Pit River flows have caused some friction between fly fishermen and whitewater enthusiasts, yet the current stalemate may be ending – and not in the favor of the whitewater folks.
From the Redding Record Searchlight:
Concern over an endangered crawfish’s dwindling numbers on the Pit River could end summer white water that has become a popular ride for rafters and kayakers.
“What those flows do is bring warmer water from upstream down to that area,” said Al Donner, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Sacramento. “The crawfish need cool water.”
The agency is asking the state Water Resources Control Board and the Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC) to end the increased flows immediately.
But white water enthusiasts say they don’t think Fish and Wildlife has data to support its call for the end of the increased flows that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. turns on one weekend a month in June, July and August.
Fly fishermen and guides have contended the abrupt flushing flows are hard on insect life, though we’re only talking about one weekend per month during the summer.
It’s an interesting time to be a coldwater fisherman in Northern California.
- There are rumblings about salmon & steelhead returning to the Upper Sac (which hasn’t seen them in 70 years).
- The Klamath Dams may finally come down (beginning the salmon and steelhead restoration process.
- The Lower Sacramento salmon runs have cratered along with the state’s water supply, fueling California’s Water Wars and exposing the madness of increased pumping from the Delta.
There’s more to come from the mountains of Northern California. I’m sure of it.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
This would be a significant victory of common sense IMHO.
ps: How many powerhouses are there between these 2 rivers?
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It’s interesting that the flow regimes mandated by the relicensing are apparently causing issues with the endangered crawfish, and now have to be stopped.
Welcome to the world of unintended consequences.
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