Latest news with #U.S.BureauofReclamation
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Feds won't flood the Grand Canyon this spring. What that will mean for the Colorado river
Federal officials have rejected a plan to release floodwaters from Lake Powell to restore Grand Canyon beaches this spring, frustrating river advocates who question the government's commitment to protecting the canyon's environment. Glen Canyon Dam has impounded the Colorado River near the Arizona-Utah line since 1963, and with it the annual load of sand that natural snowmelt floods previously churned up onto beaches and sandbars in the Grand Canyon each year. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, working through a collaborative adaptive management program to make the most of what sand a smaller tributary still deposits below the dam, has flooded the canyon by opening the dam's bypass tubes 12 times since 1996. With repeated decisions not to open the floodgates even when the sand is available, some are questioning whether the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program is preserving Grand Canyon's ecology and recreation as required under the Grand Canyon Protection Act of 1992. 'We are failing,' said Ben Reeder, a Utah-based river guide who represents the Grand Canyon River Guides on a technical work group that considers management options for the Reclamation Bureau. 'Deeply disappointed,' said Larry Stevens, a canyon ecologist who represents Wild Arizona and the Grand Canyon Wildlands Council on the work group. Reeder and Stevens were among advocates and state agency officials who reluctantly agreed to forego a flood last fall in favor of saving the sand for a more naturally timed springtime flood. Events over the winter would interfere with that plan. Reclamation officials said in April that they would recommend that new Interior Secretary Doug Burgum not authorize the flood because a National Park Service contractor was excavating in a slough downstream of the dam to disrupt its use as a spawning bed by non-native fish, including smallmouth bass. Work on relining the bypass tubes to protect their steel pipes also interfered. On Thursday, May 22, the agency announced that the decision against flooding was final. Invasive fish: Cold water shots into the Colorado River slow a bass invasion in the Grand Canyon Those who had anticipated a rejuvenating flood said they appreciate the need to protect native fish from voracious predators like the bass, but that there's too often some reason or another to reject bypassing the dam's hydropower turbines to send water downstream, a cost to the dam's power customers around the West. In 2021, for instance, the government declined to flood the canyon to prop up Lake Powell's water level. 'It just seems like looking for any excuse not to do one,' Reeder said. The default appears to be against flooding in any given year, he said, perhaps because the team that ultimately recommends for or against does not include environmentalists or recreationalists. 'It really kind of bothers me, honestly, that we talk about the Grand Canyon in these economic terms as if it's there for human consumption,' Reeder said. Fresh off a May river trip, Reeder said beach erosion is apparent throughout the canyon. Rains from last year's monsoon particularly battered one of his preferred camping beaches, at Stone Creek. 'We have a sand-starved system,' he said. Environmentalists prefer a spring flood over fall, because it best mimics the river's natural rhythm. Angler advocates also prefer spring, as it comes at a time that can better support a tailwater rainbow trout fishery, which has suffered in recent years as low water in Lake Powell led to a warming river. More than any flood, the trout need more water in the reservoir, pushing the warm surface farther from the dam intakes, said Jim Strogen, who represents Trout Unlimited in the adaptive management discussions. 'A deeper, colder lake is the best thing for that fishery,' he said. Shortages: Hobbs says Arizona will defend its Colorado River water, wants other states to accept cuts The floods cost perhaps $1 million or $2 million in lost hydroelectric production, according to Leslie James, who represents mostly rural and tribal power consumers in the program as executive director of the Colorado River Energy Distributors Association. Last year, when there was no major flood but the dam managers regularly pulsed cold water through the bypass tubes to keep the river inhospitable to bass spawning, the agency said the cost in lost power production was $19 million. The losses deplete a fund that pays for dam maintenance and environmental programs, James noted, and drawing more from that fund this year could cause delays in maintenance. 