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The list of contributors to the Red Clover Creek Erosion Control Demonstration Project is too lengthy to individually acknowledge everyone who has participated in the project. PG&E extends its thanks to all the organizations and individuals who helped make the project a success. Special thanks go to former Plumas County Supervisor John Schramel for his efforts in helping initiate the project and forming the Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) Group; landowners Pick Hobson and George Goodwin for their cooperation and contributions; the Natural ResourcesConservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service) for its design of the check dams; the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for design and construction funding; the California Department of Water Resources for conducting the wildlife studies; the California Department of Fish and Game for assisting with the structural design and the fish and wildlife studies and building the exclosure fence; Plumas National Forest for access to study control sites within the forest, technical review, and materials required for construction; the Feather River ResourceConservation District for local support; Plumas Corporation for obtaining permits, coordinating project design, and managing project construction and maintenance; PG&E employees and consultants for conducting vegetation, water table, water quality, fish, and stream morphology studies; PG&E’s Hydro Generation Department for technical support and guidance; and PG&E’s Research and Development Department for planning, executing, and funding the research project. Notable contributors from the Feather River CRM Group include Jim Battagin, Terry Benoit, Don Blickenstaff, Dave Bogener, Burkhard Bohm, Lloyd Britton, Ken Cawley, Ceci Cesmat, Shannon Downey, Clay Clifton, Richard Flint, Jack Gastle, Holly George, Dennis Heiman, Dan Kaffer, Mike Kossow, Valerie Nellor, Ken Roby, Rob Russell, Bob Schultz, John Sheehan, Ray Stine, Reina Weyrach, John Whiteman, Jim Wilcox, and Leah Wills. PG&E contributors (employees and contractors) include Cathy Bleier, Cathy Brown, Larry Carver, Frank Chan, Laraine Chaney, Mark Dedon, Ken DiVittorio, Jim Ferris, Charles Filmer, Dave Gilbert, John Hamby, John Hollfelder, John Icanberry, Dave Longanecker, George McCalla, Jim McMannus, Stan Miyamoto, Susan Moxley, R. L. Mulder, Steve Nevares, Larry Patzkowski, Kathy Petersen, V. Miguel Ponce, Steve Railsback, Tim Sagraves, Terry Silver, Skip Stubbs, Carl Weinberg, and Ellen Yeoman. ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers AWRA American Water Resources Association CDFG California Department of Fish and Game CRM Coordinated Resource Management DO dissolved oxygen DWR California Department of Water Resources EBNFFR East Branch North Fork Feather River ECP erosion control plan FRCRM Feather River Coordinated Resource Management GIS Geographic Information System MFFR Middle Fork Feather River MOA Memorandum of Agreement NFFR North Fork Feather River NTU nephelometric turbidity unit PNF Plumas National Forest RCD Resource Conservation District SCS Soil Conservation Service (now called Natural Resources Conservation Service) TAC Technical Advisory Committee TSS total suspended solids
Extensive deterioration of Western watersheds began in the late nineteenth century, largely due to poor land-use practices introduced by settlers. Stable streams and productive riparian vegetation dried up and eroded, causing a steady decline in watershed health and environmental and economic values. The northern Sierra Nevada’s Feather River watershed did not escape this fate. Extensive mining, logging, grazing, and road building all took their toll, greatly reducing the health and sustainability of the watershed for the local community and downstream water users. Since the early 1980s, PG&E has experienced operational problems at its hydroelectric facilities on the North Fork Feather River due to reservoir sedimentation aggravated by accelerated erosion of the upstream watershed. Approximately 5.4 million cubic yards of sediment has been deposited in Rock Creek and Cresta Reservoirs since they were placed in service in 1949 and 1950, respectively, displacing up to 58% of the original water storage capacity. The sediments jeopardize the reliable operation of the dams and powerhouses, increase operational and maintenance costs, and cause environmental concerns. While PG&E’s operations are affected by reservoir sedimentation, the resource-based economy of Plumas County is suffering other effects of watershed degradation: declining groundwater tables; meadow deterioration; concentrated runoff and destructive flood flows; loss of riparian vegetation; loss of recreational, aesthetic, and land values; reduced revenues; and decreased sport fisheries and forest productivity. All stakeholders agreed that something must be done to reverse the degradation process and improve watershed conditions. In response, a collaborative erosion control plan was initiated in 1985, and PG&E joined with twenty public and private sector groups to develop and implement a watershed improvement