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News Round-Up

VOLUNTEERS MONITORING WALNUT AND SAN RAMON CREEKS this summer turned up some striking results by comparing temperature gains and losses with channel type and shading. Partial creek channelization has left some stretches encased in concrete and out in the blazing sun. Despite such upstream hot spots, the monitoring showed that during low-flow summer conditions, the two creeks cool back down within a few thousand feet of where the natural earthen channels and creekbank tree shading resume. Such indications of quick recovery back to fish-friendly temperatures imply that piecemeal habitat restoration on a creek's lower reaches may not be so bad after all. (510)935-1978

FAIRY SHRIMP JOINED THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST this September, disappointing Central Valley farmers and developers who claim the tiny crustaceans live not only in ecologically valuable vernal pools but also in the common mud-puddle. The listing provides ammunition for environmentalists seeking to halt development of California's remaining vernal pools, 60-70% of which U.S. Fish & Wildlife estimates will be destroyed in the next two decades. (916)978-4866

S.F. DRYDOCK IS UPGRADING ITS STORMWATER CONTROL PROGRAMS this fall, spurred by an October site inspection by BayKeeper. This citizen watchdog group pointed out problem slag piles, treatment opportunities and discharge points that should be added to the ship repair company's stormwater management plan. S.F. Drydock, BayKeeper and the S.F. Regional Board are now trading comments on an updated plan. The company's response has been positive, according to BayKeeper, and includes a donation to a local Hunter's Point community group. (415)567-4401

A DEVELOPER WILL FINANCE A WATER TRANSFER between Alameda and Kern Counties to secure supplies for a 5,000 home project near San Ramon known as Dougherty Valley. Windemere Partners has agreed to pay the tiny Berrenda Mesa Water District near Bakersfield $3.5 million plus about $65 an acre foot for up to 3,500 acre feet of agricultural water a year. The equally tiny Dublin San Ramon Services District will handle the diverted Delta water. Though the Dougherty Valley lies with the giant East Bay Municipal Utility District, the district says it doesn't have the water to serve the proposed development. Water officials and homebuilders are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the water transfer, which is unprecedented but far from a done deal. If the transfer succeeds, it could jumpstart other developments stalled by water supply problems. (510)867-3250

THE CLAVEY RIVER GOT A REPRIEVE when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission tentatively denied the Turlock Irrigation District's request to build 5 hydro dams on the river and several of its tributaries. The district has until December 5 to provide more information on two project alternatives. (209)532-9605

HOW TO IMPROVE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER FISH AND WILDLIFE HABITAT is the subject of a series of studies now being launched by BurRec and U.S. Fish & Wildlife to comply with the Central Valley Project Improvement Act of 1992. The studies will revolve around the development of a comprehensive plan for the river. The agencies hope to gather preliminary ideas for possible habitat improvements, new water supplies and operational changes at public meetings this November (see calendar) (209)487-5116

BUTTE COUNTY WELLS DROPPED TO RECORD LOWS this year due to revisions made in water bank operations to please farmers. When the water bank was begun in 1991, it allowed farms to be fallowed and surface water allocations to be sold directly to the state. But pressure from pro-farming groups led to a prohibition on fallowing in the 1994 water bank. Sellers this year were paid for unused surface water allocations based on the amount of groundwater they pumped to keep farming. The pumping push lowered Butte County wells as much as 30 feet, according to Supervisor Ed McLaughlin, and led the county to approve an emergency ordinance denying all new agricultural wells this September.(916)538-7281

GEOGRAPHY DROVE CCMP IMPLEMENTATION this fall, as the Implementation Committee's three geographic sub-committees held their first meetings. The South Bay committee divided into work groups covering stormwater and water quality, wetlands and riparian corridors, watershed management and land use, and interagency outreach. The North Bay committee began efforts to coordinate with the North Bay Initiative Task Force and Cal Fish & Game's Biodiversity Task Force and to increase incentives for local government participation. The Delta committee delved into data collection. All three will report back to the CCMP Implementation Committee at its November 4 meeting (see calendar). (510)286-0780

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