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Tag: artificial reefs

Wooden Reefs get New Life

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Old Power Poles Repurposed as Artificial Reefs

Old concrete poles donated by Florida Power & Light Company are sunk by McCulley Marine Services to create two artificial reefs off the coast of St. Lucie County, Fla., Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. Photo: PRNewsFoto/FPL

Repurposing a bunch of hefty power line poles yielded a project intended to attract plenty of interest.

Various species of fish likely are interested, as are scuba divers and anglers.

Officials in St. Lucie County, Florida used power poles as the prime source of material for twoartificial reefs about six and 12 miles off of Fort Pierce.

The poles are stacked in two free-form piles about 25 feet tall at depths of about 60 and 100 feet in the ocean and are among the newest additions to a total of about 2,900 artificial reefs in the Florida area.

Florida Power and Light provided 130 poles that were replaced during recent upgrade projects. If not recycled this way, the poles might have otherwise been trashed, a spokesman said.

Some of the other reefs in St. Lucie County are formed with a mix of allowable materials, including bridge and dock pilings, said Jim Oppenborn, St. Lucie County’s Coastal Resource Supervisor.

In addition to the poles supplied by Florida Power and Light, a grant of about $60,000 went into the project for the two reefs. The money, distributed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, is from a pot of federal tax revenue from specific fishing-related and boating-related purchases.

A tugboat hauls 500 tons of old poles donated by Florida Power & Light Company to create two artificial reefs off the coast of St. Lucie County, Fla., Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. Photo: PRNewsFoto/FPL

Where artificial reefs are placed and the types of materials used are among the various factors regulated by agencies that issue permits. For the power line poles, St. Lucie County received permits from the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Oppenborn said.

VIDEO: Volunteers Remove 29 Tons of Waste from Waterways

Like other artificial reefs and natural reefs, the poles are intended to provide hard-surface habitat that fish and other sea dwellers use for shelter, feeding and spawning.

Even with regulations and restrictions governing manmade structures, opinions on artificial reefs are mixed.

Advocates say the artificial reefs provide beneficial habitat for marine life, enhance recreational opportunities and help reduce impact on natural reefs.

Opponents, such as PETA, don’t share the enthusiasm. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

“Artificial reefs are unnecessary encroachments that only benefit fishers, divers, and oil companies—they do nothing to help local ecosystems and the animals who live there,’’ according to a statement from PETA.by Patti Roth

Students turn Christmas trees into fish habitat

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Snowflakes painted a picturesque winter scene Thursday morning throughout Demopolis.

However, the cold weather didn’t stop eager Demopolis High students, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, from working to create fish habitats along the river.

“The snow is not going to stop us,” Anne Cross, ranger said. “We are excited to come together as a community to create fish habitat.”

The students and USACE workers bundled old Christmas trees that will soon be sunk in different areas along the river. The trees make great habitats for fish like crappie.

Pieces of iron will be tied to the trees that will sink them about 10 feet or so, according to Brandon Smith from USACE.

Various participants helped to band trees together to create fish habitats. Shown in the picture are Jason Cassity, Austin Thornbough, Brandon Smith, Marshall Thomas, Joy Snellgrove, Dakota Cunningham, Blake Bowden, Ben Sherrod and Anne Cross (kneeling).

Demopolis High school FFA club and agriculture department worked on the project.

Students in the high school FFA club and agriculture department worked on the project.

Teacher Joy Snellgrove said experience teaches students several valuable skills by granting them this hands-on experience.

“It teaches them more about conservation efforts,” she said. “Also they learn job skills and get to see other job opportunities out there.”

Students thought the project was very fun, despite Thursday’s cold weather.

“It’s fun to do something like this and help,” Dakota Cunningham, a junior said.

Cunningham said students have been learning more about reusing items in class and this project gave them a chance to get help in the community.

Later this month, there will be three boats that will go out on the river to drop the trees. The trees were all donated from people throughout Demopolis. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

Also partnering with DHS and the USACE for the project is Alabama Power, the city of Demopolis, Tractor Supply, the U.S. Coast Guard and volunteers of Foscue Park.By Brittney Knox

All Natural Fish Feeder Never Needs Filling and Cleans Water

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The Hangout Artificial Fish Habitat Fish Feeder

Fishiding habitat products

Product Description

Growing big fish starts with growing lots of food to feed them. In order for the fry and forage fish to thrive and reproduce, they need mass amounts of food to develop and prosper.

