Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
June 19, 2008
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
Falling lake level will empty Folsom marina early
Sucker revision under way
Agency says progress made in two fish species’ recovery
Herald and News
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By Deborah Schoch,
The Long Beach City Council has hired an engineering firm to study the effects of removing or reshaping part of a massive breakwater that shields the city's pollution-plagued beaches from ocean surf.
Surfers and environmentalists are cheering the Tuesday night vote, saying that the World War II-era breakwater prevents waves from cleansing the coastal sands. They have long lobbied city and federal agencies to launch a serious study of tearing down the breakwater's easternmost segment or lowering it so waves can wash over it.
The 2 1/2 -mile segment lies directly offshore from the city's beaches. It was built between 1941 and 1949 to shield ships of the U.S. Navy, which left the city in 1997.
"It was built for the Navy, the Navy left and let's get rid of it," said Robert Palmer, chairman of the
But that's easier said than done. The breakwater is federal property, overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers, which cannot launch its own study without congressional approval, corps spokesman Greg Fuderer said.
The council voted 6 to 2 to hire Moffatt and Nichols Engineers for up to $100,000 to conduct the preliminary study. The Coastal Conservancy will pay half the cost if the corps agrees to review the study when it is complete. #
Falling lake level will empty Folsom marina early
Sacramento
By Bill Lindelof, staff writer
With Folsom Lake draining every day, boaters have an early deadline to remove their watercraft from slips in Brown Ravine.
Boats must be taken to high ground by July 2, said Ken Christensen, manager of Folsom Lake Marina.
Daily launching and boating on the lake will continue to be allowed.
About 600 boats are floating in the marina's 675 slips, but a decreasing water level caused by drought conditions require them to be pulled from the lake. Last year, required boat removal wasn't until Aug. 1, and in 2006, the lake remained full enough to keep the marina open until Dec. 1.
People who rent boat slips at the marina must haul their craft out when lake elevation drops to 412 feet, removing them from the lake vicinity or placing them in the marina's parking lot. The reservoir's elevation is 421 feet and falling.
The lake's level is determined by water inflow and releases from Folsom Dam. The more water is needed downriver for municipal, agricultural and environmental reasons, the less remains in the man-made lake.
"July 2 is the last day we need to get everything out," said Christensen, referring to water craft. "We started March 1 with a good snowpack. But then there was no rain in March. The, worst-case scenario was that we would have to get out Aug. 1. But it just got drier."
Last week, officials estimated that boats could remain in the marina until July 13, but the continuing drop in water level caused officials to change the date top July 2.
"The lake is going to continue to keep going on down," Christensen said.#
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1025674.html
Sucker revision under way
Agency says progress made in two fish species’ recovery
Herald and News – 6/18/08
By TY BEAVER, staff writer
Federal wildlife officials are revising recovery efforts for the endangered
The revision, which is expected to take about a year, will bring the fish closer to being taken off the endangered species list.
Mark Buettner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fisheries program manager, told the Klamath County Board of Commissioners that progress is being made in recovering the two fish species.
A variety of methods, including an appointed group of stakeholders, meetings and consultation from Desert Research Institute researchers will guide the revisions, he said.
Local input
Commissioners said they were glad that progress is being made, but wanted to make sure that irrigators have an opportunity for input.
“There’s a certain level of frustration because we’ve lived through this, and we hope the science is good science,” said Commissioner Al Switzer.
The suckers were at the center of the 2001 water crisis in the Klamath Reclamation Project. Declining populations led federal scientists to shut down irrigation in the Project in an effort to preserve them.
Advancements
Buettner said there have been advancements in monitoring and data collection since the water crisis, and his agency is pleased with the progress made so far.
A fisheries biologist from the Klamath Tribes, the Nature Conservancy and individuals from
Commissioner Bill Brown was concerned to not see a representative from the irrigation community in the stakeholder group and asked if that could be changed. Buettner said the group was established by regional director Steve Thompson, and its membership could be modified.
Buettner added that he was scheduled to meet with Klamath Water Users Association to hear its thoughts on the process. The stakeholders also represent a portion of the process and will not fully decide revisions to recovery efforts.
“The recovery plan is not a regulatory document, but a voluntary recovery roadmap,” he said. #
http://pioneer.olivesoftware.com/Daily/Skins/heraldandnews/navigator.asp?skin=heraldandnews
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