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

20120723-4002 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 07/23/2012
recommended streamflow gaging plan would be worth the estimated levelized annual
cost of $130,100.
Development and Implementation of a Spawning Habitat Improvement Plan
Fisheries surveys indicate that recruitment of trout in the peaking reach is well
below what would be expected in unregulated streams. This is likely because the
quality of available spawning habitat is compromised by daily flow fluctuations.
PCWA’s proposed placement of spawning-sized gravel downstream of Ralston afterbay
at Indian Bar and Junction Bar would increase spawning habitat in downstream reaches
compared with existing conditions. Forest Service condition no. 26 specifies that within
1 year of license issuance PCWA develop a spawning habitat improvement plan for the
Middle Fork American River downstream of Ralston afterbay dam. Our analysis in
section 3.3.2.2, Aquatic Resources, finds that additional benefits to trout spawning
success and juvenile recruitment in the Middle Fork American River downstream of
Ralston afterbay could likely be realized by strategic placement of gravel in the
bypassed reach because of the relatively stable flow regime compared to the peaking
reach. This would enhance recruitment to trout populations in the peaking reach
because most trout reared in the bypassed reach would eventually move downstream to
the peaking reach. We therefore recommend that PCWA develop a spawning habitat
improvement plan for Commission approval that lays out a specific approach to
augmenting gravel in this bypassed reach, defines how implementation of this plan
would be coordinated with our recommended Sediment Management Plan, and includes
a provision for monitoring the effectiveness of this measure on trout spawning by
conducting redd surveys or other quantitative approaches. The expected increase in
recruitment to the trout populations in the peaking reach would be worth the estimated
levelized annual cost of $800 to develop the plan, and the cost for implementing the
plan would be built into the cost of the gravel augmentation component of the Sediment
Management Plan.
Annual Reporting on the Status of Anadromous Fish Restoration
NMFS recommends that PCWA file a report with the Commission by December
31 of each year following license issuance on the status of reintroduction to the
American River watershed of federally listed anadromous fish based on PCWA’s
participation in Reclamation’s Fish Passage Steering Committee. The Commission is
the action agency under section 7 of the ESA in this relicensing proceeding and would
continue to be if a new license is issued for this project. The feasibility of restoring
listed anadromous fish upstream of Nimbus and Fulton dams is being evaluated and
could occur during the term of a new license. Therefore, we recommend that PCWA
file an annual report on the status of reintroduction of federally listed anadromous fish
into the American River watershed as recommended by NMFS. The report would be
developed in consultation with NMFS, Reclamation, FWS, and California Fish and
Game; include a discussion of the steps that have been taken to assist in the
reintroduction process; and provide a summary of the results of any studies that have
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