Yuba River Watershed

Home , Englebright Lake, Mount Lola, North Yuba River, South Yuba River, Yuba River

North Yuba River1 Overflow from Lake Spaulding into Yuba2

The Watershed at a Glance Redding A I N R O F I L A C

A D A V E N The Yuba River Watershed stems from the 44 Lassen Pk. 139 west slope of the Sierra Nevada at Donner 44 Pass to the Feather River near Yuba City. 5 Most of the Yuba River’s flow comes from Inskip Hill 36 Turner Mt. Diamond Mt. its three main tributaries: North Yuba, Chester 36 Middle Yuba, and South Yuba Rivers. The Dyer Mt. Onion Bt. Yuba River Watershed includes a diverse Red Bluff Humboldt array of environments and conditions— Summit 89 from snow-covered subalpine zones near the Sierra crest to dry oak woodlands in 395 the lower watershed. Compared to other Mt. Ingalls Sierra Nevada watersheds, the Yuba has Corning Bald Eagle Mt. been rated in “fair” to “poor” condition 32 70 based on native fish populations despite Mt. Ararat having one of the most important wild Pilot Pk. 70 70 steelhead fisheries in the Central Valley. Eureka Pk. The largely forested upper watershed and Chico Bloomer Hill 49

flood-prone lower watershed have been Saddleback Mt.

S 99 a

c Sierra Bt.s

affected by mining, logging, dams and r

a m

Willows e

diversions, and residential development. n t

o Oroville

The patchwork of land ownership in the Pike County Pk.

watershed and numerous abandoned 89

Bowman Mt.

Oregon Pk.

mines present land and watershed

Castle Pk. R Gridley

i Signal Pk.

management challenges. v

5 e r Mt. Lincoln Sutter Buttes Nevada City Banner Mt. Snow Mt. Colusa Watershed Statistics Whisky Hill Sutter Grass Valley Little Bald Mt. Watershed Size: 1,340 square miles Williams Yuba City Lake Tahoe Watershed Length: ~40 miles 80 Annual Average Precipitation: 80 inches in upper watershed; 20 inches in lower Auburn Lookout Mt. watershed Big Hill Elevation: Placerville 50 Highest: 9,148 ft. (Mount Lola) Woodland Lowest: 60 ft. (confluence with Esparto 50 Feather River in Marysville) Sacramento S Population: ~16,000 Davis Mokelumne Pk. Counties: Sierra, Placer, Yuba, Nevada Dixon Management Issues: water quality Vacaville (sediment, mercury, temperature), forest/ 5 49 Yuba Watershed fuels management, flood management, 80 abandoned mines, fisheries Yuba, American, Bear Subregion 0 20 Miles

Yuba River Watershed within the American Subregion

PAGE 157 AMERICAN RIVER SUBREGION: Yuba River Watershed

e F t Paradise t Mt. Ararat u Res B

k e

r r v Rive

o r i e F r h

Pilot Pk. R e t

a h e

Paradise t 70

r e k e F r Fo h t Little Grass Eureka Pk. e a l h e

e d t l

r F d id

. o r id Valley Lake t C M

s h M

N c e n re W F

Bloomer Hill 89 Saddleback Mt. r. 70 C Lake

Sly Creek e Oroville t . Sierra Bt.s a r l C Res S

on ny Ca Ri v e r

h rt N o Jackson Thermalito Oroville Pike County Pk. Res Meadows Res S r Bowman Lake New 49 ive Independence R

r Lake e Bullards a

r. Yub

v C ddle i i M Bowman Mt. R t Bar u c Oregon Pk. n 1 o North Fork waterfall, Downieville H P h . t r Lake Castle Pk. r C o Cre

N Merle Spaulding Signal Pk. a

r b Collins Yu e

h h t t t cu Res r u a on e So

e H Donner L Hydrology South iv Scotts F R Mt. Lincoln Flat The Yuba River has three forks: North, Middle, and Lake Englebright Banner Mt. Res Valley Res Lake Nevada City Snow Mt. South Yuba. The North and Middle Yuba Rivers Lake Wildwood 80 a Grass Valley b River Yu Whisky Hill come together below New Bullards Bar Reservoir Rollins n rica me Res A and form the mainstem Yuba River. Each of these rk Little Bald Mt.French Fo

river sections is discussed below. Meadows r. Nort h Yuba City C Res

y r r e D v North Fork Yuba River i Hell R Camp r e Hole v i Far West R

meri The North Yuba River rises near the eastern border A c Res n a r R a n e Resi k 99 ve ic iv r r R r r o ea e Middle F B Am Loon ar er of the Tahoe National Forest, on a mountainside Be Riv