'We weren't asked our views on (a spring flood), she said, 'but if asked we would say that we always have concerns about bypassing hydropower generation.' James said a repeat of last summer's cool releases to combat bass seems unnecessary, as bass so far are generally restricted to the 15 miles below the dam and are not showing up dozens of miles downstream at the confluence with the Little Colorado River, a haven for native humpback chubs. Reclamation officials said they will decide in June whether to pulse cold water through the canyon this summer. The agency reported that last year's cool flows appeared to have worked, preventing any detectable growth in bass numbers by keeping the river mostly below 16 degrees Celsius — the temperature at which bass reproduce successfully — as far downstream as the Little Colorado. It also projected that without bypass flows this summer, temperatures in the river likely would rise above 16 degrees. A federal biologist working on chub conservation told The Arizona Republic it would not be surprising if bass reach the Little Colorado by fall and reverse gains in the native fish population that allowed the government to downlist the chub from endangered to threatened in 2021. The floods, achieved with blasts of water that jet across the canyon below the dam, can give the erroneous impression that water is lost downstream. In reality, while the floods do temporarily reduce Lake Powell's elevation, they do not harm irrigators or municipal water providers. Lake Mead captures the water on the Grand Canyon's west end and stores it for later use in Nevada, Arizona, California and Mexico. Want more stories about water? Sign up for AZ Climate, The Republic's weekly environmental newsletter Reclamation officials initially told participants in the adaptive management collaboration that a flood was unlikely in April, when Program Manager Bill Stewart said every attempt had been made to schedule it. When the groups and agencies had agreed to put off a flood last fall, he said, it had appeared there would be a window in May when both slough modifications and dam maintenance would be done. The plan was to flood the canyon for 60 hours, with a peak flow of 40,400 cubic feet per second, compared to routine flows in May ranging from 8,000 to 13,382 cfs. During the transition in presidential administrations, work in the slough was delayed, leading to heavy equipment remaining in the river corridor throughout the month. Dam maintenance also lasted into the timeframe when a flood was envisioned, leaving some of the bypass tube capacity unavailable. 'We really did make every effort to make this happen,' Stewart told flood advocates tuning in to April's virtual meeting. Some participants, including Arizona Game and Fish Department biologist David Rogowski, said the program needs to improve its scheduling. 'We need to be better about planning for the future,' Rogowski said. 'We aren't doing (a spring flood) because of poor planning.' Stevens agreed, saying Reclamation should incorporate planned floods into its routine maintenance schedule. A river scientist who previously led the U.S. Geological Survey's Grand Canyon research team said the Reclamation Bureau's continuing trend of skipping opportunities to flood the canyon jeopardizes Grand Canyon National Park's sandbars — a feature he said is as vital to the park's natural environment as the sandstone walls looming above the river. 'It is disturbing that sand bars always come out second,' said Jack Schmidt, a Utah State University researcher and former head of the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center. 'It's removing an entire landscape element.' Brandon Loomis covers environmental and climate issues for The Arizona Republic and Reach him at Environmental coverage on and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Grand Canyon advocates lament lack of environmental flows this spring
San Francisco Chronicle
12-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
California's largest reservoir could see controversial dam enlargement under Trump
Near the southern flank of Mount Shasta, springs and snowmelt converge to form the McCloud River. This Sacramento River tributary, held sacred by the Winnemem Wintu tribe, teemed with Chinook salmon before Shasta Dam, built in the 1940s, blocked their annual migrations. 'The winter run was the main sustenance source for the Winnemem Wintu throughout history,' said tribal member Gary Mulcahy. 'We consider them the grandfather of all salmon.' For several years, Winnemem Wintu leaders have collaborated with state and federal officials to reintroduce the critically endangered fish to this wilderness waterway in a historic effort to revitalize the McCloud and reconnect with their past. But a federal proposal to increase the height of Shasta Dam by more than 18 feet to provide more water to farmers now threatens the tribe's land and could harm salmon runs. Contemplated for decades and gaining traction among Republican lawmakers, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's proposed Shasta Dam and Reservoir Enlargement Project would boost the capacity of California's largest reservoir. Since President Donald Trump took office for his second term, the federal government has not mounted any public effort to raise the dam. But Trump has taken several steps in that direction, including signing executive orders instructing federal officials to waive environmental rules and deliver more water to California growers. Last week, the dam project appeared to get a push in the House Natural Resources Committee's budget reconciliation bill, with a designation of $2 billion 'for construction and associated activities that increase the capacity of existing Bureau of Reclamation surface water storage facilities.' Though the budget language does not name Shasta Dam, experts say it's precisely crafted to facilitate the project. 'There's no mystery here,' said Barry Nelson, policy advisor with the Golden State Salmon Association. 