Eel River Forum The mission of the Eel River Forum is to coordinate and integrate conservation and recovery efforts in the Eel River watershed to conserve its ecological resilience, restore its native fish populations, and protect other watershed THE EEL RIVER ACTION PLAN beneficial uses. These actions are also intended to enhance the economic vitality and A COMPILATION OF INFORMATION sustainability of human communities in the Eel River AND RECOMMENDED ACTIONS basin. PREPARED FOR Charter Members THE EEL RIVER FORUM California Trout CA Department of Fish and Wildlife PREPARED BY CA State Parks Coastal Conservancy EEL RIVER FORUM MEMBERS Eel River Recovery Project Eel River Watershed Improvement Group FINAL REPORT Environmental Protection Information Center MAY 2016 Friends of the Eel River Friends of the Van Duzen River Humboldt County Resource Conservation District Mendocino County Resource Conservation District National Marine Fisheries Service North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board Pacific Gas and Electric Company Potter Valley Irrigation District Round Valley Indian Tribe Salmonid Restoration Federation Sonoma County Water Agency US Bureau of Land Management US Fish and Wildlife Service US Forest Service Wiyot Tribe Some Text Here. EEL RIVER ACTION PLAN FINAL REPORT 2016 2 | P a g e EEL RIVER ACTION PLAN FINAL REPORT 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................... 6 1: INTRODUCTION: THE EEL RIVER AND THE EEL RIVER FORUM ......................................................... 9 THE EEL RIVER WATERSHED ......................................................................................................................................... 11 CURRENT STATUS OF SALMONID POPULATIONS ............................................................................................................... 13 2: WATER RESOURCES ..................................................................................................................... 16 SUMMARY OF THE ISSUE .............................................................................................................................................. 16 EEL RIVER HYDROLOGY ................................................................................................................................................ 16 LOW SUMMER STREAMFLOWS ...................................................................................................................................... 18 WATER POLICY AND REGULATIONS PROTECTING STREAMFLOWS ........................................................................................ 20 BRIEF SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................................... 22 PROPOSED ACTIONS FOR EEL RIVER FORUM .................................................................................................................... 22 3: WATER QUALITY ......................................................................................................................... 25 SUMMARY OF THE ISSUE .............................................................................................................................................. 25 SUMMARY OF CLEAN WATER ACT ENFORCEMENT ............................................................................................................ 26 WATER TEMPERATURE ................................................................................................................................................ 26 ADDITIONAL IMPAIRMENTS ALUMINUM, DISSOLVED OXYGEN, AND MERCURY ..................................................................... 28 NUTRIENT ASSESSMENTS/STUDIES ................................................................................................................................ 28 CYANOBACTERIA (BLUE-GREEN ALGAE) ........................................................................................................................... 29 SURFACE WATER AMBIENT MONITORING PROGRAM (SWAMP) ....................................................................................... 30 EEL RIVER RECOVERY PROJECT (ERRP) .......................................................................................................................... 31 PROPOSED ACTIONS FOR EEL RIVER FORUM .................................................................................................................... 31 4: SEDIMENT IMPAIRMENT AND TMDL IMPLEMENTATION .............................................................. 33 SUMMARY OF THE ISSUE .............................................................................................................................................. 33 CALIFORNIA BOARD OF FORESTRY’S FOREST PRACTICE RULES ............................................................................................ 34 REGIONAL WATER BOARD TMDL IMPLEMENTATION ........................................................................................................ 35 CURRENT STATUS OF SEDIMENT REDUCTION EFFORTS ...................................................................................................... 38 PROPOSED ACTIONS FOR EEL RIVER FORUM .................................................................................................................... 40 5: HABITAT RESTORATION AND ENHANCEMENT ............................................................................. 43 SUMMARY OF THE ISSUE .............................................................................................................................................. 43 CURRENT STATUS OF HABITAT RESTORATION PLANNING ................................................................................................... 44 PROPOSED ACTIONS FOR EEL RIVER FORUM .................................................................................................................... 46 6: THE EEL RIVER DELTA AND ESTUARY ............................................................................................ 47 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................................. 47 HISTORICAL CONDITIONS ............................................................................................................................................. 50 CURRENT CONDITION IN THE ESTUARY ........................................................................................................................... 51 AGRICULTURAL LANDS IN THE DELTA-ESTUARY ................................................................................................................ 52 RESTORING THE EEL RIVER ESTUARY .............................................................................................................................. 52 BRIEF SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................................ 53 PROPOSED ACTIONS FOR EEL RIVER FORUM .................................................................................................................... 54 7: THE POTTER VALLEY PROJECT ...................................................................................................... 56 SUMMARY OF THE ISSUE .............................................................................................................................................. 56 3 | P a g e EEL RIVER ACTION PLAN FINAL REPORT 2016 ANNUAL HYDROGRAPHS AND WATER VOLUMES .............................................................................................................. 59 BLOCK WATER ........................................................................................................................................................... 59 STATUS AND TRENDS OF FISHERY RESOURCES IN THE UPPER EEL RIVER ............................................................................... 62 PROPOSED ACTIONS FOR EEL RIVER FORUM .................................................................................................................... 64 ACTIONS IDENTIFIED BUT NOT AGREED UPON BY MEMBERS OF THE EEL RIVER FORUM.......................................................... 68 8: MONITORING .............................................................................................................................. 70 SUMMARY OF THE ISSUE .............................................................................................................................................. 70 STATUS OF FISHES IN THE EEL RIVER ............................................................................................................................... 74 BIOLOGICAL MONITORING ........................................................................................................................................... 78 HABITAT MONITORING ................................................................................................................................................ 81 CITIZEN BASED MONITORING ....................................................................................................................................... 83 PROPOSED ACTIONS FOR EEL RIVER FORUM CONSIDERATION ............................................................................................ 85 9: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT