[Water_news] FW: 3. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: WATERSHEDS -6/10/09

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment

 

June 10, 2009

 

3. Watersheds –

 

 

Dam talks extended

The Daily Triplicate

 

Rain, humidity and cloud cover keep evaporation at bay

Tahoe Daily Tribune

 

The Future of Humboldt's timberlands

Eureka Times-Standard

 

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Dam talks extended

The Daily Triplicate-6/09/09

 

It may take a little longer than expected to reach a final agreement on the removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River. Oregon Gov. Ted Kulon­goski and PacifiCorp officials say they do not expect to meet a June 30 deadline after working since November to draft a plan. Dam removal is a key issue for the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, which seeks to resolve water issues among farmers, tribes, fishermen and conservationists.   The governor said he expects a document sometime in August or September. But utility officials say there has been no discussion about how long to extend the deadline, which they say is self-imposed.   PacifiCorp spokesman Art Sasse blamed the delay on the complexity of dam removal and the fact that Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar is still making appointments within his department.   “It’s just simply procedural. There’s just a lot of different players at the table,” Sasse said. “It’s really just a process of working through the complexities of the deal with all those various stakeholders.”   Until a final agreement is signed, PacifiCorp will continue the process to relicense the dams with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.   “At some point you need to pick one or the other and we need to reach a final consensus,” Sasse said, adding that everyone is “still very positive” that a dam removal deal will be reached.#   http://www.triplicate.com/20090609106150/News/Local-News/Dam-talks-extended       Rain, humidity and cloud cover keep evaporation at bay Tahoe Daily Tribune-6/09/09 Annie Flanzraich   While the recent thunder and rainstorms over Lake Tahoe have not contributed significantly to the lake's level, it helped nature make the best of the snowpack the mountains received this winter, a local water expert said Tuesday. “Since the big rainstorms in early May we haven't had any large rises, but it's a just a little bit every day, and if nothing else, it's offsetting evaporation, which is huge,” said Chief Deputy Water Master Chad Blanchard with the U.S. District Court Water Masters Office in Reno. The lake's level has risen .14 feet since May 26, bringing it to 6224.61 by Tuesday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. That's about .86 feet less that the level on June 9, 2008. How much of that rise can be attributed to precipitation is hard to tell, Blanchard said. “Part of that has been snowmelt, which is part of the normal rise, so it's hard to pull out the actual rise from the precipitation versus the snowmelt,” he said. Lake Tahoe has already exceeded the .9 foot rise predicted by the National Weather Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service with a 1.02 rise since April 1. “We don't know how much snow is left and how much more the lake will rise,” Blanchard said. “We will just have to sit and wait and see what happens. Even if we don't see it come up a bunch more the weather is contributing to low evaporation which is a good thing.” Rain and thunderstorms hit the Lake Tahoe region last week and could continue throughout this week according to NWS. May's precipitation totaled at 3.98 inches, making it the third wettest May ever. The wettest May was in 2005 with 4.33 inches. So far June is on pace to meet its average precipitation of .67 inches, with .62 inches already fallen. “We're pretty close to average, and we're only on the ninth day,” Blanchard said. The precipitation helps lake level not only by making up for evaporation but also by keeping the ground moist. This allows snowpack runoff to go directly to the lake instead of being absorbed into the ground, Blanchard said. “It's been the perfect spring for maximizing the snowpack we had,” he said.   Elevation levels are holding steady at Lake Tahoe after a series of rainstorms in May and June. The rim reached 6,224.61 feet above sea level on Tuesday, still below the historic average lake level one foot higher and a little less than one foot below the level last year of 6225.47. Lake Tahoe's overflow into the Truckee River, the lake's only outlet, is at 531 cfs, close to the 500 cfs mandated Floriston rate. Donner Lake is slight above full with 9,538 acre feet of water, full is considered 9,500 acre feet. At 128,631 acre feet Stampede Reservoir is a little more than half full its capacity of 226,500 acre feet. Last year at this time it had 138,167 acre feet of water. Boca Reservoir is filled with 31,229 acre feet of water, about 1,000 more acre feet than this time last year. Prosser Reservoir is full at 30,023 acre feet, above its capacity of 29,840 acre feet and almost 10,000 acre feet higher than its level this time last year.