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Lower Yuba River Accord A Collaborative, Science-Based Paradigm Yuba Accord River Management Team 5 th Annual Symposium June 12, 2013 Yuba River Accord Lower Yuba Yuba River physical context River and Key Facilities Development of the

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Lower Yuba River Accord

June 12, 2013

A Collaborative, Science-Based Paradigm

Yuba Accord River Management Team 5th Annual Symposium

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Lower Yuba River Accord

RMT Symposium, June 2013

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Lower Yuba River and Key Facilities

Englebright Dam PG& E Narrow s I Pow erhouse

Lower Yuba River

Yuba River Accord

  • Yuba River physical context
  • Development of the Accord
  • Ongoing Operations under the Accord
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Lower Yuba River Accord

RMT Symposium, June 2013

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Yuba River – Key Considerations

  • Primary salmonid species of concern for management agencies
  • State and federally threatened: Spring-run Chinook salmon, Steelhead,

Green Sturgeon

  • Species of concern & interest: Fall-run Chinook salmon & native O.

Mykiss

  • Water Management
  • Series of water supply, flood control and power generation facilities in the

watershed

  • Flood control and consumptive delivery obligations in the lower Yuba
  • Yuba Watershed Impacts
  • Hydraulic mining sediment load
  • Legacy of debris dams as passage impediments in the watershed
  • Channelization, dredging, levees continue to impact the lower Yuba
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Lower Yuba River Accord

RMT Symposium, June 2013

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The Lower Yuba River: History of Anthropogenic Change

One of the most heavily changed rivers known, due to hydraulic mining sediment (HMS), dredging, and engineering works.

Pre-mining Conditions, 1850’s (James

2012):

  • Riparian zone on low floodplains, aka,

the ‘low bottoms’

  • Dark soil with tall trees, brush, and

vines.

  • Away from channels, an older terrace

rose above floodplains

  • Negligible sediment
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Lower Yuba River Accord

RMT Symposium, June 2013

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  • 1853 – Invented in upper Yuba basin near Nevada City.
  • 1862-1880s – Extreme sedimentation in Valley.
  • 1884 – Hydraulic mining to navigable rivers enjoined.
  • 1893 – Caminetti Act creates California Debris

Commission (CDC) & legalizes permitted mining

  • 1900 (est) – peak of sediment deposition below Narrows

canyon

  • 1905 (est) – peak of sediment at mouth of Yuba River

Brief History of Hydraulic Mining

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Lower Yuba River Accord

RMT Symposium, June 2013

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Sediment production from hydraulic mining in the Sierra Nevada (source: James et al. 2009)

The residual deposit in the lower Yuba River, estimated by Gilbert (1917) at over 250 million m3 (327,000,000 yds3) as of 1917, represented 24 percent of the hydraulic mining sediment produced in the region from 1853 to 1884 (James et al. 2009).

Most of that sediment is still there

Basin Volume (yd3) Relative Production Yuba River 684,000,000 49.0 % Bear River 354,000,000 25.4 % Feather River 100,000,000 7.2 % American River 258,000,000 18.4 % Total 1,396,000,000 100 %

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Lower Yuba River Accord

RMT Symposium, June 2013

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Narrows of Yuba River near Smartsville, looking up from gaging station, 1905 Up Yuba River from a point 2 miles below the Smartsville Narrows, 1908.

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Lower Yuba River Accord

RMT Symposium, June 2013

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Yuba River Debris Dam, September 19, 1906 A broad area below the dam has been subject to scour, the bed of channel being lowered about 12 feet. Up Yuba River from Parks Bar bridge, June 6, 1905

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Lower Yuba River Accord

RMT Symposium, June 2013

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Levees in the Lower Yuba River

  • Construction of levees along the lower Yuba River started as early

as 1868

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Lower Yuba River Accord

RMT Symposium, June 2013

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Dams in the Yuba Watershed

  • During the late 1800s and early 1900s, development of the upper Yuba

River watershed for hydropower and water supply was in progress

  • Most dams and diversions constructed for gold mining, then

replaced or removed to support flood control, water supply and hydropower generation.