'That language is designed to push the Shasta raise.' Raising the dam was the 'number-one priority' water project for the first Trump administration, Nelson said. However, U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Republican whose district includes Shasta and who helped draft the budget language, told CalMatters that while he endorses enlarging Shasta Dam, the reconciliation bill's 'funding is not for any specific project.' Last year, a bill that would have allocated funds for enlarging the dam while prohibiting state laws from obstructing the project died in the House. It was sponsored by 12 California Republicans, including LaMalfa. The Bureau of Reclamation estimated in 2014 that enlarging Shasta Dam would cost $1.4 billion — roughly $1.8 billion in today's dollars. Obtaining the array of state and federal permits for the dam could take years, and is likely to face court challenges. The project would provide an additional 51,300 acre-feet of water per year to recipients — mainly farmers — of the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project, according to a federal estimate. That would increase the amount they receive on average by less than 1%, which Ron Stork, a policy expert with the group Friends of the River, referred to as 'decimal dust.' The dam project would claim some of the Winnemem Wintu's last remaining territory and could violate the state's Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which explicitly prohibits constructing reservoirs on the McCloud's final miles before entering Lake Shasta. State officials have publicly opposed the project in the past. In 2013, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said raising the dam would have 'significant and unavoidable impacts' on the Sacramento River ecosystem. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has similarly warned federal officials that the project would restrict high-water flows and reduce fish habitat. State officials declined to comment for this story. Bureau of Reclamation spokesperson Peter Soeth also declined to comment. Stork, a longtime opponent of the dam raise, said the Trump administration is liable to ignore the state law. Trump's January executive order directed federal officials to deliver more water through the Central Valley Project 'by increasing storage and conveyance … notwithstanding any contrary State or local laws.' 'We certainly expect some serious mischief here,' Stork said. 'The president's executive order more or less says, 'Please find ways to accomplish my agenda by trying to get around state and federal law.'' Mulcahy, the Winnemem Wintu's government liaison, said Lake Shasta flooded 90% of his tribe's historical territory. 'Village sites, sacred sites, cultural gathering sites,' he said. Increasing the dam's height will do even more damage, he said, periodically inundating many important gathering places, including the Kabyai Creek burial ground, where dozens of tribal members were laid to rest after a vicious 1854 massacre by white settlers. It would also flood a cleansing pool for Winnemem men, a riverside dancing mesa and a young women's coming-of-age ceremony site called Puberty Rock. This, Mulcahy said, will fray some of the last remaining cultural threads holding together the tribe, which he said consists of about 140 members. 'We wouldn't be able to hold the ceremonies that are necessary to fulfill our spiritual and cultural needs,' he said. The Winnemem Wintu are not included on the official list of federally recognized tribes, which could limit their influence over the project. Polarizing farmers and environmentalists Like many Delta and Central Valley water supply projects, the Shasta Dam raise has polarized farmers and environmentalists in a dispute over how it would affect Chinook salmon. Environmentalists and fishery advocates say it will imperil already declining salmon populations, while project proponents, including the Westlands Water District, say it will help the ecosystem. Westlands provides water, imported mostly from the Delta, to San Joaquin Valley farmers who grow 150,000 acres of pistachios and almonds — their main crops — as well as other fruits, grains and vegetables. But General Manager Allison Febbo said the Shasta project isn't directly about water supply. Rather, she said, it's meant to help fish. Febbo explained that increasing the reservoir's volume will keep its water colder, which is essential for spawning. If the plight of the fish improves, Febbo said, regulations on water diversions might be eased — which would amount to an indirect benefit to water users like Westlands. 'We keep getting ratcheted down as the species continues to decline, so our water supply isn't going to get any better until the species gets better,' Febbo said. LaMalfa also stressed that the project would be 'a win-win' by increasing water storage and better insulating the reservoir's cold-water pool. 'More water for people and more cold water for salmon,' the congressman said. But Nelson, at the Golden State Salmon Association, said Shasta Dam has already 'been absolutely catastrophic for salmon.' 'The idea that a Shasta raise would benefit salmon — particularly under this set of federal agencies — is absurd,' he said. Completed in 1945, the dam blocked Chinook from reaching hundreds of miles of stream habitat. For the winter-run Chinook — whose unique life cycle involves residing and spawning in freshwater through summer — the ice-cold McCloud was their stronghold. 