A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
August 29, 2007
3. Watersheds
QUAGGA MUSSELS:
Mussels' invasion spreads in county; Water officials caught off guard - San Diego Union Tribune
Stienstra Outdoors: Boat crackdown -
WETLANDS RESTORATION:
$1.43 billion restoration of 36,000 acres of bay wetlands floated in report -
SF: REPORT SAYS $1.43 BILLION NEEDED TO RESTORE TIDAL WETLANDS - KPIX CBS Channel 5 (Bay Area)
8/28/07 - Watersheds
$47 million for Salton Sea stalls as deadline looms -
PROTECTED AREA GROWS; Elkhorn Slough: 144 acres to be added to reserve - Monterey Herald
QUAGGA MUSSELS:
Mussels' invasion spreads in county; Water officials caught off guard
By Mike Lee, staff writer
The infestation of a prolific pest called the quagga mussel has spread across
The invasive species was confirmed in the Lower Otay Reservoir yesterday, which probably means it has a foothold in all 12 of the region's reservoirs that are connected to the imported water supply system. It easily could have been carried to other lakes by boaters.
The results eventually may include clogged waterlines, altered ecosystems and expensive efforts to contain the tiny shellfish, which water experts say typically can't be eradicated. It probably will be years before the costs of quagga-control measures are known.
Local water officials were caught off guard by the rapid dispersion of quagga mussels across the region. They will meet tomorrow morning with regional and state leaders to create a plan for identifying and isolating the economically and environmentally dangerous invaders, which hadn't been detected west of the Continental Divide until this year.
Now, quagga mussels have been confirmed in three lakes in the county – Lower Otay near
Quaggas also have been found in
“It would seem like they would be other places, but we haven't heard of them being detected (elsewhere),” said Bob Muir, a spokesman for Metropolitan.
Water from
Mark Rogers, operations manager for the Sweetwater Authority in
“So far, we haven't seen anything,” he said.
But that doesn't mean
“I would say the odds are that either we have got them or we are going to get them,” he said.
The city of
At
“It's only a very few that were found in the samples, but it doesn't take very long for a few to become a lot,” said Arian Collins, spokesman for
The good news was from
“We are all kind of scrambling on our own right now,” said Jay Cowan, supervising ranger for
That should start to change by the end of the week.
Gary Eaton, operations manager at the San Diego County Water Authority, said the goal for tomorrow's meeting is to prioritize a detection program countywide.
“Launching into an inspection, though it sounds good, can be an awful big waste of time if it's in the wrong locations,” he said.
If the quagga population can be kept low, it may have minimal impact on operations, Eaton said.
“Part of developing this plan is to keep from getting into a position where it reduces the ability to move water or causes damage to the ecosystem,” he said. #
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070829/news_1m29mussel.html
Stienstra Outdoors: Boat crackdown
San Francisco Chronicle – 8/29/07
By Tom Stienstra, staff writer
On the eve of the last major boating vacation holiday weekend of summer, the state is asking boaters to help in the crackdown to prevent the spread of the invasive Quagga mussel.
Insiders with federal environmental agencies told me that if boaters do not self-govern themselves, that very harsh measures, even banning boats from some popular locations, could be ordered if the spread of invasive species in lakes and rivers is not stopped.
"This is a vital issue that needs the attention of all boaters," said Ted Thomas of the Department of Water Resources, in a more diplomatic conversation I had with him.
The Quagga mussel was discovered in
Although they range from microscopic to the size of a fingernail, they are prolific and attach themselves to any hard surface. In the
According to Thomas, spread of the Quagga could also result in millions of dollars in damage to water transport facilities.
A public toll-free number, 1-866-440-9530, has been established for boaters and anyone involved with activities on lakes and rivers seeking information on the invasive and destructive Quagga mussels. The DFG asks all boaters to do the following:
--Thoroughly wash the hull of each watercraft once it is out of the water, removing all plants and animal material.
--Drain any water through the vessel's hull plug, and ensure the area is dry.
--Ensure the vessel's lower outboard unit is drained and dry.
--Clean and dry any live-well aboard the vessel.
--Empty and dry any buckets.
--Any vessel traveling from Lake Mead or the
--Dispose of all bait in the trash. #
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=40&entry_id=19792
WETLANDS RESTORATION:
$1.43 billion restoration of 36,000 acres of bay wetlands floated in report
San Francisco Chronicle – 8/29/07
By Jane Kay, staff writer
Spending $1.43 billion over half a century would restore about 36,000 acres of once-diked wetlands and double the amount of tidal marsh ringing San Francisco Bay, states the report released Tuesday by Save the Bay, an Oakland nonprofit organization founded 45 years ago.
