FISHERIES PROJECTS

Funding for planning, design, and/or construction is needed to support upcoming projects that will help achieve the mission of the Kings River Fisheries Management Program. The Program’s mission is to improve and enhance the Kings River watershed and fishery habitat while maintaining its beneficial uses, recognizing that a healthy river is essential to the region’s well-being and future quality of life.

Click HERE for Fisheries Projects backgrounder.

Take Action: (these could  be potential active links)

  • read and sign coalition letter
  • download sample email to stakeholders
  • download sample social media posts

PROJECT #1: GRAVEL AUGMENTATION OR INJECTION BELOW US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS BRIDGE

PROJECT FUNDING NEED: $60,000 – $120,000 annually*

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This project will entail the injection/placement of gravel for Rainbow Trout below Pine Flat Bridge and will help replenish the coarse sediment supply immediately below Pine Flat Dam.

KEY BENEFIT: Create spawning habitat for trout and other species
PROJECT STATUS: Project study underway to develop 30% project designs and supporting materials including identifying sediment (gravel) sources available, sediment augmentation volume, potential constraints, and the feasibility of construction methods. Study scheduled to conclude March 2022. *Disclaimer: Project is scalable and may not require gravel injection every year.

PROJECT #2: THORBURN CHANNEL ENHANCEMENTS

PROJECT FUNDING NEED: $115,000 – $470,000 one-time

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This project will involve enhancing the Thorburn Channel for juvenile trout rearing habitat by considering alterations to the flow intake structure and grading within the side channel.

KEY BENEFITS:

  • Create spawning habitat for trout and other species
  • Climate change response to intense flood release events; widening channels will prevent sediment and gravel from pushing through quickly, slowing flows during flood releases. This protects the fishery, downstream agriculture, and communities

PROJECT STATUS: Project study underway to develop 30% designs and supporting materials to understand the effect of the Thorburn Channel headworks structure to physical habitat and water temperature. Study scheduled to conclude March 2022.

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AIRBORNE SNOW SURVEYS

Funding is needed for the full suite of snow survey tools that meet 21st century water management and climate change challenges

Click HERE for Airborne Snow Survey Backgrounder.

TAKE ACTION! (these could  be potential active links)

  • read and sign coalition letter
  • download sample email to stakeholders
  • download sample social media posts

OVERVIEW: The Kings River watershed in the Southern Sierra Nevada is where, on average, 1.7 million acre-feet of water supply for portions of Fresno, Kings, and Tulare counties is found stored as snow. The supply is extremely variable. In wet years it can exceed 4 million acre-feet, causing potential flood risk downstream, and can swing below 400,000 acre-feet in the driest years, straining groundwater supply used to meet demand. Water management begins with understanding and forecasting snowpack.
Forecasting water supply with the full suite of complementary snow measurement tools contributes to the daily understanding and analysis of snowpack that allows water managers to mitigate flood risk, plan for swings in supply, and increase the likelihood of putting surplus water to use.

ARSS KEY BENEFITS

  • Prevent overly conservative flood releases that reduce water supply storage
  • Reduce risks associated with flood releases, like crop or property damage, thanks to foresight and planning
  • Anticipate and capture flood water for groundwater recharge, offsetting groundwater use and replenishing supplies, a priority under CA’s SGMA regulation
  • Continue to balance environmental flows while aligning water supply expectations with urban and agricultural users
  • Provide insight into potential drought conditions
  • Help cities plan their water management strategy, offsetting groundwater pumping to meet the needs of homes, businesses, and industry

KINGS RIVER: $2,000,000 annually
HIGH SIERRA, CA: $10,000,000 annually
ALL CA DWR SNOWPACK FORECAST BASINS: $25,000,000 annually

Funding for 10 flights per water year would provide optimal high-resolution snowpack information throughout the snow accumulation and melt periods. *In California, the program is immediately scalable across existing “High Sierra” programs in the Kaweah, Kings, San Joaquin, Merced, and Tuolumne watersheds and could be scaled quickly in the Feather and Yuba watersheds.
The program is scalable across western US watersheds should funding be made available.

Learn more about the importance of snow surveys as a critical resource tool HERE.

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