May - San Joaquin River Restoration Program

Program Update
May 2014
The San Joaquin River
River Restoration Update
Restoration Program (SJRRP) is a
Since 2006, the San Joaquin
River Restoration Program
(Program) has undertaken
many actions within the local
community. These include:
comprehensive long-term effort to
restore flows to the San Joaquin
River from Friant Dam to the
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confluence of the Merced River
and restore a self-sustaining
Chinook salmon fishery in the
river while reducing or avoiding
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adverse water supply impacts
from restoration flows.
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Accomplishments in 2013
Significant Program activities
accomplished throughout 2013 kept
momentum moving forward across
many areas that contributed toward
achieving the Program’s long-term
fishery and water management
goals. Information continues to be
collected and responded to in order
to support successful reintroduction
of salmon. These accomplishments
will be published in the Program’s
Annual Report 2013, slated for
release in late spring. Some of the key
accomplishments in the report include:
►► Completed the Restoration Flow
Guidelines by the Settlement
deadline of December 31, 2013.
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Recreation: The rewetting of major sections
of the San Joaquin River
with non-flood flows for
the first time in more than
six decades has provided
for additional recreational
opportunities.
April release of spring-run Chinook salmon
upstream of Merced River Confluence.
Community
Involvement: A $2
million grant to the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust
for the removal of invasive plant species along the river provided jobs
and a personal appreciation of the river corridor for scores of youths
through the California Conservation Corps.
Farm Management: More than 200 groundwater monitoring wells,
along with the on-going soil salinity and land subsidence surveys,
have guided Program actions to manage river flows to protect farmland
from seepage. Data from these activities have been provided free to
landowners, who report using the information as a tool to assist in
maximizing crop production and coordination of irrigation practices.
Water Supply: Reclamation recaptured about 280,000 acre-feet or
about 55 percent of the releases from the Program through 2013. This
water was recirculated to Friant Division contractors or sold to west-side
San Joaquin Valley contractors, many of which utilized the opportunity
to diversify their water management portfolio for 2014 carryover water
supplies.
Groundwater Banking: Reclamation has sold more than 365,000
acre-feet of Recovered Water Account water at $10/acre-foot to Friant
Division contractors. This provided low-cost water for direct and inlieu groundwater recharge in preparation for scarcity during periods of
drought.
Public Safety: Studies to measure levee stability, land subsidence,
and operational and safety enhancements to Mendota Dam and Sack
Dam have contributed to improved understanding of the performance
of facilities of the Lower San Joaquin River Flood Control Project and
the condition of private levees that protect the communities of Firebaugh
and Dos Palos.
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UPDATE May 2014
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Through mid-April 2014,
Reclamation staff relocated more
than 1,100 juvenile Chinook
salmon from Reach 1 to the San
Joaquin River downstream from
the Merced River confluence as
part of a juvenile salmon trapand-transport study launched
in late February. The study is
planned to continue until May 1,
depending on water temperature
and river flows.
The salmon are the progeny
of 367 adult fall-run Chinook
salmon (123 females; 244
males) trapped and hauled
from Hills Ferry to Reach 1A in
late 2013. The SJRRP located
73 salmon nests, or redds, in
Reaches 1A and 1B. Juvenile
fish traps for the study include a
rotary screw trap near Ledger
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Fall-run Juvenile Chinook
Salmon Trap and Transport:
The Draft Environmental Impact
Madera County
Statement/Report (EIS/R) for the
Mendota Pool Bypass and Reach
2B Channel Improvements Project
is anticipated in early 2015. When
released for 45-day public review
and comment, the Draft EIS/R is
anticipated to include a preferred
alternative that incorporates
input and concepts provided by
Reach 2B landowners, landowner
representatives and other project
stakeholders.
A Phase 1 activity of the San
Joaquin River Restoration
Settlement Act (Public Law
111-11), the Project consists of
Fresno County
construction of a floodplain able
to convey at least 4,500 cubic
feet per second (cfs), a method to
bypass Restoration Flows around
Project Area
Reach 2A
the water delivery infrastructure
Project Features Area
Reach 2B
Potential Borrow Area
Reach 3
at Mendota Pool, and a system to
County Boundary
convey water from the river into
0
5,000
10,000
Mendota Pool for delivery to water
Project Area
Feet
districts, if needed. The Project
area (see Figure 1) includes the
Chowchilla Bifurcation Structure, Mendota Pool and the San Joaquin River channel to a
point approximately one mile downstream of Mendota Dam.
Riparian and floodplain habitat are planned for the improved Reach 2B channel to
support survival of migrating salmon. In addition to preventing salmon from straying
into irrigation canals, the isolating of Mendota Pool will also reduce predation of outmigrating salmon that could occur if they entered Mendota Pool.
