemorial. ??

The vote took place a day after 110 people attended a public meeting on the Delta Tunnel hosted by the Delta Counties?Coalition and the Delta?Legislative Caucus at?the Willow Ballroom in Hood, California. Every single person who spoke opposed the tunnel and criticized the?project?s?Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the environmental injustice and destruction that it would cause to Delta communities, the?ecosystem and?fish and wildlife.

The Department of?Water Resources, the agency overseeing the Delta Tunnel planning,?was invited, but they declined to show up for the event. ??

In his testimony,?attorney?Bob Wright said the Delta Tunnel EIR is??the worst?? that he?s ever seen in his entire?career as an attorney.

?You?re supposed to tell the truth. Why does the California Department of Water Resources?not tell the truth? This is truly a terrible, terrible deception on the people of the Delta and the people of California,? Wright stated.

Gia Moreno, Hood resident and activist, spoke very eloquently about her involvement in the battle to stop the tunnel:

?"I am a mother, an artist, an educator, and I?m tired. I?m tired of coming to these meetings. I?m tired of hearing people from all over the state from all walks of life pour their hearts out in defense of the Delta, I?m tired of being one of those people, and I?m tired of the nonchalant responses that we receive in return. Even though I have become mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted from the last few years of this literal life or death fight, I can?t and won?t stop fighting."

You can view the meeting video?here, courtesy of Gene Beley.

You can also check out this Sacramento News and Review?article?highlighting the public meeting hosted by the Delta Counties Coalition and the Delta Legislative Caucus to let residents voice their opinion of the massive and costly 16-year, $16+ billion Delta Conveyance Tunnel Project proposal that would cause irreparable environmental and economic impacts in the Delta.??

Comment period for the Delta Tunnel closes Dec. 16

Reminder: The comment period for the Delta Conveyance Project?Draft Environmental Impact Report?(EIR) closes?on?Friday, December 16, 2022. The Draft EIR was released for public review and comment on July 27, 2022.

There are several ways to submit public comment on the Delta Conveyance Project Draft EIR, including by:
   
   - Email:?deltaconveyancecomments at water.ca.gov??
   - Online:?Comment Form
   - U.S. Mail:?CA Department of Water Resources, Attn: Delta Conveyance Office, P.O. Box 942836, Sacramento, CA 94236-0001

Where to Access the Draft EIR
   
   - Review Online:?www.deltaconveyanceproject.com
   - Review In-Person:?A digital copy of the Draft EIR is available at the following locations:      
      - DWR Office:?3500 Industrial Blvd., Room 117, West Sacramento, CA 95691
      - Libraries:?A full list of libraries across the state where the public can access the Draft EIR can be found?here?



  
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From tstokely at att.net  Thu Dec 15 10:23:49 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2022 18:23:49 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] Lawsuit Filed to Halt Removal of Northern CA Klamath
 River Hydroelectric Dams
References: <1004976525.418207.1671128629923.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1004976525.418207.1671128629923@mail.yahoo.com>

  
https://californiaglobe.com/articles/lawsuit-filed-to-halt-removal-of-northern-ca-klamath-river-hydroelectric-dams/

Lawsuit Filed to Halt Removal of Northern CA Klamath River Hydroelectric Dams
 
?When politically expedient, the governors of California and Oregon will turn a blind eye to dramatic and substantial environmental damages?
 
By Katy Grimes, December 14, 2022 12:14 pm
   
Last week California Governor Gavin Newsom announced final approval of a plan?to remove four dams on the Klamath River in Northern California, along with Oregon Governor Kate Brown, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Congressman Jared Huffman and leaders of the Yurok and Karuk tribes. Newsom refers to the dam removal project as ?transformative? and says ?it will revitalize nearly 400 miles of the Klamath River and tributaries.?

The location of the four dams straddle the Oregon-California border.

This has been a long time coming and and has been fought over by many groups as well as by members of Congress. In 2020, the Globe reported, ?The plan calls for the demolition of the dams and management of the watershed lands by the non-profit Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC).?Rep. Doug?La Malfa (R-CA) calls the KRRC a ?shell corporation? for the Karuk and Yurok Indian tribes who have no experience or capacity to handle the immense legal liabilities of such a project.?

