Trinity Lake Revitalization Alliance: Community Forum Where is Trinity Lake Water Going?

4/19/2010 1 Welcome

• Introduction – Kelli Gant – Communities – Organizations • Why have this forum? • Schedule – presentation, discussion

4/19/2010 2 Agenda

• Background – brief history • Hot spots in the state water crisis and the players • River and fish pressure • What can we do?

4/19/2010 3 A Brief History of Trinity Lake Water • The river was once rich with fish • Extensive dredging and mining damage • 1962–Dam for valley irrigation and power • 1963–USBR signs 20 yr water contracts • 88% diversion to the valley • Lawsuits – Tribes and other • Flow studies, EIR, Record of Decision 2000 • ROD - 48% to river, 52% to valley • ROD flows start in 2005 4/19/2010 4 4/19/2010 5 4/19/2010 6 Current Water Storage

4/19/2010 7 4/19/2010 9 4/19/2010 10 State Water Crisis • 3 year drought • Historically poor drought management • Conflicting water laws and orders • Unenforced water laws • Endangered Species Act • Special interest environmental groups • NorCal v.s. SoCal water users • Ban on commercial salmon fishing

11 State Crisis, continued

• Limits on Colorado River and Owens Valley water use • Uncontrolled state population growth

• Result: – “Paper water:” over allocation by 4-8 times – Water operation rules change often – All conflicts go to court – Recreation use is the very lowest priority

4/19/2010 12 4/19/2010 Source: Riverside Press Enterprise 13 Major Pressures for Water

• Farming • River restoration – Trinity – Klamath – San Joaquin • Power generation – The TRD provides 30% of CVP power • Residential

4/19/2010 14 4/19/2010 15 How Does Water Move South? Uphill and to Money

• Pumped up from the delta to Tracy – 147’ lift to Delta-Mendota

4/19/2010 16 4/19/2010 17 Water Flows Uphill, continued

• Banks – 342’ lift to for diversion to valley and the Aqueduct

4/19/2010 18 4/19/2010 20 San Joaquin Valley Farming

• Water rights – Junior rights for excess water • Large agribusinesses are forcing water legislation • Farming marginal land • Current fights – Farm jobs vs fishing jobs – Reselling “public” water for a profit

4/19/2010 21 Permanent Crops in a Desert

4/19/2010 22 Top Mega AgriBusiness

• Stewart Resnick – 115,000 acres • Paramount Farms – CA’s largest grower of nuts, citrus fruits, and pomegranates – World’s largest grower of pistachios and almonds

4/19/2010 23 Top Mega AgriBusiness, cont’d

• Roll International – One of the largest US private water brokers – Turns “public” water into private • Kern Water Bank • Money backer of Brown and Feinstein

4/19/2010 24 Westlands Water District • Nation’s largest water district • Joined TRD push in 1953, contract in 1963 • The “darth vader” of Calif water districts • Members are mostly absentee-owner corporate farms • Toxic land – selenium • Water reselling • Retiring land and water? – 200,000 more acres 4/19/2010 25 Westlands – losing battles

• National Academy of Science – Feb: Upheld pumping restrictions • Judge Wanger (US District Court, Eastern District California) – March: Turned down request to lift pumping restriction

4/19/2010 26 Other Pressure for Water

• Tainted ag runoff into the Calif Aqueduct – Southern metro areas want “clean” water • Excessive valley groundwater use – Valley have dropped 30’ in places – CA Aqueduct has 6’ drops in places • 10-year drought on the Colorado River

4/19/2010 27 Sacramento Delta

• Weak levee system – 1,100 miles of levee • 50% of inflow pumped south • Smelt called the key indicator species of a greater problem (ES)

• Therefore, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan

4/19/2010 28 Delta Importance • ½ million acres of the most productive farmland in the US • Large number of animal species • Drinking water for 25 million people • Water for the $27 billion agriculture industry • Fish nursery

4/19/2010 29 4/19/2010 30 Delta Peripheral Canal (Conveyance Facility)

• Eases water transfers going south – Reliable water supply to SoCal • Reduce the need for pumping, therefore decrease the fish kill • $4.2 billion cost • Nov 2010 Clean/Safe/Reliable Drinking Water Supply bond measure

4/19/2010 32 Peripheral Canal (Conveyance Facility), contd.

• Similar proposition failed in the 80s under Jerry Brown • All 2010 governor candidates support the canal and more delta pumping

4/19/2010 33 4/19/2010 34 The Real Impact of Delta Water

4/19/2010 35 November 2010 Water Bond

• Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010 – $455M for misc project – $1.4B for "integrated regional water projects" – $2.25B for projects that "support delta sustainability options". – $3B for water storage projects – $1.7B for ecosystem and watershed protection /restoration – $1B for groundwater protection and cleanup. – $1.25B for "water recycling and advanced treatment projects". – $2B for projects that "lawmakers candidly acknowledge were included in the proposal to win the votes that were needed to pass the plan out of the Legislature."