plan. The group adopted the principles of the Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) planning process as a framework for conducting restoration projects. CRM principles are to involve all stakeholders, make decisions by consensus, give each participant an equal voice, and leverage contributions. The CRM process is often used to solve complex resource management problems that involve multiple landowners and special interest groups extending over large geographic areas. The Feather River CRM (FRCRM) Committee decided to implement a small demonstration project in the headwaters of the East Branch North Fork Feather River (EBNFFR) watershed as a first step in developing a regional erosion control plan. To document results of the demonstration project, a ten-year research study was funded by PG&E’s Research and Development Department and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) along a one-mile reach of Red Clover Creek. Technical expertise and leadership was provided by PG&E and DWR, in concert with other CRM members. The property is currently owned by George Goodwin, a private landowner. The study’s objectives were the following:
This report provides a broad overview of research results for the ten studies carried out at Red Clover Creek. Data tables and specific analyses for each study are not included in this summary but are available upon request. Highlights are as follows:
– The revegetation study identified two promising alternatives—fall planting of dormant, unrooted, locally collected willow cuttings in high-moisture sites; and commercial herbaceous seed mixes—to accelerate plant establishment and protect soils after construction. Planting along cut streambanks was largely unsuccessful until the channel began to stabilize. Native seed mixes were slower to germinate but established after three growing seasons. – Land management practices, including grazing and vehicular exclusion, expedited establishment and growth of vegetation within the exclosure. – Bio-geotechnical methods had mixed results. Pine revetment successfully reinforced a degraded streambank and established vegetation, whereas willow matting was less successful due to bank erosion and headcutting caused by return flow after a major storm event. 4. Channel Geomorphology. Check dams enhanced streambank stability by reducing flow velocity, erosional energy, channel downcutting, and streambank sloughing. In response, increased instream sediment deposition caused the channel to narrow, become more sinuous, and support riparian vegetation on point bars and along the streambank toe. Channel conditions also improved at the downstream control section due to a change in grazing management after the start of the study, suggesting that changes in land management alone may have far-reaching effects on restoring degraded sites at a lower cost but at a slower pace.,, 5. Vegetation Cover and Diversity. Statistically valid results indicate that the number of species and vegetation cover in areas influenced by the check dams increased as the water table elevation increased. Springs and near-surface ponds over 200 feet from the channel were also recharged, creating more forage and cover for wildlife and livestock outside the exclosure and providing protection from erosion. 6. Vegetation Community Trends. A visible trend toward conversion from a xeric (dry) vegetation type to a more mesic (wet) plant community was evident in areas influenced by the raised water table. In areas once dominated by sagebrush, wet-site species such as willow and sedges are flourishing. This trend was documented by aerial infrared photographs taken in 1988 and 1993, where vegetation type polygons were digitized, overlaid, and comparatively analyzed in a spatially referenced Geographic Information System (GIS). Control areas showed little or no change in vegetation community types. 7. Fish and Water Quality. The fish population study showed that the check dam ponds created deep-water habitat for adult trout and mountain sucker in a section of the creek generally lacking in such habitat. After construction of the ponds, consistently more trout were captured at the test station (Pond #2) than at the downstream control station, which contained no trout during four of the nine annual surveys. Mountain sucker were generally more abundant at the test station than at the control station, whereas speckled dace were frequently more numerous at the control station. Results also showed that the impoundments did not create spawning or substantial rearing habitat for trout. Narrowing of the channel, with resultant increases in water velocities, depths, and gravel substrates, would be required to improve the creek for all life stages. A longer-term monitoring program would also be required to determine the ultimate benefits of the check dams and altered grazing regime on fish populations.6 Water quality sampling at the test and control sites indicated that pH and conductivity levels were suitable for trout; turbidity levels were somewhat high but probably not detrimental; and dissolved oxygen levels varied greatly, occasionally falling below the range considered acceptable for a healthy trout stream. Control stations exhibited wider daily fluctuations in temperature than the test station, but both were generally at the high end of the range considered suitable for trout, with maximums at the control station occasionally within a range that can be lethal for trout.6 8. Wildlife. Wildlife species density and richness increased dramatically and was the quickest indicator of site recovery. Compared to the control site, waterfowl usage and nesting increased 700%, and deer usage greatly increased after three years. Also evident was a shift in species and population density of small mammals from the drier site to the wetter site, which followed trends in vegetation change. 