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Water Trust helps Scott River's salmon
ETNA - The Scott River Water Trust
announced today that its efforts to secure over 400
acre-feet of water in early October from Scott
Valley ranchers have helped Chinook salmon migrate
up one of the Klamath River's most important salmon
and steelhead tributaries. An extremely dry year has
created challenging flow conditions for fish
passage. The Water Trust's effort is significant
because the amount of added water helped the flows
reconnect through the dry reaches of the Scott River
in Scott Valley. Some water users are also donating
water. This week, Chinook salmon successfully
started spawning far upstream of the previously dry
reaches, with steelhead also moving up.
The Scott River Water Trust, the first water trust in California, is a local nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving instream flows for salmon and steelhead while protecting the community's family farms. It temporarily leases water from those with active water rights to keep water instream, instead of diverting through ditches. Financial compensation is provided for the value of their lost agricultural production or added costs.
"This is a fair deal. I'm not being hurt by leasing my water and it helps the fish, so I'm happy.
I hope the fish are happy too," said Rick Barnes,
Scott Valley cattle rancher and Water Trust
participant.
By foregoing the allowed use of their ditches for
livestock water during part of October, ranchers had
to use alternative means to water their cows,
costing them time and money.
Scott Valley Irrigation District's Jim Morris
commented, "We value the water for livestock as well
as for groundwater recharge. We care about the fish
and we're glad that the Water Trust allows us to
help meet the salmon's water needs during an
emergency situation like this year." While dry
weather continues this month, water is also being
volunteered by other water users, such as Farmer's
Ditch Company in the upper river. California Trout's
Curtis Knight of Mt. Shasta added, "It's encouraging
to see cooperation by water users to meet the needs
of these fish."
River flows were unusually low this year since the Scott River watershed received less than 60% of average rainfall last winter and only a little more than one inch so far this fall.
Chinook salmon spawning usually peaks in late
October to early November, so the added flow is
timely. Coho salmon, a threatened species, return to
their original spawning grounds later in November
and into January. Steelhead trout migrate into the
river from late October through April. The Water
Trust's program has become an important part of
ensuring sufficient instream flows for their
migration, spawning and rearing needs. Water
conservation efforts to help these fish year-round
are also done through landowner projects by the
Siskiyou Resource Conservation District (RCD).
See the Water Trust's website for more information:
www.scottwatertrust.org
(Permission to post this article
from the publisher.)