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Slow Going on the Yuba

Gold miners extracted more loot from the Yuba River Basin than any other basin in the Central Valley, but they didn't do it with pickaxes and gold pans. Instead, they used huge hydraulic mining operations, which clogged the river with hundreds of thousands of tons of debris. At times, the riverbed was higher than the streets of Marysville and flooding was common. By trapping the debris, Englebright and Daguerre Point dams alleviated much of the flood danger, but in doing so hindered salmon and steelhead from reaching miles of prime upstream habitat. Today, two separate studies are examining the feasibility of improving fish access to all or some of this habitat, while continuing to protect downstream communities.

Progress on CALFED's Upper Yuba River Studies Program, which is exploring the feasibility of introducing salmon and steelhead to the Yuba River watershed above Englebright Dam, slowed this spring when funding was delayed. Located below the confluence of the north, middle and south forks of the river, the 260-foot tall, 1,142-foot long dam completely blocks fish access to the upper watershed - removal and reoperation are among the strategies being considered to permit fish passage.

Despite the funding delay, Mills says he expects most project scopes of work to be complete by year's end, including assessments of upstream and downstream habitat, flood control issues, water supply, sediment and water quality - the last two issues are of particular concern due to the possibility that sediment held back by the dam may be heavily contaminated with mercury, which was used in mining operations. Mills says the program will develop a separate process for evaluating the economic and social impacts of dam modification, which will depend to some extent on the results of the previous studies.

Downstream of Englebright, the Army Corps of Engineers is completing a very limited analysis of alternatives for improving fish passage at Daguerre Point Dam, under a contract from U.S. Fish & Wildlife. However, according to the Corps' Shana Kaplan, the study will do little more than lay out preliminary cost/benefit information for two options: dam removal and fish ladder improvements. "There is very little data out there," she says. "They need more technical studies, including a fish passage study, and once they document the problems, they need to do a full feasibility study with a range of alternatives."

Meanwhile, upriver, 39 miles of the Yuba's south fork was granted wild and scenic river status late last year, protecting it from the threat of new dams. If the fish ever get that far, the habitat will be waiting for them.

Contact: Terry Mills (916)651-6478

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