#   http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20090609/NEWS/906099992&parentprofile=search         The Future of Humboldt's timberlands Eureka Times-Standard-6/10/09 By Jen Kalt   Humboldt is the largest timber-producing county in the state, and the jobs that depend on timberlands have historically formed the cornerstone of our economy.   Across the North Coast, the “highest and best use” of forests for timber production and ecosystem values has become increasingly threatened by the conversion of resource lands to primarily residential or agricultural uses.   Such use drives land prices too high for economically viable long-term timber production.   The county is in the process of updating its General Plan, which will serve as a long-term guide for land management over the next twenty years.   The Forest Resources section of the Land Use Element will shape the future of timberlands. The County Planning Commission is considering four different alternatives of these policies - A, B, C and D.   Importantly, the county is not beholden to any single Alternative; it will choose policies from each of the Alternatives to compile recommendations for the final document.   A key question is how to enable small landowners to live on the land while preventing the fragmentation of large timberland holdings as has become the pattern across the country.   Under current policies and under General Plan Update Alternatives B, C, and D, a plan such as MAXXAM's to liquidate over 20,000 acres of TPZ land into 160-acre parcels would still be allowed.   That type of plan would remain legal, without any environmental review or public input, except under   Alternative A's proposal for two-tiered TPZ zoning.   Industrial vs. Non-Industrial TPZ: Currently, the minimum parcel size for lands zoned TPZ (Timber Production Zone) is 40 acres, though under state law the minimum is 160 acres. Alternative A proposes two tiers of land use classifications for timber.   Non-Industrial Timberlands would allow one house per 40 to 160 acres by right (meaning no Conditional Use Permit required). Industrial Timberlands would allow one house per 600 acres and a minimum parcel size of 160 acres. Not yet specified is the definition of Industrial vs. Non-Industrial TPZ.   Definitions that have been proposed include size of ownership, with less than 5,000 acres being zoned Non-Industrial Timber, or that ownership of a lumber mill should define Industrial Timber.   Despite the environmental impacts of industrial timber management practices, converting forests to residential uses poses the greatest threat to water quality and salmon populations, in large part due to road-related sedimentation, erosion, and runoff.   While profitable for timber corporations in the short term, fragmentation of large timberland holdings would damage the county's ecological health and a long-term economic base industry.   Intact timberlands provide fish and wildlife habitat, help protect water and air quality, and are an important feature of the rural quality of life here on the North Coast.   The recovery of salmon populations hinges on numerous factors, including water quality and reduction of sediment in Threatened and Impaired waterbodies in the Humboldt Bay, Eel, Klamath, and Mad River watersheds.   Whether we can make land use policy decisions that support salmon recovery is crucial to their survival.   Rollout of TPZ for Smaller Parcels: Currently a 4/5ths vote of the Board of Supervisors is required to roll out of TPZ into another zoning category. All General Plan Update alternatives propose to make rollout easier for the owners of smaller parcels that are not likely to remain in timber production.   Restoration Zoning: Currently not included in the plan alternatives, Richard Gienger's proposal for a new zoning category would promote restoration activities that restore and promote forest ecosystem values and long-term forest management.   It would provide incentives (such as continued TPZ-style tax status) for landowners in watersheds dominated by non-industrial timberlands, and would reward such activities as reduction of erosion and sedimentation, reduction of fuel hazards, increase of the commercial and wildlife values of forestland, watershed/fisheries restoration, and other related activities.   The Humboldt County Planning Commission will hold a Town Hall Meeting Thursday, June 11, 2009, at 5:30 p.m. on the Land Use Element including the Forest Resources Section at the College of the Redwoods' Forum Theater.#   http://www.times-standard.com/ci_12559400?IADID=Search-www.times-standard.com-www.times-standard.com

 

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