The report recommends initiating a unified effort by nine Bay Area counties and obtaining funds through congressional bills, state and local bonds and even new taxes. The $1.43 billion goal could be met if every Bay Area resident gave $4 a year over 50 years, the report said.
In a campaign to expand space for wildlife, boost recreational opportunities and improve flood control, state and federal agencies over the past decade have spent nearly $370.5 million to buy and start restoration of 36,176 acres. That land can be found on a total of 13 sites, including
But a great deal of work still needs to be done and cannot be accomplished without a plan backed by public funds, the report said. With such money, government agencies would be able to complete the restoration work on land already acquired, according to the group.
Tidal marshes are the foundation of a healthy estuary, scientists agree. The soggy ecosystems help control floodwaters, including those caused by rising seas. Marshes also catch pollutants and act as a rich nursery for mussels, oysters, worms and crustaceans at the base of the bay's web of aquatic life. Without a functioning tidal marsh, there's not much for young Dungeness crab, salmon and steelhead to eat.
Over the past 200 years, the growing Bay Area population has built towns, roads and other development on top of filled tidal marsh, cutting the bay's original ring of 190,000 acres to 40,000 acres - an 80 percent loss.
Local officials in 2000 set a goal of restoring wetlands to 100,000 acres. Adding 36,176 acres identified by Save the Bay to the 40,000 acres of existing salt marsh would bring the bay's total to about 76,176 acres. Government agencies involved in the restoration effort haven't identified the rest of the land that could be used to meet the 100,000-acre goal.
Much of the money spent to bring back the wetlands - most of which were diked for farms, cities and salt ponds - has come from bonds and private foundations. But a lack of consistent funding is hampering recovery efforts, and there is a shortfall of money in government budgets to pay for staff, engineering work and construction, the Save the Bay report said.
With the purchase of some Cargill salt ponds in 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acquired 9,600 acres for the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, making the agency responsible for 70 miles of levees and other structures. Yet during that time, refuge budgets were shrinking or staying the same, often forcing officials to do more with less. Also in 2003, the state Fish and Game Department acquired 6,900 acres of salt pond land. However, only one Fish and Game Department scientist is dedicated to protecting wildlife in three counties as well as looking after more than 6,000 acres of the department's property, the report said.
Save the Bay was founded in 1962 as part of a movement to halt the filling of the bay and put an end to garbage dumps and filthy sewage plants that threaten the bay's water quality. It's the oldest group dedicated to preserving the bay's natural resources. Tuesday's report contends that local residents care even more deeply about the bay now than they did then and are willing to pay to save it.
A poll conducted by EMC Research on behalf of the environmental group indicates that Bay Area voters would agree to "pay modest taxes for bay wetland restoration." Eighty-three percent of residents polled said they would pay $10 a year in taxes or fees to restore wetlands that would result in cleaner bay water, provide flood control benefits, enlarge the
"The bay is an ecosystem that touches nine counties and millions of people and ignores municipal borders," the report said. The environmental groups said advocating for the bay with "one regionwide voice is essential to success in securing needed state and federal funds."
The group compiled cost figures by estimating yet-to-be-done restoration, 10 years of monitoring and operation and maintenance for 50 years at 13 sites.
The sites include the 1,564-acre Cullinan Ranch owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on
Raising public funds for wetlands restoration is something businesses are likely to support, said John Grubb, a spokesman for the Bay Area Council. The council is made up of CEOs from the region's 275 largest employers.
"We believe in targeted investments that provide a return on quality of life, and this would seem to pass that test," he said.
"We're in a global competition for talent, and one of the ways you convince people to move to our region and work for our companies is by offering them a great place to live. Environmental protection and restoration are essential to a good quality of life." #
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/08/29/MN1SRQSIV.DTL
SF: REPORT SAYS $1.43 BILLION NEEDED TO RESTORE TIDAL WETLANDS
KPIX CBS Channel 5 (Bay Area) – 8/28/07
About $1.4 billion is needed during the next 50 years to restore more than 36,000 acres of tidal wetlands in the
Such restoration is needed because mass urbanization has altered the bay, according to Save the Bay, the organization that put out the report.
People have diked and drained marshes to create agricultural fields and salt ponds and wetlands have been filled for development and now only 5 percent of the Bay's original wetlands remain.
Having such wetlands is important for water quality, flood control, as well as for open space and recreation, said David Lewis, Save the Bay's executive director.
"Ninety-five percent of the wetlands that used to exist on the shore of the Bay are gone. We are trying to double what currently exists," Lewis said.
