CVFPP Conservation Strategy Appendix G. Identification of Target Species and Focused Conservation Plans

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 14th, 2016

 The purpose of the Conservation Strategy of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP) is to provide direction for the California Department of Water Resources’

 The purpose of the Conservation Strategy of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP) is to provide direction for the California Department of Water Resources’ (DWR’s) environmental stewardship activities related to integrated flood management in the Central Valley, and to provide a framework and support for programmatic permitting of flood management activities.  One goal of the Conservation Strategy is to contribute to the recovery and stability of native species populations and overall biotic community diversity. A set of potential target species was identified to support measurable objectives for this goal. For those target species with the greatest need for recovery of their populations, focused conservation planning was conducted. This appendix documents the process used for selecting the target species of the Conservation Strategy, including 17 target species for which focused conservation planning was conducted. The results of this focused planning are also provided in this appendix, in the form of focused conservation plans. This document is scheduled to be updated every 5 years.   Because the conservation needs of species change, in the future, additional species may become suitable targets for the Conservation Strategy. Therefore, during preparation of the 5-year updates to the CVFPP, the preliminary list of species in this appendix will be reevaluated using the same criteria described below. Species meeting these criteria will be added, and focused conservation plans will be developed for them and included in subsequent updates of the Conservation Strategy. During the public comment period, new information regarding the status of the delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) and its habitat use in the Systemwide Planning Area (SPA) was made available, and a recovery plan for the species is expected to be released in 2016; therefore, this species will be considered for inclusion in the 2022 CVFPP and Conservation Strategy. Other species that were considered during the initial screening could be reconsidered, and targeted conservation plans may be developed. These species include the western pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata), tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor), western red bat (Lasiurus blossevillii), and western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea). 

CVFPP Conservation Strategy Appendix H. Central Valley Chinook Salmon Rearing Habitat Required to Satisfy the Anadromous Fish Restoration Program Doubling Goal

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 14th, 2016

NewFields and Cramer Fish Sciences, in collaboration with the California Department of Water Resources FloodSAFE Environmental Stewardship and Statewide Resources

NewFields and Cramer Fish Sciences, in collaboration with the California Department of Water Resources FloodSAFE Environmental Stewardship and Statewide Resources Office Conservation Strategy team, applied best available tools and data to estimate the area of suitable juvenile salmonid rearing habitat required in each of the Conservation Planning Areas (CPAs) to achieve the Anadromous Fish Restoration Program (AFRP) “doubling goal” for Chinook salmon populations. The AFRP goal was used to align the Conservation Strategy objectives with existing,longstanding efforts by partner resource management agencies. Historical and existing suitable rearing habitat area for juvenile salmonids was estimated with the Estimated Annual Habitat approach that uses measured hydrology and modeled hydraulic relationships between river flow and inundation area to calculate areas of inundation with timing, duration, and frequency suitable for juvenile California Chinook salmon rearing. The rearing habitat required to support the doubling goal populations was estimated using the Emigrating Salmonid Habitat Estimation model. The details of the approach and the full range of calculated results are presented in the following sections and appendices.

CVPIA 10 Years of Progress

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | June 27th, 2015

In 1992, Congress passed the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (Act, or CVPIA), which amended previous authorizations of the California Central Valley Project (CVP)

In 1992, Congress passed the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (Act, or CVPIA), which amended previous authorizations of the California Central Valley Project (CVP) to include fish and wildlife protection, restoration, enhancement, and mitigation as project purposes having equal priority with power generation, and irrigation and domestic water uses. Congress directed the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), to operate the CVP consistent with the purposes of the Act, to meet the Federal trust responsibilities to protect the fishery resources of affected Federally recognized Indian tribes, and to achieve a reasonable balance among competing demands for use of CVP water. For the past 10 years, Reclamation and the Service, working together to implement the CVPIA, have embarked on one of the Nation’s largest fish and wildlife restoration efforts. Reclamation and the Service have developed programs to improve environmental conditions and modify operations, management, and physical facilities, and thus, the associated environmental conditions of the CVP to comply with the purposes and goals of the Act. All of the Act’s restoration measures are planned and implemented by Reclamation and the Service and coordinated with the State of California, CALFED, and other partners. In the following pages, you will find a summary of the protection, restoration, enhancement, and mitigation measures that have been implemented as of the end of fiscal year 2002, demonstrating the contributions Reclamation and the Service have made to the Central Valley. As you read the summary, it should become clear that progress is being made in unprecedented programs, and advancements have been made in resolving complicated watershed issues throughout the Central Valley. Yet much work lies ahead.