In 2018,?President Donald Trump signed an executive order to help the federally-operated Central Valley Project and the California State Water Project in California, the Klamath Irrigation Project in Oregon and California and the Columbia River Basin system in the Pacific Northwest.??We will resolve the issues blocking the completion of the Central Valley project,? Trump said. ?I hope you enjoy the water that you?re going to have.?

?The President?s announcement is an immense relief for the farmers and families of the San Joaquin Valley and communities across California,? said Rep. Tom McClintock. ?Due to the actions of environmental extremists and overzealous bureaucrats, California has been suffering from a years-long water crisis that has wreaked havoc in Central Valley farming communities that feed tens of millions of Americans. Productive land has gone fallow and farmworkers have lost their jobs. Communities across California have also been devastated as senseless government regulations have mandated that billions of gallons of water be flushed out to the ocean and wasted.?

But once Trump left office, Klamath Dam removal began again in earnest. And Thursday, Newsom made his announcement about the dam removal.

The?Siskiyou County Water Users Association (SCWUA) announced the filing of a Summons and Complaint in the Superior Court of California for Taxpayer Complaint for Injunctive and Declaratory Relief by Anthony Intiso (below).? 

?This action was filed against Defendant Wade Crowfoot Secretary of Natural Resources Agency and as an Individual person in connection with the funding operations for the proposed removal of the Klamath River Dam complex in Northern California,? the SCWUA statement said.??

Wade Crowfoot is Gov. Newsom?s appointed?California Natural Resources Agency Secretary. He also worked in Gov. Jerry Brown?s administration and?was involved in Brown?s climate compact with the Governors of Oregon and Washington and the British Columbia Premier, when they?signed?the?Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy, ?to align climate change policies and promote clean energy.?

The Pacific Coast Collaborative was an illegal compact which linked with the?West Coast Infrastructure Exchange?(WCX), formed to promote ?the type of new thinking necessary to solve the West Coast?s infrastructure crisis.? And the WCX was linked to the Clinton Foundation?s?Clinton Global Initiative.

?The case was filed Pro Se by Mr. Anthony Intiso, a member of the Board of Directors of SCWUA, to enjoin Defendant Wade Crowfoot, Secretary of Natural Resources from expending taxpayer funds in the amount of $250,000,000 (TWO HUNDRED FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS) for the removal of the Klamath River project hydroelectric facilities.? Mr. Intiso alleges that the continued disbursement of funds to Klamath River Restoration Corporation should be halted as it was specifically outlawed by the Bond language contained in the Bond Act of 2014 labeled the ?Water Quality Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014.'??

The Siskiyou County Water Users Association continues:

?The Klamath River is part of the Federal Wild and Scenic River system identified and approved by Congress and is further so identified in the State of California parallel act.? The Bond Act of 2014 specifically states in Chapter 4, Section 79711 e that the funds from the Act cannot be and will not be used for any project that could have an adverse effect on a Wild and Scenic River.? The recent FERC approved EIR references numerous times that the removal of the hydroelectric facilities will create and have adverse effect on the Klamath River including but not limited to sediment and proposed in channel modifications to ?create? a free flowing and volitional fish passageway.? Mr. Intiso argues that this is in direct opposition to the language of the Act which was clear that funds not be used in projects that would impact a Wild and Scenic River.?

?Mr. Intiso asks the Court to find that Defendant Wade Crowfoot is violating the provisions of the Act and that such expenditures are illegal and therefore Mr. Crowfoot is acting outside his official authorization and instead acting as an individual.? He requests that if the Court finds this to be so then Mr. Crowfoot should personally repay the illegally expended funds.?

Mr. Intiso also requested the Court to issue an immediate injunction restraining and preventing further expenditure of funds until the Court has rendered its opinion.

