Lower Yuba River Accord A Collaborative, Science-Based Paradigm - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Lower Yuba River Accord A Collaborative, Science-Based Paradigm Yuba Accord River Management Team 5 th Annual Symposium June 12, 2013

Yuba River Accord Lower Yuba  Yuba River physical context River and Key Facilities  Development of the Accord  Ongoing Operations under the Accord Englebright Dam PG& E Narrow s I Lower Yuba River Pow erhouse Lower Yuba River Accord 2 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Yuba River – Key Considerations  Primary salmonid species of concern for management agencies  State and federally threatened: Spring-run Chinook salmon, Steelhead, Green Sturgeon  Species of concern & interest: Fall-run Chinook salmon & native O. Mykiss  Water Management  Series of water supply, flood control and power generation facilities in the watershed  Flood control and consumptive delivery obligations in the lower Yuba  Yuba Watershed Impacts  Hydraulic mining sediment load  Legacy of debris dams as passage impediments in the watershed  Channelization, dredging, levees continue to impact the lower Yuba Lower Yuba River Accord 3 RMT Symposium, June 2013

The Lower Yuba River: History of Anthropogenic Change One of the most heavily changed rivers known, due to hydraulic mining sediment (HMS), dredging, and engineering works. Pre-mining Conditions, 1850’s (James 2012):  Riparian zone on low floodplains, aka, the ‘ low bottoms ’  Dark soil with tall trees, brush, and vines.  Away from channels, an older terrace rose above floodplains  Negligible sediment Lower Yuba River Accord 4 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Brief History of Hydraulic Mining  1853 – Invented in upper Yuba basin near Nevada City.  1862-1880s – Extreme sedimentation in Valley.  1884 – Hydraulic mining to navigable rivers enjoined.  1893 – Caminetti Act creates California Debris Commission (CDC) & legalizes permitted mining  1900 (est) – peak of sediment deposition below Narrows canyon  1905 (est) – peak of sediment at mouth of Yuba River Lower Yuba River Accord 5 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Sediment production from hydraulic mining in the Sierra Nevada (source: James et al. 2009) Volume (yd 3 ) Basin Relative Production Yuba River 684,000,000 49.0 % Bear River 354,000,000 25.4 % Feather River 100,000,000 7.2 % American River 258,000,000 18.4 % Total 1,396,000,000 100 % The residual deposit in the lower Yuba River, estimated by Gilbert (1917) at over 250 million m 3 (327,000,000 yds 3 ) as of 1917, represented 24 percent of the hydraulic mining sediment produced in the region from 1853 to 1884 (James et al. 2009). Most of that sediment is still there Lower Yuba River Accord 6 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Narrows of Yuba River near Smartsville, looking up from gaging station, 1905 Up Yuba River from a point 2 miles below the Smartsville Narrows, 1908. Lower Yuba River Accord 7 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Up Yuba River from Parks Bar bridge, June 6, 1905 Yuba River Debris Dam, September 19, 1906 A broad area below the dam has been subject to scour, the bed of channel being lowered about 12 feet. Lower Yuba River Accord 8 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Levees in the Lower Yuba River  Construction of levees along the lower Yuba River started as early as 1868 Lower Yuba River Accord 9 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Dams in the Yuba Watershed  During the late 1800s and early 1900s, development of the upper Yuba River watershed for hydropower and water supply was in progress  Most dams and diversions constructed for gold mining, then replaced or removed to support flood control, water supply and hydropower generation.  Major Dams, 1872 – 1943: Original Bowman Dam, 1872 Spaulding Dam, 1913 Original Milton & Fordyce Dams, by Original Bullards Bar Dam, 1882 early 1920’s Debris Dam #1, 1900 Englebright Dam, 1941 USACE’s Daguerre Point Dam, 1906 Lower Yuba River Accord 10 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Lower Yuba River – EDR, RM 22.5 - 24 Englebright Dam Narrows 2 Powerhouse Narrows 1 Powerhouse Sinoro Bar Deer Creek Confluence

Lower Yuba River looking West from RM 17 Yuba Goldfields Long Bar Lower Gilt Edge

