Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
March 25, 2009
4. Water Quality-
California water board addresses Klamath River impairments
Siskiyou Daily News – 3/24/09
By David Smith
"The Klamath River, from source to mouth, is listed as water quality impaired (by both
"In 1992 the California State Water Quality Control Board (SWQCB) proposed that the
"The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board accepted this action in 1993. The basis for listing the Klamath River as impaired was aquatic habitat degradation due to excessively warm water temperatures and algae blooms associated with high nutrient loads, water impoundments, and agricultural diversions," states the 2008
The list, containing "Category 5" water body segments, pertains to water segments that are listed as impaired with a TMDL required, but not yet completed for one or more of the pollutants listed for that segment. Five segments of the
For the mainstem Klamath River from
The list contains various potential sources of pollutants, including agriculture; dam construction; drainage/filling of wetlands; flow regulation/modification; habitat modification; hydromodification; unknown sources; industrial point sources; municipal point sources; natural sources; irrigation tailwater; range grazing–riparian and/or upland; and upstream impoundment, among others.
Other sources, listed as "out–of–state sources," are explained in the list. "
The stretch of the Klamath awaiting a TMDL – along with the three reservoirs – may have implications for the current issue of dam relicensing, with the listing of dam construction as a potential source of some of the impairments.
According to Dave Clegern of the SWQCB Office of Public Affairs, the process of determining TMDLs on the Klamath stretch is operating independently of the dam process.
"The SWQCB does not have a seat at settlement negotiations, and must ultimately await an outcome of some kind there," Clegern said, "For that reason, we are proceeding with our Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in a way that allows us to continue gathering material in an open–ended manner."
Clegern stated that the EIR is targeting the impacts of pollutants and impediments on specific species in the river, largely salmon and other fish but also various other species.
There are a number of different dates for completion of TMDLs, for example; on the stretch of the Klamath from Iron Gate Dam to the Scott River, nutrients, organic enrichment/low dissolved oxygen and temperature are set to be addressed by next year, but cyanobacteria and sediment TMDLs do not have to be completed until 2021 – one year after the target date for initiation of removal of the dams set forth in the Agreement in Principle between dam owner PacifiCorp and various governing agencies.
Other TMDLs share this decade-in-advance completion date – ranging from 2019 to 2021.
"We're taking the EIR one step at a time simply because we don't know what will come out of the settlement," Clegern said, "we are open–ended right now, but will proceed with an eye toward having all bases covered in as timely a manner as possible."#
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DWR's California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. For reader's services, including new subscriptions, temporary cancellations and address changes, please use the online page: http://listhost2.water.ca.gov/mailman/listinfo/water_news . DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any programs, projects, or viewpoints by the Department or the State of
No comments:
Post a Comment