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More water for the salmon
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| Dead salmon float in the Klamath River near Klamath, Calif. near the mouth of the river last fall. |
Trinity River water considered in plan to prevent fish die-off
published March 30, 2003
By DYLAN DARLING
Federal fish biologists have advised a judge that he can help prevent another massive salmon die-off on the lower Klamath River by ordering higher flows this summer in the Trinity River.
Last year more than 30,000 salmon died on the Lower Klamath River, mostly below the confluence with the Trinity River, about 30 miles from the Pacific Ocean.
The die-off occurred as flows in the Klamath River were near historic lows. Fishery and environmental groups, and some fishery biologists, quickly placed the blame on irrigation diversions in the Upper Klamath Basin.
Federal biologists have so far withheld comment on what caused the fish die-off.
But a report submitted to a judge earlier this month by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said higher flows in the Trinity River could help prevent a repeat of the die-off if similar conditions occur again this year.
"A proactive approach is required to avoid conditions that could result in another fish die-off," the report says.
Judge Oliver Wanger in the U.S. District Court for Eastern California is trying a case in which an irrigation district and some power districts in California's Central Valley are trying to block a plan by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to decrease diversions from the Trinity River to the Sacramento River.
While the case is being heard, Wanger has the authority to decide how much water should be sent down the Trinity River from the Bureau's Trinity and Lewiston dams.
On March 5, Wanger asked the Fish and Wildlife Service to give him recommendations on how to avoid another salmon die-off this year. The the service responded last week with a seven-page report that calls for more water to be released to the Trinity River.
The report offers three options for maintaining higher river flows in the Trinity:
A sustained flow of 1,500 cubic feet per second for the "critical" period between Aug. 15 and Sept. 15.
A pulse flow, with flow being ramped up weekly from 450 cfs to 2,000 cfs.
A combination of the first two options, first trying pulses and then falling back to sustained flows if the pulses don't get the response from fish the service wants. The pulses would be of flows of 2,000 cfs and the sustained flow would be a discharge of 1,500 cfs from the Lewiston Dam from Sept. 1 to Sept. 17.
Service biologists recommend the combination.
The increased flows of Trinity River water would avoid the problems that led to the fish kill last year, including fish population density, the report says.
Some of this problem was caused by salmon spending too much time in the Lower Klamath River and not moving up to spawning habitat in the Trinity River.
"This year, under potentially similar circumstances, providing additional Trinity River water above normal water year flows may reduce fish densities in the lower Klamath and draw Trinity fish out of the Klamath and into the Trinity River," the report says.
Recent water forecasts predict dry conditions similar to those experienced last year, the report says.
None of the service's biologists or the agency's fisheries supervisor would comment about the report, nor would the U.S. Justice Department Attorney who filed the report.
The dams on the Trinity were built in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and they came online in 1964 as part of the Central Valley Project.
Reclamation officials say up to 90 percent of the Trinity River's water has been diverted to the Central Valley in some years.
A plan approved in December 2000 by then-Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt would have boosted flows down the Trinity River by increasing the flow by 25 percent to 48 percent of the average inflow into Trinity Reservoir, depending on water conditions.
Releases to the Trinity River would be 369,000 acre-feet in critically dry years, and 815,000 acre-feet in extremely wet years.
Jeff McCracken, Bureau spokesman, said the lawsuit by Central Valley irrigators has prevented the Bureau from following the record of decision that would have increased Trinity River flows.
"The record of decision, had it been implemented, would have increased water down the Trinity," he said.
Last April, Wanger ruled that more water should be released through the Trinity River in 2002 than in 2001. The ruling called for 468,600 acre-feet to be released, up by 100,000 acre-feet from 2001.
Reporter Dylan Darling covers natural resources. He can be reached at 885-4471, (800) 275-0982, or by e-mail at ddarling@heraldandnews.com.
published March 30, 2003
By DYLAN DARLING
Federal fish biologists have advised a judge that he can help prevent another massive salmon die-off on the lower Klamath River by ordering higher flows this summer in the Trinity River.
Last year more than 30,000 salmon died on the Lower Klamath River, mostly below the confluence with the Trinity River, about 30 miles from the Pacific Ocean.
The die-off occurred as flows in the Klamath River were near historic lows. Fishery and environmental groups, and some fishery biologists, quickly placed the blame on irrigation diversions in the Upper Klamath Basin.
Federal biologists have so far withheld comment on what caused the fish die-off.
But a report submitted to a judge earlier this month by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said higher flows in the Trinity River could help prevent a repeat of the die-off if similar conditions occur again this year.
"A proactive approach is required to avoid conditions that could result in another fish die-off," the report says.
Judge Oliver Wanger in the U.S. District Court for Eastern California is trying a case in which an irrigation district and some power districts in California's Central Valley are trying to block a plan by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to decrease diversions from the Trinity River to the Sacramento River.
While the case is being heard, Wanger has the authority to decide how much water should be sent down the Trinity River from the Bureau's Trinity and Lewiston dams.
On March 5, Wanger asked the Fish and Wildlife Service to give him recommendations on how to avoid another salmon die-off this year. The the service responded last week with a seven-page report that calls for more water to be released to the Trinity River.
The report offers three options for maintaining higher river flows in the Trinity:
Service biologists recommend the combination.
The increased flows of Trinity River water would avoid the problems that led to the fish kill last year, including fish population density, the report says.
Some of this problem was caused by salmon spending too much time in the Lower Klamath River and not moving up to spawning habitat in the Trinity River.
"This year, under potentially similar circumstances, providing additional Trinity River water above normal water year flows may reduce fish densities in the lower Klamath and draw Trinity fish out of the Klamath and into the Trinity River," the report says.
Recent water forecasts predict dry conditions similar to those experienced last year, the report says.
None of the service's biologists or the agency's fisheries supervisor would comment about the report, nor would the U.S. Justice Department Attorney who filed the report.
The dams on the Trinity were built in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and they came online in 1964 as part of the Central Valley Project.
Reclamation officials say up to 90 percent of the Trinity River's water has been diverted to the Central Valley in some years.
A plan approved in December 2000 by then-Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt would have boosted flows down the Trinity River by increasing the flow by 25 percent to 48 percent of the average inflow into Trinity Reservoir, depending on water conditions.
Releases to the Trinity River would be 369,000 acre-feet in critically dry years, and 815,000 acre-feet in extremely wet years.
Jeff McCracken, Bureau spokesman, said the lawsuit by Central Valley irrigators has prevented the Bureau from following the record of decision that would have increased Trinity River flows.
"The record of decision, had it been implemented, would have increased water down the Trinity," he said.
Last April, Wanger ruled that more water should be released through the Trinity River in 2002 than in 2001. The ruling called for 468,600 acre-feet to be released, up by 100,000 acre-feet from 2001.
Reporter Dylan Darling covers natural resources. He can be reached at 885-4471, (800) 275-0982, or by e-mail at ddarling@heraldandnews.com.
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