WATER – TOO MUCH, TOO LITTLE, SAVE IT, USE IT, WASTE IT, BUY IT!

WATER – TOO MUCH, TOO LITTLE, SAVE IT, USE IT, WASTE IT, BUY IT! In May of this year the State Water Resources Control Board voted to end all water restrictions and let 408 water districts in California decide how much water their customers should consume. The move has perplexed many people. Moderate to severe drought still grips three-quarters of California, and studies show the state is the driest it has been in 500 years — in advance of a mega drought predicted for the entire Southwest, one that scientists say could last several decades to centuries. Some say the loss of millions of dollars in revenue because of the restrictions is why many water contractors pressured the State Board to reverse course. So again, follow the money not the scientific data to see why the decision was made. Peter Gleick, president and co-founder of the Pacific Institute, a nonprofit research and policy group based in Oakland says “I don’t agree with the decision. I think it was premature. It’s too soon to talk about going back to our old wasteful patterns of water use. I think we’re sending the wrong message to water users.” In spite of this seemingly dollar motivated lifting of restrictions on water contractors selling water, the drought persists and global warming is a fact and has nothing to do with the bottom line of water contractors. An article in Auburn Journal indicates “Not only is the Auburn-based Placer County Water Agency [PCWA] able to have enough surplus water stored from its Middle Fork Project in the Sierra to sell 20,000 acre-feet through the Bureau of Reclamation to thirstier areas of the state for an estimated $6 million.” Who are these “thirstier areas of the state”? They must be southern California water contractors like Westlands, Metropolitan, Orange. The conclusion is PCWA is planning to sell $6 million of our water to Southern California. If the profit motive is the driving force behind the lifting of water restrictions, then the general public and our local Placer County will eventually suffer the consequences mainly through the pocket book with almost certain higher costs for its water with the persistent lack of water and … oddly enough … scare water. It appears we are taking a great risk selling water we will probably badly need in the future … but there is money involved. The federal Bureau of Reclamation will pay PCWA $300 for each acre-foot delivered. An acre-foot measure is the equivalent of 325,000 gallons. The water will be delivered through the Folsom Reservoir to support Central Valley Project operations, including providing environmental benefits to the Bay Delta area. By comparison Nevada Irrigation District sells a miner’s inch to Large Estates for Landscaping for $16; the markup PCWA receives is substantial. Here are some water figures: What’s an acre-foot? •1 cubic foot 7.48 gallons •100 cubic feet 748 gallons •1 cubic foot per second (CFS) 450 gallons per minute •1 CFS 646,360 gallons per day •1 million gallons 3.07 acre-feet •1 miner’s-inch 11.22 gallons per minute, 16,000 gallons per day •1 acre-foot 1 acre of land covered 1 foot deep An acre foot of water is 325,851 gallons I was told by a local water contractor employee that up to 20% of its water disappears through unauthorized use, evaporation, blackberries, leakage, canal failures and other means. That is a loss that must be corrected as water issues are becoming even more central as the population of California continues to expand and all scientific data indicates extended drought conditions. Chinatown is back with a vengeance. Dylan Huntzinger, a SARSAS volunteer environmental scientist, was asked to conduct an experiment to compare the water consumption of two plants growing along North Ravine in Auburn, a tributary of Auburn Ravine: the coast redwood and the Himalayan blackberry. His findings indicate the predominant invasive plant along local waterways, the Himalayan blackberry, consumes significantly more water than the coast redwoods that could be used to replace and suppress them. This project provides great information on how local water contractors like PCWA, NID, and PGE might save vast amounts of precious water. They could assist landowners living along its waterways, such as Auburn Ravine and Coon Creek, remove Himalayan blackberries and supplement their stream-side vegetation with coast redwoods, which are the trees in Prairie Creek State Park where the symbiotic union between them and salmon has supported both species for eons, and the trees currently being used by SARSAS for restoring North Ravine for steelhead and salmon habitat and spawning. Huntzinger concludes, “The summer heat drives riparian plants to consume huge amounts of water - water that comes from the adjacent stream, leaving less for fish, wildlife, and paying customers. While all plants need plenty of water to stay hydrated, some demand more than others. Our evidence indicates that during the hottest part of the day, a 50-foot tall coast redwood draws about 2 liters of water per hour whereas a 30’x30’ patch of thick Himalayan blackberry can draw over 20 liters per hour. Thorny, invasive, and water intensive, Himalayan blackberries are shockingly effective at depriving fish and wildlife of the water they need." Replacing blackberries with coast redwoods is a giant conservation and money saving move for all, landowners, water contractors and environmentalists. Those water contractors profiting from the lifting of water restrictions might return the favor to the people by conserving vast amounts of water by the simple removal of one rampantly invasive exotic, Himalayan Blackberries. The simplest solution is always the best solution. 923 words