Dam effects on bedload transport on the upper Santa Ana River, California, and implications for native fish habitat

River Research and Applications (Wiley) | May 23rd, 2019

Dams disrupt the flow of water and sediment and thus have the potential to affect the downstream geomorphic characteristics of a river. Though there are some well‐known

Dams disrupt the flow of water and sediment and thus have the potential to affect the downstream geomorphic characteristics of a river. Though there are some well‐known and common geomorphic responses to dams, such as bed armouring, the response downstream from any particular dam is dependent on local conditions. Herein, we investigate the response of the upper Santa Ana River in southern California, USA, to the construction of a large dam at the transition from mountains to valley, using calculations of bedload transport capacity on the mainstem below the dam and for major tributaries. Approximate sediment budgets were constructed for downstream reaches to estimate deposition and erosion rates for sand, gravel, and cobble particle sizes. Our results indicate that the classical response of bed armouring and erosion is likely limited to a short reach immediately below the dam. Farther downstream, though transport capacity is reduced by flow regulation by the dam, the channel reaches are likely to remain depositional but with reduced deposition rates. Persistent deposition, as opposed to erosion, is the result of the replenishment of flow and sediment supply by large downstream tributaries. In addition, the calculations indicate that the composition of the bed is unlikely to change substantially in downstream reaches. A Monte Carlo approach was employed to estimate the uncertainty in the sediment budget predictions. The impacts of the dam on the geomorphic character of the river downstream could have implications for native fish that rely on coarse substrate that supports their food base.

Decoupling outmigration from marine survival indicates outsized influence of streamflow on cohort success for California’s Chinook salmon populations

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (Canadian Science Publishing) | October 17th, 2018

Historically, marine survival estimates for salmon have been confounded with freshwater seaward migration (outmigration) survival. Telemetry studies have revealed low and

Historically, marine survival estimates for salmon have been confounded with freshwater seaward migration (outmigration) survival. Telemetry studies have revealed low and variable survival during outmigration, suggesting marine mortality may not be the primary source of variability in cohort size as previously believed. Using a novel combination of tagging technologies, survival during these two life stages was decoupled over 5 years for Sacramento River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Outmigration survival ranged from 2.6% to 17%, and marine survival ranged from 4.2% to 22.8%. Influential environmental drivers in both life stages were also compared with smolt-to-adult ratios (SAR) for three Chinook salmon populations over 20 years. Streamflow during outmigration had higher correlation with SAR (r2 > 0.34) than two marine productivity indices (r2 < 0.08). The few SAR estimates that were poorly predicted by flow occurred during years with the lowest marine productivity, suggesting most interannual SAR fluctuations are explained by outmigration survival, but abnormally poor marine conditions also reduce SAR. The outsized influence of flow on SAR provides managers with a powerful mitigation tool in a watershed where flow is tightly regulated.

Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon (DOSS) Technical Working Group

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | November 1st, 2018

Delta smelt resiliency strategy

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 11th, 2016

The Delta Smelt Resiliency Strategy (Strategy) is a science-based document that has been prepared by the State of California (State) to voluntarily address both immediate

The Delta Smelt Resiliency Strategy (Strategy) is a science-based document that has been prepared by the State of California (State) to voluntarily address both immediate and near-term needs of Delta Smelt, to promote their resiliency to drought conditions as well as future variations in habitat conditions. The Strategy relies on the MAST Report and Conceptual Models (IEP 2015) to articulate a suite of actions that can be implemented in the next few years that are intended to benefit Delta Smelt. Although the feasibility and effectiveness of each action included in the Strategy requires further exploration and study, the Strategy is an aggressive approach to implementing any actions that can be implemented in the near term, can be implemented by the State with minimal involvement of other entities, and have the potential to benefit Delta Smelt. State agencies that could implement this Strategy include Department of Water Resources (DWR), Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), and Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW). Several of the actions identified in this Strategy could also benefit other species, and coordination across various resource management agencies as appropriate may allow for benefits beyond Delta Smelt. All of the actions will be in compliance with applicable laws, including the Federal Endangered Species Act, California Endangered Species Act, California Environmental Quality Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and the Federal Clean Water Act. The Collaborative Science and Adaptive Management Program (CSAMP) will be used to determine the appropriate research approach to designing and assessing the outcomes of these management actions individually and synergistically. Additionally, it is expected that the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) would participate in the implementation of this Strategy, including providing enhanced outflows in 2016.

