Recreational salmon fishing has begun on Central California rivers in what officials call the first normal season since the fall-run Chinook salmon crash five years ago.
The river fishing season was closed in 2008 and 2009.
State Fish and Game fisheries spokesman Stafford Lehr says fishing should be good on the Sacramento, Feather, American and Mokelumne rivers.
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A pair of massive water diversion gates in the Delta near Walnut Grove has become stuck open due to a mechanical problem, posing a potential threat to juvenile salmon migrating to the ocean.
The Delta Cross Channel Gates, operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, are used to divert Sacramento River water into the interior of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and then to Reclamation export pumps near Tracy.
This time of year, the gates are normally closed on weekdays to ensure migrating salmon are not diverted from their migratory path in the Sacramento River, and opened on weekends to accommodate boat traffic.
But on Tuesday, while officials were attempting to close the gates after the Memorial Day weekend,one of the two gates could not be closed due to a mechanical problem. So Reclamation has left both gates open while it works on a fix.
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After a 10-year effort, the American River Conservancy has completed the purchase of 757 acres of former ranch lands that straddle Salmon Falls Road in El Dorado County.
The lands are on the north side of the South Fork of the American River where it flows into Folsom Lake.
Hundreds of volunteers will be taking out the trash in the American River Canyon on Saturday.
The Earth Week cleanup brings volunteers together with several organizations in a major annual spring effort to remove litter and spruce up the canyon near Auburn.
Eric Peach, a Protect American River Canyons (PARC) board member, said Thursday that volunteers will fan out along both the middle and north forks of the American River from the confluence near the city to not only collect discarded garbage.
“Work will also include minor trail maintenance, removal of invasive non-native plant species and graffiti removal,” Peach said.
The Auburn-based PARC will be working with the California State Parks Foundation, which is holding its 15th annual Earth Day restoration and cleanup around the state. Among the projects are cleanups at both the Auburn State Recreation Area in Placer County and at the Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park in Folsom.
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The California Department of Water Resources has reduced its estimate of the amount of water the State Water Project will deliver this year.
DWR on Wednesday dropped its projected delivery total, or allocation, from 60 percent to 50 percent of the requested amount of slightly more than 4 million acre-feet.
‘’Stubbornly dry conditions this winter give us no choice but to roll back our water supply estimate,” says DWR Director Mark Cowin. “We continue to hope, however, that wetter conditions in the remaining winter weeks will allow us to boost deliveries back up.”
DWR says that precipitation so far this winter has been only about half of normal and the mountain snowpack is less than a third of normal.
Water Year (Oct. 1-Sept. 30) runoff from rain and snow is forecasted to be far below average in both the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River systems. The median runoff forecast of 9.4 million acre-feet for the Sacramento River system would be the 16th driest in 106 years.
The February 1 median water year runoff forecast of 3.2 million acre-feet for the San Joaquin River system would be the 21st driest in 111 years.
Average runoff is 18.3 million acre-feet for the Sacramento system, and 5.9 million acre-feet for the San Joaquin.
Much of California’s water comes from the mountainous country from Shasta Lake in the north to the American River basin in the south. DWR’s eight precipitation gages covering this area recorded an impressive 130 percent of average rainfall and snow in October, but only 43 percent in November, 4 percent of average in December, 84 percent of average in January, and 18 percent of a normal February total to date this month. Overall, this “Eight-Station Index” area to date is at 51percent of its seasonal precipitation average. Records go back to 1920.
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State and local officials gathered in Auburn on Tuesday morning to celebrate the signing of the new Managing Partner Agreement for the Folsom and Auburn State Recreation Areas.
The agreement is between the federal Bureau of Reclamation and the State Parks Department for the next 25 years.
It means that state parks will continue to manage the Folsom and Auburn State Recreation Areas. These areas consist of Folsom Lake, Lake Natoma and the Auburn Project Lands, including Lake Clementine.
The area covered represents 50,000 acres of land and waterways.
The water-supply picture for Placer County is growing grimmer.
While a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. official has briefed the Placer County Water Agency’s board about conditions that could signal one of the driest years since records have been kept, water providers remain hopeful that precipitation to replenish reservoirs will provide a March – or even April – miracle.
Dave Ward, PG&E partnership coordinator, said that as of Thursday, seasonal precipitation across the Sierra Nevada was 42.6 percent of average. Seasonal precipitation is measured between July 1 and June 30.
“This year is barely above 1976-77,” Ward said. “If the current pattern continues, it could be the sixth or seventh driest year in 117 years of record-keeping.”
PG&E is also currently projecting that less than half of normal runoff will occur on the Yuba River and American River watersheds. As the season continues and warmer weather moves in, there will be less opportunity for snowpack to build up water reserves.
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The goal is clear: To allow salmon to move upstream along the Auburn Ravine to spawn at two Auburn city parks.
But for Save Auburn Ravine Salmon and Steelhead President Jack Sanchez, what looks like a quixotic quest to some can be done with determination and cooperation.
Sanchez outlined the organization’s movement toward the ultimate goal of spawning salmon turning the Auburn Ravine shades of gold and red on a future fall day.
The Nevada Irrigation District has been working to retrofit two dams – Hemphill and Gold Hill – before salmon can reach Wise Powerhouse, at the corner of Ophir and Wise roads in Ophir, just outside Auburn city limits.
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The Effie Yeaw Nature Center along the American River is launching a new speaker series in January to illuminate the region’s natural wonders.The six-speaker series begins Jan. 20 with a presentation on venomous bites and stings.
Each event costs $5 per person, or $25 for all six. Space is limited and registration is required.
The first speaker is Mike Cardwell, an expert on venomous snakes and bite treatment. He’ll discuss California’s only dangerous native snake, the Northern Pacific rattlesnake, how to avoid bites, appropriate first-aid, and common myths about venomous snakes.
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The Save the American River Parkway Association celebrated its 50th anniversary this month and received a resolution from the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors honoring its accomplishments over the past five decades.
“We commend the work that a whole host of folks (at the association) have done in providing a strong voice for a precious resource,” Supervisor Don Nottoli said Tuesday as he presented the resolution.
The Save the American River Association is a volunteer, nonprofit group of more than 600 members and a Board of Directors that started in 1961 to develop the American River Parkway and to create a plan to maintain it.
The 23-mile American River Parkway hosts more than 5 million visitors each year for fishing, boating and rafting on the water – and picnicking, golfing and paved walking and bicycling trails for land lovers.
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