The biggest factors threatening the Bay include wetland loss, pollution mostly from runoff, and fresh water being diverted, Lewis said.
Too much fresh water coming down from the Central Valley through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is being diverted to
"Migrating fish, especially salmon, need those fresh water flows to migrate. It is the only way they can tell how to go upstream," Lewis said.
Not having adequate money is the greatest barrier to re-establishing 100,000 acres of habitat, the amount of wetlands scientists say the Bay needs to be a healthy ecosystem, according to Save the Bay's report.
The estimated $1.43 billion cost for restoration came from various landowning agencies, Lewis said.
There are 13 large projects, ranging from 300 to 13,000 acres, in addition to smaller ones. The largest project is at the former Cargill Salt ponds in the
Most of the land is publicly owned, although the Marin Audubon Society owns one of the parcels, Lewis said.
All of the parcels were bought within the last decade because they were threatened and needed protection. Although they will not to be built upon, they still need to be restored, he said.
Some $370 million has already been invested to acquire property and plan these restoration projects, according to Save the Bay, which has been working to protect and restore the Bay since 1961.
Even though some money has already been provided by the federal and state government, it is a fraction of what is needed, Lewis said.
Save the Bay is working to create a special district to increase the restoration funding. The organization has contacted business and political leaders and area constituents to try to create the agency.
"There is strong public support for doing this and paying for it," Lewis said. #
http://cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2007/08/28/n/HeadlineNews/BAY-REPORT/resources_bcn_html
8/28/07 - Watersheds
$47 million for
By Jonathan Athens, staff writer
Time is quickly running out for
State lawmakers on Friday will come to the end of this legislative session and they will not reconvene until January.
Last week the Senate Appropriations Committee decided to put Sen. Denise Ducheny’s Senate Bill 187 in “suspension” — a move that one major political player said was “disappointing.”
“I hear the clock ticking louder every day,” Salton Sea Authority Executive Director Rick Daniels said.
Daniels was in
Although Ducheny’s bill comes with a hefty price tag, the estimated cost to fully restore the sea is $8.9 billion and would take 75 years to fully implement.
And those figures are raising some concerns.
“There are a lot of people concerned about the big expenditures,” Daniels said.
Among stakeholders in Imperial and
“Everywhere else it seems to be seen as just another big expenditure,” he said.
Daniels said this latest legislative setback is even more pressing because water transfer agreements that shift water to
Lawmakers will have to come to a decision soon because they know if a dam is not built in time, it could spell the beginning of the end of the sea, he said.
Scientists have predicted the
The
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2007/08/28/news/news03.txt
PROTECTED AREA GROWS;
By Kevin Howe, staff writer
Elkhorn Slough Ecological Reserve in Moss Landing is about to grow by 144 acres.
The California Wildlife Conservation Board has approved two grants totaling $2.7 million to purchase seven parcels that will be added to the Elkhorn Reserve area.
The board last week approved acceptance of almost $1.5 million from a Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program matching grant administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to buy four parcels.
The grant requires a 50 percent match of state funds and the board approved allocation of $1.115 million from the Proposition 17 Habitat Conservation Fund to close escrow on the properties.
At its meeting Thursday, the board approved allocation of more than $1.5 million from the Proposition 40 California Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks and Coastal Protection Fund for purchase of three scattered parcels, including 24 acres of tidal wetlands, riparian riverbank habitat, grassland and oak woodlands near Moss Landing, 24 acres near Pajaro and 19 acres within Pajaro of grassland and oak woodland for inclusion in the reserve.
Escrow is expected to close by the end of October, said John Donnelly, executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Board.
He said the conservation board will seek reimbursement of the Proposition 17 funds from NOAA through a federal Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program grant.
The acquisitions are the latest for the slough by the board, which approved its first acquisition in 1979.
Endangered species that live in the slough include the snowy plover,
Mark Silverstein, director of the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works with the Elkhorn National Estuarine Research Reserve on conservation and preservation issues, said the funding "is contributing to the overall effort to conserve and restore Elkhorn Slough and the watershed that's been going on for more than 30 years."
These land acquisitions, he said, follow the Elkhorn Slough Watershed Conservation Plan that was adopted in 1999 by the state Coastal Conservancy and Coastal Commission. The criteria for acquiring them, Silverstein added, were their current significance in supporting fish and wildlife or other key natural resources critical to the long-term health of the slough.
He noted that all acquisitions have been from voluntary sellers.
"We only work with willing sellers," Silverstein said. "There has never been a taking of property in
The
http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_6738074?nclick_check=1
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