Project studies to date have identified four potential alternatives, framed around two
primary methods to isolate Mendota Pool from the San Joaquin River:
►► Compact Bypass – A constructed channel and bifurcation structure positioned
next to Mendota Pool to move fish and flows around Mendota Dam.
►► Fresno Slough Dam – Includes construction of a new dam in the Fresno Slough
arm of Mendota Pool and relocation of irrigation diversions.
Both alternatives include narrow and wide floodplain options and new canals/structures
to deliver San Joaquin River water into Mendota Pool. Both alternatives also call
for modification of flood management facilities at the San Joaquin River side of the
Chowchilla Bifurcation Structure. Different options for each individual element can be
combined for development of a preferred alternative.
While a preferred alternative is traditionally included during development of a
Final EISR, prior engagement and coordination with numerous local and regional
stakeholders and landowners has provided the Restoration Program with a significant
amount of information for inclusion of a preferred alternative for the Draft EIS.
Technical design for the Project is being led by Reclamation’s Technical Services
Center in Denver, with input and coordination with the California Department of Water
Resources, the Lower San Joaquin Levee District and other local, state and federal
agencies. As the Project affects lands sovereign to the State of California, the California
State Lands Commission will serve as the lead under the California Environmental
Quality Act.
Ditc
SJRRP Field Activities
Mendota Pool Bypass and Reach 2B Channel Improvements
Project Update
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Recaptured 90,000 acrefeet and recirculated 81,000
acre-feet to San Luis
Reservoir in Contract Year
2013 (Mar. ‘13-Feb. ‘14).
► Trapped and hauled 367
adult fall-run Chinook
salmon from Reach 5 to
Reach 1A.
► Completed Endangered
Species Act experimental
population rules for
reintroduced salmon.
► Initiated spring-run Chinook
salmon broodstock for
reintroduction.
► Finalized the 2014
Monitoring and Analysis
Plan.
► Awarded $14.3 million in
financial assistance under
Part III of the Settlement
Act to cost-share four
groundwater banking
projects.
Other key Program documents
released include the Final Fiscal
Year 2013 Annual Work Plan and
the Draft and Final Fiscal Year
2014 Annual Work Plan.
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Farmer's Irrigation Ditch
Accomplishments in 2013 (Cont.)
Redding
Sacramento
San Francisco
$
Fresno
Bakersfield
Los Angeles
San Diego
Public Meeting Updates
Public Technical Feedback Group (TFG) meetings present
information and solicit input on many aspects of the Program.
Discussion topics are summarized below. More information
and meeting schedules are available at: www.restoresjr.net/
group_activities/index.html.
Restoration Goal TFG Meetings:
►► November 21, 2013: Discussed the upcoming Channel
Capacity Report, levee criteria, channel capacity,
studies, and monitoring. Two guests briefed the group
on the Upper San Joaquin River Basin subsidence and
regional flood management planning.
►► March 20, 2014: Reviewed progress on juvenile
Chinook salmon trap-and-haul results and progress and
next steps on the Mendota Pool Bypass and Reach 2B
Channel Improvement Project. This included briefings
on planned release of the Project’s Draft Environmental
Impact Statement/Report (EIS/R), geologic
investigations, and design and operation approaches for
four Project alternatives.
►► The next meeting is scheduled for July 17, 2014.
Water Management TFG Meetings:
►► October 18, 2013: Discussed the Restoration Flow
Guidelines, recapture and recirculation, the investment
strategy, local groundwater projects, and unreleased
restoration flows.
January 22, 2014. Discussed the schedule for
Restoration Flow releases, the Recovered Water Account,
recapture and recirculation, local groundwater projects,
and an update on the investment strategy.
►► April 18, 2014. Discussed the February 2014
Unreleased Restoration Flows, recapture and
recirculation, update on the investment strategy, and
groundwater banking projects.
Seepage and Conveyance TFG Meeting:
►► January 31, 2014: Discussed seepage projects status,
project design examples, real estate actions, and a parcel
prioritization update.
Fisheries Management TFG Meeting:
►► April 17, 2014: Discussed spring-run Chinook salmon
reintroduction rules and permits, results from recent
fisheries-related studies, and upcoming studies and
plans.
Reach 2B Landowner Meeting:
►► The meeting featured presentations on progress for Reach
2B geologic investigations and potential Reach 2B and
Mendota Pool operations under various alternatives.
Announcements included that the Draft Environmental
Impact Statement/Report is scheduled for release in late
2014 (or early 2015). To review the meeting summary,
visit the Program website: www.restoresjr.net/activities/
site_specific/meetings/siteSpecific_meetings.html.
