Delta History

(Focus: Navigation & Boating & Recreation) , , Steamboat Slough, Mokelumne River

Presentation by Nicole Suard, Esq. for the Coalition to Support Delta Projects, July 2012, to promote an understanding of the importance of navigation and boating recreation in the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta Region Video of slideshow is posted at http://www.snugharbor.net This presentation was made using historic reference maps and books • Photo of maps/books owned or scanned by presenter, unless otherwise noted by provision of the Purpose is to help the viewer understand the important online source of the map or data. history of the Delta’s navigation, boating and other Material is presented for educational recreational benefits. purposes only. 1850-1852 Ringgold Survey & Map

http://www.deltarevision.com/maps-surveys/1840-1900surveys/1853williamson.jpg

Sacramento River 1850 views An enlarged view of the second section of the “Middle Fork” renamed Steamboat Slough very soon after the first survey in 1850, and an artists’ rendition Steamboat Slough and Sacramento River in the 1860s-Hutchings Magazine

Hutchings 1871

http://www.deltarevision.com/1848-1989_docs/1871salmon_steamboat_slough_hutching.pdf Sacramento River & Steamboat Slough 1860 views and a current artists’ recreation of the Delta scene Steamboat Slough 1860 San Joaquin River 1850 Steamboat Slough the favored route to and from Sacramento: The ship leaves at 4:00 PM from San Fracisco Navigation in the Delta – Mining “Slickins” begin to fill the Delta and San Francisco Bay, and river snags cause damage and death for many Slickens and the Lower Sacramento River: Settlements and landings on the rivers As silting increased, snags increased, accidents increased and commercial shipping decreased 1855 Survey for the railroads

http://www.deltarevision.com/maps-surveys/1840-1900surveys/1855-full-survey-map.pdf http://www.deltarevision.com/maps-surveys/1840-1900surveys/1856-reportofsurvey.pdf Even when the first rail roads were completed, passage to San Francisco via ship was needed

1869 map by the Tide Land Reclamation Company showed not just how many acres the company owned in the area, but also that the company used different names for some waterways, and it also shows the central Delta as not yet reclaimed, some islands not named.

This is the ONLY map found that lists what was called the “Middle Fork” as “West Branch” instead. Note the name “Steamboat Slough” for the upper section of that natural waterway.

Several maps of this time period and up until about 1910 referred to the section of the Sacramento River between Rio Vista and Walnut Grove as “Old River” because it would get more shallow in the late summer. Steamboats used the Steamboat Slough route because it was shorter and deeper, and the smaller boats used “Old River”, stopping at the many ranches to pick up or drop off supplies. Other less detailed California maps might list the Sacramento River as flowing on today’s Steamboat Slough Mail traveled through Steamboat Slough via the Pony Express in 1860-1861 1873 Survey to PROMOTE the sale of Delta lands for reclamation and farming “… showing the country that may be irrigated and a provisional system of irrigation”

Ironically, this map is often used to mislead the viewer into thinking the map portrays the extent of tule marshes in the Delta-which was not the case at all! 1880 brought political pressure to ban hydraulic mining and protect the Delta’s waterways

Sketch below appears to be a 2002 rendition of the original cartoon which referred to the damage to the Sacramento River and also Steamboat Slough from hydraulic mining debris causing silting of the waterways. 1880 Plans for Dredging are reported; 1901 “Milk Map” showing transport routes at that time Hall Maps of 1886 provide great details of the Delta Islands and Waterway names of the times

Old Sacramento River, Steamboat Slough, San Joaquin River, and the islands actively irrigated are labeled. Note that the lower Central Delta islands are not defined in this series of HUGE and detailed maps.

http://www.deltarevision.com/maps-surveys/1840-1900surveys/1886delta2.pdf 1886 Hall Maps

The 1886 Hall maps along with other historic map series were later used by Brian Atwater and team for the 1978 comparitive survey of locations of Delta historic waterways and natural levees

http://www.deltarevision.com/maps-surveys/1840-1900surveys/1886delta2.pdf In 1896 a large map of bicycle routes for Northern California was developed, including a drive through the North Delta

The “Ashley” Ferry (ferry name found at Rio Vista Museum map) above Rio Vista could carry Cyclers over to Ryer Island or a ferry leading to Liberty Island area could be used.