Notably, in 2019, following the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (which?oversees hydropower dams) ruling, said that the KRRC had insufficient finances and experience to be able to solely undertake such a risky project.?Rep.?La Malfa issued the following statement on that FERC ruling:

?The Commission?s Order today reinforces what I have been saying since KRRC?s inception: KRRC is incapable of handling any hydropower project. Rather, KRRC is nothing more than a shell corporation created for California, Oregon, and other supporters of dam removal?to avoid liability and leave local communities to clean up the mess they would create. I am happy to see that FERC agreed with the many issues I, and other stakeholders, brought to their attention. It would have set a dangerous precedent to give a shell cooperation sole?liability for the immense damage to the environment and local economy that this project would create. Smaller dam removal?projects have faced significantly higher costs than originally estimated and this project has made the same failed assumptions. This Order clears the way to stop this terrible project without wasting more of California taxpayer funds or Oregon ratepayer dollars.?PacifiCorp should instead pursue relicensing of all four Klamath dams, ensuring the Basin continues to receive ample carbon free, clean power for years to come.?

KTVZ recently reported Reps. Cliff Bentz (OR-02) Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) released a statement sharply critical of the most recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission?s decision paving the way for removal of four Klamath River dams.

Here?s their statement:

?We are outraged by FERC?s decision to allow surrender of the PacifiCorp Klamath hydroelectric license to a shell corporation, thus allowing PacifiCorp to avoid responsibility for the consequences of removing its Klamath River dams. Such consequences include reducing power generation, eliminating recreational assets, decimating the local community?s economy, destroying firefighting resources, and damaging the Klamath River?s ecosystems.

?The politicization of this process is apparent in Oregon and California?s stampede to issue the Clean Water Act Section 401 certifications required to remove the dams. The release of massive amounts of accumulated silt from behind the dams will be devastating to water quality, will cover spawning beds, and will choke fish. Obviously, when politically expedient, the governors of California and Oregon will turn a blind eye to dramatic and substantial environmental damages.

?We are exploring legislative options to properly address this politicized and environmentally destructive decision. Additionally, in the upcoming 118th Congress, we Republicans will use our majority to aggressively conduct oversight of this flawed decision making process,??Reps. Bentz and LaMalfa said.

Read the entire article and statement here.

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Lawsuit Filed to Halt Removal of Northern CA Klamath River Hydroelectric...

Katy Grimes

Last week California Governor Gavin Newsom announced final approval of a plan to remove four dams on the Klamath...
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   Katy GrimesKaty Grimes, the Editor of the California Globe, is a long-time Investigative Journalist covering the California State Capitol, and the co-author of California's War Against Donald Trump: Who Wins? Who Loses? 
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From tgstoked at gmail.com  Tue Dec 20 11:37:04 2022
From: tgstoked at gmail.com (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2022 11:37:04 -0800
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?THIS_JUST_IN_=E2=80=A6_Bureau_of_Reclamat?=
 =?utf-8?q?ion_plans_to_set_aside_a_twenty-two_year-old_agreement_on_Trini?=
 =?utf-8?q?ty_River=3B_Hoopa_Valley_Tribe_files_for_injunction_=E2=80=93_M?=
 =?utf-8?q?AVEN=27S_NOTEBOOK_=7C_Water_news?=
Message-ID: <93E8A86A-7BE5-41D8-A378-8A4B5428B475@gmail.com>

This is about the Winter Flow Variability proposal even though it doesn?t mention it.

https://mavensnotebook.com/2022/12/17/this-just-in-bureau-of-reclamation-plans-to-set-aside-a-twenty-two-year-old-agreement-on-trinity-river-hoopa-valley-tribe-asks-for-injunction/


Sent from my iPhone

From tstokely at att.net  Tue Dec 20 12:25:29 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2022 20:25:29 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity]
 =?utf-8?q?THIS_JUST_IN_=E2=80=A6_Bureau_of_Reclamat?=
 =?utf-8?q?ion_plans_to_set_aside_a_twenty-two_year-old_agreement_on_Trini?=
 =?utf-8?q?ty_River=3B_Hoopa_Valley_Tribe_files_for_injunction_=E2=80=93_M?=
 =?utf-8?q?AVEN=27S_NOTEBOOK_=7C_Water_news?=
In-Reply-To: <93E8A86A-7BE5-41D8-A378-8A4B5428B475@gmail.com>
References: <93E8A86A-7BE5-41D8-A378-8A4B5428B475@gmail.com>
Message-ID: <1726667498.1728503.1671567929388@mail.yahoo.com>