9. Photographic Monitoring. Photographs taken at thirteen permanent photo stations within the demonstration area provided a means to qualitatively compare recovery at different points within the project area from year to year. Photographs were valuable in documenting trends and provided a visual point of reference, especially when quantitative data were not available. 10. Baseflow Augmentation by Streambank Storage. A comprehensive literature search identified 138 references and case studies of stream improvement projects that successfully increased or reestablished baseflows following restoration. This provided a valuable knowledge base of observational and anecdotal information documenting the baseflow augmentation concept in different western states. Results, however, were largely based on observation and inference, not on quantifiable data. At Red Clover Creek, insufficient flow data were taken prior to and during the demonstration to ascertain the effects of the project on summer baseflows, but we anticipate that increased groundwater storage capacity and vegetation establishment will eventually reduce peak flows and increase summer flows. An agrading channel and a rising water table often increase water storage potential in the wet seasons, and slow release of this water may allow a stream to flow through the driest summers. More research is required to quantify this process and to determine the effect of such projects on the overall water budget., Endnotes 1 Harrison, L. L. 1995. "East Branch North Fork Feather River Erosion Control Program: PG&E's Benefits of Reduced Erosion." Internal report prepared for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Hydro Generation Department, San Francisco. 2 Anderson, E. W., and R. C. Baum. 1987. "Coordinated resource management planning: does it work?" Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 42(3): 161-166. 3 Lindquist, D. S., and L. Y. Bowie. 1988. "Riparian Restoration in the Northern Sierra Nevada: A Biotechnical Approach." Davis, CA, September 22, 1988. USFS PSW General Technical Report PSW-110. In Proceedings for the California Riparian Systems Conference. 4 Lindquist, D. S„ and L. L. Harrison. 1995. "Watershed Restoration in the Sierra Nevada: A Coordinated Resource Management Approach." San Francisco, July 1995. In ASCE Waterpower 95 Conference. 5 Lindquist, D. S., G. R. McCalla, and C. Filmer. 1994. Erosion Control Demonstration Project in Red Clover Valley: Revegetation/Streambank Stabilization Program. Report 009.4-90.13 prepared for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Research and Development, San Ramon, CA. 6 Sagraves, T. H. 1994. Water Table Evaluation, 1993: Final Report. Report 009.4-93.7 prepared for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Research and Development, San Ramon, CA. 7 Hollfelder, J., C. Brown, and G .M. McCalla. 1994. "Geomorphology Report." Draft report prepared for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Research and Development, San Ramon, CA. 8 Longanecker, D. R., and T. H. Sagraves. 1994. Erosion Control Demonstration Project in Red Clover Valley: Fish and Water Quality: Final Report. Report 009.4-93.4 prepared for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Research and Development, San Ramon, CA. 9 McCalla, G. 1992. Stream Channel Cross-section Monitoring: R&D Erosion Control Demonstration Project in Red Clover Valley. Report 009.4-91.4 prepared for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Research and Development, San Ramon, CA. 10 Lindquist, D. S., G. McCalla, and H. Stubbs. 1993. "Erosion Control Demonstration Project in Red Clover Valley: Vegetation Monitoring Study, 1987-1990." Draft report 009.4-89.5 prepared for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Research and Development, San Ramon, CA. 11 Ferns, J., R. Mulder, and M. Dedon. 1994. "Red Clover Valley GIS Vegetation Study." Draft report prepared for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Research and Development, San Ramon, CA. 12 Bogener, D. J. 1993. Red Clover Creek Demonstration Area Wildlife Study. The Resources Agency, Department of Water Resources, Northern District, Sacramento, CA. 13 Ponce, V. M., and D. S. Lindquist. 1990. "Management ofbaseflow augmentation: a review." Water Resources Bulletin 26(2):254-268. 14 Elmore, W., and R. Beschta. 1987. "Riparian areas: Perceptions in Management." Rangelands 9(6), December 1987.
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