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SJRRP Field Activities continued from page 2
Island, two temporary fish collection weirs at Sycamore and Scout islands, and nets at Donny Bridge downstream from Highway
99. Fish captured measured between 30 and 110 millimeters, according to Reclamation Fisheries Biologist Don Portz.
Additional juvenile Chinook salmon studies included the March installation of Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag arrays
in Reaches 1A and 1B. Planned to be stationed in the system through June 14, the arrays allow staff to monitor the movement
of individual fish surgically implanted with a PIT tag transmitter. The arrays were installed in advance of a planned release of
fall-run Chinook salmon raised at a California Department of Fish and Wildlife conservation hatchery located in Friant.
Three-Year Floodplain Habitat Study Initiated
Reclamation has initiated a three-year study to evaluate the difference in habitat and forage quality between the main channel
and side channels when inundated during pulse or flood flows. Conducted by graduate students from the California State
University, Fresno, the Reach 1A and 1B study’s initial data collection began in March 2014 and included sampling in the
main channel next to selected side channels. Staff will sample side channels when inundated either by flood operations or
announced pulse flows. No pulse flows are anticipated in 2014 due to drought conditions.
Spring-run Chinook Salmon released into the San Joaquin River for Study
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on April 17 to 18 released 54,000 hatchery produced juvenile spring-run Chinook salmon
into the San Joaquin River as part of Program implementation.
The salmon were from the Feather River Hatchery and were released near the confluence of the Merced and San Joaquin rivers
near Newman, California. The release effort will provide an opportunity to carryout fisheries studies while contributing to the
long-term reintroduction of spring-run salmon to the San Joaquin River as called for in the San
Joaquin River Settlement.
As part of this effort, some of these juvenile spring-run are anticipated to return to the river as
adults in spring 2017. However dry year conditions will likely impact the number of returning fish.
Any returning adults will be monitored to determine what parts of the river they use, their survival
over the summer, and where they spawn in the fall of 2017. This information will help further
inform future spring-run reintroduction efforts.
The released spring-run are considered an experimental population under the Endangered Species
Act and are exempted from the take prohibitions by the Central Valley Project and the State Water
Project consistent with the Endangered Species Act rule package issued by the National Marine
Fisheries Service on December 31, 2013. The release will not impact water supply
for any water user nor will any additional water releases be made for
the benefit of these fish.
UPDATE May 2014
PRESORTED
FIRST-CLASS MAIL
US POSTAGE
PAID
HAYWARD CA
PERMIT #3335
2800 Cottage Way, MP-170
Sacramento, CA, 95825-1898
In This Issue:
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Recent Documents Released
Key Program documents released in late 2013 and early 2014 are listed
below and can be found on the Program website at: www.restoresjr.net/
program_library/02-Program_Docs/index.html:
►► Final Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Work Plan (October 2013)
►► 2014 Final Monitoring and Analysis Plan (November 2013)
►► Restoration Flow Guidelines (December 2013)
►► 2014 Channel Capacity Report – Response to Comments
(January 2014)
►► 2014 Restoration Allocation and Default Flow Schedule
(Jan. 21, 2014)
►► Piscine Predators and Control Measures: Application to In-river
Structures in the San Joaquin River Restoration Area (January 2014)
►► Environmental Assessment for Trap and Haul Study of Juvenile
Salmon in the San Joaquin River (Feb. 20, 2014)
►► Environmental Assessment for Fresno Irrigation District’s Installation
of a Temporary Pumping Facility for the Introduction of Kings River
Water into the Friant-Kern Canal at the Gould Canal for Transfer and/or
Exchange (March 2014).
►► Environmental Impact Report for the Salmon Conservation and
Research Facility and Related Fisheries Management Actions
Project (April 2014)
►► For the Designation of a Nonessential Experimental Population
of Central Valley Spring-run Chinook Salmon below Friant
Dam and related documents, click on “NMFS Salmon
Reintroduction Information” under Quick Links on the front
page of www.restoresjr.net.
River Restoration Update
Accomplishments in 2013
SJRRP Field Activities
ZZ Juvenile Chinook Salmon
Trap and Transport
ZZ Three-Year Floodplain
Habitat Study Initiated
ZZ Juvenile Spring-run Release
Study
Mendota Pool Bypass and Reach
2B Channel Improvements
Project Update
Public Meeting Updates
ZZ Restoration Goal
ZZ Water Management
ZZ Seepage and Conveyance
ZZ Fisheries Management
ZZ Reach 2B Landowner
Meeting
SJRRP Outreach
Contacts:
Margaret Gidding
Outreach Coordinator
916-978-5461
Craig Moyle
Landowner Coordinator
916-418-8248
Recorded SJRRP information
available on Reclamation’s
Grapevine at 800-742-9474;
select option 2 for a list of
projects, and select option 4
for the SJRRP activities and
updates.

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