     
This is the subject of the Hoopa Valley Tribe's motion for a Preliminary Injunction. See link to the final report.


https://www.trrp.net/restoration/flows/winter-flow-variability/

Winter Flow Variability
  
Updated February 14, 2022.

Thank you to all who provided input on our Draft Trinity River Winter Flow Variability Environmental Assessment. Your input has been helpful in our effort to understand implications of the proposed action and to analyze potential impacts of the recommended flow change. Reclamation did not implement the winter flow regime in water year 2022 but the TRRP is exploring our options for water year 2023. Our winter flow analyses are now available in report format at the TRRP DataPort. 

Photo 1. Trinity River release from Lewiston Dam (photo by TRRP)

Project Background

Following the 2000 Record of Decision (ROD), the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) established TRRP to restore the fisheries of the Trinity River affected by dam construction and related diversions of the Trinity River Division of the Central Valley Project1. The Trinity River has also been impacted by past mining and timber harvest activities in the watershed, and these conditions are collectively addressed as well through TRRP?s restoration efforts.
   
   -    1 https://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvp/

Administered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the TRRP is a partnership of federal and state resource agencies, Tribes, and Trinity County. The Program works to restore the processes and attributes of an ecologically functioning river system, which should, in turn, recover diminished salmon and steelhead populations while retaining Trinity and Lewiston Dams? deliveries of water and power to California?s Central Valley.

There are five primary components of TRRP?s river restoration work:
   
   - Variable annual instream flows: releasing water from Lewiston Dam, based on the water year type   2, to mimic natural Trinity River flows and interact with downstream areas to enhance conditions for all life stages of fish and wildlife. These variable annual instream flows are also sometimes called ?restoration releases?.      
      -       2 TRRP uses five water year types to determine how much water will be available to the Trinity River each year. The five water year types are: Critically Dry, Dry, Normal, Wet, and Extremely Wet. A wetter water year means more water is available for restoration flow releases.

   - Channel rehabilitation: restoring the functional floodplain of the river, which has been channelized and simplified by managed river flows and mining.
   - Sediment management: reintroducing gravel (aka coarse sediment) to the river. Gravel provides spawning areas for salmon and provides other habitat benefits. Gravel entering the river system upstream of the dam is blocked from being transported to the Trinity River below Lewiston Dam, creating a gravel deficit in the river over time. TRRP resupplies the river with gravel to make up for the dam?s impact in blocking new gravel supplies that would otherwise be provided naturally.
   - Watershed restoration: addressing negative impacts that have resulted from poor land management in the basin. Watershed restoration activities include decreasing the input of fine sediment from Trinity River tributaries that can clog spawning gravels and fill deep areas of the river.
   - Adaptive management: monitoring, evaluating, and improving the effectiveness of river restoration actions.

The TRRP is exploring changes toward how variable annual instream flows are managed (Primary TRRP Component #1) with existing ROD water from Lewiston Dam. Since the implementation of the ROD, variable flow releases (aka restoration releases) have occurred after the water year type is determined in mid-April3. An approved hydrograph (i.e. water release schedule) developed by TRRP determines how much water is released daily during this period of elevated flows. Variable releases typically extend to early summer before returning to baseflow conditions and then remain at baseflow until the following April when a new water year is determined.
   
   -    3 The water year type is determined by the Department of Water Resources? B120 (ca.gov) water supply forecast.

Photo 2. Young salmon on the Trinity River (photo credit Yurok Tribe Fisheries Department)

The current approach to implementing variable flows in the Trinity River results in cold water releases from Lewiston Dam that are out of sync from when the pre-dam Trinity River would have naturally received seasonal peak flows. Undammed tributaries to the Trinity River naturally flow higher during winter storm events, and as high elevation snowpack melts in early spring. Thus, natural contributions to the Trinity River from its tributaries are often receding by the time ROD flow releases from Lewiston Dam occur after mid-April.

