Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 22, 2009
3. Watersheds –
White House wants overhaul of federal firefighting funding
Riverside Press-Enterprise
Water experts: Mining near Grand Canyon is risky
S.F. Chronicle
Court upholds Grand Canyon's river management plan
Associated Press
Resurgence of bald eagles bodes well for our community
Auburn Journal
Illegal pot gardens scar Sierra landscape
Fresno Bee
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White House wants overhaul of federal firefighting funding
Riverside Press-Enterprise-7/21/09
By Ben Goad
As California heads toward the apex of another dangerous fire season, the Obama administration Tuesday urged Congress to enact sweeping changes in the way federal firefighting efforts are funded.
President Barack Obama wants to set aside more than $350 million that officials could tap once their annual firefighting budget is depleted.
In seven of the last 10 years, federal fire agencies have seen their money run out at the height of California's autumn fire season. That forced the U.S. Forest Service and the federal Bureau of Land Management to borrow funds from fire-prevention programs, including the thinning of dead trees from local forests.
"These transfers have resulted in considerable work disruption, delays, postponement and even cancellation of critical projects," U.S. Agriculture Department Deputy Undersecretary Jay Jensen testified Tuesday before a Senate panel. "We need to fix this situation."
The Obama administration is also backing separate legislation that would create a permanent account to pay the costs of battling "mega-fires," such as the October 2003 Old and Grand Prix fires in the San Bernardino Mountains, which destroyed more than 1,000 Inland homes, and the string of October 2007 blazes that blackened more than a half million acres across Southern California.
Such fires make up a tiny fraction of all forest fires but consume more than half of the nation's federal firefighting budget.
Jensen told members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources that the two measures could together create a more realistic strategy to combat wildfires.
Both enjoy wide support but require congressional approval, which isn't likely until September since Congress is occupied by debate over health care reform and climate change legislation.
It's not clear when the money would be available. But the Obama administration's support for plans to overhaul the federal fire-funding structure reflects an important shift.
Currently, Congress sets the annual national firefighting budget by calculating the average cost of the last 10 years. But that system does not take into consideration that fire seasons are gradually getting worse.
A century of aggressive fire suppression has left many of the country's national forests overgrown and unnaturally dense, making fires larger and hotter. Meanwhile, more people are moving into forests, or up against them, which makes it more difficult -- and expensive -- for fire crews to battle blazes, since they have to protect lives and homes.
The San Bernardino National Forest, which stretches over the two-county area and 676,000 acres from Wrightwood to Idyllwild, is the most heavily populated national forest. The forest has seen catastrophic firestorms in three of the last six years.
Locally, and in forests across the country, efforts are under way to better protect those who live nearby. Massive tree removal projects and prescribed burns seek to return forests to their natural state and reduce the intensity of large fires.
In areas where people live, federal funds pay for crews to create fuel breaks and for education campaigns encouraging residents to clear brush around their homes and to install fire-resistant roofs.
Such programs are often the first ones cut when federal fire agencies are forced to borrow money to battle blazes. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said the practice perpetuates the pattern of increasingly severe fire seasons.
"These quick cash schemes never solve budget problems, and they all but guarantee that future wildfires are going to be even more costly and more dangerous," Wyden said.
Thus far, a wetter than average spring in most parts of the country has set the stage for a light fire season, administration officials testified.
The exceptions include portions of the Appalachian Mountains, Washington state and California, which is suffering through its third consecutive year of drought, said Rhea Suh, the Interior Department's assistant secretary for policy management and budget.
"We're watching a few places very closely." Suh said. "And California is one of those places."#
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_fire22.42f3380.html
Water experts: Mining near Grand Canyon is risky
S.F. Chronicle-7/21/09
By Joan Lowy (Associated Press)
Uranium mining near the Grand Canyon would court disaster, risking damage to critical water supplies, local officials and water experts told a House panel Tuesday.
A hyrdologist who has been conducting research on springs in the canyon for 25 years told the House Natural Resources Committee's parks subcommittee that past mining polluted a stream that feeds the Colorado River, and that more pollution is likely should mining resume.
