Section 3 Existing Environment
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Sites Reservoir Project Public Draft EIR/EIS
12. Aquatic Biological Resources 12.1 Introduction This chapter describes the aquatic habitat and fish resources found within the Extended, Secondary, and Primary study areas. Descriptions and maps of these three study areas are provided in Chapter 1 Introduction. Fish species of management concern include special-status species and species that have substantial tribal, commercial or recreation value. The biology and life history of these species are described in Appendix 12A Aquatic Species Life Histories. Permits and authorizations for aquatic biological resources are presented in Chapter 4 Environmental Compliance and Permit Summary. The regulatory setting for aquatic biological resources is presented in Appendix 4A Environmental Compliance. The descriptions and evaluation of potential impacts in this chapter are presented using a broad, generalized approach for the Secondary and Extended study areas, whereas the Primary Study Area is presented in greater detail. Potential local and regional impacts from constructing, operating, and maintaining the alternatives are described and compared to applicable significance thresholds. Mitigation measures are provided for identified significant or potentially significant impacts, where appropriate. The descriptions of species and biological and hydrodynamic processes in this chapter frequently use the terms “Delta” and “San Francisco Estuary.” The Delta refers to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, as legally defined in the Delta Protection Act. The San Francisco Estuary refers to the portion of the Sacramento-San Joaquin rivers watershed downstream of Chipps Island that is influenced by tidal action, and where fresh water and salt water mix. The estuary includes Suisun, San Pablo, and San Francisco bays. 12.2 Environmental Setting/Affected Environment This section, which is organized by study area, describes fish and aquatic resources that would be affected by the implementation of the alternatives considered in this EIR/EIS. -
Chapter 1 Purpose and Need
TESTIMONY OF STEPHEN GRINNELL, P.E., YUNG-HSIN SUN, Ph.D., AND STUART ROBERTSON, P.E. YUBA RIVER INDEX: WATER YEAR CLASSIFICATIONS FOR YUBA RIVER PREPARED FOR YUBA COUNTY WATER AGENCY PREPARED BY BOOKMAN-EDMONSTON ENGINEERING, INC. Unpublished Work © November 2000 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................................1 SACRAMENTO VALLEY INDEX AND SAN JOAQUIN RIVER INDEX .................................................1 NEED FOR YUBA RIVER INDEX ..................................................................................................................2 DISTRIBUTION OF YUBA RIVER ANNUAL UNIMPAIRED FLOWS...........................................................................3 FUNCTIONS AND PURPOSES OF EXISTING FACILITIES..........................................................................................4 YUBA RIVER INDEX........................................................................................................................................6 INDEX DESIGN ...................................................................................................................................................6 INDEX DEFINITION .............................................................................................................................................7 WATER YEAR CLASSIFICATIONS OF YUBA RIVER ..............................................................................................8 -
SWFSC Archive
Historical Population Structure of Central Valley Steelhead and its Alteration by Dams STEVEN T. LINDLEY1, ROBERT S. SCHICK1, ADITYA AGRAWAL2, MATTHEW GOSLIN2, THOMAS E. PEARSON2, ETHAN MORA2, JAMES J. ANDERSON3, BERNARD MAY4, SHEILA GREENE5, CHARLES HANSON6, ALICE LOW7, DENNIS MCEWAN7, R. BRUCE MACFARLANE1, CHRISTINA SWANSON8 AND JOHN G. WILLIAMS9 ABSTRACT Effective conservation and recovery planning for Central Valley steelhead requires an understanding of historical population structure. We describe the historical structure of the Central Valley steelhead evolutionarily significant unit using a multi-phase modeling approach. In the first phase, we identify stream reaches possibly suitable for steelhead spawning and rearing using a habitat model based on environmental envelopes (stream discharge, gradient, and temperature) that takes a digital elevation model and climate data as inputs. We identified 151 patches of potentially suitable habitat with more than 10 km of stream habitat, with a total of 25,500 km of suitable habitat. We then measured the dis- tances among habitat patches, and clustered together patches within 35 km of each other into 81 dis- tinct habitat patches. Groups of fish using these 81 patches are hypothesized to be (or to have been) independent populations for recovery planning purposes. Consideration of climate and elevation differ- ences among the 81 habitat areas suggests that there are at least four major subdivisions within the Central Valley steelhead ESU that correspond to geographic regions defined by the Sacramento River basin, Suisun Bay area tributaries, San Joaquin tributaries draining the Sierra Nevada, and lower-ele- vation streams draining to the Buena Vista and Tulare basins, upstream of the San Joaquin River. -