The asynchrony between flow management and the natural variability of pre-dam flows has cascading impacts on the river?s form and ecology, and perhaps the most detrimental of the impacts is to young salmon. Pacific salmon?s life history has adapted to the natural seasonal variability of flows for millions of years. Current flow management keeps river conditions unnaturally cold, which suppresses metabolic rates during the key period of growth for young salmon. Later in the spring, the unnaturally cold river delays environmental cues that trigger smolts to outmigrate to the ocean before conditions in the lower Klamath become too warm to support salmon migration.

Winter Flow Variability Goals and Objectives

The purpose and need for winter flow variability is to refine the timing of restoration flows using the principle of AEAM to better meet geomorphic, fish habitat, and temperature objectives of the ROD. Moving a portion of the ROD volume released from Lewiston Dam to the winter period is intended to have the following benefits to the natural character of the Trinity River:
   
   - Time restoration releases from Lewiston Dam to better match natural flow variability during winter and spring runoff events. Coinciding natural flows and Lewiston dam releases would enhance natural cleaning and transport of river gravels.
   - Limit the impact that cold water from the dam has on the growth of juvenile salmon by shifting a portion of ROD water from Lewiston Dam to the winter period.
   - Allow the river to naturally warm earlier in the season than currently occurs to provide the environmental cues smolts rely upon in timing their outmigration to the ocean.
   - Provide elevated flows before salmon fry emergence to increase food availability and higher river levels after emergence to increase access to floodplain nursery habitats
   - Move ROD water allocations earlier to maintain more consistent lake levels in Trinity Reservoir through the summer months.

Description of Potential Winter Flow Variability Actions

Shift a portion of the ROD water for release during the winter to two distinct periods termed the Flow Synchronization Period and the Elevated Baseflow Period (Figure 1).

Flow Synchronization Period: Between December 15 and February 15, ROD water equivalent to 60,000-acre-feet would be released from Lewiston Dam when forecasting tools at downstream gages anticipate a rise in river levels of 4,500 to 12,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). The maximum scheduled flow from Lewiston Dam during this period would not exceed 6,500 cfs. The optimal combination of natural and dam-regulated flows to the Trinity River resulting from this flow synchronization would be adjusted downward, as necessary, to prevent flooding or damage to downstream properties.

Elevated Baseflow Period: Between February 15 and April 15, ROD water would be released from Lewiston Dam based on the Department of Water Resource?s B120 water supply forecast. Using the B120 would prevent the overuse of ROD water should the water year end up being drier than expected. During this period, a hydrograph would be developed by TRRP to schedule the elevated baseflow releases.

After April 15, the remaining ROD water would be released to the Trinity River using the same methodology that currently exists for the scheduling of restoration flows. No changes to summer baseflow (450 cfs) or winter baseflow (300 cfs) are anticipated in the near future. 

The maximum winter release of ROD water under these Winter Flow Variability actions would differ from year to year based on the water year type, as follows:
   
   - 60,000 acre-feet in a Critically Dry water year,
   - 80,000 acre-feet in a Dry water year,
   - 120,000 acre-feet in a Normal water year,
   - 180,000 acre-feet in a Wet water year, and
   - 220,000 acre-feet in an Extremely Wet water year

Figure 1: Winter Flow Variability Actions Compared to Existing Conditions (No Action), Using the 2016 Wet Water Year as an Example.
The blue line represents the hydrograph that was implemented in 2016. Green represents the timing of hypothetical water releases that could occur with Winter Flow Variability. Grey line represents the full natural flow. The full natural flow is the unimpeded contributions from the blocked watershed area above Lewiston Dam. It shows the timing of when water would have naturally been contributed to Trinity River if not impounded by Trinity Lake.

