CSPA

Conservation Alert

Feather River below Oroville Dam

Juvenile Spring-Run, and Fall-Run Chinook Salmon in Jeopardy

Subject: CSPA Alert - Feather River Below Oroville Dam

Date: Wed, 5 Nov 1997 06:56:51 -0800

CALIFORNIA SPORTFISHING PROTECTION ALLIANCE

CONSERVATION ALERT

Department of Water Resources Wants the Water Back in Flow Modification

Project That Could Adversely Effect Juvenile Spring-Run, and Fall-Run

Chinook Salmon, and Steelhead

The CSPA, Lake Oroville Fish Enhancement Committee, and the Butte

County Citizens for Fair Government filed a joint petition of

intervention with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding a

flow modification application filed by the Department of Water Resources

concerning the operation of the Oroville Facility of the State Water

Project at Oroville, California.

DWR proposes to change riverflows in the Feather River in the low flow

channel, and also below the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet below Oroville

Dam to help them recover water they claimed they lost when they helped

the fish in the spring of 1997.

The proposed flow modification has the potential to adversely effect

young of the year spring-run and fall-run chinook salmon, including any

steelhead that are reared in the low flow channel of the river due to

potential stranding of fish. The joint intervenors have requested DWR

to monitor the river and the juvenile fish with a team of biologists,

and in the event young of the year spring-run and fall-run chinook

salmon, and steelhead are stranded, that DWR increase the flows

immediately.

Spring-run chinook salmon are a candidate species for listing under the

protection of the California Endangered Species Act because State

Senator Tom Hayden et al. (and CSPA) took the California Fish and Game

Commission to court over that. Spring-run migrate through the Bay Delta

during periods when the State Water Project is making major diversions

from the Delta, and the fish can get sucked into the State Pumps. The

listing of spring-run would cause major problems for diversions

exporting water out of the Delta. The San Joaquin River spring-run have

been extinguished because of major dams on the river and its

tributaries.

For further information contact Bob Baiocchi at either 530-836-1115 or

at e-mail address: cspa@psln.com