A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 8, 2008
3. Watersheds
QUAGGA MUSSELS:
Casitas plan would allow some boats in - Ventura County Star
Teen invents 'goo' to thwart quagga mussels -
DELTA ISSUES:
Rice May Save Sinking Delta -
KLAMATH ISSUES:
Guest Column: Klamath pact is key to recovering salmon -
QUAGGA MUSSELS:
Casitas plan would allow some boats in
Local fishermen agonizing over the inability to launch boats at
The Casitas Municipal Water District board is expected Wednesday to vote on a measure that would allow boats exclusively used on the lake to gain access again. More boat storage at the lake is also being proposed.
The proposal would allow people to bring their boats to the lake while still protecting the lake from invasive mussels, said Casitas General Manager Steve Wickstrum.
The board voted in March to close the lake to outside boats in an effort to keep quagga and zebra mussels out of the lake. The tiny mollusks, which can be transported on boats, can wreak havoc on waterways, crippling infrastructure and changing ecosystems.
Fishermen decried the decision to limit access to the world-famous bass lake.
Under the new proposal, boats would first be inspected to make sure they carry no mussels, then a cable lock would be placed around the boat and its trailer. Boats would then undergo a 10-day quarantine either at the lake or off site. After the quarantine, if the lock has not been tampered with, boaters would be allowed on the lake. Boaters would have to pay for the $50 lock.
The proposal also calls for storage of about 50 boats at the lake.
If approved Wednesday, the new rules could take effect in a few weeks, Wickstrum said. The board meets at 4:30 p.m. in district offices,
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/apr/08/casitas-plan-would-allow-some-boats/
Teen invents 'goo' to thwart quagga mussels
By Zeke Barlow, staff writer
The researcher lowered her scientific experiment into
She spent hours formulating and mixing the concoction that she hopes will stop quagga mussels from clinging to pipes by the thousands and damaging water delivery systems.
Millions of dollars have been spent fighting quagga mussels in the
The inventor is not a doctorate-level scientist or an employee of a state environmental agency.
She's 14-year-old, french-fry-loving, giggly and precocious Brenna Callero, and she just may have the cure for the common quagga mussel.
Or, at the very least, she's got a good project for this year's science fair, called Don't Move a Mussel.
"I love science," said Brenna, a ninth-grader at La Reina High School in
The professionals paid to study the issue are impressed.
"At this point we are taking her very seriously," said Mike Giusti, a fisheries biologist who is tackling the problem for the California Department of Fish and Game. Quagga mussels can produce 1 million offspring a year. They spread rapidly, altering ecosystems by eating away the bottom of the food chain. For water agencies, the larger concern is the mussels' ability to cause millions of dollars in damage by virtually enveloping pipes and infrastructure.
For Brenna, it all started with a few mosquito bites on the fairway.
Brenna, who is determined to try out for the Ladies Professional Golf Association, was tired of being bitten by mosquitoes when she was golfing. For her science project last year, she developed a solution that kills mosquito larvae. She consulted a flower book to see which plants may be mosquito detractors, crushed a bunch of marigolds and lemon rinds, and before long her mixture was killing mosquito larvae.
Last year, her work took first place at her school's science fair, third place in the zoology category at the countywide competition and a fourth-place finish at the state level.
The Ventura County Environmental Health Division gave her a commendation for her work and asked her if she'd be interested in working at the department during the summer, she said.
She started learning about the quagga mussel, but the deciding factor came with the closure of two lakes to outside boats.
"I don't want this lake to be closed because of this," said Brenna, who grew up sailing on
"If I can make a difference in stopping the quagga, it would be amazing," she said.
Over bowls of M&M's, Brenna and her mother, a former environmental attorney, brainstormed about what they could do to stop the mussels.
Brenna figured what worked for mosquitoes might work for quagga mussels, so she adapted her concoction and included a paintlike substance that would help the mix stick to plastic or concrete. She wanted to use all natural ingredients because she has allergies and didn't want to sneeze while all the science was going on.
She painted three variations of her goo onto pipes to see if the goo would deter the mussels from sticking to the pipes.
She called Giusti, who helped her test her goo at
Last week she put two more pipes into
Of all the people working on the quagga mussel issue, Brenna is likely the youngest researcher.
"It is really very unique to have someone of that age to take interest in this so quickly when the public isn't even aware of what is happening," said Rick DeLeon, a microbiologist with Metropolitan Water District who is dealing with the mussel. "I think she's come up with a great hypothesis."
What exactly is in her goo is a trade secret Brenna is keeping to herself. If it does work out, Brenna would like to get a patent and make money off her high school science experiment.