Minnows, small panfish and fry feed on film that grows on surfaces underwater called peripyhton. This magical micro-floral community of bacteria and fungi, protozoa and zoo-plankton, dance together forming this wonderful highly efficient, nutrient converting fish food.

Phosphorus and nitrogen are often the biggest culprits in abundant weed growth and eutrophic waters. Converting these nutrients into fish food and ultimately fish, is not new and has been being used with ongoing success sometimes called brush parks. Create the food source and the fish will come.

The more surface area available, the more food can grow. Weed beds are a good example of surfaces for this film to grow and hiding places for the small fish.

The Hangout is where the smaller fish will congregate and eat this highest form of food available, within the protection of the maze of vinyl limbs that surround the feeder bag.

the-hangout-artificial-fish-habitat-feeder.jpg

The plastic mesh feeder bag holds an incredible 400 square feet of surface area from a matrix of woven plastic recycled from drinking bottles. Weighing just over two pounds and approximately ten inches diameter and two feet long, these bags hold the key to fish development.

Over thirty two square feet of flexible vinyl limbs, the same material in all fishiding fish habitat products, complete this protective eating establishment. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

Bend limbs and pinch crease with fingers, no tools or additional supplies needed.

Opens to a full 46″wide by 48″ tall, hang at any depth, unit sinks.

Each unit comes with 5.5 pounds of pre-drilled vinyl limbs, ranging in length from 12″-28″ long and 1″-4″ wide with feeder bag with ten feet of mono bait-ball line.

Hang unit from underside of dock or pier for year around fishing action.

Suspend unit from raft or tree limb to keep predators close by your food source.

Attach unit to full size habitat unit or anchor and add foam to feeder bag to add buoyancy.

Tie multiple units together for deep water applications.

Leaser lake fish habitat in place and ready for water

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Leaser Lake to begin refilling

The dam at Leaser Lake in Lynn Township has undergone major upgrading after the lake was drained for repairs. Man made fish habitats dot the interior of the lake bed. (Douglas Kilpatrick, SPECIAL TO THE MORNING CALL / February 12, 2012)

Lehigh Valley anglers and boaters received very welcome news late last week when the state Department of Environmental Protection gave the final approval to begin refilling Leaser Lake in northwestern Lehigh County.

According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the refilling process will begin in mid-December, and the 117-acre lake will be stocked with trout in time for the regional opening day of trout season on Saturday, March 30, 2013. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

“This is great news for all the anglers, boaters and outdoor enthusiasts who use the lake and have been waiting patiently for the project to be completed,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway. “Rebuilding a dam is a big project which requires cooperation between state agencies, local officials and the public.”

Leaser Lake, originally constructed with a dam in 1971, has now been rebuilt three times because of leakage issues. This latest repair had the lake drawn down in 2009 for the repair project, which included the addition of man-made and natural fish habitat structures to help the new population of fish that will be stocked in the lake.

“The long-term plan is to stock the lake with fingerlings from various warm-water species, like bass, crappie, blue gills and yellow perch, and allow those fish to grow over the next several years into a sustainable fishery,” said Dave Miko, the chief of the PFBC Division of Fisheries Management.

“The short-term plan is to stock adult trout in the lake this spring so anglers can get back on the water and enjoy their sport. As long as the lake is about half-full, and anglers can safely access the water, we’ll stock trout for the opener

Refilling the lake, which sits on approximately 526 acres of public land owned by the state and Lehigh County, will take some time. Rainfall will help fill the lake, but levels will also be determined by PFBC engineers, who plan on raising the water level two feet per week while monitoring the dam for any problems until it is full.

The $3.5-million repair project included a $500,000 contribution from Lehigh County, while the Leaser LakeHeritage Foundation raised funds to help pay for the fish habitat structures in conjunction with PFBC work.

Also contributing to the price tag were grants for $750,000 from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Community Conservation Partnerships, $500,000 from DEP, and $300,000 form PFBC’s Growing Greener II program.

In addition to the lake itself, local Boy Scout troops and school districts helped formalize a trail system around the lake, which is on the south side of the Blue Mountain.

Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe will appear on Pennsylvania Cable Network’s live “PCN Call-In” program at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15. Viewers of the hour-long program can call in questions to PCN toll-free at 1-877-726-5001.

PFBC asks for your help: The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is extremely concerned about the politics being played with the federal budget in Congress.

