Draft EIS_072312.pdf - Middle Fork American River Project ...

20120723-4002 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 07/23/2012
Our Analysis
Recreation Monitoring and Implementing Best Management Practices
Monitoring recreation use would document whether or not project visitor needs
are met and recreation effects would be addressed. The schedule and monitoring
elements proposed are consistent with the Commission’s standard license requirement
and would provide adequate information for reporting use, adjusting recreation
management actions (e.g., implementation schedule for facility development), and
determining if a Recreation Plan revision is necessary.
Applying best management practices and protection and avoidance measures as
proposed by PCWA and specified in the Alternative 1 plan would protect environmental
and cultural resources when constructing, operating, and maintaining recreation facilities.
Our Analysis
Providing Whitewater Boating Flow and Reservoir Level Information
Providing 14 days of previous stream flows and real-time flow data on the internet
for 10 stream gages, as PCWA proposes and the Alternative 1 plan specifies, would allow
boaters to take advantage of suitable boating flows provided by the project and enable
anglers to assess recent streamflow conditions. Because the streamflows are affected by
special events, reservoir spill, and outages, providing as much advance notice of these
occurrences, their duration, and expected travel time for flows would increase whitewater
boating opportunities. This information would also benefit angling, hiking, and
equestrian users because these visitors could plan trips to avoid times when there are high
flows that increase stream crossing difficulty.
Providing French Meadows and Hell Hole reservoir elevations on the internet
would allow visitors to know if the boat ramps are accessible before traveling to project
reservoirs. These storage reservoirs are usually full in the late spring and then gradually
recede during the summer. Because this trend is predictable and the reservoirs do not
fluctuate on a daily basis, providing weekly reservoir elevation, as PCWA proposes,
combined with providing example photographs of the ramps at various water surface
elevations and informing the public whether the ramps are currently functional, would
provide sufficient information to allow visitors to plan their trips. Collecting and
reporting to the public daily water surface elevation information for the reservoirs, as the
Alternative 1 Recreation Plan specifies, appears unnecessary because it would require
more effort yet the information provided would not have a commensurate increased
benefit to visitors. However, reporting daily reservoir water surface elevations in annual
reports would enable Commission staff to confirm compliance with minimum water
surface elevations that may be included in a new license.
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