August 22, 2016 - SARSAS General Meeting SAVE AUBURN RAVINE SALMON AND STEELHEAD (SARSAS, Inc.) 501C3. Public Benefit Corporation with Employer Identification Number 80-0291680

August 22, 2016 - SARSAS General Meeting SAVE AUBURN RAVINE SALMON AND STEELHEAD (SARSAS, Inc.) 501C3. Public Benefit Corporation with Employer Identification Number 80-0291680 General Meeting PLACER COUNTY TIGHTENED SECURITY: WHEN ENTERING CEO-1, PLEASE US THE PHONE TO BE BUZZED INTO ROOM AS REQUESTED BY PLACER COUNTY. (OPEN TO THE PUBLIC) 175 Fulweiler Avenue, (the Domes), Auburn, CA 95603 - 10 a. m. Contact: SARSAS President Jack Sanchez at 530-888-0281 or VP Gary Mapa (530 320-9097), who will conduct meetings when Jack’s away. jlsanchez39@gmail.com. Meetings are Fourth Monday of each month at 10-11 a.m. Meetings are held to one hour in length ending at 11 a.m. Please be prompt. I. Self- introductions and sign-ins. II. SARSAS Philosophy – We believe by working together with many individuals and agencies at the same table, we can achieve the mission of SARSAS, which is to return salmon and steelhead to the entire 33 mile length of the Auburn Ravine Speakers are asked to bring their own laptops if possible loaded with their Presentation. III. Featured Speaker, August 22, 2016, Burke White, “Touching Nature … in Order to Protect It” Bio: I am a firm believer that exposing people to a valuable outdoor experience is the first step in a long-term plan to save our natural environment. The big challenge is how to inspire the next generation to head outside. Constantly plugged-in to a mobile device and hyper-stimulated with endless data, the average task-oriented millennial is not naturally drawn to beautiful places with limited cell coverage and baristas. The tutors, team-sports and technology of today’s generation are far different from the mentors, mountain camps and matériel of our youth. The times have changed and so must we, if we want to inspire the next generation to explore nature within their comfort zone. We must stop selling “base camp” on Everest and start selling car camp on “Everycrest” by making outside simple, digestible and inviting to all. Only then might we take a small percentage to the next level. It comes down to a task. Ask a child to go hike to the top of a hill and they might ask, “Why?” “Fresh air, exercise and beautiful scenery” might be the adult responses, but none is a task. Ask a child to go fly a kite and you’ve got a kid hiking to the top of a hill in no time. Of course, there are many worthy tasks, but one inspiring task often overlooked is fly fishing. For over twenty-five years, I’ve had the privilege of working in the fly fishing industry. I hope by now I’d be considered an expert in the field. I’ve fished a good part of the world and I’m very intimate with every brand, series and model of product available. However, I’ve come to one important conclusion from my vast fly tour. Most of my experience and knowledge is meaningless to the beginner, and the beginner is the most important customer to a specialty sport and its environment. Ironically, the specialty fly shops, sport-specific magazines and websites are the barriers to entering the sport of fly fishing. It’s near impossible for a fly shop or website to service the avid angler with a vast selection of complex products and information and still flop down a comforting welcome mat for the beginner. Add to this confusion far too many choices and very few (if any) responsible solutions when it comes to gear and most will shy away. There is a solution…make fly fishing invitingly simple to the beginner. Plan”. IV. September 26, 2016, Jeff Parks, Water Resources Control Engineer, Invited to speak. V. October 24, 2016 – Pamela Creedon, Executive Officer of the Central Valley Water Quality Control Board, Pamela Creedon is the Executive Officer of the Central Valley Water Quality Control Board. She is a licensed Civil Engineer and a Board Certified Environmental Engineer with nearly 35 years of professional experience, including over 23 years of experience in both the public and private sector developing and implementing water quality regulatory programs. She holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Civil Engineering from California State University, Sacramento. She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Tau Beta Pi. She serves on the American Society of Civil Engineers National Energy, Environment and Water Policy Committee and the CSU Sacramento Environmental and Water Resources Advisory Committee. She is a Vice-Chair of the Sacramento Chapter of the Environmental & Water Resources Institute (SCEWRI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers and is a member of the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Estuary Institute Aquatic Science Center. VI. November 28, 2016, JoAnna Lessard, Garcia Associates, “Efficient Rainwater Collecting” Bio: Dr. Joanna Lessard is a stream ecologist with