Oddly, neither the “New Town” landing nor the busy 1890’s town of Rio Vista are labeled on this map, even though they would be a logical resting point before venturing on up to Sacramento City Thompson’s Dissertation and also the Pacific Historian report Reclamation records & revised waterways according to a different timeline than what is listed in the 2008 DRMS report 1906 San Joaquin River & Islands survey 1906 Survey of the San Joaquin River & surrounding islands: “Practically all The sketch below is often used to convey the land was originally tule or marsh land...Much of it is unreclaimed.” the view of the entire Delta in 1870 when in fact it was the view of ONLY the San Joaquin River meandering to the port city of Stockton. Note the absence of trees and natural levees. The type of vegetation indicates the quality of fresh water there. Compare the landscape to that of the Sacramento River and Steamboat Slough of the same time period Lower San Joaquin River and Valley 1906 San Joaquin River & Islands survey- detailed view Note that the very detailed survey 1906 Island Profiles-detailed view maps, shown in one foot increments with cross sections running across some of the major islands of the San Joaquin Delta area, do NOT show the intricate pattern or network of streams often portrayed in BDCP and SFEI maps. One has to question the purpose of BDCP in creating what appears to be a substantially misleading map compared to historical records: 1910 to 1930’s Central Delta reclamation and Sacramento River area road improvements further define the current Delta boundaries 1920-1930’s travel on Delta Waterways

http://www.deltarevision.com/1848-1989_docs/1925_report_to_congress_Delta_river_navigation.pdf.pdf 1935 Delta Soil Surveys- 1949 Sacramento Deep Ship Channel

http://www.deltarevision.com/maps-surveys/1901-1999suarveys/1935soils.jpg 1945 Plan (central conveyance to divert water to lower Central Valley dry lands)

http://www.deltarevision.com/maps-surveys/1901-1999suarveys/1945-usbr-ca-resources-development.pdf 1965-1980 Canal Planning

http://www.deltarevision.com/1848-1989_docs/1965-66_canal_proposal.pdf Other plans of the 1960’1980’s 1965-1990’s Delta Cross Channel Operations & navigation limitations Boaters in the North Delta, traveling on the Sacramento River, can not get to the Mokelumne River or the Meadows when the Delta Cross Channel Gates are closed without warning

1978-1982 Canal Planning & Vote

http://www.deltarevision.com/maps-surveys/1982-atwater/atwater-7-steamboat-slough-ryer-grand-sutter.pdf Use of the Delta Waterways and Delta Islands for Flood Control Planning: 1975-1978

Even though the waterways of the Delta have been silting in, the 2012 Flood Control plan used capacity estimates from the 1960’s, when the waterways were deeper.

As a specific example, Sections of Steamboat Slough are now 10 feet deep where it was 17 to 20 feet deep before. More shallow waterway bed results in less capacity for flood control, logically. Maintenance dredging is needed for all natural Delta waterways at a minimum!

http://www.deltarevision.com/images/pdfs/1977SacDelta_report.pdf http://www.deltarevision.com/Delta_maps/Floods-Islands-Levees.htm 1978-1995 Delta Studies and map gathering

http://www.deltarevision.com/maps-surveys/1982-atwater/atwater-12-mokelumne.pdf

http://www.deltarevision.com/maps-surveys/1982-atwater/atwater-7-steamboat-slough-ryer-grand-sutter.pdf While some plans eliminate Steamboat and Sutter Sloughs, others recognize their importance 1998-2000 CALFED Preferred Alternative (central conveyance)

http://www.deltarevision.com/calfed_videodocs3.html Starting about 2003 the volume of studies on flow and reoperation of the DCC had effects on boating Negative effects of the Central Conveyance plan & limiting boating at the Delta Cross Channel Gates Example 1: “DCC Reoperation” or sudden closing of the Delta Cross Channel Gates to boater traffic on June 1, 2004: Boaters expecting to be able to return back to their berths via the DCC find the gates closed and must therefore go a day’s worth of extra travel down the Sacramento River and back up into the Mokelumne River: 2000 to 2011 The names change but it’s the same plan “plus” some extras

http://www.deltarevision.com/calfed_videodocs3.html More Planning Maps! More Central Conveyance Plan names: “Armored Aqueduct”, BDCP Central Canal, Freshwater Corridor, In-Delta Storage, CALTRANS, NOAA, USGS and DOI Delta maps 2005-2012

http://www.deltarevision.com/delta_planning_maps_used_in_videos.htm More conveyance plans In the meantime, EBMUD designed and built Delta bypass capacity by building the Freeport intake facility, and by the future planned use of the Folsom South Canal expansion which diverts water from Folsom so that it down not flow through the Delta, but is still counted as Delta flow*

