Conservation Alliance - Grantee - Foothills Water Network

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Foothills Water Network

Website: http://www.foothillswaternetwork.org/
Contact Name: Traci Sheenan
Contact Email: traci@antispamfoothillswaternetwork.org
Past Grants: 2012 · $25,000; 2009 · $30,000
Grand Total: $55,000

The Foothills Water Network is a coalition of conservation and recreation groups, whose mission is to protect and enhance aquatic ecosystem health and recreation opportuniteis in over 350 miles of the interlinked Yuba, Bear, and American Rivers. Our current focus is on negotiating protective conditions in the relicensing of four hydropower proejcts on the Yuba, Bear, and American Rivers. For the last 50 years, these non-federal dams have de-watered large stretches of river under licenses that offer very little environmental protection. Relicensing these hydropower projects under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restore these rivers for decades to come.

20 local and national non-governmental conservation and recreation organizations active in the Network including but not limited to the South Yuba River Citizens League, American Whitewater, American Rivers, Trout Unlimited, Sierra Club, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, Save Auburn Ravine Salmon and Steelhead, Northern California Federation of Flyfishers, and California Outdoors.

Project Update

Building upon eight years of investment in the relicensing process, the Foothills Water Network and its members have achieved some major successes. These successes are best reflected by the Forest Service’s and Bureau of Land Management’s filings of the Preliminary Conditions for the new licenses affecting the Yuba and Bear watersheds. The Foothills Water Network was instrumental in negotiating these license conditions.

Preliminary license conditions for the next 50 year license term include:

Increased minimum instream flows for 44 river reaches of the Yuba and Bear Rivers to improve aquatic health.
Increased spring flows and restoration of a spring snowmelt recession that simultaneously improves Rainbow trout and Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog habitat as well as increased predictable whitewater boating opportunities.
Increased minimum instream flows in the South Yuba and Middle Yuba Rivers to strategically cool the rivers in the event of summertime heat waves to improve habitat for Rainbow trout and future reintroduction of salmon.
Establishment of a minimum flow in Auburn Ravine and Coon Creek, which previously had no such requirement.
Real-time online flow information to improve predictability and accessibility to recreational opportunities for whitewater boating, angling, and swimming/wading on multiple river reaches.
Requirement that PG&E collaborate on development of the new Bear River Trail.

We are still advocating for cooling water temperatures to improve the existing trout fishery and providing habitat for future reintroduction of salmon into the Middle and South Yuba Rivers.

Over the next months, we will reconvene with the relicensing stakeholders to collaboratively negotiate other license conditions and plans for the next 50 year license term. We will work with the resources agencies to defend, improve, and finalize the license conditions.

The Conservation Alliance

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Foothills Water Network

Project Update