over 15 years of combined experience carrying out research and consulting on many topics related to aquatic ecology and aquatic resource management. She obtained BS and MS degrees from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University, during which she conducted research on the temperature effects of small dams on cold-water fish and aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. She received a PhD from the College of Natural Science at Michigan State University, studying the resource subsidy impacts of marine-derived nutrients from spawning salmon on aquatic insect communities in Southeast Alaska. Following her graduate studies she spent two years with the Center for Ecological Studies in Maryland consulting for the US Environmental Protection Agency on its national biological monitoring initiatives. Following that work she moved to San Francisco to join Garcia and Associates (GANDA), focusing on studies on the biological impacts of hydropower and flow changes associated with relicensing on state and federally listed species of fish and amphibians. In 2007, under a GANDA contract, she was appointed to the Trinity River Science Advisory Board. In 2009 she accepted a research position with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in New Zealand and joined their Water Allocation and Environmental Flow Programs. Her work in New Zealand focused on catchment-scale management of surface and groundwater quantity and quality in conjunction with land use management. She was a technical advisor to Environment Canterbury for several high profile stakeholder groups formed to develop management objectives for highly allocated catchments. She rejoined GANDA in 2014 and is working out of the Auburn Office to provide technical assistance and project management on aquatic and water resource issues in California. She is currently working with Nevada City on their Drought Implementation Plan and Water Conservation Programs. VII. Tuesday, December 20, 2016 – Peter Moyle invited to speak VIII. January 23, 2017 – Rich Marovich, “Update on the Putah Creek Restoration” Biography: Rich has been Stream keeper since 2000, leading complex and cooperative projects to protect the resources of Lower Putah Creek. He has won over $12 million in competitive grants for physical and biological studies, community planning and habitat enhancement projects including: abating and deterring trespass and illegal dumping; controlling invasive weeds; stabilizing eroding banks; restoring natural channel form and function; and establishing native vegetation. He also manages a native plant nursery staffed with community volunteers. His prior experience includes 28 years with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (part time since 2000) leading a statewide program to protect listed species from pesticide exposure. He obtained a B.S. in Plant Science (Horticulture) from U.C. Davis in 1978. IX. February 27, 2017 – John Hannon, USBR, invited to speak X. March 27, 2017 – March 27, 2017 – Ken Davis, confirmed -Topic TBA XI. April 24, 2017 - Darryl Hayes, ISI. “Final Installation of Dual Cone Fish Screen on Pleasant Grove Canal”, Bio: Darryl Hayes has been working as the Engineering Manager at Intake Screens, Inc. in Sacramento, CA, for the past 8 years. He has over 20 years’ experience working on fish protection and passage systems over his career. Prior to working at ISI, he was a senior consultant at CH2M HILL and also the former Fish Facilities Chief at the California Department of Water Resources. X. May 22, 2017 - Placer County Supervisor Robert Weygandt, Invited to speak on “Update of Placer County Conservation Plan" XI. June 26, 2017 - Dr. Heidi Perryman, “Beavers as Nature’s Helpers” Dr. Perryman formed Worth A Dam to defend the beavers in her home town of Martinez CA. Along the way she became interested in helping other cities learn how and why to co-exist with beavers. Since 2008 she has organized an annual beaver festival that has inspired similar efforts in 5 states and Canada. As California faces more drought years, she believes it is more important than ever to coexist with these important 'water savers'. In addition to the beaver festival, Worth A Dam does several community outreach and education programs a year, including field trips and class room visits. In 2010 they awarded their first scholarship in beaver management to advocates in Tahoe. In 2011 Dr. Perryman presented at the state of the beaver conference in Oregon, and the State parks conference in Yosemite. She collaborated with beaver management expert Michael Callahan of Massachusetts to help release an instructional DVD teaching how to live with beavers (featuring footage of the Martinez Beavers). Most recently she worked with a historian, archaeologist and biologist to publish groundbreaking research on the western fur trade and the original prevalence of beavers in California - a subject that has been surprisingly misunderstood for a nearly a century Beavers and their dams create wetlands, store and filter water, augment fish populations, raise the number of migratory and songbirds, and have a dramatic positive impact on wildlife. Dr. Perryman feels that working to help people understand and coexist with this single species will continue to have a dramatic trickle-down impact on the environment in general.