But she wouldn't use the money to pay for college. She's banking on a golf scholarship for that. #
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/apr/08/teen-attempts-to-thwart-quagga-mussels-girl-goo/
DELTA ISSUES:
Rice May Save Sinking Delta
The Department of Water Resources has announced plans to fund a rice cultivation project that could stop, or even reverse, sinking land in the Delta.
Studies show that rice farming has the potential to stop, and possibly reverse the sinking of land (subsidence) as well as to store carbon as organic matter. Economic benefits to the local area through commercial rice farming will also be part of the evaluation. The project will be made possible via Proposition 84 flood control activity funds.
Local public agencies meeting the criteria defined in California Water Code Section 12311(a) are invited to apply for the funding. A Proposal Solicitation Package is available online at: www.dfm.water.ca.gov/dsmo/docs/Final_Draft_PSP_Rice.pdf
The minimum size of the rice growing plot is 300 acres and the required average depth of peat underlying the site is seven feet. It is the department's intent to have one funding recipient for a multi-year project lasting up to eight years.
For more than 100 years, as West Delta islands have been reclaimed and farmed, the land (which is primarily comprised of peat) has been disappearing, or "subsiding," because of oxidation and strong winds. The elevation of some islands has been reduced more than 25 feet and the land continues to "sink" by one-half inch to one inch per year. As the land subsides, more hydraulic pressure is exerted on the levees, increasing the risk for levee failure. Millions of dollars are spent every year maintaining these levee systems to protect the islands from flooding.
A public meeting has been scheduled to discuss the PSP with potential applicants at the following time and location: April 10, 2008, 10 a.m. – Noon, Walnut Grove Public Library,
http://californiafarmer.com/index.aspx?ascxid=fpStory&fpsid=33119&fpstid=2
KLAMATH ISSUES:
Guest Column: Klamath pact is key to recovering salmon
By Walter Duffy, fishery scientist and is leader of the California Cooperative Fish Research Unit and adjunct professor of fisheries biology at
Several columns in local newspapers have questioned the Klamath Settlement Agreement. The My Word columns, authored by Greg King and Felice Pace, suggest the agreement is a sweetheart deal for upper basin irrigators that will be realized at the expense of lower river fisheries. Both express concern that the agreement may not provide enough water for fish.
Environmental problems like the current problems on the
Environmental problems engender passion that can lead to conflict and polarization. Often, groups employ “dueling scientists” to bolster their positions in seeking a win, rather than realizing solutions.
We are told “a number of top fisheries scientists and hydrologists say the settlement agreement will not lead to recovery of salmon” (italics added). I don't dismiss the apprehension expressed by
NEC hired two consultants to review the draft settlement agreement. In the opening paragraph of his report to NEC, Bill Trush, an Arcata geomorphologist and river ecologist, stated: “Decommissioning the four dams will be the key to recovering anadromous salmonids to the upper
Similarly, in his report to NEC, Greg Kamman, a Bay area hydrologist, stated:
” ... the most significant ecological change that will occur in the Upper Klamath River basin is a large gain in salmonid habitat area realized through removal of the dams. Another benefit to salmonids will be operations that notably increase (almost double in some months) the historic river releases from Iron Gate Dam during March through July of most year-types.”
Both consultants then focus their reviews on water management options in the agreement, and each raise legitimate concerns. Among these are:
1. Managing river flows to mimic natural conditions would be better for fish than following seasonal prescriptions.
2. The agreement will provide less water than historic releases during September-November when adults are returning.
3. The amount of water within the basin is uncertain.
Despite their concerns about water management, both consultants recognize that dam removal is the key for fisheries recovery.
The first principle of restoring migratory fish populations is to remove barriers, such as dams, that block their migration routes.
The fisheries plan in the settlement agreement is premised on four dams being removed from the
The fisheries program relies on a process called adaptive management, an iterative approach that couples management with science. Managers and scientists together identify approaches, such as proposed water allocation NEC expresses concerns about, then managers implement them while scientists study whether the approach provides the intended results. If it does not, the approach is redesigned and another management iteration is undertaken.
This process can appear messy or vague, and requires a commitment from all parties. However, in situations like the
As an example: The fisheries programs will have objectives for habitat restoration and volumes water for fish in the river. Progress towards these objectives will be periodically reviewed and recommendations made on whether to continue the previous management of change it. This entire process will be peer-reviewed by an independent group.
I believe the Klamath River has greater potential for recovery than any other large river in the
Removing four dams from the
I remain optimistic about the
This opportunity only comes along only once every 50 years, I hope we take advantage of it. #
http://www.times-standard.com//ci_8837131?IADID=Search-www.times-standard.com-www.times-standard.com
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