Experimental and Field Studies to Assess Pulsed, Water Flow Impacts
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Arnold Schwarzenegger Governor EXPERIMENTAL AND FIELD STUDIES TO ASSESS PULSED, WATER FLOW IMPACTS ON THE BEHAVIOR AND DISTRIBUTION OF FISHES IN THE SOUTH FORK OF THE AMERICAN RIVER EPORT R ONSULTANT Prepared For: California Energy Commission Public Interest Energy Research Program PIER C Prepared By: University of California, Davis March 2007 CEC-500-2005-172 Prepared By: University of California, Davis Principal Investigators: A. Peter Klimley, Ph.D. Joseph J. Cech, Jr., Ph.D. Lisa C. Thompson, Ph.D. Researchers: Sarah Hamilton Stephanie Chun Davis, California Contract No. 500-01-044 Prepared For: California Energy Commission Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program Douglas E. Conklin, Ph.D. Contract Manager Joseph O’Hagan Program Area Team Lead Martha Krebs, Ph. D. Deputy Director ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION B.B. Blevins Executive Director DISCLAIMER This report was prepared as the result of work sponsored by the California Energy Commission. It does not necessarily represent the views of the Energy Commission, its employees or the State of California. The Energy Commission, the State of California, its employees, contractors and subcontractors make no warrant, express or implied, and assume no legal liability for the information in this report; nor does any party represent that the uses of this information will not infringe upon privately owned rights. This report has not been approved or disapproved by the California Energy Commission nor has the California Energy Commission passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the information in this report. Acknowledgments We would like to thank many people for their help and guidance: Dennis Cocherell, Justin Graham, Dan Kratville, Javier Miranda, Gardner Jones, and Brian Hodge, from UC Davis who assisted and carried out much of the laboratory and field work. Ayako Kawabata, Max Fish, Leslie Kanemoto, Teresa MacColl, Rebecca Isquith, Ivonne Ortiz, Naoaki Ikemiyagi, Peter Allen, Anne Berg, Pat Crain, Peggy Davis, Debbie Elliott-Fisk, Pam Garcia, Emma Grigg, Erik Hallen, Jock Hamilton, Adam Hayashi, Joe Heublein, Carson Jeffries, Michael Karagosian, Levent Kavvas, John Kelly, Marjie Kirkman-Iverson, Paul Lutes, Karen Mabry, Jeff Mount, Peter Moyle, Kathy Stroud, Dirk Van Vuren, Mitchell Watnick, and James Wilson of UC Davis provided help at various stages of the study. Roger Bloom, Stafford Lehr, Glenn Sibbald, and Terry Smith of the Department of Fish and Game assisted us in obtaining our research permits and in-field discussions. Thomas Meckfessel from Clavey River Equipment helped us select rafting equipment while Henry Tam at Lotek Wireless provided technical guidance in our choice of radio transmitters. Beth Chasnoff, Tyler Gordon, Becky Riley, Noel Fruchtenicht from Outdoor Adventures, and Sam Drevo of Northwest River Guides trained us in rafting and safety techniques. Bill and Robin Center at Camp Lotus shared their knowledge of the American River with us. The Gold Rush rafting company, Mark Gibson from the Marshall Gold State Park, and the Gorilla Rock property steward allowed us to launch and/or remove our raft from the American River. Dennis Redfern from the American River Trout Hatchery supplied hatchery-raised trout and Tim Salamunovich of Thomas Payne and Associates assisted us with bank measurements for our laboratory studies. Dave Hanson, Pat Klein, and Sacramento Municipal Utility District provided information on creeks that were scheduled for pulsed flows, assisted with fieldwork at Silver Creek, and provided flow data for Camino Dam releases to Silver Creek. Funding for the analysis of water quality of Silver Creek was provided by the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Analytical Laboratory on the UC Davis campus. Finally, we would like to express our thanks to Douglas Conklin, Paciencia Young, and the Pulsed Flow Program Management team, the Public Interest Energy Research Program (PIER) of the California Energy Commission, the Division of Water Rights of the State Water Resources Control Board, and the United States Bureau of Land Management. Please cite this report as follows: Klimley, A. P., J. J. Cech, Jr., L. C. Thompson, S. Hamilton, and S. Chun. 2007. Experimental and Field Studies to Assess Pulsed, Water Flow Impacts on the Behavior and Distribution of Fishes in the South Fork of the American River. University of California, Davis, for the California Energy Commission, PIER Energy-Related Environmental Research. CEC-500-2005-172. i Preface The Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program supports public interest energy research and development that will help improve the quality of life in California by bringing environmentally safe, affordable, and reliable energy services and products to the marketplace. The PIER Program, managed by the California Energy Commission (Energy Commission) conducts public interest research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects to benefit the electricity and natural gas ratepayers of California. The Energy Commission awards up to $62 million annually in electricity-related RD&D, and up to $12 million annually for natural gas RD&D. The PIER program strives to conduct the most promising public interest energy research by partnering with RD&D organizations, including individuals, business, utilities, and public or private research institutions. PIER finding efforts are focused on the following six RD&D program areas: x Buildings End-Use Energy Efficiency x Industrial/Agricultural/Water End-Use Energy Efficiency x Renewable Energy Technologies x Environmentally Preferred Advanced Generation x Energy-Related Environmental Research x Energy Systems Integration Experimental and Field Studies to Assess Pulsed, Water Flow Impacts on the Behavior and Distribution of Fishes in the South Fork of the American River is the year one report for Contract 500-01-044, conducted by the University of California, Davis. The information from this project contributes to PIER’s Energy Systems Integration program area. For more information on the PIER Program, please visit the Energy Commission’s website at: www.energy.ca.gov/pier or contact the Energy Commission at 9l6-654-5164. ii Table of Contents Preface.................................................................................................................................................. ii Abstract ............................................................................................................................................... xi Executive Summary........................................................................................................................... 1 1.0 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 6 1.1. Background ..................................................................................................................... 6 1.1.1. Longitudinal Displacement ..................................................................................... 6 1.1.2. Lateral Displacement................................................................................................ 7 1.2. Project Objectives ........................................................................................................... 8 1.3. Report Organization ...................................................................................................... 8 2.0 Project Approach ................................................................................................................. 9 2.1. Field Studies.................................................................................................................... 9 2.1.1. Study Sites.................................................................................................................. 9 2.1.2. Fish Collection ...........................................................................................................18 2.1.3. Radio Tracking .......................................................................................................... 20 2.1.4. Snorkel Survey and VIE Marking........................................................................... 24 2.1.5. Laboratory Studies.................................................................................................... 27 3.0 Project Outcomes................................................................................................................. 43 3.1. Field Studies.................................................................................................................... 43 3.1.1. Radio Tracking Results ............................................................................................ 43 3.1.2. Snorkel Survey and VIE Marking Results ............................................................. 51 3.2. Laboratory Studies......................................................................................................... 60 3.2.1. Experiments in Longitudinal Flume ...................................................................... 60 3.2.2. Experiments in Lateral Displacement Flume........................................................ 68 4.0 Conclusions and Recommendations................................................................................. 75 4.1. Field Studies.................................................................................................................... 75 4.1.1. Radio-telemetry in South Fork of the American River.......................................