The Rock Creek – Cresta Ecological Resources Committee set up under the Rock Creek – Cresta Hydropower License (FERC Project No. 1962) has recently established the recreational flow schedule for 2007 in consultation with the Plumas National Forest. This email is being sent to the parties that may have an interest in flow conditions on the North Fork Feather River. Please feel free to share this information with others that at not on this distribution.
Minimum Instream Flows:
2007 is currently classified as a critically dry year and this will result in reduced instream flow levels and reduced recreational flow opportunities. Minimum summer flow levels will be 150 cfs in the Rock Creek reach (between Rock Creek Dam and Rock Creek Powerhouse) and 140 cfs in the Cresta reach (between Cresta Dam and Cresta Powerhouse). Actual flows may be 10 to 30% higher. In addition, release levels may increase to 200 cfs for water temperature control if water temperatures exceed 20ºC in these reaches.
The gauge information reported by PG&E to the American Whitewater website rounds the flow up to the nearest 50 cfs. These means that if the reported flow is 250 cfs the actual flow may only be 201 cfs. The minimum flow on the Tobin reach is about 250 cfs.
Recreational Flows:
Rock Creek
Recreational flow will be provided in the Rock Creek reach on
• Sunday July 29, 800 cfs 11 AM to 2 PM.
• Saturday August 25 , Sunday August 26,
• Saturday September 22 and Sunday September 23.
The August and September releases will reach 800 cfs by 11 AM on Saturday and be reduced to 700 cfs at 3 PM. The 700 cfs level will then be maintained until 1 PM on Sunday. Flows will be ramped up at rates of no more that 400 cfs per hour and ramped down at a rate not to exceed 150 cfs per hour.
Cresta
For the Cresta reach (Cresta Dam to Cresta Powerhouse) the ERC and Forest Service have determined that further study is appropriate to better understand the potential effects of summer pulse flows on the foothill yellow-legged frog populations and have decided that no recreational flows should be released during 2007 in this reach. Study work is ongoing and the ERC will consider how flows may be provided in the Cresta reach in the future.
American Whitewater will continue to push for the establishment of reasonable goals and objectives for foothill yellow-legged frogs and other aquatic species on the Feather River. Currently only whitewater recreation is being asked to meet this rigorous standard of species protection on the Feather River. We will also be watching closely for the results of this year’s frog surveys to see if the claims that recreations flows are having impacts on tadpoles can hold water.