[env-trinity] TMC approves key changes to Trinity River flows

[Tom Stokely]

https://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_7be0d588-7ac0-11ef-b7bb-c3810f282b29.html#tncms-source=login 
     
   - By Francisco MartínezcuelloThe Trinity Journal
   -  3 hrs ago
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The Trinity Management Council voted on Wednesday, Sept. 18, to approve adaptive changes to ecological water releases from the Lewiston Dam into the Trinity River. The vote happened during the quarterly council meeting in Eureka just before World Rivers Day and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signing of AB 460 which will help keep water in state rivers.

The vote recommends a synchronized flow release and an increase to wet season baseflows from Dec. 15 of this year to Feb. 5, 2025, according to a recent Trinity River Restoration Project press release.

TRRP’s Executive Director Mike Dixon said the council can only make recommendations. “We don’t get to make the decision,” he said. “We inform the (Bureau of) Reclamation on how their proposed action would best meet their obligations to restoration of the fishery, because we have a legal responsibility to restore the fishery.”
 
The Trinity Management Council is made up of eight representatives from different organizations ranging from federal, tribal, state and local governments. According to the council’s bylaws, each member gets one vote. Seven affirmative votes are required to pass a motion when all eight members are present, and six affirmative votes are required to pass a motion when six or seven members are present. This most recent proposal that was voted on last Wednesday (Sept. 18) and passed with seven in favor and one opposed.

Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Director Michael Orcutt was the sole opposing vote.

“I vote on the principle of what I think my role is as a representative of the tribe, and the tribe is some 3,600 members,” Orcutt said.

Orcutt said it’s a violation of a treaty that the Hoopa Tribe signed off on. “When there’s a change in a treaty or an amendment to a treaty, why doesn’t the other party at least get talked to about it? Why doesn’t that other party get an opportunity to assess, evaluate, and if they agree with it, concur?” he asked.

Orcutt also said a biological assessment has been long overdue for meeting the regulatory Endangered Species Act requirements. Trinity Journal reported on July 25 the Hoopa Valley Tribe gave a 60-day notice of its intent to sue the federal Bureau of Reclamation for failing to comply with two biological assessments and missing multiple deadlines for numerous actions under the Endangered Species Act. It will be 60 days since the Tribe’s press release at the time of publication.

Despite the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s opposing vote, Dixon said there were two key takeaways during the two-day meeting where a lot of information was passed. The first takeaway was how to spend the budget surplus. “We got buy in on kick-starting some additional gravel processing at a place where ultimately there will be a restoration project.”

Dixon said that in 2020 a gravel processing project was funded but due to permitting issues they had to change the design.
 
“I think the biggest accomplishment was getting the TMC to vote in favor of shifting a portion of our annual water allocation earlier in the season into the wet season.” Dixon said that they use historical data in hydrographs — a way of displaying water level information over time. A hydrograph plot may display stage, streamflow and sometimes both.

The basic action of a natural flow hydrograph on the Trinity River is to shift some water from the springtime to the winter months.  

“We believe that we can’t be successful unless we increase base flows during the winter period and do some of these big peak flows in the winter period,” Dixon said. “It’s vitally important that we start moving some of that water out of the late spring, early summer, into that winter period.”

Dixon said they’re not taking more water out of the lake. “That was people’s big concern. It’s the exact same budget that we’re operating under. We’re just spending some of that budget earlier.”

These recommendations were a result of the Flow Workgroup proposal, led by Patrick Flynn who is an environmental compliance specialist with the county’s Natural Resources Division. County supervisors wanted to limit the disruption to the number of boat fishable days during the Dec. 15 to Feb. 15 period and minimize the impact to the flyfishing industry during that period due to economical impacts since it is peak flyfishing season.

“I can’t really underscore how (much) of a big deal it is that Trinity County is engaging in this process at this level,” Flynn said. “This collaborative approach is a big deal to have conversations about the river … we want what’s best for the river.”

Flynn expressed the importance of participation and collaboration in all meetings and discussions.

The TMC meeting was open to the public and broadcasted online for the public to voice their concerns. During the meeting no one spoke out during the public comments portion. These meetings do take place during the workday, and some range from four hours to full day meetings.

TRRP spokesperson Kiana Abel understands that is a significant time commitment for the working public. “(It)isn’t necessarily accessible in the way that they want to be,” she said.

Abel said to help bridge the information gap TRRP has outreach programs to get the word out on progress and give people the chance to interact with them.
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