If a federal budget is not passed before the end of the year, money due from the Sport Fish Restoration Program and the Boating Safety Trust Fund — collectively called the Trust Funds — would be withheld and the Trust Fund would incur a 7.6 percent cut, approximately $43 million to all state fish and wildlife agencies in 2013

“The projected financial impact of losing 7.6 percent of Pennsylvania’s portion of the Trust Funds in 2013 — $859,000 — means that we will have to reduce services to Pennsylvania anglers and boaters,” said Arway, the PFBC executive director.

“However, I believe the greater violation is the breach of trust between the anglers, boaters and businesses [that] pay the tax and the federal government which plans to withhold the funds from the states.”

Congress passed the Budget Control Act in 2011 that mandated automatic spending cuts to reduce the deficit, and unless a budget agreement is reached, those cuts will go into effect Jan. 2, 2013.

The money allocated to the Trust Funds comes directly from excise tax dollars levied on fishing tackle, equipment and motorboat fuels, not funds collected from income tax.

“The Trust Funds are the lifeblood of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s day-to-day efforts to restore and manage fisheries and their habitats; open and maintain recreational access for all; and keep the public safe by providing boating safety education,” said PFBC Deputy for Administration Brian Barner.

“If budget sequestration takes effect, our agency will have to make tough decisions now and down the road. Potentially, we may have to reduce services like fish stocking, access area maintenance, boating education and safety, and other programs which Pennsylvania’s anglers and boaters care about deeply.”

The Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act of 1985 provided that excise tax revenue going to the Trust Fund would be exempt from budget sequestrations, but a loophole exists because the Act did not specific that money from the Trust Funds was exempt from sequestration withholding.

The PFBC is asking concerned anglers, boaters and outdoors lovers to ask members of the U.S House of Representatives and U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Patrick Toomey to exempt the Sport Fish Restoration Program and Boating Safety Trust Fund and keep the trust with America’s sportsmen and women. To contact your U.S. Senator or Congressman, contact the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 or visithttp://www.house.gov or http://www.senate.gov.Gary BlockusGary Blockus

Nature’s water purifiers help clean up lakes

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Nature’s water purifiers help clean up lakes(Copyright: Floating Islands International)

More and more of our waterways are being starved of life through pollution. One simple, yet improbable, solution? Cover rafts in plants.

The solution was as simple as it was improbable: cover rafts with plants, and set them afloat in the lake. Within a year-and-a-half, the algal blooms were gone. Water clarity improved. Oxygen levels rose. Today, the lake is home to a thriving community of fish, including black crappie, yellow perchand Yellowstone cutthroat trout.

The story of Fish Fry Lake demonstrates the power of mimicking wetlands to clean up dirty waterways. Wetlands are sometimes called nature’s own water purifiers: as dirty water moves through a sprawling marsh, the bacteria that cling to wetland plants, timber, rocks, and other debris consume and process some common water pollutants. Other contaminants get trapped in the mud and muck. As result of these and other processes, the water that eventually flows out of a wetland is much cleaner than the stream that came trickling in.  Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

By creating floating treatment wetlands out of small, human-engineered rafts of vegetation, researchers and entrepreneurs hope to provide these same ecological services to small, polluted bodies of water that may be far from a natural marsh. “BioHaven floating islands are concentrated wetland systems that are essentially biomimicking nature’s wetland effect,” says Bruce Kania, the founder and research director of Floating Island International, the company behind the Fish Fry Lake rafts.

Cleansing power

To construct a BioHaven island, the company starts with layers of mesh made from recycled plastic. They assemble this mesh into a floating raft – which can be as small as a home aquarium or nearly as large as a football field – and top it with soil and plants. They launch the island into a lake, pond, stream, or lagoon, anchoring it in place. Over time, the plants’ roots grow into and through the raft’s porous matrix, descending into the water below. At the same time, bacteria colonise the island, assembling into sticky, slimy sheets called biofilm that coat the floating matrix and the suspended plant roots.

This bacterial biofilm is the secret to a floating island’s cleansing power. Overgrowth of algae from nitrogen and phosphorus pollution can cause several problems, preventing sunlight from reaching subaquatic plants and starving a body of water of the oxygen needed to sustain fish populations and other animal life. A dead zone, like the one is Fish Fry Lake, is often the ultimate result. The biofilm bacteria consume nitrogen and phosphorous, however, and as polluted water flows through and around a floating island, the bacteria converts these contaminants into less harmful substances. Though the bacteria do the brunt of the work, the plant roots suspended from the floating island also play their part, absorbing some of the nitrogen and phosphorous through their roots.

