In fact, both the Scott and Shasta Rivers are almost wholly dewatered – and this despite the fact they’re populated by endangered Coho salmon.

Making matters worse is California Fish & Game’s willingness to look the other way as Siskiyou County ranchers and agriculture hammer salmon populations – even after those same populations were listed and (supposedly) received federal protection.

It’s one more example of Siskiyou County’s crazy inbred politics, where extreme ideology serves as a substitute for facts, science and (dare we say it) reality.

This lengthy excerpt is from Pace’s Klamblog post on the Scott & Shasta’s flows, though the whole post is worthwhile reading for any taxpayer who wonders what current stupidity is going to require salvaging in the near future – at the cost his or her tax dollars:

The Shasta and Scott are spawning grounds for most of the Fall Chinook produced in the Upper Klamath River watershed; the Scott has the most Coho. If spawners do not reach their natal streams, Klamath River salmon production will be low and the impact on tribal, commercial and sport fishing – and related economic activity – will be great.

Here is flow data for the Shasta from the US Geological Service ~

* Early on October 11th Shasta River flow declined to nearly 6 cubic feel per second. The flow then became too low to measure for several hours. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=11517500

* The minimum daily flow recorded during the 2008 water year was 14 cfs.

* The lowest minimum mean flow during August for the period of record (1934-2008) was 8.35 in 1939.

From this data we conclude ~

THE SHASTA RIVER CURRENTLY IS EXPERIENCING THE LOWEST RECORDED FLOW DURING AUGUST SINCE FLOW RECORDING BEGAN IN 1934!

Precipitation at Yreka in the Shasta River Valley during 2008 was 77% of long-term mean annual precipitation. This is a dry year but not a drought.

The flow situation in the Scott is just as bad or worse ~

* On August 14th flow at the Scott River gauge operated by the USGS was less than 2 cubic feet per second (cfs).

* The lowest mean flow for the period of record during August was 5.52 cfs in 2002. The lowest daily mean flow in August was 3.4 cfs also in 2001.

From this information KlamBlog concludes ~

THE SCOTT RIVER CURRENTLY IS EXPERIENCING THE LOWEST RECORDED FLOW DURING AUGUST SINCE FLOW RECORDING BEGAN!

The rest of Pace’s article makes for interesting reading – especially when he notes that Fish & Game and other agencies are spending $500,000 to fund “improvements” for diversions (screening a diversion), but nothing is being done about flows.

That sounds about right given the backwards politics of the area. You don’t have to scientist to know that salmon and steelhead need something to survive, and it’s wet.

All the “diversion improvements” in the world – which could easily be construed as another giveaway to ag interests – won’t matter one bit if the water’s gone.

Now, it appears the project has landed some economic stimulus money. (Ummm, you guys need a fulltime blogger on the project – one capable of checking fish populations via fly rod methods?)

The Nature Conservancy is honored that our Shasta River/Big Springs Creek Restoration project for coho recovery in the Klamath received economic stimulus funding  from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today as part of  the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) which will help restore critical salmon habitat.

The Conservancy’s efforts to restore the cold water fishery habitat on its Shasta Big Springs and Nelson Ranches, coupled with the California Department of Fish and Game’s efforts to remove fish passage barriers and to improve water use efficiencies by Shasta Valley ranchers, offers tremendous potential for re-establishing bountiful salmon populations in the Klamath River, and ultimately could help revive California’s once robust wild salmon fishery and wild, locally-caught salmon markets.

The Shasta Big Springs Ranch project will contribute to the recovery of the $60-100 million per year fishing industry in Northern California, but it will also help stimulate Siskiyou County’s struggling ranching and farming community.  According to the Siskiyou County 2005 Crop and Livestock Report, the industry contributes more than 3,000 jobs and $150 million to the regional economy, or about 10% of total sales by industry.  The restoration of the Shasta Big Springs Ranch is also important because the site could become one of the last and best strongholds for Coho and other salmon species in California that are on the brink of collapse.  By ensuring the protection of salmon in the Shasta River, the project site could serve as a natural nursery for re-establishing populations of Coho and other salmon species in the upper Klamath River.  This could be a significant lifeline for California’s salmon industry which has faced closures.

Seven other Nature Conservancy projects were selected by NOAA to lead eight coastal restoration projects in coastal U.S. states.

To view the NOAA announcement and interactive map – http://www.noaa.gov/recovery/

Now all we need is some rain and some salmon – and an important part of the one of the Klamath’s (formerly) richest spawning tributaries could start pulling its own weight.

Of course, the Nature Conservancy’s also looking to replace the $14.2 million or so they paid for the place, so send any winning lottery tickets to them.

See you rolling in stimulus money, Tom Chandler.