Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 23, 2009
3. Watersheds –
Tennant Fire containment expected Saturday
Siskiyou Daily News
Will gold dredging be banned?
Redding Record Searchlight
Conservancy running dry
Woodland Daily Democrat
Demand booms for Loch Lomond boat storage
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Water wars turn Owens into climbers’ paradise
Sonora Union Democrat
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tennant Fire containment expected Saturday
Siskiyou Daily News-7/22/09
By Heather Dodds
Homes are no longer threatened by the 4,168-acre Tennant Fire and the Union Pacific Railroad has been re-opened, a spokeswoman with the Klamath National Forest said this morning.
The fire is now 70 percent contained, and full containment is expected Saturday. Old State Highway 97 remains closed to non-fire traffic.
The fire, which is burning approximately 25 miles northeast of Weed in the Mt. Hebron area, started Sunday and was threatening 28 homes Tuesday. The fire is now holding within the containment lines and 883 personnel are fighting the blaze.
Containment objectives for fire managers are to keep the fire as small as possible while minimizing fire damage to bald eagle nesting and winter roost habitat, historic and prehistoric resources, and riparian areas adjacent to Butte Creek, an incident overview stated.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.#
Will gold dredging be banned?
Redding Record Searchlight-7/23/09
By Dylan Darling
Finding it hard to make a living logging in Trinity County, Elmer and Gloria Reynolds of Big Bar focused on pulling gold from the Trinity River to earn an income this year.
Now they are worried that a bill banning suction dredging passed by the state Legislature and being considered by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger could put a stop to their search for gold.
"This year has been going great for us," said Gloria Reynolds, 45.
She said they hauled as many as 2 ounces of gold - the precious metal is currently worth about $950 an ounce, according to The Associated Press - in a day using their 10-inch suction dredge.
The ban being weighed by Schwarzenegger is on such dredges. Powered by a gasoline or diesel engine, the dredges suck riverbed rock into a sluice box that separates it from gold flakes and nuggets.
A bill banning most recreational dredging has passed the state Senate. Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight
The process, often used by hobby and recreational miners, is harmful to fish, especially salmon, said Craig Tucker, spokesman for the Karuk Tribe.
The tribe, which has fishing rights on the Klamath River, tried to petition the state Department of Fish and Game for a ban on suction dredging in the river's tributaries.
Although the DFG rejected the petition, Tucker said the tribe found support for a statewide ban in the state Legislature. The potential law was passed in May and is now waiting for Schwarzenegger's signature.
But the governor is holding off on approving any new laws until the budget crisis is resolved, said Lisa Page, a spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger.
"The governor has said he won't sign any bills unless there is a budget," she said.
While he waits, those for and against suction dredging continue to debate the impacts of the practice.
Elmer Reynolds, 66, said he has used a suction dredge since 1992. He said he's actually creating spawning beds and pulling out trash left in the waterway.
"We take out quite a lot of stuff," he said.
Gloria Reynolds said they've found fishing poles, sunglasses and other trash submerged in the river.
Tucker said suction dredging stirs up silt that is harmful for fish and has contributed to the decline of salmon in the state.
"If it was good for fish, we'd buy all the dredges we could and we'd go out there to help the fish run," Tucker said.#
http://www.redding.com/news/2009/jul/23/will-gold-dredging-be-banned/
Conservancy running dry
Woodland Daily Democrat-7/23/09
By Melody Stone
Staff at Cache Creek Conservancy knew the drought would take a toll on the wetlands back in January. The water for the Conservancy is usually supplied by the Yolo County Flood Control District at no cost.
But with a hard-hitting drought in the middle of summer, the wetlands are now looking dry.
The district doesn't have the extra water, and the conservancy can't afford to pay for what water it does receive.
So the conservancy decided to let the land dry up to allow maintenance to the 10-year-old man-made wetlands, said Lynnel Pollock, executive director of the conservancy.
The old gravel mining land was originally reclaimed for the purpose of agriculture. The ground is low and created drainage issues, making it less than ideal for agriculture, which led to it being changed into wetlands.
The conservancy plans to do some earth-moving projects to help better shape the islands, as well as planting more native grasses.
The group also wants to decrease mosquitoes by clearing out some cattails. Letting the water level get low will also help curb the mosquito population.
The large population of non-native carp is dying as the water levels sink. Pollock said the carp are widespread in California waters, and there are efforts to remove such non-native species.
Conservancy staff have now relocated some native fish to other waterways. They are also monitoring native turtles to make sure none are harmed during earth-moving projects.
Pollock said conservancy officials also want to clear out non-native aquatic weeds, like Eurasian milfoil. Milfoil reproduces rapidly in warm water and draining the wetland is one of the best ways to control it.
There is a large beaver population in the conservancy and the surrounding waters. The beavers like to munch on the boardwalk, so staff will reinforcing the boardwalk with wire while the water is low.
The conservancy will remain dry till the rainy season this fall.#
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/ci_12897299
Demand booms for Loch Lomond boat storage
Santa Cruz Sentinel-7/22/09
By Genevieve Bookwalter
When attorney Jennifer Greene heard about the 12 storage slots approved last Tuesday for personal kayaks and canoes at Loch Lomond Reservoir, she called at 6 a.m. Wednesday to reserve her spot.
Instead, Greene said, she ended up third on the waiting list to store the kayak she bought in November specifically for paddling the Lompico reservoir.
"I called and they said that people had been there in person at 5 a.m.," said Greene, 55, of Santa Cruz. "If I had known it was so tight, I'd have been up there. Easy."
Demand is far exceeding expectations for kayak and canoe storage spots at Loch Lomond Reservoir after city officials closed the lake to outside boats when the reservoir opened for the season in March.
