D--048966 - CALFED Bay-Delta Program - State of California

907
Hydrology and Water Resources
ity in managed streams should have ecological benefits in source of aggregate whenever possible and avoiding chemimost
cases. In some cases, changes in reservoir releases to cal use in surface waters. The Department of Fish and Game
benefit downstream organisms and water quality may have (which administers streambed alteration agreements) might
few adverse impacts on economics of the project. In other be able to negotiate agreements between reservoir operators
cases, there may be substantial costs, which may not be justi- and aggregate miners and users.
fled for the intended benefits. The tradeoffs between in-stream Modern information on sediment yields is needed to deimpacts
and operational impacts must be carefully evaluated termine whether sedimentation has increased as a result of
in the context of each water project, the watershed it is lo- land-management activities. The California Department of
cated in, and the ultimate downstream uses. There could be Water Resources’ Division of Dam Safety, the U.S. Geological
continued realignments in water rights as a result of applica- Survey, and the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service
tion of the public trust doctrine, hydropower relicensing re- might be the appropriate agencies to cooperatively adminisquirements,
and regulation of reservoir releases by the ter a program of routine reservoir sediment surveys.
regional water quality control boards for water quality man- More efficient means of monitoring hydrologic impacts
agement. The State Water Resources Control Board could ease from land-management activities need to be explored at the
legal and administrative matters by improving their water- operational field level and at the institutional level. Existing
rights database. An efficient, geographically referenced data- programs do not seem to provide the information necessary
base for water rights could allow examination of in-stream to evaluate how stream-flow regimes or water quality atflow
conditions in a cumulative context for each stream and tributes are changing as a result of changes in land use. Curriver
system. Designation of additional wild and scenic riv- rent monitoring is also not adequate to determine whether
ers could help maintain ecological values of selected segments, restoration activities, including postfire treatments, are effec-
Major reconstruction of smaller dams to allow sediment -! tive and appropriate. Maintenance and improvement of the
pass-through under high-flow conditions could help restore ; snow survey, snow sensor, and climate station network is essome
semblance of a natural sediment regime to many sential to management of water resources and detection of
streams. Such work is a serious challenge in hydraulic engi- climate trends. Basic data collection programs to generate
neering and reservoir management, but it would be an im- ’ stream-flow, water quality, and climate information need to
portant contribution of technology to restoring natural have long-term support to be worthwhile.
processes in the managed rivers of the Sierra Nevada. Provi- Now that the forest road network is largely complete, more
sion for flushing flows is particularly important where land attention should be focused on maintenance, relocation, updisturbance
may have augmented natural sedimentation and grading, and decommissioning of roads by the engineering
regulated flows encourage sediment deposition, staffs of the national forests. Resource staffs have already iden-
Recent actions by the State of California and the U.S. For- tified many of the specific problems in the road network that
est Service to use watersheds as a geographic basis for plan- need attention. Road construction budgets have been high in
ning and management are encouraging. As local agencies and the past, and adequate funding is necessary to maintain, imcitizens
begin to incorporate a watershed basis into their own prove, and reduce the existing road system to minimize its
activities, overall conservation of aquatic resources should aquatic impacts.
greatly improve. Continued public education about basic As foothill communities continue to grow, conversion from
watershed concepts can only help. Application of watershe~-I individual septic systems (and individual wells, in some cases)
analysis methodologies developed in the Pacific Northwest I to community systems will be necessary to avoid cumulative
(e.g., Montgomery et al. 1995) to the Sierra Nevada would be ! impacts on local water quality. Construction of treatment faa
worthwhile step toward improved management of wild- ! cilities and collector systems is extremely expensive, especially
lands at the landscape scale (see Berg et al. 1996). Watershedo~ where houses are far apart. The issue of who pays for such
analysis can provide managers with better information about improvements is problematic. The community systems would
resource capabilities, existing problems, and sensitive areas not be necessary if not for the growth in potential pollution
before plans are made and projects are proposed. This analy- sources. At the same time, a community system is necessary
sis develops a logical foundation for decision making, because the capacity of the soil and ground-water system to
Reform of the 1872 Mining Act and greater application of treat household sewage is at or near its limit. Except for the
California’s Surface Mining and Reclamation Act to smaller service area of the Nevada Irrigation District, Calaveras
claims could improve many isolated problems associated with County Water District, and a few others, foothill communimining
and prevent future adverse impacts. Laws relating to ties will need to develop major new sources of water or drasliability
that prevent rehabilitation of abandoned mines need tically reduce existing demand if they wish to continue their
to be modified, and funding must be generated to clean up growth. Unless hydroelectric generating capacity is added
problem mines. Mining of sand and gravel in streams of the when developing new sources of supply, project financing and
Sierra Nevada should be directed toward reservoir deltas, end-user water rates may be serious constraints on new
despite the increase in transportation cost. Public agencies projects. Purchase of existing facilities (now largely owned
should set an example by using reservoir sediments as a by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company)by small communi-
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