Lake

along California State Route 49. It flows southwest p 70

a A s merica n s R

k u or b c F k i on rth For r then west through a 3,000-foot-deep canyon past r. o dle ve C N id Ri M n o o C the small villages of Downieville, where it receives r e Auburn Stumpy h t Union Valley Res a Meadows Res the Downie River, and Goodyears Bar. It then e F Lookout Mt. Cr. Big Hill incorporates the flow of Canyon Creek and Slate Ice House Res Pleasant . Gr r ov er e C

v Cr. il Creek, two of its main tributaries, and very soon k Slab Creek S

S c o o

80 ut R Res h Fork Am after widens into New Bullards Bar Reservoir, which W erican eb e r R C i r. Placerville v is impounded by the 645-foot New Bullards Bar e Folsom r Dam. Very soon after leaving the dam it joins with Lake Jenkinson Lake Dams over 25’ the Middle Yuba to form the Yuba River. Lake Natoma 50 0 10 Miles

n a ic Sacramentoer Am

Hydrology in the Yuba River Watershed

New Bullards Bar Reservoir2

Middle Fork Yuba River Originating in a bowl-shaped valley in Moscove Meadow, the Middle Fork flows north into Jackson Meadows Reservoir, then turns west, descending steeply into a gorge, defining over almost its entire length the boundary of Nevada County in the north and Yuba County in the south. The river bends to the southwest, then west again, receiving Kanaka Creek from the right and Grizzly Creek from the left. It intersects California State Route 49 about 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of North San Juan, then a few miles after joins with the North Fork Yuba River.

North Yuba near Pacific Crest Trail4

South Fork Yuba River The South Yuba originates at Donner Pass at the northward into a steep-sided valley. Canyon Creek crest of the Sierra Nevada, near the town of Soda enters from the right, then Poorman Creek also Springs. Gathering numerous snowfed tributaries, from the right near the town of Washington. The it runs west through a marshy, lake-filled valley, river continues west into the foothills, crossing shadowed by Interstate 80. The river then flows under State Route 49. Its mouth is on the east shore into Lake Spaulding, which is formed by Spaulding of Englebright Lake, formed by a dam across the Dam. After escaping from the dam the river plunges Yuba River. Jackson Meadows Reservoir3

PAGE 158 AMERICAN RIVER SUBREGION: Yuba River Watershed

Flows in the watershed are typical of Sacramento Valley tributaries with headwaters in the Sierra Nevada. Flows are highest in winter and spring, decreasing quickly in late spring. In 2008, the SWRCB approved the Lower Yuba River Accord Agreement, which is now fully operational. The agreement combines increased instream fisheries flows for wild, native salmon and steelhead, with increased supplemental water supplies for cities and farms.