The closure was deemed necessary to protect Santa Cruz drinking water from invasive quagga and zebra mussels, which have been found in San Justo Reservoir in Hollister and other lakes around the state.
Last week, though, the City Council approved 12 storage spots for private kayaks and canoes, provided owners only use the vessels at Loch Lomond. The approval was considered a trial, but already has been so successful that racks for 12 more slots are on the way.
That response was a surprise for Water Department head Bill Kocher, who said last year he received a lukewarm response from paddlers who were asked if they would store their boats at Loch Lomond and use them only at the Santa Cruz Mountains reservoir after they have been inspected, sanitized and quarantined.
This year, though, demand is booming. Kocher said he isn't sure what caused the change in attitude, but his department expects at least four people to remain on the waiting list once the new storage racks arrive.
Demand is high to store outside fishing boats and trailers, too, Kocher said. But his staff still is researching where those could be secured and he doesn't expect them to be allowed at Loch Lomond this summer.
For kayaks and canoes, owners pay $25 for a mandatory inspection of the kayak or canoe and hot-water power washing of the vessel. Storage fees are $75 for the season, prorated this year.
Boats are quarantined for two weeks after the inspection and pressure-washed to ensure they are free of mussels and larvae. After that, owners could launch them at Loch Lomond any time, provided they do not leave the reservoir. If removed, owners forfeit the storage spot.
"I'm just glad that we were able to work out a compromise that works for everybody," said Councilman Ryan Coonerty. "People have been communicating to us about this, about how much it means to them to kayak out there."#
Water wars turn Owens into climbers’ paradise
Sonora Union Democrat-7/23/09
By Amy Alonzo Rozak
Dilapidated powerhouses sit empty in the shadows of towering cliffs. Odd bits of steel, cables and rhebar lay long abandoned beneath power lines that crackle overhead. At the top of the cliffs a massive pipeline, shadowed by 14,000-foot mountains, carries water hundreds of miles south to Los Angeles.
Amidst this strange environment, hundreds of feet down in a deep gorge, rock climbers make their way across rickety bridges that span the Owens River to reach the walls of the gorge, their ultimate goal to scale the steep walls. This is the Owens River Gorge, the site of world-class rock climbing and also the battleground for one of California’s longest running water wars.
Several hundred rock climbing routes are found within the Owens River Gorge, resulting in one of the world’s premier sport climbing destinations. “In my travels I’ve never found a sport climbing area with so much diversity and so many quality routes...” says longtime climber and route developer Marty Lewis of Round Valley.
One hundred years before rock climbing routes were established, however, the gorge housed a free-flowing river that carried water to the Owens Valley south of Bishop. In a controversial water battle the river was drained by the city of Los Angeles, and only recently has water been reintroduced to the gorge.
The Owens River Gorge is believed to have formed about 70,000 years ago when the Owens River cut through layers of compact ash left over from the eruption of a nearby caldera. As the river carved it’s way through the compact ash, known as Bishop Tuff, it formed a 10-mile long canyon that at times is up to 700 feet deep.
As settlers moved west, they found the eastern sierras to be a fertile area with plenty of water for irrigation. At the start of the 20th century, however, the area was permanently altered by the city of Los Angeles.
In the early 1900’s the city of Los Angeles began collecting water rights to the Owens River area, buying out many private ranchers. In November of 1913, the Los Angeles Aqueduct, an engineering marvel at the time, was completed. The draining of the eastern Sierra began.
In 1924 Owens Lake completely dried. In the 1940’s the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (L.A.D.W.P.) constructed a pipeline on the rim of the Owens River Gorge, diverting the entire river through the pipeline to bring more water to the city.
In 1970, a second aqueduct was completed, diverting even more water from the area. >From 1953 to 1991, no water flowed through the Owens River Gorge.
The draining of the Owens Valley met with opposition time and time again, but the cards remained stacked against the residents of the valley. In 1906, Congressman Sylvester Smith of Inyo County attempted to block the building of the impending aqueduct.
According to an online history of the area on the L.A.D.W.P.’s website, Smith was overridden by President Theodore Roosevelt, who dictated a letter that read “ ... yet it is a hundred or a thousand fold more important to the state and more valuable to the people as a whole if used by the city than if used by the people of the Owens Valley.”
Over the years, residents have battled to regain their water rights, ranging from several blastings of the aqueduct with dynamite in the 1920’s to legal battles in the 1970’s.
While the river remained dry, the area was discovered by area rock climbers.
“The microclimate of the Gorge is extremely dry. Since the river had been diverted there was almost no vegetation, just sand and the odd abandoned industrial workings. Pretty bleak,” says Lewis, who first visited the gorge in 1989. “Seemed like the perfect place to experiment with the new sport climbing ethic. Since it almost never rains and the temperature is nice from September to June it actually seemed super ideal for rock climbing.”
During the 1990s the gorge was developed into one of the premier sport climbing destinations in the United States. The gorge now boasts hundreds of routes of varying difficulty levels on its walls.
In 1991, the city of L.A., in conjunction with Mono County, began reintroducing water in limited amounts to the Owens River Gorge.
Sonora climber Dave Harden, who began visiting the gorge in 1990 and most recently was there in June, has watched the gorge change over the years. “It was dry and barren with very little plant life at all. With the old ruins it was a strange place to climb. Since the river has been back its been a wonderful place to visit.”
Although the diversion of the Owens River forever changed the area, the drying of the river gorge did open up development of one of the most popular sport climbing venues in the United States.
When water was reintroduced to the river, some routes in the gorge were flooded, but few can argue that the reintroduction of water to the gorge has simply made it a more beautiful place to recreate.
“A deep gorge like that deserves a river,” says Lewis.#
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment