The water flow from Nimbus Dam on the American River in Sacramento has been reduced to 500 cubic feet per second, less than a third of the normal January flow.
The impact of the low water level can be seen on carcasses of spawning salmon left high and dry on exposed riverbed to expanding gravel beds farther downstream.
News10/KXTV
Fishermen, bicyclists and hikers trudged along the American River on Saturday, surveying the historically low flows and wondering about the impact.
In response to extreme dry conditions, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation cut water releases from Folsom Dam into the river gradually last week from 1,100 cubic feet per second to 500 cfs Friday. About half a million residents in suburban Sacramento rely on the dam for water.
The strict water-conservation measures have created the lowest flows anyone has seen in a generation, which stands in contrast to the median flow for January of 1,700 cfs for the past 15 years.
At William Pond Park, Carmichael native Amy Musial, 32, snapped a couple photos of the exposed rocks and islands.
“It’s crazy,” said Musial, who grew up playing in the river. “I’ve never seen it this low.”
Musial ventured out with her husband and 3-year-old son just to see the water level.
“We would be standing in a few feet of water here,” Musial said, “but not anymore.”
The last time American River flows were dropped to this level was in 1993, according to the Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Folsom and Nimbus dams on the river.
More at MercedSunStar.com >>>
State officials are being urged to close fishing seasons on the American River in the Sacramento area to protect steelhead and salmon from fishing pressure as the river declines amid drought conditions.
The Sierra Salmon Alliance on Wednesday urged the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to close the fishery on the river. Tyrone Gorre, co-founder of the group, said he is concerned that as the river shrinks, steelhead migrating upstream to spawn will be unable to avoid the many anglers trying to hook them.
In addition, he fears fish eggs already in the river, spawned by fall-run Chinook salmon, will be trampled and killed by anglers walking in the river.
“There’s so much extreme pressure on the river that there’s no place for the fish to hide,” said Gorre, also a professional fishing guide on the river for 30 years. “We need to have swift and immediate action to accommodate those fish. It’s just a really critical situation.”
Salmon season has ended, but steelhead fishing is normally allowed year-round.
More at MercedSunStar.com >>>
The California Department of Water Resources is planning to draft an emergency drought declaration for Gov. Jerry Brown’s consideration as dry winter conditions continue.
DWR Director Mark Cowin told the California Board of Food and Agriculture at a meeting Tuesday that his agency is weighing whether to present the governor with a drought declaration. Spokeswoman Nancy Foley said that declaration could be forthcoming “within a couple weeks.”
“We will likely, given the circumstances, make a recommendation for a drought declaration,” Foley said. “The snow survey last Friday was so dismal and there doesn’t seem to be any storms on the horizon, so it just seems we’ve got to start preparing a drought declaration.”
She was referring to the first regular snow survey of the winter season, conducted by DWR on Jan. 3 at locations throughout the Sierra Nevada. It found the snowpack at 19 percent of average on that date. In the five days since, the snowpack has shrunk to 17 percent.
This comes after two dry years, which left many reservoirs in the state depleted. Folsom Reservoir in the Sacramento area was at 18 percent of capacity on Tuesday. Water agencies that depend on the reservoir have begun enacting water conservation orders. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has cut flows into the American River to levels not seen in 20 years.
By the end of this week, water flows in the American River will be lower than anyone has seen in a generation. And soon, many residents of suburban Sacramento could be banned from watering their lawns.
Unusual winter drought conditions are driving Sacramento-area water agencies to make difficult choices. Starting today, the effects will be visible to anyone who walks, fishes or boats along the American River, one of the largest in California.
Early this morning, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation was expected to cut water releases from Folsom Dam into the river from 1,100 cubic feet per second to 800 cfs. This will drop the river’s elevation within its bed by about 6 inches.
It won’t stop there. Each night this week until Friday, dam releases will be cut in stages until flows reach 500 cfs. At that point, it will likely be easy to walk across the river in many locations.
Such flows have not been seen in the American River since January 1993, according to Reclamation, which operates Folsom and Nimbus dams on the river. In comparison, the median January flow in the river over the past 15 years was about 1,700 cfs.
The reduction is intended to prolong the water supply stored behind Folsom Dam, a source of drinking water for some 500,000 people in the suburban Sacramento area. With no rain in the forecast, and the water level behind the dam shriveled to 18 percent of capacity after a dry start to winter, officials said dramatic conservation efforts are necessary.
Reclamation officials reached the decision on Friday after meeting with area water providers and wildlife agencies.
“The watershed is so dry right now, there’s such limited snowpack and the lake is already so low that we’re trying to look ahead and be conservative,” said Shana Kaplan, a Reclamation spokeswoman. “I think everybody’s trying to be as proactive as we can.”
Dropping the river so low will be deadly to some fall-run Chinook salmon eggs now waiting to hatch from nests, or redds, in the gravel riverbed. Tom Gohring, executive director of the Sacramento Water Forum, said flows of only 500 cfs could mean that 10 to 15 percent of the redds in the river will be lost because they will go dry as the river drops.
In a desperate attempt to avoid a water crisis in the coming months, the operator of Folsom Dam may reduce outflows to the bare minimum necessary to protect spawning steelhead trout in the American River.
Bureau of Reclamation Central California area manager Drew Lessard said his staff was in talks with federal and state wildlife officials to determine how much outflows could be cut without harming the winter run of the trout, a federally-protected species.
At 363 feet above sea level, Folsom Lake has never been so low in January; the dam is currently releasing four times more water than is flowing into the reservoir.