'It can be 110 degrees in the canyon there, and you can be standing in the river in waders and your legs are so cold it hurts,' said Rene Henery, California science director with the group Trout Unlimited, as he explained the importance of the McCloud to the future survival of winter-run Chinook. Today, the fish — which enter freshwater in the winter — cling to existence in a short stretch of river downstream of Lake Shasta, surviving thanks to the release of cold water stored deep in the reservoir. However, this resource frequently runs out in the summer as the fish lay and fertilize their eggs, which can lead to complete spawning failures in lethally warm water. While a more voluminous reservoir could theoretically keep its water colder for longer, Henery said the changing climate is likely to complicate this equation. Filling the enlarged reservoir in a hotter, drier future is the main problem. 'Dams don't make water, so in a low-water year, raising the dam does nothing,' he said. In wet years, he added, the enlarged dam will harm fish by capturing water that would otherwise flood vital wetland habitat downstream, like the recently restored Yolo Bypass, west of Sacramento. 'The inundation we get on the Yolo Bypass is what's keeping salmon populations hanging on in the Sacramento,' Henery said. Jon Rosenfield, science director at the advocacy group San Francisco Baykeeper, added that 'expanding the dam will capture more of the high flows (during wet years) that are now the only lifeline those fish have.' Mulcahy said he is hopeful that the project — though currently revving with Republican horsepower — will soon run out of steam. Labor and material costs are rising, he said, and the longer the project goes unbuilt, the more expensive it gets. 'They're going to try and negate state law so that they can proceed however they want,' Mulcahy said. 'But if we can last this one out, I think it may bury itself once and for all.'
Newsweek
02-05-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
Watch California's Biggest Reservoir Fill Up in Timelapse Video
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Lake Shasta, California's largest reservoir, is nearing full capacity for the third consecutive year, signaling a dramatic recovery from the drought-stricken years of the early 2020s. A timelapse video shared on social media earlier this week shows the impressive change the reservoir has undergone over the last three years. Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the reservoir, by email for comment. Why It Matters Lake Shasta is a critical part of California's water infrastructure. As the largest reservoir in the state, it represents 41 percent of the water in the Central Valley Project, a system that serves farms, homes and industry in the Central Valley, San Joaquin Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. The reservoir's current condition is a marked contrast from late 2022, when the lake was just 31 percent full after several years of below-average rainfall. Thanks to a series of wet winters and robust snowpack, the state's biggest reservoir has steadily recovered—reaching full capacity in May 2023 and 2024. A stock photo of Lake Shasta at full capacity. A stock photo of Lake Shasta at full capacity. Kirpal Kooner/Getty What to Know A timelapse shared on X, formerly Twitter, earlier this week shows images of the lake taken in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. "California's largest reservoir, Shasta Lake, is virtually full for the third straight year," extreme weather chaser Colin McCarthy posted with the video. California's largest reservoir, Shasta Lake, is virtually full for the third straight year. The reservoir holds nearly 1.5 trillion gallons of water, which is enough to cover the entire state of California in half an inch of water. — Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) April 30, 2025 Parts of the lakebed can be seen in the satellite image from 2022, and the images for the following years showcase the lake's recovery. As of May 2, the reservoir's surface elevation stands at 1,061.41 feet—just 5.59 feet below its full pool of 1,067 feet, according to Lakes Online. The lake has been steadily rising since November. At the beginning of 2022, Lake Shasta's water level sat at just 913.5 feet. By January 1, 2023, it was at 928 feet. A record-setting wet season during winter 2022-2023 brought an influx of runoff, lifting the lake above 1,062.9 feet by the end of April 2023. The 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 winters followed with similarly wet conditions, including near-normal Sierra Nevada snowpack in early 2025. By April 1, California's snowpack was at 96 percent of the historical average, a key contributor to continued high inflows into Shasta and other major reservoirs. Many of California's other reservoirs are also performing well, including Lake Oroville, which is expected to reach capacity for the third year in a row this year, the first time such a milestone has been reached. What People Are Saying A USBR spokesperson told Newsweek on April 28: "As of today, we are 5.11 feet from full at 97% and an elevation of 1,061.89. the last time we had three consecutive years of being full were 2010, 2011, 2012." McCarthy said in his post: "The reservoir holds nearly 1.5 trillion gallons of water, which is enough to cover the entire state of California in half an inch of water." What Happens Next During 2023 and 2024, Lake Shasta peaked in early May. State water agencies are continuing to monitor Lake Shasta's levels closely. Officials have cautioned that despite current high water levels, preparation for future drought conditions remains a priority.