Yuba River Temperature Monitoring Project
YUBA RIVER TEMPERATURE MONITORING PROJECT Prepared for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Sacramento/San Joaquin River Fishery Restoration Office Michael L. Deas, P.E. February 28, 1999 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents.........................................................................................................2 1. Introduction ...........................................................................................................3 1.1 Project Objective.............................................................................................3 1.2 Project Organization and Acknowledgements..................................................3 2. Project Summary.....................................................................................................4 2.1 Monitoring Locations......................................................................................4 2.2 Deployment/Field Work..................................................................................5 2.3 Quality Control ...............................................................................................5 2.4 Additional Data Sources..................................................................................5 2.5 Data Sets.........................................................................................................7 3. Findings..................................................................................................................8 3.1 Important Processes ........................................................................................8 -
SIERRA RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN and RECORD of DECISION
United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management SIERRA RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN and RECORD OF DECISION For the Folsom Field Office California December 2007 _________________________________________ William S. Haigh, Folsom Field Office Manager __________________________________________ Mike Pool, California State Director Sierra Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision_____________________________________ This page intentionally left blank. Sierra Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision__________________________ Table of Contents 1.0 Record of Decision ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Changes from the Proposed RMP to the Approved RMP.......................................................... 1 1.2 Alternatives.............................................................................................................................2 1.3 Management Considerations...................................................................................................3 1.4 Mitigation ...............................................................................................................................3 1.5 Plan Monitoring.......................................................................................................................4 1.6 Public Involvement..................................................................................................................4 1.7 Administrative Remedies.........................................................................................................5 -
The Mighty Yuba River
The Mighty Yuba River The sounds of the Yuba River as it slowly winds its way down stream, are both peaceful and relaxing. But, upstream, the river sings quite a different song. The river begins as three separate forks, the north, south, and middle, high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The forks flow wildly through canyons and channels, over boulders and rock bars, and will occasionally rest in pools of clear green water. There are two stories as to how the river was named. One story, tells of a scoutinggp expedition finding wild g gpgrapes growing on the river’s banks. They called the river, Rio de las Uvas (the grapes). “Uvas” was later changed to Yuba. A second story, tells of an ancestral village named Yuba, belonging to the Maidu tribe, that was located where the Feather River joins the Yuba River. The river has changed a great deal over the years. It was mined extensively during the Gold Rush and once ran abundant with Chinook salmon and steelhead trout. Mining on the Yuba River is more recreational today and the Chinook salmon and steelhead still have a strong presence in the river. The Yuba River is also part of the Yuba Watershed. It’s truly an amazing river that has many more stories to tell. th ©University of California, 2009, Zoe E. Beaton. Yuba River Education Center 6 - Yuba River #1- YREC North Fork of the Yuba River Middle Fork of the Yuba River South Fork of the Yuba River ©University of California, 2009, Zoe E. Beaton. Yuba River Education Center 6th Yuba River #2- YREC . -
Yuba River Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan
CHAPTER 7 – INTERPRETIVE PLAN Interpretation Interpretation is ‘value added’ to a byway experience. Effective interpretation forges a connection between the visitor and the byway. It provides a memorable moment for the visitor to take home – a thought, image or a concept that reminds them of their experience. It helps them to recognize the byway as a unique and special place and to see and appreciate attributes that may not be readily apparent. It encourages them to spend more time and to return or tell their friends about their experience. The sustainable recreation framework (2010) highlights interpretation as one of the most important agency tools to develop deeper engagement between Americans and their natural resources. Visitor Needs Visitor needs are typically arranged into a hierarchy: orientation, information and interpretation. Once a visitor is comfortable and oriented they are receptive to interpretive information. Orientation and general information will be addressed as part of this interpretive planning effort. Orientation The first priority for visitors is to understand where they are and where they can meet their basic needs – restrooms, food, lodging. This orientation information is typically placed at either end of a byway in the form of signage or at visitor information centers. It is a part of welcoming the visitor and assists them in planning their experience. Information After basic orientation, visitors typically seek general information about the area, including the locations of points of interest and other options for how they may choose to spend their time. These locations where the visitor is likely to stop, dictate where and in what form interpretation is appropriate. -
4. Climate and Hydrology Many Aspects of the Physical Setting of Butte County Play a Role in the Hydrologic Cycle Within the County
Butte County 4. Climate and Water Inventory and Analysis Hydrology 4. Climate and Hydrology Many aspects of the physical setting of Butte County play a role in the hydrologic cycle within the County. Topography within the County significantly impacts precipitation patterns. Temperature variations influence whether precipitation falls as rain or snow, which in turn impacts the timing of surface water runoff. Temperature and other factors also influence the evaporative demand of the atmosphere and corresponding irrigation requirements for crops. Both surface water and extracted groundwater are used to meet the water demands. System components impacting water resources in the County described in this section include climate, surface water hydrology, and groundwater hydrology. 4.1 Climate Butte County has a Mediterranean climate with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Unlike many locations in California, rainfall and winter snowpack in the Sierra Nevada provide significant surface water flows and groundwater recharge as water drains through the County. Climate variation within the County occurs primarily due to changes in elevation. Precipitation is least on the valley floor and greatest in the Foothill Inventory Unit (IU) and Mountain IU areas as elevation increases. Conversely, temperatures are warmest on the valley floor and coolest in the mountains. Similarly, reference evapotranspiration (ETo), a measure of evaporative demand, is greatest on the valley floor and least in the mountains. This variability in climate is discussed in greater detail in the following sections. 4.1.1 Precipitation Average annual precipitation generally increases from west to east across Butte County, associated with increasing elevation. Moisture-laden weather patterns from the Pacific Ocean travel west to east across California and Butte County during the winter months. -
Draft Central Valley Salmon and Steelhead Recovery Plan
Draft Central Valley Salmon and Steelhead Recovery Plan for Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon Central Valley spring-run Chinook Salmon Central Valley Steelhead National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Region November 2009 1 Themes of the CV Recovery Plan • This is a long-term plan that will take several decades to fully implement • The recovery plan is intended to be a “living document” that is periodically updated to include the best available information regarding the status or needs of the species • Implementation will be challenging and will require the help of many stakeholders • The plan is intended to have realistic and attainable recovery criteria (i.e, de-listing criteria) 2 What are Recovery Plans? • Purpose of the Endangered Species Act: To conserve (recover) listed species and their ecosystems • Required under section 4(f) of the ESA for all Federally listed species • Provide the road map to species recovery • Must contain objective, measurable criteria for delisting a species • Guidance documents, not regulations 3 Winter-run Chinook salmon (Endangered) 4 Status of Species – Winter-run Chinook 5 Central Valley Spring-run Chinook salmon (Threatened) 6 Status of Species – Spring-run Chinook Declining abundance across range: Extinction risk is increasing Central Valley Spring-run Chinook Salmon Adult Summer Holding Escapement Rivers/Creeks 25,000 Sacramento Battle 20,000 Clear Beegum 15,000 Antelope Mill 10,000 Deer Big Chico 5,000 Butte 0 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 7 Central Valley steelhead (Threatened) 8 Key -
Diverse Metamorphic Trajectories, Imbricated Ocean Plate Stratigraphy, and Fault Rocks, Yuba River Area, Feather River Ultramafic Belt, California
