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

20120723-4002 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 07/23/2012
PCWA proposes to formalize its Oxbow powerhouse release schedule to provide
800 to 1,000 cfs for 3 to 4 hours a day on various weekends and weekdays between June
and September. Operating the project under PCWA’s flow schedule would maintain
existing commercial and private boating opportunities on the peaking reach in the reach
immediately downstream of Oxbow powerhouse and maintain or increase boating
opportunities for private boaters on the Confluence Run in areas that have lower
difficulty in wet and above normal water years. Under PCWA’s proposal, beginning on
the first Saturday before Memorial Day through Labor Day in wet and above normal
years, an 800 cfs flow at the confluence of the North Fork American River would be
released at the Oxbow powerhouse 3 hours earlier than under existing conditions. This
early release would provide flow at the downstream runs earlier in the day, which would
increase whitewater boating opportunities overall. The greatest improvement would be
the certainty created by the formalization of the flow schedule as a condition of a new
license.
Flows included in Alternative 1 and recommended by staff would be, in general,
higher than PCWA’s proposed flows, and the schedule is more detailed to maintain trail
crossing opportunities and accommodate commercial and private boating use. Similar
to PCWA’s proposal, our recommended boating flow regime would release water
earlier in the day and increase boating opportunities. Because we specify more days of
providing early-day releases of a longer duration, however, there would be more class II
boating opportunities provided under our recommended flow regime than under
PCWA’s proposed flow schedule.
Because the flow-dependent recreational uses in the peaking reach have different
suitable flow ranges, there could be user conflicts among whitewater boating, angling,
and crossing the river by trails. PCWA’s proposed flow schedule attempts tradeoffs
between user groups while maintaining or improving opportunities for whitewater
boating. Our recommended flow schedule refines PCWA’s flow schedule to provide
flows in the optimal boating range, as opposed to flows in the suitable range, and
increases the number of boating days, while creating suitable conditions for trail
crossings at key times (i.e., races and special events) and locations. Our recommended
flows also give greater consideration to the non-commercial boating opportunities in the
peaking reach. The Alternative 1flow schedule was developed in consultation with
commercial and private boaters, and it reflects flows (magnitude and schedule) that
would minimize user conflicts while providing higher quality whitewater boating and
suitable flows for a wider variety of recreational uses as compared to PCWA’s flow
proposal.
The estimated levelized annual cost for this measure is included in the costs
presented for minimum flows. We consider the benefits of increased recreational
boating opportunities to be worth the additional costs associated with this measure.
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