Delta Smelt: Life History and Decline of a Once-Abundant Species in the San Francisco Estuary

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | July 1st, 2016

The delta smelt is endemic to the upper San Francisco Estuary. Much of its historic habitat is no longer available and remaining habitat is increasingly unable to sustain

The delta smelt is endemic to the upper San Francisco Estuary. Much of its historic habitat is no longer available and remaining habitat is increasingly unable to sustain the population. As a listed species living in the central node of California’s water supply system, delta smelt has been the focus of a large research effort to understand causes of decline and identify ways to recover the species. Since 2008, a remarkable record of innovative research on delta smelt has been achieved, which is summarized here. Unfortunately, research has not prevented the smelt’s continued decline, which is the result of multiple, interacting factors. A major driver of decline is change to the Delta ecosystem from water exports, resulting in reduced outflows and high levels of entrainment in the large pumps of the South Delta. Invasions of alien species, encouraged by environmental change, have also played a contributing role in the decline. Severe drought effects have pushed delta smelt to record low levels in 2014–2015 and diverse and substantial management actions are needed to preserve delta smelt.

Draft finding of no significant impact, 2-Gates Fish Protection Demonstration Project.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | November 13th, 2009

The proposed Demonstration Project is a 5-year experiment to validate a new delta smelt behavioral model and study the effects of modifying flows in the Sacramento-San Jo

The proposed Demonstration Project is a 5-year experiment to validate a new delta smelt behavioral model and study the effects of modifying flows in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) to protect delta smelt and other sensitive aquatic species from entrainment in Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP) export pumps. Research suggests that the pre-spawning migration of adult delta smelt is tied to sediment/suspended particles in the water (turbidity). Temporary gates would be placed across Old River and Connection Slough in the central Delta and operated from December to March to keep turbid water away from the CVP and SWP export pumps, thus keeping adult delta smelt away from the pumps, and in March and June to prevent larvae and juvenile delta smelt from being entrained by the export pumps.

DRERIP Ecosystem Conceptual Model: Chinook Salmon & Steelhead

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) | September 4th, 2012

This report constitutes the conceptual model for Chinook and steelhead for the Delta Regional Ecosystem Restoration Implementation Plan (DRERIP). The report describes

This report constitutes the conceptual model for Chinook and steelhead for the Delta Regional Ecosystem Restoration Implementation Plan (DRERIP). The report describes conceptual models, not numerical models, but several important considerations apply to both kinds, especially when they are used for management of living natural resources. First, the proper purpose of models is to help people think, not to think for them. Ignoring this can be disastrous, as exemplified by the current economic crisis. The world of credit default swaps was built on highly sophisticated models that persuaded many intelligent people that the associated risk was negligible, but they failed to recognize that a market based on houses that people could not pay for from their earnings is unsustainable. In short, the most important output of a good conceptual or numerical model is clear thinking. To help people think, the model must be focused on selected features of the world that are thought to be important for the purpose at hand: in this case, management of the Delta. A model that tries to include everything will be too complex to be useful for this purpose. Second, to be useful for management of natural living resources, numerical models must be unrealistic, because our knowledge of such resources is incomplete, and is based on data that includes measurement errors. According to Ludwig‘s paradox, "Effective management models cannot be realistic" (Ludwig 1994:516), because two kinds of uncertainty must be balanced (Figure I-1; see Ch. 14 in Williams (2006) for elaboration of this point). In our view, something similar applies to conceptual models of natural systems: to be useful, they must be simple. A schematic of the wiring in some electronic device is a conceptual model that may be useful as well as complex, but trying to develop a similar schematic of an ecosystem or part of an ecosystem is not useful, because our knowledge of such a system is much less complete than our knowledge of engineered devices, and we have only estimates of the relevant parameters. Finally, reality is too complex to capture with a single model. Eric Lander, a noted geneticist who co-chairs President Obama‘s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, recently remarked that "You can never capture something like an economy, a genome or an ecosystem with one model or one taxonomy – it all depends on the questions you want to ask." (NY Times, 11/11/08). Models are tools that we use to try to think, and multi-purpose tools generally do nothing well. Therefore, although the complete life cycle of Chinook and steelhead is described here, the parts or aspects of the cycle that we think may be affected by management of the Delta are emphasized, and we try to keep it as simple as possible. More detail on most of the topics described here can be found in Quinn (2005), or in Williams (2006), from which this document draws very heavily.