“We’re proposing to reduce our flows into the American River so we can maintain water conservation in the dam,” Lessard said.
More at News10.net >>>
While some groups are excited about what the Yuba County Water Agency’s FERC relicensing applications contains, other groups are lamenting what is missing — namely, provisions that address removing barriers to native spawning habitat for endangered fish.
Numerous conservation groups called for the YCWA to look into developing fish passage through, or removing entirely, Englebright Dam, which is a direct barrier to more than 120 miles of salmon habitat, according to comments submitted by the Foothills Water Network, which represents a group of water resource stakeholders in the Yuba, Bear and American River watersheds.
“The ultimate goal is to restore salmon to their native habitat,” said Tyrone Gorre, co-founder of the Sierra Salmon Alliance. “In order to restore habitat, we have to have passage through the dam.”
Chinook salmon and steelhead and rainbow trout are both native to the upper Yuba River watershed.
The problem with those requests is that the Englebright Dam is not within the FERC boundary of YCWA’s project and is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers.
“There’s not a connection between that dam and the FERC relicensing,” said Yuba County Supervisor Mary Jane Griego. “Some of the river agencies would like to connect those so there’s a requirement for us (to install fish passages), but the FERC relicensing really separates those issues.”
The Foothills Water Network said excluding Englebright from the relicensing process is a mistake, arguing that because YCWA operates its reservoir levels and releases, it should be included in their FERC license.
“We have maintained that fish passage is not part of our FERC relicensing. YCWA facilities don’t block fish passage; the major barrier is Englebright Dam,” said Curt Aikens, YCWA general manager. “We do realize that this is a significant issue in the Yuba watershed, and we’ve helped lead and facilitate different fish passage studies and programs.”
Aikens said the colder water released from the higher elevation of New Bullards Bar dam has helped improve salmon habitat in the lower Yuba River.
The salmon population has recovered since a stark decrease around 2007 caused a temporary halt in the salmon fishing industry, but reported numbers from the Yuba River in recent years are below those of the decades prior.
More at TheUnion.com >>>
The Placer County Water Agency is saying that a good rainfall year is needed in 2014 to restock mountain reservoirs.
And the Water Agency is already looking at the possibility of water-use reductions.
The Auburn-based agency is expressing concerns as a very dry 2013 draws to a close. Tony Firenzi, deputy director of technical services, said a dry 2014 could cause problems.
“Right now, our water storage is at 90 percent of average for this time of year, so we’re in good shape for the time being,” Firenzi said, “but we’re very concerned about the continuing dry forecasts.”
Looking into the coming year’s projections, Firenzi said better-than-average precipitation would be needed to restore average storage levels on the upper Yuba-Bear and American river watersheds. Placer Water depends on the two watersheds for its surface water supplies.
Water storage in reservoirs that serve Water Agency customers has remained at or near average levels despite back-to-back unusual water years. The 2011-12 water year (measured from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30) was dry but ended near average after the so-called “Miracle March” in spring 2012. It was followed by a 2012-13 water year that produced near record precipitation in November and December 2012 but then turned unusually dry.
“In fact, the 2013 calendar year is on track to close as one of the driest ever measured, which is the basis for serious concern as we look ahead at water availability for 2014,” Firenzi said.
More at AuburnJournal.com >>>
Salmon advocates say they know how to restore sustainable salmon runs in the Central Valley – 26 different ways.
The Golden Gate Salmon Association says two years of study have resulted in a 26-project salmon rebuilding plan to reverse the steep decline of California’s four salmon runs, including two considered endangered and threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act — the winter and spring runs.
The fall and late fall-runs, which support the sport and commercial fishery, declined by 90 percent and 87 percent respectively from 2001 to 2011, the association says.
“The salmon problems are not in the ocean but rather in the freshwater rivers where salmon reproduce and then try to migrate downstream through the many hurdles that exist on their journey to ocean waters,” says GGSA Chairman Roger Thomas.
The 26 projects are divided into three tiers to prioritize completion. In April the first eight high priority projects were selected with most underway or in the pipeline for 2014. The second tier is currently being considered by federal agencies for implementation.
The rebuilding plan can be broadly broken into two categories of projects, says the association. The first calls for better flows for salmon in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The second are projects aimed at healing manmade structural impediments built in and along the rivers.
The loss of many baby salmon at the pumping facilities that divert water from the Delta for export south is another problem the GGSA says its plans address.
More at CentralValleyBusinessTimes.com >>>
The Sacramento suburb of Folsom is imposing a mandatory 20 percent cut in water use as the dry winter continues and as the city’s main source of water – Folsom Lake – is 22 percent of capacity.
“This low water level, combined with critically dry weather conditions, necessitates immediate action to conserve water and protect our water supply,” says Folsom City Manager Evert Palmer.
Folsom is the first Central Valley city to impose such restrictions during the current dry spell.
Mandatory water use restrictions for businesses and residences limit landscape watering to two designated days per week; prohibit washing of parking lots, streets, driveways or sidewalks; and prohibit use of city water for construction purposes such as dust control, compaction or trench jetting without approval.
“During cold winter months, landscapes need very little water, making this an easy time of year to achieve significant water savings,” says Folsom Environmental and Water Resources Director Marcus Yasutake. “Approximately 60 percent of the water used by a typical Folsom family is directed to landscape. We’re encouraging residents to turn off sprinklers to conserve water. An added benefit will be significant savings on water bills.”
Those who choose to water are restricted to two days per week and asked to avoid excessive watering that runs off onto sidewalks, street and gutters.
More at CentralValleyBusinessTimes.com >>>