[Water_news] 3. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: WATERSHEDS - 10/25/07

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment

 

October 25, 2007

 

3. Watersheds

 

INVASIVE SPECIES:

Dogs sniff out tiny invaders that imperil pipelines; Detecting the mussels is vital to prevent water system breakdowns - Sacramento Bee

 

SETBACK AT WOLF CREEK FOR DEVELOPMENT APPROVED:

Council approves waterway setback; Some creekside dwellers bemoan Grass Valley's new 30-foot buffer edict - Grass Valley Union

 

 

INVASIVE SPECIES:

Dogs sniff out tiny invaders that imperil pipelines; Detecting the mussels is vital to prevent water system breakdowns

Sacramento Bee – 10/25/07

By Ngoc Nguyen, staff writer

 

The sun glistens off the waters in the Yolo Basin Wildlife Refuge. Waterfowl glide serenely overhead.

 

But Kyrie, a 3-year-old golden-coat Malinois, isn't barking at the birds. She's a picture of calm and control, waiting for the word from her owner to leap into action.

 

The state Department of Fish and Game is training dogs like Kyrie to sniff out the quagga mussel, an invasive freshwater mollusk that could wreak havoc on the state's water system.

 

The tiny, pesky clam has already homesteaded in Southern California waterworks, and if it spreads north, it could infiltrate waters like the Yolo Basin wetlands. A relative of the quagga, the zebra mussel has colonized the Great Lakes and has cost the power industry there $3 billion.

 

Quaggas are small – the size of a thumbnail – but they can clog pipes and disrupt the food web in lakes, rivers or streams.

Quaggas have spread quickly by attaching themselves to the surface of boats, so Fish and Game officials have stepped up detection at checkpoints and public education efforts.

 

That's where the dogs come in, with an unusual ability to sniff out the pest.

 

"The dogs can find the patch of quagga in a couple of minutes. They are very helpful and fast," said Lynette Shimek, a game warden and Kyrie's handler.

 

On Wednesday, Kyrie deftly sniffed out a clump of quagga on a boat trailer, detecting the tiny shells in a crack behind the wheel.

 

A trained sniffer like Kyrie costs between $8,000 and $12,000, and another $6,000 a year to maintain. Shimek said using dogs to search for invasive species can save the department about 800 work hours.

 

Edwin Grosholz, an invasive species biologist at the University of California, Davis, said the quagga is potentially disastrous for the state's pumping and irrigation systems.

 

"They attach to the walls in canals and cover water pipes," he said. "They literally grow on the inside of all the pipes. Water can't be pumped, and when they reach abundance in certain places, they can really begin to shut down systems."

 

The mussels arrived in the 1980s, carried to the Great Lakes through ballast water in ships from Europe. They then spread to lakes and rivers across the country, showing up in the Colorado River last January, and were subsequently detected in lakes in San Diego and Riverside counties.

 

The Metropolitan Water District in Southern California has spent $2.8 million to control the quagga, and recently approved another $6 million.

 

The economic impact of invasive quaggas can be measured, but Grosholz said it's harder to figure out the ecological impact of an introduced species. San Francisco Bay already is home to about 250 introduced species, so Grosholz said some may wonder why we should care about preventing others from taking hold.

 

"Why should we care about the introduced species? In many cases, ecosystems don't function as well with new species as native species," he said. "Introduced species can change the properties of the whole system – make it difficult for native species and make it easier for other invasive species."

 

State officials fear the quaggas will show up in Northern California's lakes and rivers, and cause similar problems.

 

"Clear Lake is among the lakes most at risk," said Alexia Retallack of the Department of Fish and Game. "It could jeopardize the striped bass in the lake."

 

Quaggas are filter feeders that can suck up all the microscopic phytoplankton, taking food from smaller fish and those higher up the food chain. Retallack said quaggas can spread from the lakes to freshwater portions of the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Delta.

 

Quaggas like certain types of fresh water – with the right mix of salinity, pH, temperature and calcium level.

 

"Calcium is the limiting factor," said Andrew Cohen, a senior scientist with the San Francisco Estuary Institute, adding that the Delta has a mixed calcium level, with the Western Delta being the most attractive area for quaggas to take hold.

 

In addition to the sniffer dogs, Fish and Game field officers are being trained to spot mussels; they'll then step up inspections at checkpoints. Boaters are advised to drain and dry hulls, outboard motors, outdrive units and buckets.

 

The Department of Fish and Game hopes to train six dogs by the end of the year, and a total of 22 in the next three years, at an estimated cost of $250,000. Funding comes partly through the general fund, and partly from donations through CalTIP, a nonprofit group that encourages citizens to report polluters and poachers.

 

Trainer Chip Johnson said the challenge is to find the right dog and match it with the right owner to form the perfect partnership.

 

"These are family dogs. We can't have vicious dogs that bite kids," he said. "Combined with the right handler to make the right team. That's what we have to do." #

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/452592.html

 

 

SETBACK AT WOLF CREEK FOR DEVELOPMENT APPROVED:

Council approves waterway setback; Some creekside dwellers bemoan Grass Valley's new 30-foot buffer edict

Grass Valley Union – 10/25/07

By Greg Moberly, staff writer

 

A new 30-foot waterway setback could put a wrinkle in future development plans for people who own creekside property in Grass Valley, those affected say.

Mark Heauser, who owns property next to Wolf Creek at 403 Idaho-Maryland Rd., said Wednesday he's concerned the city's new standard would limit his property's development potential.

"Yeah, I think (the 30-foot setback) was in excess," Heauser said.

But some people have argued for a deeper setback, saying as much as 100 feet is needed to protect city waterways. Late Tuesday, City Council members championed the 30-foot setback as a compromise between protecting Wolf Creek and the rights of property owners wanting to develop their property. They approved it in a 5-0 vote, saying it's a good place to start in protecting area creeks.

The new ordinance requires that all new construction - including parking lots - be at least 30 feet away from waterways. It does not include permeable structures such as trails, but would cover buildings such as room additions and tool sheds. It could go into effect as soon as December.

Heauser has no immediate plans to develop his creekside property, but he said a 20-foot required setback from the road on top of the new creek setback together create a potential problem.

A sand filtration system for water runoff should allow development closer to the creek than the new standard, Heauser said.

The ordinance's driving force is a concern that development close to the creek or other waterways is polluting them with contaminants such as oil and herbicides.

"It's not going to be an easy task to protect Wolf Creek," said Mayor Mark Johnson. But with the first ever setback standard, it's more important than ever for people interested in protecting the creek and those interested in developing property near the creek "to work together," he said.

Earlier this year, City Council members rejected a waterway setback standard up to 100 feet, saying it would be too much of a burden on future development. They sent the issue back to a city subcommittee for further review and they came back with a standard that a city-hired consultant originally recommended.

"It's just common sense (to have a wider setback)," said resident Virginia Moran, who favored a 50-foot setback. "The soil is like a natural sponge." It would absorb potential pollutants before getting into waterways, she added.

Under the city's new standard, residents rebuilding or adding on a structure falling within the minimum setback would need to file for a variance from the city, including plans to handle water runoff and protect creek habitat.

Many who wanted a larger setback sounded like they were encouraged by the city's first step.

"This is definitely an improvement," resident Pat Wynne said.

The ordinance would take affect in December, 30 days after passing its required second reading at the Nov. 13 council meeting. #

http://www.theunion.com/article/20071025/NEWS/110250153

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