The federal government’s operation of Folsom and Nimbus dams is harming fall-run Chinook salmon and steelhead in the American River, several environmental and fishing groups allege in a complaint filed this week with the state.

The groups are urging the State Water Resources Control Board to amend the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s permits to require colder and faster river flows from the two dams. The board has authority over water rights issued to the Bureau of Reclamation, as well as responsibility for protecting public trust resources, including fisheries and water quality. The board first issued operating permits for the dams in 1958.

“We’ve got to have a guaranteed higher flow, and there have to be modifications to Folsom Dam that will allow them to tap the coldest (water) pool in the reservoir,” said Stephen Green, president of Save the American River Association. “When temperatures are high and flows are low, we know that fish are being killed, and it’s not just this year. It’s been going on for decades.”

The other groups involved in the complaint are the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Save Our Streams Council and the Public Trust Alliance.

The water board is reviewing the complaint, which was received on April 4, said spokesman George Kostyrko. If it decides the complaint has merit, it could be scheduled for a hearing or further investigation.

“It is still early in the process, so we haven’t arrived at that, or any conclusions yet,” Kostyrko said via email.

Reclamation officials said they haven’t reviewed the complaint yet and had no comment.

Reclamation’s permit with the state allows it to reduce flows in the lower American River, which cuts through the Sacramento area, to as low as 250 cubic feet per second under certain conditions. Such flows were reached earlier this winter because of the drought, and may occur again this summer and fall. The complaint alleges this is insufficient to support healthy fish life, and should be raised to at least 750 cfs, Green said.

The City of Roseville began pumping water from wells Monday in an effort to preserve the water levels in Folsom Lake.

Roseville gets its water here at Folsom Reservoir, which is now at just 17 percent of capacity.

Several weeks ago, Roseville, the City of Folsom and the San Juan Water District asked the Bureau of Reclamation to reduce water flows from Folsom Dam to preserve more water for the drier months to come.  It agreed and reduced flows into the American River.

To make up the difference, Roseville is firing up its four auxiliary well water pumps to feed into the city’s water system, something that reserved for emergencies or during extreme drought conditions.

The pumps will be phased in and will eventually provide one half to a third of all water used in Roseville. Some residents  may notice more hard water stains on showers, faucets or other water fixtures. It may also taste different, even though it will be treated.

“But when all is said in done, it’s safe for drinking and meets all federal water standards,” Sean Bigley, government relations analyst with the city, said Monday.

Well water is not a concern for Roseville resident Shelby Jones, who is just moving back from Sacramento where she says tap water is harsher.

“If it’s just a smidgen better than Sacramento we’re not going to have a problem,” Jones said.

Roseville’s largest well water pump located  in the northern part of the city, capable pumping out 2,600 gallons of water a minute. It will operate only a few hours a day to start, and stay on longer in coming weeks.  Pumps this large use up loads of electricity and there are other operational costs.

More  at Fox40.com >>>

Governor Jerry Brown is calling for water conservation as the primary strategy against California’s record drought, but his emergency declaration on Friday also opened the door for weakening some environmental rules.

State regulators can now relax water quality standards, allowing rivers and estuaries to be saltier and warmer, as they try to manage the state’s limited supplies.

The change is making some fishing and environmental groups wary, who fear that wildlife concerns will come second to the needs of parched cities and farms.

“There will be some tough choices coming down the road on how we balance protections for the environment and water supply,” said Doug Obegi of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “There’s just no getting around it in critically dry years like this one.”

The change focuses on water quality control plans, like the one for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the hub of the state’s water supply. The plan assures that a minimum amount of water is released from dams, so freshwater is provided for downstream water users and wildlife, including salmon.

“They’re minimum standards for protection of the estuary and they really are minimums,” said Obegi.

Under the drought declaration, regulators can “consider modifying requirements for reservoir releases or diversion limitations.” Dam operators may ask to reduce releases to keep water in the reservoirs, so it can be used later in the year. That could violate water quality standards in rivers below the dams.

“It’s critical that we really maintain those minimal protections so that we don’t further exacerbate the precarious nature of our native fisheries,” says Obegi.

“The rivers are going to be super warm and super low,” says John McManus of the Golden Gate Salmon Association. “Salmon are going need to help because we’ve got tens of thousands of jobs hanging in the balance that depend on California salmon runs.” Several fishing groups are concerned that young salmon released from hatcheries won’t survive the dry conditions.

More at KQED.org >>>

Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday officially declared a drought emergency in California, asking residents to voluntarily reduce their water use by 20 percent and committing to bolster the state’s dwindling water supplies with better management and federal assistance.

The order, announced at a news conference at the governor’s San Francisco office, comes as the state is gripped by a third consecutive year of dry weather.

Rivers are running low. Snowpack is meager. And communities across California are worried about having sufficient water for homes, businesses and farmland. The dry weather also has increased the threat of wildfire, with record acreage burning this month, including a 1,700-acre fire that continues to char the hills above Los Angeles.

With the emergency declaration, Brown said he would make it easier for communities to transfer water from wetter parts of the state to dryer areas. He also said he would seek federal assistance, though he didn’t detail that effort.

“We are in an unprecedented and very serious situation,” Brown said. “It’s important to awaken all Californians to the serious matter of drought and the lack of rain.”

More at SFGate.com >>>

Faced with historically low water levels on the American River and a long-range forecast providing little relief, the Sacramento City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to enact severe water rationing on residents and businesses, while also boosting enforcement efforts against water scofflaws.

The council approved what city officials described as a “stage 2 water shortage plan,” requiring those who live and work in Sacramento to reduce their water use by between 20 percent and 30 percent.

Amid a sharp increase in the number of resident complaints against those violating winter outdoor watering restrictions, the city also plans to dispatch a task force of monitors to patrol city streets and enforce those rules. To assist in that effort, city officials said they would launch a $200,000 public outreach campaign to persuade city residents and businesses to cut back on water consumption.

“We’re the river city and yet here we are having to make very difficult decisions,” said Councilman Allen Warren.

Tracking the city’s precise water use could be difficult in the short term. With less than half the homes in the city using water meters, officials said they would not use those devices to track consumption and penalize metered homeowners and businesses that do not cut water use by 20 percent.

“It’s not our intent to treat those with meters differently than those without,” said Dave Brent, the director of the city’s Department of Utilities.

Instead, Brent said the city will increase its efforts to enforce winter outdoor watering restrictions that prohibit outside irrigation during the week. The city will also enforce regulations that also ban the use of water to wash sidewalks and driveways, demand that parks and cemeteries reduce watering and require residents washing automobiles at home to use buckets, not hoses.

Repeat offenders could face fines up to $1,000.