Possible Impacts

Possible impacts related to this management action that TRRP has been assessing include:
   
   - Impacts on hydropower generation
   - Recreational impacts, including fishing, rafting, and boating
   - Biological impacts to the fishery, wildlife, vegetation, and wetlands

Further Information
   
   - TRRP Synthesis Reports Web Page
   - Reports that contrast current winter baseflows with more natural flows:      
      - Buxton, T. H. 2021.?History of fine sediment and Its Impacts on physical processes and biological populations in the restoration reach of the Trinity River, CA.?Report TRRP-2021-1 for the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP). TRRP, Weaverville, California.
      - Gaeuman, D. and R. Stewart. 2017. Sediment transport in the Trinity River, CA: data synthesis 2004-2015. Report TR-TRRP-2017-1 for the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP). TRRP, Weaverville, California.
      - Thomas Gast & Associates. 2021. Analysis and model evaluation of long-term data collected at the Willow Creek outmigrant trap. Report 20190910YTFP for the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP). Thomas Gast & Associates Environmental Consultants, Arcata, California.

   - External Web Page: Trinity River Benthic Macroinvertebrate Drift project
    
 
Tom Stokely?Salmon and Water Policy Consultant530-524-0315?tstokely at att.net?
 

    On Tuesday, December 20, 2022 at 11:37:16 AM PST, Tom Stokely <tgstoked at gmail.com> wrote:  
 
 This is about the Winter Flow Variability proposal even though it doesn?t mention it.

https://mavensnotebook.com/2022/12/17/this-just-in-bureau-of-reclamation-plans-to-set-aside-a-twenty-two-year-old-agreement-on-trinity-river-hoopa-valley-tribe-asks-for-injunction/


Sent from my iPhone
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From tstokely at att.net  Wed Dec 28 18:04:00 2022
From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely)
Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2022 02:04:00 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?HVT_Press_Release-_THIS_JUST_IN_=E2=80=A6?=
 =?utf-8?q?_FEDERAL_COURT_DENIES_GOVERNMENT_REQUEST_TO_DELAY_HEARING_ON_PL?=
 =?utf-8?q?AN_TO_BREAK_22_YEAR-OLD_TRINITY_RIVER_FISHERY_RESTORATION_AGREE?=
 =?utf-8?q?MENT?=
References: <826126639.3886086.1672279440540.ref@mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <826126639.3886086.1672279440540@mail.yahoo.com>


THIS JUST IN ... Federal Court Denies Government Request to Delay Hearing on Plan to Break 22 Year-Old Trinity River Fishery Restoration Agreement

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THIS JUST IN ... Federal Court Denies Government Request to Delay Hearin...

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Sun Dec  4 11:09:31 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Sun, 04 Dec 2022 19:09:31 -0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 48 (December 2)
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB57955D5083624B9EF0136AA7BA199@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 48 for Junction City weir.
The hatchery is still operating, we just haven't been able to get the data input. Hopefully we can get caught up soon.
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Mon Dec 12 11:36:15 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2022 19:36:15 -0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 49 (December 9)
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB57952C245FF1C8EABFB6166CBAE29@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 49 (Dec 9).
Only four days of trapping last week at Junction City due to weather.
JCW will continue to trap through Dec 21 this year.
We are still trying to get caught up on TRH data input. Apologies for the lag.
Cheers!
MC
******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov  Fri Dec 23 09:38:04 2022
From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife)
Date: Fri, 23 Dec 2022 17:38:04 +0000
Subject: [env-trinity] 2022/23 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary
 through Julian week 51 (December 23)
Message-ID: <BY5PR09MB5795C93E5D011100C4476F8CBAE99@BY5PR09MB5795.namprd09.prod.outlook.com>

Greetings!
Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 51 (Dec 23).
The Junction City weir has now been pulled for the season.
Trinity River Hatchery will continue recovery of steelhead into March, and we will be caught up on data there soon. This report shows TRH numbers through December 2.

I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Cheers!
MC

******************************************************
Mary Claire Kier
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project
Environmental Scientist - Fisheries
(I'm often teleworking, or in the field. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.)
5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521
******************************************************
Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @
https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity
If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know.

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