The right flow and water temperature is vital to the health of the salmon in the lower American River and the only way to stabilize both, within the conditions of an increased need for water for residents, business, the environment, and agriculture, is to have access to more water.
That is one of the reasons—the other being to preserve the physical integrity of the Parkway—we have advocated building the Auburn Dam on the American River.
The Bureau of Reclamation is powerless to control the flow only to suit the salmon, as long as the only water they have is the now inadequate supply from the half century old Folsom Dam.
The Water Forum agreement is merely a large volume of paper without the water supply on which its hopes—for establishing adequate water flows at the right temperature for the salmon—are based.
Editorial: Feds need to deliver on American River flows
Standard for moving water would guard against stranded fish and stuck boats
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, April 12, 2008
Seen from its shady banks, the lower American River would appear to flow freely, with Old Man River heading downstream based on the whims of nature.
Guess again.
In the real world, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has its hand on the spigot of the American River through its control of Folsom Dam. Because this spigot sits so close to the massive pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the bureau often depends on Folsom Lake and the American River to send water south in a hurry, to help fish or farmers.
The result: Flows in the American River can fluctuate wildly.
In February 2003, for instance, the bureau opened the spigot, increasing flows from 3,500 to 5,500 cubic feet per second. Then, 11 days later, the bureau knocked them down to half that volume.
Although the bureau followed approved procedures, the fluctuating flows ended up stranding thousands of young fish – including endangered steelhead – that were emerging from gravel bars where their parents had laid eggs. The gravel bars were flooded when the adult fish were spawning, but when the bureau dropped the flows down, it left the offspring high and dry.
For more than a decade, local water districts and environmentalists have been trying to finalize a proposed "flow standard" that would give salmon and steelhead the cool water they need to survive and thrive. In 2005, all sides seemed close to a deal that would protect both fish and water users, avoiding a costly legal battle over the Endangered Species Act.
