American River Wildlife News

That's been good for river recreation but may mean trouble for fish. It could deplete cold water in Folsom Lake that would otherwise be available to release when salmon return to spawn and young steelhead wait to travel downstream.

Salmon and steelhead are both protected by state and federal endangered species laws. Ironically, a crisis with another protected fish contributed to the problem this year.

In June, state and federal water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta were slashed to protect the Delta smelt. Hundreds of the tiny fish were dying in the pumps, when their total population was already known to be at historic lows.

To continue serving farms and cities south of the Delta, water was delivered instead from San Luis Reservoir near Los Banos, a waystation along the state and federal canal system.

Extra releases from Folsom Dam are meant to refill San Luis Reservoir and make up for the shortfall in deliveries to San Joaquin Valley farmers during the smelt crisis, said Jeff McCracken, spokesman for the federal Bureau of Reclamation.

But he emphasized that federal water customers are feeling the pain, too: They're only getting about half their contracted deliveries because of the dry year.

Tim Horner, a geology professor at California State University, Sacramento, who studies the river, said the conflict highlights a perennial struggle for water between the environment and thirsty farms and cities _ one that worsens in dry years.

"I can almost guarantee we will have a large fish kill this fall," he said. "We're going to kill a bunch of fish before they spawn, and maybe we'll finally realize we've got to do things differently. We can't deliver all the (water) contracts and still have enough water for fish."

The Bureau of Reclamation plans to cut releases from the dam to 2,500 cfs in mid-August. This strategy will leave enough cold water in the lake for fall releases, when the fish need it, McCracken said.

"We're going to ensure we meet all of our requirements in the American River for all our fishery needs," he said. "That's part of our operation just as it is to deliver water to the people who pay for it."

Fall-run chinook salmon normally start returning from the ocean to the American River in early September, with the run peaking around Thanksgiving. Steelhead born in January stay in the river for about a year before heading out to sea. Both need the water at 62 degrees or colder in early fall.

Historically, cold water flowed out of the mountains unhindered. Riverbanks offered more shade to keep the water cool. Fish could also migrate farther upstream to find cooler conditions.

More at Scripps News.

• March 6, 2007, 9:55 am - Bruce

  Here are even more reasons to oppose this boondoggle in my Auburn Dam Information Directory.
  

• February 25, 2007, 4:49 pm - Bruce

  The politicians and wealthy landowners who would profit from a dam project will never give up. We will need to remain vigilant to ensure that this porkbarrel project is never built.
  Auburn Dam - High Costs and High Risks.
  

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