Contact: Einar Maisch, General Manager – (530) 823-4860 or: Ross Branch, Public Affairs Manager –(530) 823-1937

AUBURN, Calif. (September 2, 2016) — In an effort to improve the health of the forests and watersheds that source Placer County Water Agency’s (PCWA) water supply, the Agency is partnering with the Tahoe National Forest, The Nature Conservancy, American River Conservancy, and the University of California, Sierra Nevada Research Institute on the French Meadows Forest Resilience Project. The PCWA Board of Directors authorized staff to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the other stakeholders at its meeting on September 1.

The aim of the French Meadows Forest Resilience Project is to increase the pace and scale of forest restoration in a critical municipal watershed, using an approach of ecologically-based forest management. The partner agencies will collaborate to develop project goals and direction, manage the project, contribute in-kind staff and expertise, and raise necessary funds. The project area sits upstream of PCWA’s French Meadows Reservoir, and includes land managed by the United States Forest Service and land owned by American River Conservancy.

“French Meadows is one of PCWA’s two major reservoirs,” General Manager Einar Maisch said. “Protecting this resource from catastrophic wildfire and the resulting watershed degradation is of upmost concern to the Agency. I believe this is an important partnership and important project.”

Forest conditions in the area are unhealthy and at risk of high-severity wildfire due to past management, fire suppression, and years of drought. Severe wildfires in recent years, downstream of the project area, have caused hundreds of thousands of tons of topsoil to erode into the river system, clogging infrastructure and habitat, and affecting the stability of the watershed. Through this innovative partnership, the agencies hope to prevent these negative effects of wildfire and create a new model for advancing the pace and scale of forest and watershed restoration in the Sierra Nevada and across the western United States.

In addition to improving resiliency to wildfire on public and private lands around French Meadows Reservoir, the project will monitor the hydrologic effects of prescribed forest treatments, and a research component will study the relationship between forest thinning and downstream water supply.

At this early stage, the MOU does not bind any party to specific commitments, financial or otherwise, but rather formalizes the collaborative relationship.

The Counties of Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, and Yolo invite California County leaders to a roundtable discussion on water. Come share what’s happening in your region and hear how other regions are addressing critical water needs. We expect representation from the North State, Central Valley, Mountain Counties, Bay Area, Central Coast, and Southern California. This is an opportunity to network with your colleagues throughout the State and to learn about regional water issues.

Date:  Friday, September 16, 2016 from 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Location:  Capitol Events Center – 1020 11^th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

Coffee, pastries, and lunch will be provided.

Register here. (There is no charge to attend this event.)

Contact:   Gene Mancebo, General Manager
Amador Water Agency, 209-223-3018

Date: August 29, 2016

News Release

U.S. Forest Service
Pacific Southwest Region
Stanislaus National Forest
19777 Greenley Road
Sonora, CA 95370
Voice: 209-532-3671
Web: http://www.fs.usda.gov/stanislaus/

Contact: Clare Long
cclong@fs.fed.us

209-288-6298

SONORA, California, August 22, 2016 – The Early Fire has burned 65 acres near Early Intake on the Cherry Lake Road area near the Preston Falls Trailhead in an old Rim Fire burn scar area. Crews are working through the night to gain containment. The fire is currently 10% contained and forward progression of the fire has stopped.

Read more from the US Forest Service on the fire:Early Fire

Revised staff draft regulations for the WSIP were released on August 29, 2016. Also available are documents that will be incorporated by reference, including the Draft Technical Reference Document.

U.S. Forest Service
Pacific Southwest Region
Stanislaus National Forest
19777 Greenley Road
Sonora, CA 95370
Voice: 209-532-3671
Web: http://www.fs.usda.gov/stanislaus/

News Release

Contact: Clare Long
209-532-3671, ext 438
cclong@fs.fed.us
Date: August 22, 2016

SONORA, California,  August 22, 2016 – Firefighters from the Stanislaus National Forest are managing the Mokelumne Fire for multiple objectives including allowing fire to function in its natural role while also suppressing the fire where safe to do so.

The Mokelumne Fire was caused by a lighting strike and started on August 19, 2016, in a remote area of the Mokelumne Wilderness on the Stanislaus National Forest. This slow-moving 147-acre fire is burning brush and trees in steep, rugged country with granite cliffs and outcroppings. This makes firefighting on the ground difficult and a concern for the safety of the firefighters. There are 34 personnel including one 10-person crew and a helicopter with the capacity to drop water currently assigned to this incident. Firefighters are using control strategies to manage the impacts and promote the ecological benefits.

Wildland Fire Managers have the option to manage naturally-ignited fires to achieve resource benefits where fire is a major component of the ecosystem and where specific pre-stated objectives can be accomplished. This fire will reduce accumulated forest litter and fuels, maintain fire in a fire-adapted ecosystem, increase firefighter and public safety, and protect cultural resources and wildlife habitat. The goal of managing this fire is to allow fire to resume its natural role in the ecosystem.