Lower Yuba River - RM 8 to 6 Hallwood Blvd Marysville Gauge Lower Yuba River Accord 13 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Lower Yuba River Operating Releases Army Corps Englebright Dam & Res. • Passage barrier • Minimal functional storage • Reservoir recreation YCWA New Bullards Bar Dam • 350 – 750 TAF storage • Cold water pool Cold Water Pool • Flood control obligations • Irrigation water storage Lower Yuba River: • Reservoir recreation • Threatened Species (3) • Irrigation diversions • Flood control pathway • Recreation & sport fishing Lower Yuba River Accord 14 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Lower Yuba River Accord Case Study, Interest-Based Paradigm  Minimum flow schedules for the Lower Yuba River  History:  13 years of contested hearings and litigation  Ugly stuff  4 years of interest-based collaboration  Finding the solution  6 years of implementation  Where we are now Lower Yuba River Accord 15 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Fisheries Agreement Development: Accord Technical Team (TT) Science Process  Primarily biologists with engineering staff support  Met over 2 years (precursor to the River Management Team)  Many many meetings  Reported periodically to a Management Team  Biologists worked out the flow schedules as a biological solution (the what)  Management Team ironed out the agreements (the how) Lower Yuba River Accord 16 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Interest-Based Solution  Parties were motivated to reach a settlement  Parties framed interests, then Take time to educate one another about interests & limitations!  Breakthrough: Water remaining in reservoir serves no purpose this year… Not for fish, not for farms, not for flood control Lower Yuba River Accord 17 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Understand the Constraints… Biology & Science Demands and Hydrologic (Stressor Analysis) Constraints • Species & Life Stages • Hydrologic Variability • Stressors and Impacts • Consumptive Demands • Monthly Rankings • North Yuba Index • Flood Control • Conjunctive Use Accord Flow Schedule Development • Develop flow schedules for most years to maximize fisheries benefits • Develop flow schedules for drier years to maintain fisheries benefits to extent possible • Develop reservoir operation and groundwater management program to reduce frequencies of occurrence of dry-year flow schedules Lower Yuba River Accord 18 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Historical Flows Slate Creek Diversions up to 70,000 Flows to New Bullards Bar Reservoir: North Yuba River and Local Flows: 999,705 af plus tunnel: 141,474 af =1,142,179 af NID and PG&E Project Diversions Up to 400,000 af Middle Yuba River Flows to the North Yuba 88,737 af Local Inflows : 74,038 af South Yuba River Flows 296,287 af Smartville Gage Flow : 1,588,433 af Historical flows in the Yuba Lower Yuba River Accord 19 RMT Symposium, June 2013 Flow data from Annual Averages of USGS Gages, 1987-2001 River Above Smartville

Comparison of Unimpaired Flow of the Yuba Reaches (last seen circa 1855) North Yuba Middle Yuba South Yuba Comparison of Recent Historical (Middle & South) & Modeled (North) Flow of the Yuba Reaches North Yuba Middle Yuba South Yuba Lower Yuba River Accord 20 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Identify the Interests… Biology & Science Demands and Hydrologic (Stressor Analysis) Constraints • Species & Life Stages • Hydrologic Variability • Stressors and Impacts • Consumptive Demands • Monthly Rankings • North Yuba Index • Flood Control • Conjunctive Use Accord Flow Schedule Development • Develop flow schedules for most years to maximize fisheries benefits • Develop flow schedules for drier years to maintain fisheries benefits to extent possible • Develop reservoir operation and groundwater management program to reduce frequencies of occurrence of dry-year flow schedules Lower Yuba River Accord 21 RMT Symposium, June 2013

Stressor Matrix Development Stressors Species/Run • Water Temperature • Fall-run Chinook salmon • Flow Fluctuation • Spring-run Chinook salmon • Flow Dependent Habitat Availability • Steelhead • Habitat Complexity and Diversity Life stages • Predation • Adult Immigration and Holding • Entrainment/Diversion Impacts • Physical Passage Impediment • Spawning and Embryo Incubation • Transport/Pulse Flow • Poaching • Young-of-year Downstream Movement/Outmigration • Spawning Substrate • Angler Impacts • Fry Rearing • Attraction of Non-native Chinook • Juvenile Rearing Salmon • Yearling (+) Outmigration • Overlapping Habitat • Physical Passage Impact • LWW Operations • Motor-powered Watercraft Lower Yuba River Accord 22 RMT Symposium, June 2013