About 60 people attended the
workshop, the second for this area, to learn more information about the draft
plan and submit their comments before the final plan is released. The draft
plan for the southern California population of steelhead extends from the Santa
Maria River to the Mexican border.
An ocean-going rainbow
trout, the fish is a native to the West Coast, and according to the fisheries
service, since it occupies all parts of a river system, its health is a good
indicator of a watershed as a whole.
Santa Ynez Water District
General Manager Chris Dahlstrom, who was not in attendance at the meeting, said
all agencies that use water from Lake Cachuma will be putting together a joint
letter to comment on the plan.
The water district is
specifically concerned about allowing additional water flow from Cachuma for
fish, a potentially expensive project to get the fish around Bradbury Dam
between the lake and the Santa Ynez River, and possible extraction of ground
water from below the dam for the benefit of the fish.
“It will certainly affect
the Santa Ynez River and the way water is stored and operated,” Dahlstrom said.
He added that Cachuma
Project members already spend millions of dollars every year on fish
preservation programs, but the final plan could be used at the state level and
impact water permits and riparian rights.
“As Cachuma member units, we’re
working to balance protecting our water supplies, first and foremost by
developing these programs and projects to enhance the fish so we are not
further impacted by fish flow requirements and additional fish projects,” he
said.
During a presentation by the
fisheries service, it was pointed out that threats, which include dams and fish
barriers, modifications of natural water flow and water pollutants, are among
some of the top factors causing the decline of fish spawning and fish numbers.
“With the dramatic rise in
human population after World War II, land and water development led to the
sharp decline of steelhead populations in many watersheds,” according to
pamphlet information distributed at the meeting. “Since the 1940s, the number
of steelhead returning to spawn in southern California rivers
and streams has plummeted from an estimated 55,000 to less than 500 fish
annually.”
The steelhead are one of
California’s most endangered species in terms of how depleted the current
numbers are, fisheries service staff member Penny Ruvelas said during the presentation.
Ruvelas said
that although restoration activities are already in place for
many water agencies, more research needs to be done to make sure they’re
the right kind of activities, and, she added, the goal is to take the species
off the endangered list.
For that to occur, it would
mean a five percent or less chance of population extinction estimated for the
next 100 years.
Recovery efforts listed in
the draft include modifying passage barriers and trying to return water flow to
pre-dam conditions, promoting restoration projects and eliminating the stocking
of hatchery-reared fish in all waters that are not landlocked. These efforts
could qualify for government funding, Ruvelas said, and once the final plan is
ready, it will act as a guide — not law — and could change as
details change. Ruvelas called it a “final living document.”
Sara Gray, with the Ventura
United Water Conservation District, attended the workshop. She said that while
she was she was still digesting the 430-page draft document, she believed
proper steps were being taken in it to maintain a balance between fish and
people while still helping the steelhead.
Chris Yates, supervisor of
NOAA’s protected resources division in Long Beach, said he hoped the final plan
would be released sometime in 2010. When asked why it was important to save the
steelhead, he replied, “I believe — and many other people believe —
that preserving species is important to do.”
Yates said people can submit
comments until Sept. 21, and the comments will be categorized, reviewed and
taken into consideration for any draft modification before the final plan is
released.
Kate Rees, a manager and
general manager with two Cachuma boards, said she is not opposed to a recovery
plan, but Lake Cachuma is already under the federal biological opinion to
protect fish, and water is released every day for their benefit. Efforts have
been made for steelhead to travel up smaller tributaries, but that isn’t enough
for NOAA, she said.
The draft plan also does not
specifically address an exact number to get the steelhead off the endangered
species list or how all the recovery projects will be paid for, she said, since
many believe local water rates are already high and government funding will
only cover part of the cost. The projects cost millions, Rees said, and unless
the government provides a pool of money, she does not know where the money
would come from. Some of the plans, such as getting the fish around Bradbury
Dam, would be very difficult to administer.
“I suppose if you had
unlimited money, there could be a way to do it,” Rees said.
She is also concerned that
elements from the plan could become mandates on water use.
“To date, we’ve worked very
well with NOAA; so far we’re OK,” Rees said. “We’re concerned about some
elements of the plan, but we’re willing, as long as (the guidelines) stay
voluntary.”
lauren@syvjournal.com