  • Major Dams, 1872 – 1943:

Original Bowman Dam, 1872 Spaulding Dam, 1913 Original Milton & Fordyce Dams, by 1882 Original Bullards Bar Dam, early 1920’s Debris Dam #1, 1900 Englebright Dam, 1941 USACE’s Daguerre Point Dam, 1906

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Englebright Dam Narrows 1 Powerhouse Narrows 2 Powerhouse Sinoro Bar Deer Creek Confluence

Lower Yuba River – EDR, RM 22.5 - 24

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Lower Yuba River looking West from RM 17

Yuba Goldfields Long Bar Lower Gilt Edge

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Lower Yuba River Accord

RMT Symposium, June 2013

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Lower Yuba River - RM 8 to 6

Marysville Gauge Hallwood Blvd

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RMT Symposium, June 2013

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Lower Yuba River Operating Releases

Lower Yuba River:

  • Threatened Species (3)
  • Irrigation diversions
  • Flood control pathway
  • Recreation & sport fishing

Army Corps Englebright Dam & Res.

  • Passage barrier
  • Minimal functional storage
  • Reservoir recreation

YCWA New Bullards Bar Dam

  • 350 – 750 TAF storage
  • Cold water pool
  • Flood control obligations
  • Irrigation water storage
  • Reservoir recreation

Cold Water Pool

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Lower Yuba River Accord

RMT Symposium, June 2013

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Lower Yuba River Accord

Case Study, Interest-Based Paradigm

  • Minimum flow schedules for the Lower Yuba River
  • History:
  • 13 years of contested hearings and litigation
  • Ugly stuff
  • 4 years of interest-based collaboration
  • Finding the solution
  • 6 years of implementation
  • Where we are now
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Fisheries Agreement Development:

Accord Technical Team (TT) Science Process

  • Primarily biologists with engineering staff support
  • Met over 2 years (precursor to the River Management Team)
  • Many many meetings
  • Reported periodically to a Management Team
  • Biologists worked out the flow schedules as a biological solution (the

what)

  • Management Team ironed out the agreements (the how)
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Interest-Based Solution

  • Parties were motivated to reach a settlement
  • Parties framed interests, then

Take time to educate one another about interests & limitations!

  • Breakthrough: Water remaining in reservoir serves no purpose this

year… Not for fish, not for farms, not for flood control

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Understand the Constraints…

Biology & Science (Stressor Analysis)

  • Species & Life Stages
  • Stressors and Impacts
  • Monthly Rankings

Demands and Hydrologic Constraints

  • Hydrologic Variability
  • Consumptive Demands
  • Flood Control

Accord Flow Schedule Development

  • Develop flow schedules for most years to maximize fisheries benefits
  • Develop flow schedules for drier years to maintain fisheries benefits to extent possible
  • Develop reservoir operation and groundwater management program to reduce

frequencies of occurrence of dry-year flow schedules

  • North Yuba Index
  • Conjunctive Use
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Lower Yuba River Accord

RMT Symposium, June 2013

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Historical flows in the Yuba River Above Smartville

Middle Yuba River Flows to the North

Yuba 88,737 af

South Yuba River Flows 296,287 af Flows to New Bullards Bar Reservoir:

North Yuba River and Local Flows: 999,705 af plus tunnel: 141,474 af =1,142,179 af

Smartville Gage Flow: 1,588,433 af

Local Inflows: 74,038 af

Flow data from Annual Averages of USGS Gages, 1987-2001

Historical Flows

Slate Creek Diversions up to 70,000 NID and PG&E Project Diversions

Up to 400,000 af

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Lower Yuba River Accord

RMT Symposium, June 2013

20 Comparison of Unimpaired Flow of the Yuba Reaches (last seen circa 1855)

North Yuba Middle Yuba South Yuba

Comparison of Recent Historical (Middle & South) & Modeled (North) Flow of the Yuba Reaches

North Yuba Middle Yuba South Yuba

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Identify the Interests…

Biology & Science (Stressor Analysis)

  • Species & Life Stages
  • Stressors and Impacts
  • Monthly Rankings

Demands and Hydrologic Constraints

  • Hydrologic Variability
  • Consumptive Demands
  • Flood Control

Accord Flow Schedule Development

  • Develop flow schedules for most years to maximize fisheries benefits
  • Develop flow schedules for drier years to maintain fisheries benefits to extent possible
  • Develop reservoir operation and groundwater management program to reduce

frequencies of occurrence of dry-year flow schedules

  • North Yuba Index
  • Conjunctive Use
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Stressor Matrix Development

