Resources

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Comment Letter From Living Rivers Council Regarding the State Water Board Proposed Policy for Maintaining Instream Flows in Northern California Coastal Streams

North Coast Stream Flow Campaign's Comments on AB2121, March 26, 2010

Laws and Public Trust

The Public Trust Doctrine
California Water Codes
Joseph Sax and the Public Trust The Berkeley Electronic Press Symposium

Slide shows (pdf format)

Water Rights Slide Show
Gualala River Public Trust
Eel River Slide show
Napa River Slideshow
Navarro River Slide show

White Papers

Campaign Governance A Briefing Paper prepared for the North Coast Stream Flow Campaign By Scott Greacen and Felice Pace. 2009

Planning Environmental Campaigns A Briefing Paper prepared for the North Coast Stream Flow Campaign By Felice Pace. 2009

Policies, Process and Procedures Compilation. Salmon and Steelhead Recovery Coalition. 1999

Articles

California’s Water: An LAO Primer From the California Legislative Analyst's Office
Water Rights: Issues and Perspectives From the California Legislative Analyst's Office

Citizen Activism

SourceWatch Water Portal (A wiki website where citizens are the source of information.)

Comments on Proposed North Coast Instream Flow Policy

Band, L.E. 2008. Review of the Scientific Basis for the Proposed “North Coast In-Stream Flow Policy.” Prepared for the CA SWRCB WRD. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. 12 p.

Gearhart, R. 2008. Review of Draft Policy for Maintaining In stream Flows in Northern California Coastal Streams. Prepared for the CA SWRCB WRD. Humboldt State University, Environmental Engineering Department, Arcata, CA. 7 p.

Higgins, P.T. 2008. Comments on Draft Policy for Maintaining Instream Flows in Northern California Coastal Streams. April 2, 2008. Prepared for the Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club by Patrick Higgins, Consulting Fisheries Biologist, Arcata, CA. 49 p.

McMahon, T. 2008. Review of “Draft Policy for Maintaining Instream Flows in Northern California Coastal Streams.” Prepared for the CA SWRCB WRD. Professor of Fisheries, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT. 11 p.

Comments on more issues

National Marine Fisheries Service notification to the State Water Resource Control Board of detrimental low winter and spring flows in North Coast Streams. February 19, 2009.

Comments on the Napa TMDL include an ecological and hydrologic analysis of the cumulative effects of vineyard conversion. The confined Napa River mainstem has down cut its channel dropping the water table and simplifying fish habitat. The mainstem supported coho in the 1940’s and steelhead through the 1970s, but today it is stagnant in summer, depleted of flow by surface and groundwater extraction. Although there is a chance to save Napa River steelhead and Chinook salmon, more action is needed than called for under the TMDL.

Dennis Jackson, Hydrologist. Comments on proposed Napa River Sediment TMDL. Comments include issue of low flows.

Dennis Jackson, Hydrologist. Lynch Family Vineyard and Winery Hydrologist, responds on dangerously low ground water effecting the Napa River.

Review of the Draft Mendocino County General Plan and the Hydrology and Water Quality and Biological Resources chapters of the related Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). Points out inadequacy of these plan elements in light of regional water use patterns and ecological condition of Mendocino County rivers and streams, which are flow depleted and in some cases dry.

Comments in opposition to a Negative Declaration of Impacts for development of the Pelton House Winery on Redwood Creek, a tributary of Maacama Creek and the Russian River. The project proposes additional groundwater withdrawal, when redwood Creek is drying up and the land owner has several illegal impoundments already contributing to existing cumulative effects. The comments include a status review of Russian River Pacific salmon stocks.

The Artesa Vineyard near Annapolis in the Gualala River basin would dry up Patchett Creek, a potentially important steelhead tributary. The comments characterize the fish population status of all native Gualala River fish species and characterizes the dire ecological condition of the river.

State Water Resource Control Board Staff Report. Proposed Actions to be taken by the Division of Water Rights on Pending Water Rights Applications within the Russian River Watershed. August 15, 1997.

Andrew H. Sawyer. Subterranean Blues: Groundwater Classification in California.