In Fish Fry Lake, for instance, Floating Island International deployed several islands, which together covered almost 2% of the lake’s 6.5-acre (2.6-hectare) surface area. Over the course of four years, the islands helped reduce nitrogen concentrations by 95% and phosphorus concentrations by nearly 40%. Today, levels of dissolved oxygen are sixty times what they once were.

Clearer, cleaner, healthier

The system also mechanically filters out other pollutants, like metals and particulates. “The sticky biofilm essentially keeps the water clear because all the suspended solids tend to bond to it,” says Kania. Floating Island International, which has deployed more than 4,400 of their artificial wetland systems worldwide, has documented this effect in multiple case studies. For example, the concentrations of suspended solids, copper, lead, zinc, and oil and grease fell dramatically after a floating island was installed in a stormwater pond in Montana. Controlled laboratory studies and research by scientists not affiliated with the company have also  foundthat floating treatment wetlands can reduce the levels of many common water pollutants.

Some scientists are now exploring how to optimise the design of floating islands – probing, for instance, which plants do the best job of removing pollutants. Gary Burtle, an aquaculture specialist at the University of Georgia, thinks we can get even more out of these artificial wetlands by seeding the rafts with plants that are of commercial value, such as lettuces and herbs. Burtle is screening a number of potential plant candidates – if he finds one that grows well on a floating island, we may soon see constructed wetland systems that “give us a little bit more return”, he says, producing saleable crops while purifying the water.

Meanwhile, the removal of contaminants not only improves the water itself, but also helps to foster a healthier ecosystem. Clearer water allows light to penetrate deeper, encouraging the growth of various aquatic plants, which produce oxygen and become part of the food chain, supporting larger populations of fish and other animals. “You end up with a waterway that can be abundant,” Kania says, “that can be verdant even at depth.” The organic debris that attaches itself to the underside of a floating island also becomes a source of food for fish and other aquatic organisms, and the island itself provides new habitat for birds.

“The concept of how to get back to a healthy waterway,” Kania says, “is very simple: nature’s wetland effect.” All we have to do is simulate it.

By: Emily Anthes bbc.com

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Artificial reefs to boost fish supply

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ARTIFICIAL reefs are to be built in local waters to boost fish supplies which have been depleted by over-fishing, pollution, dredging and dumping.

The Agriculture and Fisheries Department yesterday announced it was investigating sites for the reefs and had received $1.6 million from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club to start the project.
Reefs provide nursing and feeding grounds for all sorts of marine life including larger fish sold in local markets.
Fisheries officer David Cook said it was hoped local stocks would be boosted and the diversity of marine life in Hong Kong would increase with the reefs.
”We see that there’s a need to provide some level of redress for the perceived damage that’s occurring to the marine environment,” he said.
Fishermen and environmentalists have stepped up campaigns in the past year to call attention to the destruction caused by dredging and dumping for the airport projects. Silt is stirred up that can smother corals and drive away fish.
But overfishing is also a concern and Mr Cook said fishing around the reefs would be restricted.
He said fishermen in Malaysia and Thailand had abided by fishing restrictions around artificial reefs in their waters because they increased fish production by up to 400 times in some cases.
It was impossible to say how much impact the scheme would have on Hong Kong fisheries as this would be proportional to the scale of the project, he said.
But fish stocks are expected to increase when the first reefs are set up in soon-to-be-established marine parks where legislation already restricts fishing, he said. The first park is expected to be declared later this year, probably in the eastern waters.
But the declaration of the parks is likely to be slow and cover only a limited area, and any large-scale setting up of artificial reefs will require about $65 million.
The Jockey Club’s $1.6 million contribution will be used towards setting set up the first few reefs and determine the best reef sites.
The programme is separate from trials being carried out on an artificial reef made from coal ash in Hoi Ha Wan, which is still underway. Until results are available on its safety, the reefs will be made from more expensive reinforced concrete.
It is also hoped to use sunken ships, possibly some of the hundreds of vessels destroyed by the Marine Department each year, as these can provide the solid surface and nooks and crannies needed for a successful reef.
Hong Kong’s natural coral reefs are in the eastern waters and many have been damaged by dredging and pollution and by a mysterious water current last month that killed everything in a 40-square-kilometre area.
Most of the rest of the sea bottom is flat and soft, and the reefs will provide a place for marine organisms to grow, providing food for larger animals.By KATHY GRIFFIN
Mr Cook said. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