Species/Run

  • Fall-run Chinook salmon
  • Spring-run Chinook salmon
  • Steelhead

Life stages

  • Adult Immigration and Holding
  • Spawning and Embryo

Incubation

  • Young-of-year Downstream

Movement/Outmigration

  • Fry Rearing
  • Juvenile Rearing
  • Yearling (+) Outmigration

Stressors

  • Water Temperature
  • Flow Fluctuation
  • Flow Dependent Habitat Availability
  • Habitat Complexity and Diversity
  • Predation
  • Entrainment/Diversion Impacts
  • Physical Passage Impediment
  • Transport/Pulse Flow
  • Poaching
  • Spawning Substrate
  • Angler Impacts
  • Attraction of Non-native Chinook

Salmon

  • Overlapping Habitat
  • Physical Passage Impact
  • LWW Operations
  • Motor-powered Watercraft
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  • Identify species, life stage, potential stressor, geographic and temporal

considerations

  • Weight the relative “importance” of each species, life stage, and stressor to each

life stage

  • “Composite Weight” = “species weight” x “life stage weight” x “stressor weight” x

100

Fish Species/ Race Weight (0-1) Sum to 1 Life stage Weight (0-1) Species Sum to 1 Potential Stressor/ Limiting Factor Geographic Considerations Temporal Considerations Weight (0-1) Life stages Sum to 1 Composite Weight (X100) Water Temperature Downstream of DPD Aug - Oct 0.40 2.10 Flow Fluctuation Narrows II Powerhouse Pool Aug - Dec 0.05 0.26 Physical Passage At DPD Dec - Mar 0.35 1.84 Poaching At DPD Aug - Mar 0.10 0.53 Angler Impacts Entire River Aug - Mar 0.10 0.53 Steelhead 0.35 0.15 Adult Immigration & Holding (Aug - Mar)

Stressor Matrix Development

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Stressor Matrix Development

Rank Stressor Composite Weight

  • No. of

Species- Lifestages Normalized Weight 1 Water Temperature 21.81 16 1.36 2 Flow Fluctuation 17.68 18 0.99 3 Flow Dependent Habitat Availability 11.46 10 1.06 4 Habitat Complexity and Diversity 9.94 12 0.84 5 Predation 7.85 12 0.67 6 Entrainment / Diversion Impacts 7.23 12 0.61 7 Transport / Pulse Flow 5.04 6 0.87 8 Physical Passage Impediment 4.78 5 1.06 9 Poaching 3.11 6 0.52 10 Spawning Substrate 3.06 2 1.53 11 Angler Impacts 2.61 6 0.44 13 Overlapping Habitat 1.75 1 1.75 12

  • Attr. Of Non-Nat. Chinook

1.00 2 0.89 14 Physical Passage Impact 0.89 4 0.22 15 LWW Operations 0.65 2 0.33 16 Motor-powered Watercraft 0.45 1 0.45

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Monthly Stressor Summary

Top four stressors

FR: fall-run SR: spring-run CHS: Chinook salmon STE: steelhead

Composite Weight FR CHS SR CHS STE Normalized Weight October Water Temperature 10.58 2 1 2 2.12 Flow Fluctuation 7.15 2 2 3 1.02 Flow Dependent Habitat Avail. 6.03 1 2 1 1.51 Habitat Complexity & Diversity 2.70 1 2 0.90 May Water Temperature 11.06 2 2 5 1.23 Flow Fluctuation 10.00 2 3 5 1.00 Habitat Complexity & Diversity 6.86 2 2 4 0.86 Predation 6.03 2 2 4 0.75 August Water Temperature 8.75 1 2 3 1.46 Flow Fluctuation 4.18 1 2 3 0.70 Flow Dependent Habitat Avail. 3.15 2 1 1.05 Habitat Complexity & Diversity 2.89 1 2 0.96

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Aligned Interests…

Biology & Science (Stressor Analysis)