4/19/2010 36 Trinity Basin

• Trinity River Restoration • management

4/19/2010 37 4/19/2010 38 The Dam’s Impact

• Severe loss of salmon and other ocean- going fish in the pre-ROD years • Loss of natural flooding to keep the river “fish friendly” • Lost spawning habitat – Fish use to migrated to Coffee Creek

4/19/2010 39 Channel Changed

4/19/2010 40 Habitat Changed

4/19/2010 41 Trinity River Restoration Program • Flow Study, EIS/EIR • 1990 - Water Right 90-05 • 2000 ROD, followed by ruling for SEIS/EIR • 2004 Judge Wanger-no SEIS/EIR needed • 2005 – ROD flows

4/19/2010 42 Trinity River Restoration Program • “Restore” the Trinity River to pre-dam conditions • Reality is probably to improve the river • Recreate of the Coffee Creek environment below Lewiston – 109 miles of native river condensed into 49 miles

4/19/2010 43 Trinity River Restoration Program Management

• USBR, executive director • Trinity Management Council (TMC), TRRP governing board • Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG), TMC advisory group • Trinity River Restoration Project (TRRP) team, Weaverville

4/19/2010 44 Trinity Management Council

• 8 members – Trinity County – USFW – Tribes: Hoopa and Yurok – USBR – Cal Natural Resources – USFS – NOOA Fisheries • Affirmative vote—7 out of 8 • Quarterly public meetings

4/19/2010 45 TAMWG Members

Big Bar Community Development Group California Trout, Inc. City of Redding Electric Utility Company Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District Environmental Defense Fund Friends of the Trinity River Natural Resource Conservation Service Northcoast Environmental Center Recreational Fishing Guide/Trinity County Resident Redwood Regional Audubon Society Safe Alternatives for Forest Environment 6 Rivers Outfitters and Guides Association Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority Trinity County Resource Conservation District Trinity County Resident - Land Owner (Chairman) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Willow Creek Community Services District

4/19/2010 46 ROD Water Year Releases

Water year Frequency of Volume Peak Release type occurrence (AF) (cfs) Critically dry (12%) 369,000 1,500

Dry (28%) 453,000 4,500

Normal (20%) 647,000 6,000

Wet (28%) 701,000 8,500

Extremely (12%) 815,000 11,000 wet

2009 dry 2005 normal 2001 dry 2008 normal 2004 wet 2000 wet 2007 dry 2003 wet 2006 extremely wet 2002 normal

4/19/2010 47 How is the Water Year Determined on April 1?

Inflow to Trinity Lake Water Year Type (Acre-Feet) Extremely Wet >2,000,000 Wet 1,350,000 to 2,000,000 Normal 1,025,000 to 1,350,000 Dry 650,000 to 1,025,000 Critically Dry < 650,000

4/19/2010 48 Forecast Zones Bad for Trinity Lake?

4/19/2010 49 4/19/2010 51 ROD Releases Hydrograph

4/19/2010 53 2010 Flow Scheduling Workgroup Recommended Releases 7,000 6000cfs bench- Moved 1 week earlier to coincide with seed dispersal of riparian vegetation and Yellow Legged

6,000 4600 cfs bench to allow for WSEL, dicharge and velocity calibration at 2D

5,000 Descend at a rate less than 0.1 ft/day (not met with Normal hydrograph) to not exceed seedling root growth rate and minimize YLF egg mass strandings 4,000 2000 cfs bench (4 days shorter than ROD normal) - Provides enough time to complete necessary habitat work, should assist with 3,000 timing of YLF hatchling survival for earliest Discharge (cfs) Discharge Descend at a rate less than 0.1 ft/day (not met with ROD 2,000 normal) to not exceed seedling root growth rate and minimize YLF egg mass 750 cfs bench to allow for 1,000 WSEL, dicharge and velocity calibration at 2D GRTS sites

-

WG Recommended ROD Normal

4/19/2010 54 4/19/2010 55 4/19/2010 56 River Temperature Control

• Trinity and Sacramento Rivers • Fingerlings, over summering, spawning • 1-2 degrees has an impact – Stresses fish – Less resistance to disease and parasites

4/19/2010 57 River Temperature Objectives

Daily Average Not to Exceed Period River Reach

60° F July 1 - Sept. 14 Lewiston Dam to Douglas City Bridge

56° F Sept. 15 - Oct. 1 Lewiston Dam to Douglas City Bridge

Lewiston Dam to confluence of North Fork 56° F Oct. 1 - Dec. 31 Trinity River

4/19/2010 58 How to Cool the River: Current • Normal release of water from the lake – Can still generate power – Only works when water level is high • Pull water from the bottom of the lake – No power generated – Used when lake levels are low • ~250-350,000 af to cool down Lewiston – This water is exported to the valley

4/19/2010 59 How to Cool the River: Options

• Maintain a large pool of water in the lake – Longer access to cold water – Power generation • Bypass Lewiston Lake – Save 250-350,000 af – Might be better for recreation, Lewiston fish

4/19/2010 60 The Cold Pool

• Keeps water in the lake for late summer and fall release • Volume studies vary around 750,000 and 1M AF • Who gives up the water? – Lake holds 2.4 MAF – Normal water year: 1.3 MAF to river and valley

4/19/2010 61 What Else Could Help Keep More Lake Water?

• Less water to the valley • Better science behind TRRP releases • Better understand the salmon decline – Ocean changes – Seals and sea lions – Other predator fish – Hatchery fish – Salmon farms

4/19/2010 62 What can You do?

• Stay informed – Need to debate issues with knowledge and science • Write letters and contact legislators when needed • Attend public meeting to represent North Lake issues and view points • Support all local marinas and lake businesses

4/19/2010 63 What can the TLRA do?

• Apply for membership on the TAMWAG – Have a voice in the TRRP • Build relationships with and support organizations that share our goals – Friends of Trinity River – Trinity Lake Houseboat Owners’ Assoc. – California Water Impact Network – CalTrout

4/19/2010 64 What can the TLRA do?, contd.

• Build relationships with marina operators for a stronger united voice • Research marina ramp extensions and/or auxiliary ramps to access the lake during low water • Fund a hydrology study • Push for better inflow forecasting for the Trinity Lake watershed

4/19/2010 65 Other Lake Projects

• Watershed restoration • Research the fish restocking

4/19/2010 66 Questions? Discussion

4/19/2010 67