Acting Forest Fire Management Officer, Rob Laeng says “Lightning fires are a natural occurrence and play a vital role in shaping this fire-dependent ecosystem.  By managing this fire for resource benefit we can ensure a healthier, more diverse and natural forest where future fires will burn with less intensity.”

Over the next few weeks there will be smoke and reduced visibility in this area and the public is advised to avoid the area of the Mokelumne Wilderness north of Frog Lake near the Mokelumne River. Forest managers are working with state air quality monitoring services to monitor air quality impacts in the area.

For more information about the Mokelumne Fire contact: Fire Information line at 209-272-5455 or visit www.fs.usda.gov/stanislaus/, or facebook at www.facebook.com/StanislausNF/

The mission of the U.S. Forest Service, part U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation’s clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

Media Contacts:
Reclamation: Shane Hunt, 916-978-5100,shunt@usbr.gov
El Dorado Irrigation District: Jesse Saich, Public Information Officer, (530) 642-4127, jsaich@eid.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Placerville, Calif. — On Aug. 2, 2016, the Bureau of Reclamation and the El Dorado Irrigation District (EID) entered into a Warren Act contract for 17,000 acre-feet per year of EID’s Project 184 supplies (Water Rights Permit 21112) from Folsom Reservoir. The contract will be in effect through February 2030 and is the result of EID’s 25-year effort to secure this new water supply for its customers.

“This long-sought contract is the culmination of years of dedicated work by both parties,” said Acting EID General Manager Tom Cumpston. “Access to this supply from Folsom bolsters EID’s robust water portfolio and enhances dry-year water reliability for EID’s customers and the wider community. At the same time, Reclamation has negotiated contract terms that protect both its Folsom Reservoir customers and the aquatic environment downstream of the dam.”

Drew Lessard, Area Manager for Reclamation’s Central California Area Office, which manages Folsom Reservoir, stated, “Reclamation is pleased to enter into this contract with EID, which will help ensure critical supplies for their water users through 2030.”

EID’s operation of its federally licensed Project 184 hydroelectric project makes the Permit 21112 supplies available; however, permit conditions required that the water be diverted at Folsom Reservoir and that EID enter into a Warren Act contract with Reclamation for the diversion.

Deliveries under the long-term Warren Act contract will be limited to 8,500 acre-feet per year until EID completes the installation of a Reclamation-approved fully operational temperature control device at EID’s raw water pump station, at which time the contract will allow diversion of the full 17,000 acre-feet per year of non-Central Valley Project (CVP) water. The long-term Warren Act contract would allow EID to utilize Project 184 water for consumptive use purposes within their CVP service area through February 2030.

Reclamation developed an Environmental Assessment (EA) to consider potential impacts of entering into the contract. The Final EA, dated July 2016, supports the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), signed on August 2. The Final EA/FONSI were prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and are available at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/documentShow.cfm?Doc_ID=26545. If you have problems accessing the documents, please call 916-978-5100 (TTY 800-877-8339) or email mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov.

The Warren Act authorizes the United States to execute contracts for the conveyance and storage of non-CVP water in federal facilities when excess capacity exists. Warren Act contracts are undertaken under the authority of the Act of June 17, 1902, (32 Stat. 388) and acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto, including the Act of February 21, 1911, (36 Stat. 925) and Section 305 of the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991, enacted March 5, 1992 (106 Stat. 59).

Moving to quickly replace General Manager Wendell Wall, whose contract was terminated Aug. 2, the Georgetown Divide Public Utility District Board of Directors named Darrell Creeks as interim general manager at its Aug. 9 meeting.

Creeks has worked at the district for about 20 years and has been operations manager since 2014. His compensation for the job will be $60.10 per hour while he serves as interim general manager.

for more on the story:http://www.mtdemocrat.com/news/gdpud-names-interim-gm/

If you divert and use water from a surface water source such as a lake, creek, stream, or river, OR you divert water from a subterranean stream that flows in a known and definite channel, California law requires you to report your diversion and use to the State Water Board, Division of Water Rights.

The State Water Resources Control Board is hosting an information fair on water measurement and reporting on August 22, 2016, to facilitate better understanding of (and compliance with) measurement and reporting regulations recently adopted by the Board.  The purpose of the information fair is to bring together water right holders, vendors, and other professionals employed in the water measurement industry to identify reasonable and practical ways to accurately measure water diversions in a variety of settings.  State Water Board staff will be present to answer questions about compliance with the new regulations.

Additional information may be found on the attached flyer and on the following webpage:

http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/diversion_use/water_use.shtml

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Paul Wells at Paul.wells@waterboards.ca.gov or (916) 323-5195.