[Water_news] 1. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS - Top Items for 6/03/09

 

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment

 

June 3, 2009

 

1.   Top Item–

 

 

State’s largest ‘safe harbor’ land deal signed

The Central Valley Business Time6/02/09

What’s being described by its proponents as an “historic” 28,000-acre “safe harbor agreement” to protect a frog, a salamander and a beetle is being signed today

by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the East Bay Municipal Utility District.

 

It covers land in the Mokelumne River watershed in parts of San Joaquin, Amador and Calaveras counties.

Under a Safe Harbor Agreement, participating landowners voluntarily undertake management activities on their property to enhance, restore, or maintain habitat benefiting species listed under the Endangered Species Act.

 

SHAs encourage private and other non-federal property owners to implement conservation efforts for protected species by assuring that the owners will not be subjected to increased property use restrictions as a result of their efforts to attract and help listed species on their property.

 

The 30-year agreement is the largest in California and among the largest single-party SHAs developed in the nation, the Fish and Wildlife Service says.

 

It covers three federally protected species: Valley elderberry longhorn beetle, California red-legged frog, and California tiger salamander.

 

“We are very pleased to be signing this landmark agreement with East Bay MUD,” says Susan Moore, field supervisor with the Sacramento office of the Fish and Wildlife Service. “It is the result of a cooperative effort between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, EBMUD, and Environmental Defense Fund, to provide for enhancement and management of habitat for federally listed species within EBMUD lands in the Mokelumne River watershed.”

 

“With this agreement, the East Bay Municipal Utility District is helping to restore Mark Twain’s celebrated jumping frog to Calaveras County,” says Eric Holst, managing director of the Center for Conservation Incentives of Environmental Defense Fund.

 

The EBMUD agreement centers on habitat surrounding two large dams and their reservoirs, Camanche and Pardee, plus lands adjacent to the Mokelumne River for a half-mile below Camanche Dam.

 

Current and recent land use practices on the property include management for water supply, flood control, grazing, aquaculture, hydroelectric power, wastewater treatment, facility maintenance, residential use, and recreation.

 

The agreement and the associated permit authorize EBMUD to incidentally take the three federally-listed species during specific maintenance and operation activities and in exchange, EBMUD will enhance, create, and manage habitat for listed species on their property.

 

The property has known occurrences of the valley elderberry longhorn beetle and the California tiger salamander. Although California red-legged frogs have not been found on the property, it has extensive suitable breeding habitat, and the frogs are known on adjacent privately owned property. The agreement is intended to result in an increase in species populations throughout the property, resulting in a net conservation benefit for the three federally listed species.

 

EBMUD serves 1.3 million water customers and 640,000 wastewater customers on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay. Most of its water delivered to customers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties comes from the Mokelumne River.#

 

http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=12130

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.#

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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 California.