Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 28, 2009
3. Watersheds –
As many as 1 million fish suffocate at Lake Elsinore
Steelhead trout's comeback will be upstream battle;
Recovery could take decades, cost millions
Ban on suction dredges reaffirmed by judge
Redding Record Searchlight
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As many as 1 million fish suffocate at Lake Elsinore
Hundreds of thousands of fish washed ashore at
The die-off comes as the city and the
Between 500,000 and 1 million thumb-size shad and about 6,000 larger fish such as carp and crappie died, Pat Kilroy, director of Lake and Aquatic Resources for
"It appears to have subsided at this time," Kilroy said.
It is the first major die-off at the lake since 80 tons of fish perished in 2002 from lack of oxygen and low water levels. In 1998, hundreds of thousands of shad washed up dead. In 1997, about 30 tons of shad died. It's also the first large die-off since the Watersheds Authority two years ago installed an aeration system that pumps air into the lake and installed mixing fans to increase oxygen levels throughout the lake.
Kilroy said he saw signs Monday that the die-off was over.
"Oxygen levels are at their lowest early in the morning," he said. "You'll see fish at the surface gulping for air. There were no fish at the surface."
City crews were scooping up the fish Monday. The fishing areas and beaches are expected to be clear by today, Kilroy said.
The fish are being taken to the El Sobrante Landfill southeast of
While the number of dead fish appears to be high, Kilroy said, they represent a small percentage of the fish in the lake. The lake holds about 10,000 shad per acre of surface area, Kilroy said. There are 50 to 100 larger fish per acre. The lake's surface area is about 3,000 acres.
Scientists are studying the lake's oxygen and algae levels to determine exactly what caused the die-off, said Mark Norton, administrator for the Watersheds Authority.
The algae bloom and the temperatures over 100 degrees the past few days, appear to be the likely culprits.
Tim Hovey, a fish and game biologist, said plantlike algae blooms are caused by the introduction of nutrients such as phosphorous into the water. In
"I'd say the fish died from low oxygen levels, mostly because of the hot days and warm nights," Kilroy said.
Norton said he believes the deaths would have been greater had the Watersheds Authority not installed the aeration system and mixing fans.
The system was operating Sunday, Kilroy said.
"It had been in operation 27 of the last 72 hours," Kilroy said. #
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_fish28.41f9328.html#
Steelhead trout's comeback will be upstream battle;
Recovery could take decades, cost millions
By Zeke Barlow
In order to restore steelhead trout to historical population levels and take them off the endangered species list, millions of dollars need to be spent to improve their habitat — a process that will take decades and still may not have the desired effect.
A recently released 430-page report, outlining the ambitious and expensive work needed to recover the species, is being called one of the most complex restoration plans ever created for a fish.
“The challenge to recover
The problems facing the steelhead are so intertwined with water, development, pollution, wildfires and many other hot-button issues in Southern California that even advocates for the fish said there is still only “a 50-50 chance” the fish that once ran thick in local rivers will reach historical population levels. An estimated 500 oceangoing adult steelhead are in
Some say the steelhead could be like other creatures on the endangered species list that never fully recover and indefinitely require expensive intervention to keep from going extinct.
But Yates said that doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying. The fish that has evolved under harsh and constantly changing conditions still has a fighting chance.
“We care that species don’t go extinct and we have the ability to change that fact,” he said.
The plan to restore the steelhead from Point Conception to the Mexican border is meant to be a blueprint that guides resource managers on helping the fish. It is more about general ideas than specific recommendations, and is intentionally laid out that way so those in charge of the projects can have leeway to meet the goals.
There are no cost estimates on the draft plan. Yates said it will cost many millions to carry out. The final plan, which is expected around January, will have cost estimates.
The draft plan has more than 150 ideas for the rivers and creeks in
n Removing Matilija Dam on the
n Relocating or reconstructing roads, culverts and river crossings.
n Developing a plan to stop wildfires, which lead to the degradation of river habitat.
n Relocating agricultural development away from sensitive streams.
By breaking down what needs to happen item by item, agencies can start working together, said
“This document gives us a starting point and tools that have been sorely lacking,” she said.
Ron Bottorff, chairman of Friends of the Santa Clara River, who has been fighting for the fish long before they were deemed endangered 12 years ago, said if some of the bigger issues can be tackled, recovery could be possible.
Altering the Freeman Diversion so fish can get upstream and downstream would go a long way toward establishing the
Bottorff and others argue the reason steelhead have been able to hold on so long, even as rivers are paved and streams are polluted, is because they have evolved to weather hard times. They evolved to exist in
“They are very resilient fish. They are adaptable to all kinds of stream conditions,” he said.
Frank Davis, an applied ecology professor at UC Santa Barbara’s
But while stopping hunting or removing a chemical from the environment may be all that is needed for some species to thrive, steelhead face problems that aren’t easily solved.
That, in part, could stop the fish from ever reaching their historical population levels and keep them on the endangered species list indefinitely,
More than $3 billion was spent in the first 20 years trying to restore the
“You can sustain and stabilize their populations and slowly improve their status, but the notion of recovery without ongoing management may not be realized,” he said.
Yates said most of the actions called for in the management plan would benefit more than just steelhead.
Cleaner water, better planned development and smarter use of water could benefit all kinds of species as well as people. It won’t be easy, cheap or quick, he said, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
“If you didn’t start somewhere and just say ‘That looks too hard,’ you are never going to get anywhere,” he said. “Our hope is that this plan lays out an incredible challenge.” #
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/jul/27/steelhead-recovery-could-take-decades-cost/
Ban on suction dredges reaffirmed by judge
Redding Record Searchlight – 7/27/09
By Record Searchlight staff
An Almeda County Superior Court judge reaffirmed his ban on suction dredges in state rivers and threatened to hold the state Department of Fish and Game in contempt of court if it continued issuing dredge permits.
Judge Frank Roesch issued a preliminary injunction against dredge permits on July 10 after a lawsuit was brought against the Department of Fish and Game, said a spokesman for Klamath Riverkeeper, a river advocacy group and one of the 11 groups suing DFG.
The lawsuit alleges that the fish and game department is using public funds illegally to issue permits.
Currently, a bill banning suction dredging passed by the state Legislature is being considered by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. But the governor is holding off on approving any new laws until the budget crisis is resolved, a spokeswoman in his office has said. #
http://www.redding.com/news/2009/jul/27/ban-suction-dredges-reaffirmed-judge/?partner=RSS
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