A water utility manager said virtually all of Southern Nevada would be left without water supplies if a mining disaster should occur.
Two other scientists, however, said modern mining techniques have improved and development shouldn't be prohibited because of past mistakes.
The committee is considering a bill by Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., that would permanently bar the filing of new mining claims on 1.1 million acres of federal lands north and south of the canyon. Renewed interest in nuclear power has led to a surge in uranium mining claims in the area.
There are as many as 10,000 existing mining claims on nearby federal lands for all types of hard-rock exploration and some 1,100 uranium mining claims within five miles of the canyon.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Monday that he is barring the filing of new claims on nearly 1 million acres of U.S. Forest Service and other public lands for two years while the administration studies whether mining on those lands should be permanently prohibited.
Neither the legislation nor Salazar's action would stop mining from going forward on claims already filed.
David Kreamer, a professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, said his research found uranium levels three times greater than the Environmental Protection Agency's recommended limit for water supplies in a canyon creek. He said the pollution is the result of mining that ceased more than a decade ago.
"I believe that an assumption that uranium mining will have minimal impact on springs, people and ecosystems in the Grand Canyon is unreasonable, and is not supported by past investigations, research and data," Kreamer said.
Kay Brothers, the deputy general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said her customers are almost entirely dependent on the river for their water supplies.
"That's why we're so concerned," Brothers said. "You have to look at the potential for contamination to reach the river."
However, Madan Singh, director of the Arizona Department of Mines and Minerals, said most of the present uranium contamination is the result of natural erosion, not mining.
"It's important to separate real contamination issues from perceived contamination," Singh said.
Karen Wenrich, a former geologist for the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the mining industry has "come a long way" and shouldn't be punished for mistakes that took place when the risks of uranium were less well known.
Most of the claims for uranium are staked in the Arizona Strip, a sparsely populated area immediately north of the Grand Canyon National Park known for its high-grade uranium ore.
Operations in the area ceased some 20 years ago, when the price plummeted for uranium used for nuclear energy, weapons and medicine. With prices now around $55 a pound, the industry is eyeing restarting operations.
Toronto-based Denison Mines Corp. is about a year away from mining at a site about 20 miles from the canyon's northern border if it secures an air permit with Arizona state officials.#
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/07/19/national/a211429D41.DTL
Court upholds Grand Canyon's river management plan
Associated Press-7/21/09
By Felicia Fonseca
An appeals court on Tuesday rejected a challenge by environmentalists to federal rules allowing the use of motorized rafts at the Grand Canyon.
Several environmental groups sued the National Park Service in 2006 over its Colorado River Management Plan, which permits the use of motorized rafts in the canyon. The groups argued that the park service ignored its own rules and policies that say canyon uses shouldn't impair the wilderness character of the area.
In rejecting that argument, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld a lower court's decision that said the plaintiffs failed to show the park service acted arbitrarily and capriciously when it adopted its river management plan.
Park Superintendent Steve Martin said he's pleased with the decision. The plan, he said, took years of work and took into account alternatives that would have excluded motorized rafts.
"Really, a lot of thought was given to it, and it's one of those where we can certainly appreciate the perspective of the wilderness groups," he said.
The park service adopted the river management plan in March 2006 after four years of study by a group of scientists, park service managers and other professionals, with input from tour operators, American Indian tribes and members of the public. It's meant to be an adaptable plan in that alterations can be made if necessary.
The plan changed how motorized and non-motorized rafts are allocated time-slots on the upper Colorado River below the Glen Canyon Dam, spreading them over more months while cutting summertime use. The result is more tourists overall.
The plan also eliminated a waiting list for those who wanted to raft the river in noncommercial boats, replacing it with a lottery system. More than 7,000 trip leaders were on the waiting list, with many waiting more than a decade for one of the coveted slots.
Jo Johnson, co-director of the Boulder, Colo.-based River Runners for Wilderness, said she was disappointed by the court's decision but not entirely surprised.
An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is unlikely, she said, but the group is not giving up. She said she's hopeful Congress will consider designating the area as wilderness or that Grand Canyon officials will amend the river management plan to exclude motorized rafts.
"It's part of what wilderness is intended to mean," she said. "A wilderness with motors in it is not really wilderness."
Martin said there are no immediate plans to amend the river management plan.
"If you changed the number of motor trips substantially, then you would have to look at numbers of people and trips," he said. "You'd have to look at the whole plan; you couldn't just tweak it a little bit."#
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jfDo1ADf1X_PENwtt0sNBx_2NS4AD99J6P000
Resurgence of bald eagles bodes well for our community
Auburn Journal-7/22/09
Editorial
The recent surge in bald eagle sightings in the greater Auburn area is good news.
Not only are the once-severely threatened majestic birds a national treasure, but they are an important part of our ecosystem as well.
That isn’t always the case. Deer populating suburbs, bobcats in backyards and mountain lions spotted in urban areas are signs of imbalance.
But the return of bald eagles to the American River watershed shows a healthy trend in our ecosystem that must be further encouraged.
Auburn Journal summer intern Megan Sanders, a Forest Lake Christian High School graduate now majoring in journalism at Sacramento State, found a diversity of people who support the eagles’ comeback when writing an article for Tuesday’s edition.
Sierra Pacific Industries, a giant logging company with a big mill in Lincoln, has biologists who understand the importance of healthy forests.
Bill Prior Sr., a hunting and fishing advocate and owner of Auburn Outdoor Sports, understands that some management is needed to protect endangered species like bald eagles and that some “hunters” are just as excited to shoot with a camera as others are to shoot with a gun.
Noah Rucker-Triplett, an El Dorado County recreation supervisor, acknowledges that tourists who flock by the tens of thousands to enjoy local whitewater on the American River delight at the chance to see a wild eagle.
Bald eagles are a part of the food-chain cycle and their reappearance is an encouraging sign, Steve Rothert, California Field Office Director of American Rivers Conservation told the Journal.
“Bald eagles play an important role in terms of helping to retain and circulate nutrients in watersheds,” Rothert said.
Fish are their primary source of food and Rothert said the return of bald eagles suggests there is a better supply of fish in the rivers.
“American Rivers and our partners are working to bring back salmon and steelhead,” Rothert said.
He also said that the eagles’ initial disappearance was symptomatic of a sick ecosystem and their comeback represents an improvement in that ecosystem.
Jack Sanchez, president of Save Auburn Ravine Salmon And Steelhead (SARSAS), is working with dozens of other dedicated foothills residents to bring fish back to Auburn Ravine.
“The salmon of California are … in danger for many reasons: global warming, pollution, poisons, man-made drugs, lack of fish passage and an overall degradation of spawning beds,” Sanchez wrote recently.
“Part of the solution is not to argue for years but to open up California streams as soon as possible for salmon spawning. The SARSAS Plan (see www.sarsas.org), formulated for the Auburn Ravine, is the simplest way to save salmon and should be implemented on all streams within our state immediately,” he wrote.
“If every stream were to have a volunteer group working to do what SARSAS is doing with the Auburn Ravine, that is, to return salmon and steelhead to its entire length and secure fish passage, adequate water and spawning beds, then salmon can once again thrive in significant numbers.”
The return of the eagles is a positive sign. The nearby American River canyons and the scenic Sierra Nevada foothills we call home have much to offer in terms of beauty and recreational opportunities.
Working together to protect our environment, and return salmon and steelhead to their former spawning grounds makes common sense and economic sense.
The return of the bald eagles is a sign we’re headed in the right direction. Let’s keep the momentum going by valuing, protecting and caring for our natural resources.#
Illegal pot gardens scar Sierra landscape
Fresno Bee-7/21/09
By Marc Benjamin
State law now allows marijuana with a prescription, and new legislation would make it legal for all adults, raising $1.4 billion in new taxes. But law enforcement officials say one thing hasn't changed: pot farms still illegally use -- and often scar -- California's forests.
As part of a massive sweep, more than 300 agents from 17 agencies have spent the past 10 days hiking through and flying over Fresno County's secluded forests to destroy tens of thousands of plants worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Authorities arrested dozens of people and seized dozens of weapons, Fresno County sheriff's deputy Chris Curtice said.
"This is about growing illegal marijuana on public lands and state and federal parks," Curtice said. "This is not about legalization of marijuana, it's about growing illegal marijuana on public lands, the damage it does to the environment and the danger it poses to the public because of the people involved."
Each year, local, state and federal agents pick a region of California to focus their efforts in fighting marijuana farms. This year's campaign, called Operation Save Our Sierra, focused on the foothill areas of Fresno County.
The growers, who often come from Mexico, are paid by cartels to cultivate the plants, authorities say. They often stay in the forests for months, some to pay for their illegal transit to America. They leave behind tons of litter, kill wildlife and cattle, and pollute waterways, officials say -- marks that can harm the environment for years.
The cartels know many of the pot groves will be found, said Fresno County sheriff's deputy Mike Severson. But they can still count on big profits.
The cartels "figure that if they plant 10 gardens, three or four will get caught by law enforcement," Severson said. "It just never ends."
Monday's drug enforcement operation was based near Jose Basin, 2,200 feet in elevation and five miles northeast of Auberry. On Monday, helicopters flew out of the nearby forested foothills and dropped uprooted marijuana plants into a trailer. Next to the trailer was an aviation fuel truck flying a marijuana leaf flag with the word "BLUNT," a slang term for a marijuana cigarette, written across it.
After a 20-minute ride on a narrow washboard road, agents still had a 30-minute hike at 3,800 feet -- and in triple-digit temperatures -- over a dry creek and through scrub brush, pine and poison oak to reach one pot farm.
The hike ended at a camp where officers seized 8,393 marijuana plants -- valued at $3.35 million in street sales.
A few hundred feet into the hike, Severson exposed irrigation line that ran a half-mile from a creek to the camp and had served as a water source for the plants.
The site raided Monday, one of five uncovered in the area during the 10-day sweep, was easy to spot from the air; lush green leaves contrasted against the backdrop of the surrounding forest.
This grow was not camouflaged, Severson said, a major mistake by the growers.
The growers, who had made the camp home for months, had disappeared Monday as agents entered. A freshly cut tomato, a five-pound bag of sugar spilled on the ground, a forgotten BB gun and an MP3 player indicated how quickly they left. Four sleeping bags, a half-dozen compact discs of Mexican music and large amounts of food also were left behind.
In a makeshift kitchen built with sticks and dark green plastic bags, marijuana was hung to dry. Small drawings -- one depicting a coastal scene with a smiling sun and another emblazoned with "Michoacan," the name of a Mexican state -- served as decoration.
Empty cans were discarded in the creek bed; propane tanks, rat poison and fertilizer were on the camp ground.
A short hike uphill revealed what the agents came for: One-third of an acre of plants, many taller than the agents guarding them. Nearby were containers of fertilizers and pesticides.
If allowed to remain, the pesticides could trickle into the creek with winter rains, destroying surrounding fish and harming wildlife that relies on the creek for drinking water, said John Heil, a regional press officer for the U.S. Forest Service.
Some of the fertilizers used are illegal in the United States because of their toxicity, he said.
The cost to clean up the grow sites is $15,000 per acre on average, Heil said.
"It takes a long time for these sites to recover, and many times they do not recover to their original states," he said.
"We look at this as ecological disaster."
Some remote marijuana sites busted last year in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks still haven't been cleaned up, spokeswoman Deb Schweizer said.
Last year, state and federal agents fanned out across Tulare County, removing marijuana plants from national forests and parks.
Even those sites where crews tried to restore former pot farms into natural habitat haven't entirely recovered, she said.
"We have to replant native vegetation, and where there were old trees taken out, it could take 100 years for them to come back."#
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/1550891.html
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