  • Species & Life Stages
  • Stressors and Impacts
  • Monthly Rankings

Demands and Hydrologic Constraints

  • Hydrologic Variability
  • Consumptive Demands
  • Flood Control

Accord Flow Schedule Development

  • Develop flow schedules for most years to maximize fisheries benefits
  • Develop flow schedules for drier years to maintain fisheries benefits to extent possible
  • Develop reservoir operation and groundwater management program to reduce

frequencies of occurrence of dry-year flow schedules

  • North Yuba Index
  • Conjunctive Use
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  • Define an “optimum” flow range: Schedules 1 and 2
  • Populate other months based on Stressor Matrix, river data and

judgment

  • October through March: Provide maximum spawning habitat and suitable

temps

  • April through June: Mimic unimpaired hydrology patterns for rearing and

emigration

  • July through September: Provide suitable water temperatures for rearing

and holding

  • Add dryer year classes to reflect lower drier hydrology and water

supply

Accord Flow Schedule Development

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RMT Symposium, June 2013

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Developing Flows from Stressors

Summertime Average Accord Conditions 2007 through 2010

+5 ° +4 ° +3° +12°

New Bullards Bar Reservoir Englebright Reservoir Colgate Powerhouse Narrows II Powerhous Daguerre Point Dam Smartville Gage Marysville Gage

50 100 150 200 250 300 350 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 Depth from Water Surface (feet) Water Temperature (°F) Average Water Temperature Profile for New Bullards Bar Reservoir August May 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 Depth From Water Surface (feet) Water Temperature (°F) Average Water Temperature Profile for Englebright Reservoir August May

Release Temperatures 46 to 50 degrees F

Temperature regime Drivers for the Lower Yuba River Chinook salmon spawning WUA-discharge relationships

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RMT Symposium, June 2013

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Flow Schedule Comparison

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Creativity…

Biology & Science (Stressor Analysis)

  • Species & Life Stages
  • Stressors and Impacts
  • Monthly Rankings

Demands and Hydrologic Constraints

  • Hydrologic Variability
  • Consumptive Demands
  • Flood Control
  • North Yuba Index
  • Conjunctive Use

Accord Flow Schedule Development

  • Develop flow schedules for most years to maximize fisheries benefits
  • Develop flow schedules for drier years to maintain fisheries benefits to extent possible
  • Develop reservoir operation and groundwater management program to reduce

frequencies of occurrence of dry-year flow schedules

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Dispatch and Dry Year Paradigms

  • North Yuba Index:
  • Conjunctive Use:
  • Reduce dry year consumptive demands
  • Allow more water to remain in river

North Yuba Index (NYI) =

Previous year NBB End-of-Season Active Storage + Current Year NBB Inflow (annual)

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Yuba Accord Development

Parameters:

  • Maximize flows to support habitat within the context of physical and

legal constraints

The Lower Yuba River Accord

Results:

  • Three interrelated

agreements

  • Addressed all

interests and

  • bligations
  • All needs met

acceptably

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Yuba Accord River Management Team

  • Implement a monitoring & evaluation (M&E) plan for

monitoring the Yuba Accord

  • An effective forum for discussion and input into Lower

Yuba River management & operations

  • Operational input on:
  • Seasonal Operations
  • Real-time Flow Management
  • Response to Unforeseen

Circumstances

  • Regulatory Compliance
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River Management Team Science

  • Pure science: data and studies to better understand

Chinook salmon and O. mykiss life history in the Yuba River

  • Applied science: study results drive better management

decisions and support restoration concept evaluation

  • Evaluate whether the implementation of the Yuba Accord

accomplishes its biological objectives

  • Comprehensive, Interim M&E Report recently released
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Yuba Accord – What Next?

  • All interests and needs met acceptably, but…
  • Will this be a durable solution? Challenges:
  • Institutional memory (lack thereof)
  • Other processes (relicensing, Bay-Delta, statewide

initiatives)

  • Regulatory paradigm is simpler in many respects –

collaboration is hard work!

  • The next three years will be critical
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RMT Symposium, June 2013

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June 12, 2013 Yuba Accord River Management Team 5th Annual Symposium

Lower Yuba River Accord www.yubaaccordrmt.com