Conservation Education Board Report for April 2025

Two meetings were held by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) regarding the Nature Like Fishway (NLF) around Deguerre Point Dam (DPD). One on 27 Feb at the CDFW headquarters in Rancho Cordova and the other on 13 Mar at the SYRCL office in Nevada City. Federal staff from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was not able to attend either meeting.  Participants met in person and online.   

The key agency positions were as follows. The DPD, even with existing operating fish ladders, is a significant obstruction to passage of salmon, particularly spring run.  The ladders will not be brought up to current standards by the owner of the dam, the Army Corps of Engineers, (ACOE). The agencies CDFW and NOAA are making the decision on the type of passage around DPD that will be needed to provide a significant expansion of spawning above DPD.  Their current preferred alternative is the NLF that will include a modern plate fish screen for the irrigation diversion on the south side of DPD.  The  NLF will also allow the listed green sturgeon access to an additional 12 miles of the Yuba River.  The key assumption by CDFW and NOAA is that the significant increase in spawning by salmon will more than offset the increased predation from striped bass that access the river above the NLF.  The impacts on the quality of the sport fishing in the Yuba River above DPD are not part of their considerations. It should be noted that the Yuba Water Agency will be required to build the NLF, but YWA has the position that only the agencies requiring the structure are responsible for specifying what gets built and will be responsible for monitoring and impacts on the fishery. YWA will be funding the monitoring.

The comments from the participants were against the proposed NLF.  They would prefer that the ACOE be required to upgrade the fish ladders. If the NLF is to be built, then design a high step barrier at the start only passible by salmon and steelhead and use trap and haul for placing sturgeon above DPD.  A subset of that position would be to put the high step barrier in for 5-10 years, monitor the improvement in salmon production to see if the CDFW and NOAA assumption is correct.  If yes, then remove the high step barrier and see if the assumption still holds true.  If not, replace the high step barrier. The commenters noted that the typical water temperature in the Yuba above DPD would be too cold for sturgeon to spawn and that there is very little habitat for the sturgeon.  

We await the official report from the agencies.  CDFW did indicate that the meeting participants would be able to meet with their technical committees. 

We appear to have the attention of the agencies.

Conservation Education Board Report for March 2025

March 24, 2025

The committee's guest speakers for our meeting were Willy Whittlesey, the General Manager of Yuba Water Agency and Danielle Conway, Fisheries Restoration Program Manager for SYRCL. 

Danielle and Willy gave the group a great Co-presentation about the current and proposed salmon restoration projects on the Lower Yuba River (LYR). The program's slide presentation covered the new Rose Bar spawning areas and the Hallwood salmon rearing project. The speakers talked about the proposed new project at Long Bar as the next scheduled spawning restoration project on the LYR.
The proposed Nature Like Fishway at Daguerre Point Dam (DPD) was the first item on the regular agenda. 

The committee is opposed to this project because as proposed the project would allow Striped Bass, a known predator of salmonids, into the sanctuary waters above DPD. 

Our committee, local guides, many fisheries biologists, SYRCL, GCFF, NCCFFI and many local NGO groups, are going on record stating this project needs a Striped Bass barrier.

We are all waiting for answers back from NOAA and CDFW on our concerns about introducing predatory fish above DPD.

We will keep our members informed as this project moves forward. 

Conservation Education Board Report for November 2024

The Yuba County Water Agency is in the process of obtaining a new operations license for their facilities.  The current focus is on the operation of the Narrows #1 and #2 hydro power plants just downstream of Englebright Dam.  The timing and flow capacity through these facilities can affect river water temperature and impact the flood plain spawning and rearing areas downstream of the dam. 

The issues:
1- Can the releases be made to better mimic a more natural flow hydrograph, particularly for spring run salmon and steelhead?
2- Is there sufficient outlet capacity at the current facilities and how does that link to operations at New Bullards Dam (not part of the Narrows facilities regulatory review)?

Poster sessions on the license review process were presented on 13 November in Yuba City and14 November in Grass Valley. Representatives of the Conservation Committee and South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL)were at these sessions. Comments are due by 2 Dec 2024. 

There is an inherit conflict between the jurisdictions and review processes of the principle environmental review agencies; Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and the newer Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan 55% unimpaired flow requirements. Remember California has the most complex water delivery system in the United States and the Yuba-Bear River network is probably the most complex in the state. The relicensing process has been going on for many years.

To help provide a voice for the local non-governmental organizations the Foothills Water Network (FWN) was formed. The FWN represents a broad coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGO) and water resource stakeholders in the Yuba, Bear, and American River Watersheds. The overall goal of the Foothills Water Network is to provide a forum that increases the effectiveness of non-profit conservation organizations to achieve river and watershed restoration and protection benefits for the Yuba, Bear, and American rivers. This includes negotiations at the county, state, and federal levels, with an immediate focus on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) relicensing processes. The.  The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) and SYRCL typically prepare the comments submitted by the FWN.

Conservation Committee is the FWN representative for the Gold Country Fly Fishers.