*Past & current waterflow tracking used inflow INTO as the measure for a portion of Sacramento River Delta inflow. If water is now diverted from Folsom Dam before it ever reaches the I-street bridge, shouldn’t that method of calculating Delta inflow be revised to reflect ACTUAL Delta inflow?

We see new water intakes being built in various places on the Sacramento River from 2002 to 2012

http://www.deltarevision.com/Issues/smalls/img8D.gif 2012: The Great Delta Trail is a great idea, but the 2006 DPC proposed boating trail limits some historic navigation waterways to “non-motorized boating” which would have a huge negative impact in the restricted areas

NHA designation may even further restrict use of lands in the Delta, but that issue is not clear.

In any case, NHA and the Great Delta Trail should show all useable roads around the Delta Islands to encourage tourism. After all, isn’t that the purpose of developing a bike trail or historical sites trail? BDCP & the 1945 Delta Cross Channel Plan: limits to navigation

Basemap is a section of the June 2012 BDCP map

Added to basemap: 1850’s Original navigation route to Sacramento

1850’s Alternate route to Sacramento-called “Old River” Sacramento on many historic maps

1945 Delta Cross Channel conveyance plan

2012 Combine the levee and dredging projects of the Coalition to Support Delta Projects, and it appears the expansion of the DCC to the 2000 CalFed preferred alternative will be completed … right? “Strategic Levee System Proposal” is another name for the southern section of the CALFED Preferred Alternative, also known as part of the “SDIP” or South Delta Improvements Project Effects on North Delta, based on 2008 BDCP 5,000 cfs to 9,000 cfs Sacramento River diversion study 2012

California’s Water War rages on! Presentation summary

Good websites to view historical maps of the Delta: davidrumsey.com DeltaREvision.com SnugHarbor.net (Steamboat Slough, Ryer and Grand Islands) snugharbor.net/images2012/maps/delta_waterways.pdf charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/18661.shtml charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/18662.shtml charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/18660.shtml charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/18663.shtml charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/18658.shtml

N. Suard, Esq. Snug Harbor on Steamboat Slough July 2012 Thanks for Watching!

Don’t Drain the Delta!

Alternative Conveyance possibilities:

1. Place water conveyance tunnel under planned new Speed Rail train, south bound side, designed to use the momentum of the train to help transport water. Using tunnel helps to limit evaporation due to open air exposure. 2. Allow export of water if, and only if, there is SURPLUS water in the Sacramento River system. That is, export tunnels can only be opened during wet time of the years, and only after Northern California water needs for people, agriculture, industrial, energy and environmental needs are met. A pre-defined % of the major flood flows of the Sacramento River may be diverted into the export tunnel, with water storage holding areas developed along the train route, so that risk to Delta levees and towns will be minimized, while still guaranteeing sufficient flows to improve the environment for people, fish, farming and boating recreation in the Sacramento Valley, Delta and San Francisco Bay. The open channels of the California Aqueduct shall no longer be used for water conveyance, but could be used for alternative purposes, such as a state-wide solar panel & energy distribution system. 3. Negotiate with the States of Washington and Oregon to develop a NorthWest water pipeline which diverts additional flows into Northern California, to reduce NorCal water needs, thereby freeing up water exports for SoCal. 4. Require all coastal towns south of a specific area, (i.e. like Pismo Beach), to build and use desalination plants for their primary drinking water source within 20 years. 5. Irrigated agricultural lands that are found to create excessive run off or build up of selenium, boron or other elements that put people, animals, fish, fowl or agricultural production at risk shall be prohibited from allowing the discharge of such buildup into any other waterway or lands.