South Yuba swollen from rain5 Yuba mainstem and grassy hill1 Sediment loads in the watershed can be attributed Hydrology, Continued to historical mining as well as recent human activities such as road construction associated with Yuba River Mainstem rural housing development, logging, and recreation. From the joining of the North and Middle Forks, the Temperature is also a significant water quality Yuba flows southward, then southwest, through the concern in the Yuba River Watershed. Warming Sierra Nevada foothills, forming the Yuba-Nevada water temperatures can be attributed to dams, County border. The river widens into the main arm water diversions, inadequate shading by limited of Englebright Lake near French Bar, and is joined by South Yuba3 riparian canopy, and low instream flows. Yuba River the South Yuba within the reservoir. The Yuba leaves tributaries Deer, Humbug, Kanaka, and Little Deer the Englebright Dam near Lake Wildwood, and is Creeks are listed on the Clean Water Act’s 303(d) list then joined by Deer Creek, the stream flowing from Water Quality of impaired waterbodies along with Englebright and that lake, on the left. The Yuba slows down as it The Yuba River Watershed contains a significant Scotts Flat Reservoirs. Humbug Creek is also listed flows from the mountains out into the Sacramento amount of sediment and mercury as a result for copper, sediment, and zinc. Valley near the Yuba Goldfields, a section of the of hydraulic mining that occurred in the mid to Yuba River valley consisting of dredged sediments late 1900s. Mercury is present in the bottoms washed down by hydraulic mining in the 19th Fish and Wildlife of rivers and reservoirs and is transported by century. The river then turns southwest, flowing erosion processes and can be converted into The Yuba River supports highly valued populations through irrigated farmland. It then skirts the south methylmercury. As methylmercury accumulates of steelhead trout, resident rainbow trout, and side of Marysville and reaches its destination at the in the food chain, it becomes concentrated, so fall-run Chinook salmon, as well as populations of Feather River between the cities of Marysville, Yuba that in larger predatory fish (e.g., trout and bass), other anadromous and resident fish communities. City, and Linda. concentrations can exceed levels of concern for Historically, the Yuba River supported as much as human consumption. Findings in the most recent 15% of the annual fall-run Chinook salmon run and comprehensive survey of fish in the Yuba River in the Sacramento River Basin. Run sizes in the Watershed meet and exceed USEPA and Food and Yuba River have varied over the period of record, Drug Administration levels. ranging from a low of 1,000 fish in 1957 to a high of 800,000 in 2002. Low flows and high temperatures on the South and Middle Yuba Rivers, along with the legacy of sediment from hydraulic mining, continue to contribute to problems for cold-water aquatic communities.

The Yuba River Watershed is also home to a large number of bird species and a stopover point for migrating birds. Commonly seen mammals include mule deer, raccoons, skunks, opossum, and coyote. More elusive are the gray fox, bobcat, ringtail, mountain lion, and black bear.

Rock wren on Yuba4

Gold rush era mine shaft on Yuba2

There are more than 100 jurisdictional dams or diversions in the Yuba River Watershed. The diversions convey water to local users and to users in the Bear and North Fork American River Watersheds. A large amount of water is diverted from the watershed at Lake Spaulding on the South Fork for irrigation and power generation. The South Yuba River Watershed alone supports 20 reservoirs and 20 hydroelectric dams. Englebright Dam marks the division between the Upper and Lower Yuba River. The dam was completed in 1941 to capture gold-rush era hydraulic mining debris that threatened downstream areas with floods. Englebright Reservoir has a storage capacity of 45,000 acre-feet and provides electricity and recreational opportunities. Spawning Chinook salmon

PAGE 159 AMERICAN RIVER SUBREGION: Yuba River Watershed

e F 70

t t Mt. Ararat u B r

ve r i

k R e

r r v Rive

o r i e F r h

Pilot Pk. R e t

a h e

t 70

r e k e F r Little Grass Fo h t Eureka Pk. e a l h e Valley Lake

e d t l

r F d id

. o r id t C M

s h M

N c e n re W 70 F

Bloomer Hill 89 Saddleback Mt. 49 r. Lake C Sly Creek

Res e Oroville t . Sierra Bt.s a r l C S

on ny Ca Ri v e r

uba Jackson Y N Meadows Res o r t h Thermalito Oroville Pike County Pk. Res r Bowman Lake New 49 ive Independence R Lake

r e Bullards a

r. Yub

v C ddle i i M Bowman Mt. R t Bar u c Oregon Pk. n o H

h Lake t Castle Pk. r o r. Spaulding N C Merle Signal Pk. iver a R r b Collins Yu e t h cu h t n t Ho Res r u a th e So e Donner L Sou iv Scotts F R Mt. Lincoln Flat Lake Englebright Banner Mt. Res Lake Nevada City Valley Res Snow Mt. Lake Wildwood 80 ba Grass Valley iver Yu R Whisky Hill

Rollins n rica 1 me Oak trees along Yuba River Res A

rk o Little Bald Mt. French F

Meadows r. Nort h C Yuba City Res

y r r Camp Vegetation e D v i Far West Hell R r e Annual GrassHole Res iv Mixed conifer dominates the upper watershed, R merica r A n Res e R iv iv er k River R r ddle Fo r Barren which includes ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, and Bea Mi r n Loon ea a B ic er m r Lake A e iv incense cedar among others. The watershed is also

Desert Wash

e ican r R

k home to oak woodlands and chaparral communities.