CBS News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Lawmakers want Folsom Lake reopened to boaters despite golden mussel concerns
FOLSOM — A group of GOP lawmakers is calling for the immediate reopening of Folsom Lake and other area waterways impacted by efforts to stop the spread of invasive golden mussels. They are calling for a better balance between protecting against that invasive golden mussel and not stifling the local economy that depends on revenue from boaters and people taking part in water activities. The species was detected on other waterways last year, but not yet in Folsom Lake. "We really feel like these agencies have had six months to figure this out, and we're just now starting to look into this and I think that's unacceptable," said Assemblyman Josh Hoover. Hoover's one of those lawmakers calling for the immediate reopening of the lake to decontaminated boats and wants water agencies to come up with a better, more streamlined decontamination process. He, along with Congressman Kevin Kiley, Assemblyman Joe Patterson, and Senator Roger Niello, sent a letter to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and California Department of State Parks stating that they didn't give enough notice to the people impacted. As of right now, boats have to go through a 30-day quarantine before they can get on the water. Hoover has been on the phone speaking to those agencies about what it would take to make sure they can come up with a better process to both protect waters and not have a negative impact on local communities. "I think there is a path forward. The wheels of government turn very slowly, unfortunately," he said. "So we're really trying to light a fire under this bureaucracy to say that this is an urgent matter. We really need this to be resolved for the local economy." Agencies warn that if the golden mussel finds its way into our waterways, it could cause significant damage to marine ecosystems.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Crab that can climb 13-foot-high walls found in Pacific Northwest for 1st time
A highly invasive species of crab — capable of climbing over 13-foot-high concrete structures — has been spotted in the Pacific Northwest for the first time, wildlife officials said. A commercial fisherman caught what officials identified as a Chinese mitten crab last week in the Lower Columbia River, just south of the Washington state border, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, which released a photo of the crab. "Chinese mitten crabs have not been confirmed in the Pacific Northwest until now," the department said in a news release Thursday. Officials warned that the species wreaked havoc on the San Francisco Bay three decades ago. "While this is a rare event in Oregon, mitten crabs caused significant infrastructure and ecological damage in and around San Francisco Bay when the population was at its height in the late 1990s," the department said. Officials said the crab was a large male that could have been introduced illegally into the river by a person or by ballast water from a ship. What are Chinese mitten crabs? Chinese mitten crabs are an invasive species that are originally from East Asia. The Smithsonian says that the crabs first established an invasive population in the San Francisco Bay in the '80s — but they spread to the East Coast and have recently been spotted in New York. The crabs, which are named for hairy, mitten-like claws, vary in color from brownish-orange to greenish-brown. Unlike any native crab species, they have four spines on each side as well as a notch between their eyes. The crabs are capable of climbing over concrete structures at least 13 feet tall, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. "Mitten crabs can also pass through lock systems and possibly climb fish ladders, or leave the water and walk around barriers where the terrain is suitable," the bureau says. The creatures have been known to steal fishing bait and damage fishing gear, block power plant cooling systems and even amplify flooding risk by burrowing in banks, causing them to become unstable and erode. Chinese mitten crabs spend most of their lives in freshwater, but adults can only reproduce in saltwater, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. "Newly hatched larvae are in open saltwater in bays and estuaries and fully molted juveniles are found in brackish and freshwater areas within a few miles upstream of saltwater," the department says. What's next Oregon wildlife biologists are working with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and NOAA to determine if other mitten crabs are in the area. Officials said they will set up trap lines and collect water and samples "to look for environmental genetic markers specific to the mitten crab." In the meantime, officials are urging the public to keep an eye out for the furry creatures and report any sighting to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife or the Oregon Invasive Species Council. "It is important to correctly identify this species and report it to your local ODFW office with the location found," the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said. Supreme Court appears poised to side with student with disability in school discrimination case Japan's population shrinking as marriage and birth rates plummet | 60 Minutes Bill Bellamy talks comedy, MTV days, and his "Top Billin' Comedy Tour"