ABSTRACT DIVERSE METAMORPHIC TRAJECTORIES, IMBRICATED OCEAN PLATE STRATIGRAPHY, AND FAULT ROCKS, YUBA RIVER AREA, FEATHER RIVER ULTRAMAFIC BELT, CALIFORNIA The Feather River Belt (FRB), the most extensive of the ultramafic belts in the Sierra Nevada, is a north–south trending 150-km-long by 1-8 km wide ultramafic belt and includes related rocks that form the basement of the northern Sierra Nevada of California. These rocks have been long interpreted as a Paleozoic to early Mesozoic "suture" zone (position of former subduction zone) and provide a good opportunity to more closely investigate the details of the rock record associated with subduction processes. Conventional tectonic models cannot explain the spatial-temporal distribution of the metamorphic grade of the FRB. Geologic mapping, petrographic, and electron microprobe analyses reveal a complex spatial and relative time relationships between different lithologies and units of different metamorphic grade. In the greater Middle and North Yuba River area, ultramafic rocks structurally overlie amphibolite, composed of primarily metamafic rocks, that structurally overlies the blueschist facies Red Ant schist (RAS). These tectonic contacts have been isoclinally folded at scales of hundreds of meters to a km. In the North Yuba River area, amphibolite records low- pressure, high-temperature metamorphism with redbrown (high Ti, low Al) amphibole and ilmenite. In the Forest City and Alleghany areas on the North Fork-Middle Fork divide, amphibolite grade rocks comprise imbricates of ocean plate stratigraphy, represented by repeated sheets of metabasites, metacherts, and metaclastics. These rocks include zones of cataclasites with pseudotachylites (frictional melts generated by fault movement). The Alleghany amphibolites ii appear to comprise two slabs with contrasting metamorphic history. -
Philanthropy Just at the Restore Wildlands, Wild Rivers and Leverage Public and Private Funds for Moment in History When Sierra Conservation
The Sierra Fund SAVING THE SIERRA 2001-2005 . Organizational Report Our Mission The mission of The Sierra Fund is to protect and preserve the Sierra Nevada. As an innovative community foundation for the environment, we do this by partnering with private donors and public agencies to increase and organize investment in the land, air, water and human resources of the Sierra Nevada. Our Philosophy The Sierra Fund ~ • Works to develop new sources of individual, foundation and corporate funding to help solve the region’s environmental crises. • Expands the capacity of community-based organizations already hard at work protecting the Sierra Nevada, helping to ensure their success and sustainability. • Supports a full toolbox of conservation solutions aimed at effective action, from community organizing, collaboration and education to litigation and legislative advocacy. • Leverages private financial capital to inspire larger, long-term public conservation investments in the resources of the Sierra Nevada. www.sierrafund.org Front cover photo of the South Fork American River. The Sierra Fund successfully advocated for $2 million in state funds in partnership with the American River Conservancy to complete acquisition of 2,315 acres and finish the 8-mile trail from Salmon Falls to the Gold Discovery Park. DEAR FRIENDS OF THE SIERRA, The Sierra Nevada, the jeweled crown of California, is a rugged, 400-mile-long mountain range that borders the state’s eastern edge. Dubbed the “Range of Light” by John Muir more than 100 years ago, the Sierra inspires the human imagination and powers the human spirit. This range features the tallest mountains in the continental United States and boasts the singular jewels of Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Valley. -
4.7 Hydrology and Water Quality
4.7 Hydrology and Water Quality 4.7 HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY This section evaluates potential hydrology and water quality impacts that could result from the proposed SOI Plan update (proposed project). Information in this section comes from County of Nevada GIS mapping analysis as well as existing federal, state, and local regulations. The evaluation includes a discussion of the proposed project compatibility with these required applicable regulations and provides mitigation measures, if needed and as appropriate that would reduce these impacts. The following analysis of the potential environmental impacts related to hydrology and water quality is derived primarily from the following sources and agencies: • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); • United State Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); • State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB); • Regional Water Resources Control Board (RWQCB); • California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW); • Nevada City Zoning Ordinance 4.7.1 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING The area climate generally consists of dry and mild to hot summers and relatively wet winters. In the upper elevation around Nevada City (City) and Grass Valley, snow levels are usually above 5,000 ft. The averages minimum and monthly maximum temperatures of from the Nevada City area in the foothills to the valley area near the Town of Lincoln from approximately 26 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit (oF). The proposed SOI Plan update area is in the eastern portion of the service area and encircles the City. In this area, the City’s jurisdictional boundaries include approximately 1,470 incorporated acres (2018, Nevada County GIS data) and the current SOI (exclusive of the incorporated area) includes approximately 2,702 acres.