or b h F icon Lodgepole/Subalpine rt rk er r. No Fo v C le Ri d n Mid o Of the vegetation types most frequently o C Mixed Chaparral r e Auburn Stumpy h t Union Valley Res documented to contain rare and unique species, a Meadows Res e Mixed Conifer F Lookout Mt. the foothill woodland and chaparral communities Cr. Big Hill Montane HardwoodIce House Res leasa P nt G . have been particularly damaged and fragmented by r r ov er e C

v Cr. il k Slab Creek S

S c o o Red Fir

80 ut R Res changes in agriculture and development. h Fork Am W erican eb e r Sagebrush 50 C R r. iv Placerville er Folsom Urban-Agriculture Lake Jenkinson Lake

Lake Natoma 50 0 10 Miles Sacramento

Vegetation in the Yuba River Watershed

South Yuba and wildflowers2

Calling back the Salmon5

Life in the Watershed upper watershed (Nevada County seat, population 3,000) and Marysville in the lower watershed (Yuba Recreation and tourism are two of the primary County seat population 12,268). The watershed drivers of the local economy. Thirty-nine miles Houseboats on Englebright Lake3 includes the South Yuba River State Park located of the Lower South Yuba River (between Lake near the town of Bridgeport. Spaulding and Englebright Reservoir) are designated as a California Wild and Scenic River and federally Historical reminders of Native Americans and the recommended as a Wild and Scenic River. The gold-rush era are woven throughout the landscape. area is used heavily for recreational purposes. Evidence of prehistoric uses in the area such as While timber production is still prominent, many camps, along with more recent activities such as businesses and communities in the watershed pioneer trails, ridges, mining features, and logging have shifted their economic base away from that of camps are scattered throughout the watershed. logging to take advantage of the region’s abundant Today identified Indian tribes in the watershed recreational and scenic qualities. Overall population include the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, is sparse and mostly reside in Nevada City in the Miwok, and Maidu. Waterskiiing on Englebright4

PAGE 160 e F AMERICAN RIVER SUB70REGION: Yuba River Watershed

t t Mt. Ararat u B r

ve r i

k R e

r r v Rive

o r i e F r h

Pilot Pk. R e t

a h e

t 70

r e k e F r Little Grass Fo h t Eureka Pk. e a l h e Valley Lake

e d t l

r F d id

. o r id t C M

s h M

N c e n re W 70 F

Bloomer Hill 89 Saddleback Mt. 49 r. Lake C Sly Creek

Res e Oroville t . Sierra Bt.s a r l C S

on ny Ca Ri v e r

uba Jackson Y N Meadows Res o r t h Thermalito Oroville Pike County Pk. Res r Bowman Lake New 49 ive Independence R Lake

r e Bullards a

r. Yub

v C ddle i i M Bowman Mt. R t Bar u c Oregon Pk. n o H

h Lake t Castle Pk. r o r. Spaulding N C Merle 1 Signal Pk. iver Oak woodlands on Yuba River a R r b Collins Yu e t h cu h t n t Ho Res r u a th e So e Donner L Sou iv Scotts F R Mt. Lincoln Flat Lake Englebright Banner Mt. Res Management Objectives Lake Nevada City Valley Res Snow Mt. Lake An IRWM Plan for the Consumnes, American, Bear, Wildwood 80 ba Grass Valley iver Yu R Whisky Hill

Rollins n and Yuba Rivers was adopted in December 2006. rica me Res A

rk The plan was developed by a diverse group of o Little Bald Mt. French F

Meadows r. Nort h stakeholders throughout the region and include C Yuba City Res

y r r Camp e D a number of goals and objectives for the four v i Far West Hell R r Res e Hole watersheds. More recently, SYRCL developed the iv R Water merica r A n Res e R iv iv er k River R r ddle Fo r Yuba Watershed Assessment (June 2010), which Bea Mi r n Loon ea a Snow & Ice B ic er m er Lake A v i lays out priorities specifically for the Yuba River

Urban

e ican r R

u k

Watershed. The following management objectives or b h F icon rt rk er r. No Fo v C le Barren Ri d n Mid are derived from both of these documents: o o C r e Auburn Stumpy Deciduous Forest h t Union Valley Res a Meadows Res e »»Achieve sustainable surface and F LookoutEvergreen Mt. Forest Cr. Big Hill groundwater supply, Shrubland Ice House Res Pleasant . Gr r ov er e C

v Cr. il k Slab Creek S

S c o o

Provide multiple benefits from management 80 ut R Res Grassland »» h Fork Am W erican eb e r of water resources, diversions and C Pasture R r. iv Placerville er infrastructure, Folsom Cropland Lake Jenkinson Lake »»Reduce impacts from catastrophic fire, Wetland Lake Natoma 50 0 10 Miles »»Protect infrastructure, equipment, and property from flooding, Sacramento Land use in the Yuba River Watershed

