The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, as a member of the Foothills Water Network (FWN), submitted 74 pages of comments on July 30, 2018 to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the relicensing of the Yuba River Development Project. The hydropower project features three powerhouses including New Colgate, one of the largest hydropower generators in the state. It is operated by the Yuba County Water Agency (YCWA).
FERC staff’s DEIS adopts most of the recommendations jointly agreed to and submitted by the parties to the project relicensing. FERC staff also recommends vehicular access to the North Yuba River below New Bullards Bar Dam and a plan to greatly increase the amount of large woody material in the lower Yuba River. However, the DEIS does not adopt recommendations for flows and channel improvements that were made by non-governmental organizations and federal and state fisheries agencies.
Nice lower Yuba River fish (T. Cannon)
Chris Shutes of CSPA commented: “Required flows in the lower Yuba River are needed to improve river habitat and to contribute flows into the Delta and San Francisco Bay. The flows recommended by the Foothills Water Network and two fisheries agencies [California Department of Fish & Wildlife, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service] would meet those needs while protecting local agriculture and YCWA’s revenues.”
FWN’s comments and recommendations urge FERC to require improved river flows, floodplain restoration, monitoring for water temperature, monitoring of salmon, steelhead and sturgeon, and mitigation for cumulative environmental project effects. FWN strongly recommends that FERC approve the establishment of an Ecological Group that would provide non-governmental stakeholders a defined role in the implementation of a new FERC license. FWN also urges FERC staff to update the way it analyzes the economics of electricity sales and to improve its analysis of water sales.
The comments were signed by 14 groups, including fishing organizations, a Native American tribe, conservation organizations, and an organization that represents whitewater boating businesses.
The comments are linked here: FWN YRDP DEIS comments Final 073018