WATERSHED RESTORATION IN THE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA: A BIOTECHNICAL APPROACH1 Donna S. Lindquist and Linton Y. Bowie2 Abstract: A cooperative erosion control project was ini- Since degraded riparian areas can be major contrib- tiated in 1985 for the North Fork Feather River wa- utors of sediment to streamflow, much of the grow- tershed in California's northern Sierra Nevada due to ing interest in improving water quality has focused on widespread accelerated erosion. Resulting sedimenta- restoration and management of streamside zones. In- tion problems have impacted fish, wildlife and livestock creased demand for recreational resources, aesthetics resources, and have created operational concerns for hy- and good water quality, and the recognition of wide- droelectric facilities located downstream. In response, spread degradation have provided the impetus to de- concerned groups met to develop a restoration plan. A velop and implement techniques to repair degraded ri- Memorandum of Agreement was signed and a Coordi- parian habitats. A wide variety of techniques are avail- nated Resources Management Planning Committee was able which are documented in manuals, symposia pro- formed to facilitate the planning and implementation ceedings, and research papers. process. The watershed restoration program was initi- ated with a small demonstration project that was im- Institutional incentives for riparian restoration lag far plemented in Red Clover Creek. The objective was to behind available technology. The manner in which up- demonstrate structural and nonstructural methods that stream managers and downstream users interact in the reduce erosion, restore riparian vegetation, and improve restoration process has not been reconciled. The re- habitat for fish and wildlife, and to develop a planning sponsibility for implementing restoration measures has process for future projects. A 4-year monitoring pro-gram largely been left to landowners, making spot treatment was initiated to provide data for a cost and benefit of major watershed problems a common remedy. Site analysis. The planning process, improvement measures, specific projects can create additional watershed prob- and some preliminary monitoring results are presented. lems, and in some cases, lead to project failure due to inadequate consideration of physical and biological factors from the watershed perspective. The ability of one landowner or organization to gather the needed pre- project information and to bear the responsibility of im- plementation alone is unrealistic and infeasible. In recent years there has been a growing interest among professionals, politicians and the public in im- Restoration at the watershed level is complex and proving watershed conditions in California. This is in seemingly impossible due to discontinuous land owner- response to the critical need for additional high quality ships, the difficulty in assessing causes and solutions, and water to foster urban growth, agricultural expansion, in- the great expense in stabilizing degraded sites. It can be dustrial, recreational, and energy-producing uses in the accomplished, however, through extra effort and orga- state. This trend is reflected in the growing importance nization. Coordination of parties most likely to benefit of cumulative effects assessment, legislation contained in through the planning and implementation process seems Section 208 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, to spawn the most successful projects. This paper sum- and the amended Clean Water Act of 1987. Califor- marizes the process used to implement such a riparian nia is presently developing a nonpoint source pollution enhancement project in California. control plan, which includes both toxics and sediment, in response to this legislation (State Water Resources Control Board 1988). In addition, the State Water Re- sources Control Board has required an assessment and Background monitoring study to determine the adequacy of current Best Management Practices (BMP's) contained in For- est Practice Rules for protection of water quality (State The North Fork Feather River (NFFR) watershed is Water Resources Control Board 1987). These institu- located on the west slope of the northern Sierra Nevada. tional signals may be indicative of the changing political It drains 5,058 square kilometers of variable terrain climate regarding water quality control at both the fed- (Langridge 1984), and has long been recognized for its eral and state level. recreational and aesthetic value. This watershed is an 1 Presented at the California Riparian Systems Conference; September 22-24, 1988; Davis, California. 2 Research Project Manager and Research Projects Coordinator, respectively; Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Research and Development Department, San Ramon, California. 436 USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-110. 1989. important component of California's vast water distri- large geographic areas (Anderson and Baum 1987). This bution network, produces a significant amount of hydro- approach integrates the needs of participants into an electric power, and provides extensive fishing, hunting, action plan. Since decisions are made by consensus, grazing, timber, mining, and aesthetic values. Most of conflicts are minimized. Contributions of participants the timbered areas are managed and administered by the are leveraged to provide benefits at an affordable cost. It Plumas National Forest, while the large alluvial valleys is also widely used by public land management agencies are predominantly privately owned. which enhances project credibility, and may provide additional funding opportunities. Land use by man is largely responsible for the ac- celerated erosion conditions apparent in this watershed Such a planning process can be used effectively to today. Extensive mining, grazing, timber harvesting, pi- address riparian problems from a watershed or "big pic- oneer settlements, and burning and cultivation of mead- ture" perspective. Success, however, depends upon com- ows has reduced vegetation cover, leaving uplands and pletion of a thorough pre-project survey to determine streambanks barren and vulnerable to erosional pro- geomorphological, hydrologic and biologic characteris- cesses. This has resulted in a network of hydrologically tics of the area, in addition to historical and current unstable channels due to increased overland flow and land uses. sediment discharge. River Basin Study Increased sedimentation and poor water quality have produced problems for landowners, managers, and re- A River Basin Study (RBS) is being conducted by source users. Livestock producers have less forage pro- the USDA Soil Conservation Service (SCS) to evaluate duction to support cattle on floodplains due to lowered and prioritize sources of erosion in the watershed, and water tables associated with downcutting stream chan- to identity cost effective restoration measures. Results nels. Recreationists find fish populations are reduced will be used to develop a restoration plan which identi- due to lack of overhanging vegetation, poor water qual- fies critical areas, and as a means to secure additional ity and warm water temperatures. Inadequate cover project support. The local CRMP committee is respon- of riparian vegetation has reduced nesting and rearing sible for guiding the RBS so that high priority areas of habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife species. Hy- concern are emphasized accordingly. A draft report has droelectric producers must contend with increased sed- been submitted and is presently in the review process imentation in reservoirs which creates operational and (USDA Soil Conservation Service 1988). environmental concerns. These effects are symptoms of the degraded state of this watershed. Demonstration Project Planning The CRMP committee decided to implement a small demonstration project in the headwaters of the water- Coordinated Resource Management Planning(CRMP) shed as a first step in developing a regional erosion con- trol plan. The project was designed to test and eval- A cooperative, interagency effort was started in 1985 uate the effects of several erosion control techniques on in response to the accelerated erosion prevalent in the streambank stability, sediment reduction, and the recov- watershed. Fourteen federal, state, and local agencies, ery of riparian vegetation. In addition, the project would and private sector groups met and later signed a Memo- provide an opportunity to establish a workable planning randum of Agreement (MOA). This document outlined process for future cooperative projects. the commitments of each group in developing and im- plementing a watershed erosion control plan. It became Site Description evident that a process was needed to coordinate the in- teractions and contributions of participating groups, and Potential sites for the demonstration project were to streamline bureaucratic constraints. Therefore, the surveyed by an interdisciplinary field team and a 1.5 MOA participants elected to use the CRMP process to kilometer stretch of Red Clover Creek was selected. It facilitate planning at the local level. Plumas Corpora- is located 40 kilometers east of Quincy, California, on tion, a non-profit economic development organization, the eastside of the Sierra Nevada crest. The creek flows was appointed the project coordinator. through Red Clover Valley which is a highly erodible alluvial valley at an elevation of 1,676 meters. It drains The CRMP process is often used to solve complex about 250