»»Protect and improve watershed resources through land use practices, »»Manage sediment for water resources, infrastructure and habitat value, »»Address issues associated with the physical and chemical hazards of abandoned mine lands (including reducing mercury contamination in waterways), »»Reduce contamination of surface and groundwater resources, »»Protect and improve fisheries and aquatic biota through water resources management, and »»Restore floodplain function.

South Yuba bridge2

Yuba River3 Yuba River4 Bridge on Yuba5

PAGE 161 AMERICAN RIVER SUBREGION: Yuba River Watershed

e F 70

t t Mt. Ararat u B r

ve r i

k R e

r r v Rive

o r i e F r h

Pilot Pk. R e t

a h e

t 70

r e k e F r Little Grass Fo h t Eureka Pk. e a l h e Valley Lake

e d t l

r F d id

. o r id t C M

s h M

N c e n re W 70 F

Bloomer Hill 89 Saddleback Mt. 49 r. Lake C Sly Creek

Res e Oroville t . Sierra Bt.s a r l C S

on ny Ca Ri v e r

uba Jackson Y N Meadows Res o r t h Thermalito Oroville Pike County Pk. Res r Bowman Lake New 49 ive Independence R Lake

r e Bullards a

r. Yub

v C ddle i i M Bowman Mt. R t Bar u 1 c Oregon Pk. Yuba River waterfall n o H

h Lake t Castle Pk. r o r. Spaulding N C Merle Signal Pk. iver a R r b Collins Yu e t h cu h t n t Management Organizations Ho Res r u a th e So e Donner L Sou iv Scotts F R Mt. Lincoln Flat Lake Active in the Watershed Englebright Banner Mt. Res Lake Nevada City Valley Res Snow Mt. Lake CABY Wildwood 80 ba Grass Valley iver Yu R Whisky Hill CABY is a collaborative planning effort that Rollins n rica me Res A

adopted an IRWM Plan in December 2006, in rk Little Bald Mt. Fo French

Meadows response to the passage of Proposition 50. As r. Nort h C Yuba City Res

y r mentioned earlier, the CABY region includes the r Camp e D v i Far West Hell R r Cosumnes, American, Bear, and Yuba Rivers. e BLM Hole Res iv R merica r A n Res e R iv iv er k River CABY comprises more than 30 organizations, R r ddle Fo r Bea Mi City, Co. or Reg. Park r n Loon ea a B ic er m er Lake representing water supply, conservation, A v i Land Trust

e ican recreation, agriculture, and community interests, r R

u k

or b h F icon National Forest rt rk er r. No Fo v C le Ri d as well as federal and local government. CABY n Mid o o C r Open Space e Auburn Stumpy is pursuing a planning grant through the IRWM h t Union Valley Res a Meadows Res e Other Federal Agency F Lookout Mt. Program in order to update their Plan. Cr. Big Hill State Ice House Res Pleasant . Gr r ov er e C

v Cr. il SYRCL k Slab Creek S

S c o o Water District

80 ut R Res h Fork Am W erican SYRCL is the leading voice for the protection and eb e r Wildlife Area 50 C R r i . ve restoration of the Yuba River and the Greater Folsom Placerville Private r Lake Jenkinson Lake Yuba Watershed. Founded in 1983 through a 0 10 Miles rural, grassroots campaign to defend the South Lake Natoma 50 Yuba River from proposed hydropower dams, Sacramento SYRCL has developed into a vibrant community organization with over 3,500 members and Land ownership in the Yuba River Watershed volunteers based in Nevada City. SYRCL continues to advocate for the creation of resilient human and natural communities throughout the greater Yuba River basin by restoring creeks and rivers, regenerating wild salmon populations, and inspiring and organizing people.

Yuba County RCD Formed in 1947, the Yuba County RCD assists landowners and land managers in providing stewardship of the county’s natural resources and educates stakeholders and policy makers about the county’s natural resource base.

Yuba and trees2

Independence Trail3 North Yuba4 South Yuba5

PAGE 162