Habitat restoration bill passes

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  • The process of restoring coho salmon habitat may get a bit easier for local landowners willing to undertake voluntary projects along Siskiyou County streams and rivers.
  • By John Bowman Yreka, CA
 
  • The process of restoring coho salmon habitat may get a bit easier for local landowners willing to undertake voluntary projects along Siskiyou County streams and rivers with the California legislature’s passage of Assembly Bill 1961, introduced by Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D–San Rafael). Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.comThe bill passed its final legislative hurdle on Aug. 27 with its approval by the California Assembly and now heads to the governor’s desk for his signature. First introduced in February, AB 1961 would expedite the approval process for voluntary habitat restoration projects by implementing a 30-day approval process and eliminating many of the usual regulatory hurdles for such in-stream projects.

    “Coho salmon cannot afford to wait and neither can the communities where these restoration projects would provide much needed jobs,” said Huffman. “This bill lets us work together in a new way so that immediate actions can yield near-term results.”

    Coho salmon generally have a three year life cycle. In 2010, the California Department of Fish and Game declared that two of the three brood years of Shasta River coho were functionally extinct, meaning there are no longer enough adults returning to the river in those years to sustain a viable population.

    According to the text of the bill, “An urgency exists due to the extraordinarily small numbers of coho salmon remaining in California. In order to prevent their extinction from northern California waters, it is imperative that habitat restoration efforts be expedited and increased as soon as possible.”

    Siskiyou County landowners and Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) have cumulatively implemented millions of dollars worth of habitat restoration projects since coho were listed as threatened by both California and the federal Endangered Species Act in 1997. State and federal agencies say much more work must be done to aid the recovery of the species, though many landowners and stakeholders have complained that the permitting and regulatory processes create too many roadblocks.

    AB 1961 directs state agencies to “expedite and streamline the permitting and approval of coho salmon habitat enhancement projects, including, in particular, large woody debris restoration projects, in northern California streams.”

    The three main categories of projects eligible for the expedited process are as follows:

    • Modification of existing water crossings for the purposes of eliminating a barrier to fish passage;
    • Restoration of eroded or denuded streambanks by utilizing nonrock bioengineering practices and revegetating stream corridors with native riparian species; and
    • Wood placement that benefits naturally reproducing fish stocks by creating or enhancing fish habitat, increasing stream complexity, or both.

    The bill stipulates, “Within 30 days after the [Department of Fish and Game] receives a written request to approve a coho salmon habitat enhancement project containing the information required pursuant to subdivision (c), the director shall determine whether the coho salmon habitat enhancement project is consistent with subdivision (a). If the director determines within that 30-day period, based upon substantial evidence, that the coho salmon enhancement project is consistent with subdivision (a), no further departmental approval shall be necessary.”

    Executive director of the Scott River Water Trust Sari Sommarstrom has worked on many local habitat restoration projects and said, “Expediting state permitting was one of the few issues that everyone could agree on at the legislative hearing on coho last year. I’m glad that some cooperative progress in Sacramento was finally made, but the bill’s provisions are pretty limited. More progress from the state is still needed for those of us trying to help coho.”

Blue Mountain Streams get Half Million in makeover

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Rock work

Two local streams are getting a half million dollars in makeovers as a result of major construction at the Norfolk Southern rail/truck terminal and the turnpike’s Blue Mountain Interchange.The dam on Conococheague Creek behind Wilson College is coming out, and fish habitat structures are going in..

Middle Spring Creek is being stabilized at the site of a former hydro-electric dam off Stonewall Road in Southampton Township. The work began this week..

The goal of both projects is to reduce erosion, cool the streams and improve fish habitat. 

Franklin County Conservation District and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection are reviewing the plan at Wilson College. Work there should begin this fall..

“We had hoped to do it last year, but we had an unusually wet year,” said Eric Levis, spokesman for Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. “Our goal is to have it done by March 1.”.

Approvals are expected within a couple of weeks, he said. Construction will take four to six weeks. Work is not allowed in the warm water fishery between March 1 and June 15, when Conococheague is stocked for trout season. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

Norfolk Southern is paying $294,600 for the work. The project in the Borough of Chambersburg and Greene Township is off-site mitigation for construction of a $95 million regional intermodal facility in Antrim Township at Interstate 81 Exit 3. The rail/truck terminal is to be completed later this year..

The area behind the college is a popular fishing spot during Pennsylvania’s trout season. The 11-acre restoration project stretches two-thirds of a mile, from upstream of the railroad trestle to the south end of campus..

Rivers Unlimited of Boalsburg has submitted plans that call for:.

– Removing the small dam and railroad footer..

– Taking out excess sediment upstream of the dam..

– Converting the former mill pond below the dam to seasonally flooded wetlands..

– Filling a parallel channel downstream..

– Installing devices built of rocks and logs, including 16 log deflectors, four j-hook vanes, three rock cross vanes, seven rock vanes and 13 rock habitat clusters..

– Maintaining the irrigation system to the college athletic fields..

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is paying for the Middle Spring Creek project, estimated to cost less than $100,000. The fish habitat and stream restoration is mitigation for the turnpike’s $32 million upgrade of the Blue Mountain Interchange in Lurgan Township. Reconstruction of the interchange includes a new bridge and relocating the ramps. A mile of the turnpike will be widened to three lanes. Work is about 60 percent done and on target to be completed by June 21, according to Russ Grubb with the engineering consultants Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson. The toll booth remains open..

The project had an unavoidable impact to the Laughlin Run watershed in Hopewell Township, Cumberland County, according to the plans. DEP required the Turnpike to mitigate 1,200 feet of Middle Spring Creek..

The preferred option is to avoid the impact, then to reduce it and finally to mitigate, on site if possible, according to Grubb. .

“Unfortunately we didn’t have the opportunity right on site,” he said. “You look at projects that help the environment. We have to get the biggest bang for the buck.”.

The turnpike returned to the site where it had spent more than $100,000 two years ago to remove a dam on Middle Spring Creek. That project was mitigation for straightening a curve on the highway, according to Andrew Lutz, environmental manager for the turnpike..

The dam once supplied electricity to Shippensburg, according to Southampton Township Supervisor Samuel Cressler..

The control station burned down in the 1920s, Lutz said. The former landowner Leora Shoop had posted the area because of the hazard of the dam. Middle Spring Creek on the border of Franklin and Cumberland counties has a reproducing population of trout..

Flyway Excavation Inc. of Lititz will be working in the stream throughout September, Lutz said. Improvements include several deflectors, boulders, a j-hook vane, cross rock vane and mud sill. More than 125 trees and 200 shrubs will be planted as a riparian buffer. The work is to be done before Christmas.By JIM HOOK

GreenView: Sierra Club applauds the new Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

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Picture 0 for Sierra Club applauds the new Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Updated GLWQA signed in Washington DC, September 7, 2012

By Mary Muter, Chair Sierra Club Canada Great Lakes Section

After 25 years the governments of Canada and the United States have finally come together on the terms of a new revised Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (online here) that better reflects the current conditions of the Great Lakes than the 1987 Agreement. This new Agreement has three new Annexes – Aquatic Invasive Species, Habitat and Species and Climate Change Impacts – that will be able to take advantage of the increased knowledge on these important issues. The question is: will there be funding and resources to address the new challenges facing the Great Lakes when existing Areas Of Concern like Toronto and Detroit continue to show little sign of improvement? Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

Sierra Club applauds the governments’ commitment to prevent further loss of habitat and species that contribute to the protection of Great Lakes water quality. Those high quality coastal wetlands still intact on the Great Lakes would have to be at the top of the list needing protection. We have already lost 70% of coastal wetlands on Lakes Ontario and Erie due to pollution and/or development. Great Lakes wetlands are needed by about 80% of Great Lakes fish for spawning and or nursery habitat. If Great Lakes fish cannot find suitable spawning habitat they simply do not spawn. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has already identified declining Northern Pike and Musky populations due to 13 years of sustained low water levels and loss of wetland habitat on Lakes Huron and Georgian Bay. We will be watching to see if the development and implementation of lakewide habitat and species protection, restoration, and conservation strategies will be met in their two year stated objective. Another critical issue will be whether individual targets or goals can be established for each Great Lake that reflect background conditions.

Will there be enough resources to meet these lofty objectives? It is hard to believe these objectives can be met while the Government of Canada has eliminated hundreds of science positions including closing the Experimental Lakes Project – the research station where Dr. David Schindler’s internationally respected ground-breaking research to identify phosphorus as the leading cause of algal growth. Where would we be today without that critical knowledge?

We need strengthened legislation not the weakened sections of the Fisheries Act by the removal of fish habitat. This one action alone has left thousands of un-assessed coastal wetlands now vulnerable to encroachment or degradation due to development.

Sierra Club hopes the new Agreement will better protect and restore the Great Lakes. To accomplish that our governments in Canada and the United States will need to involve the public at a very high level to ensure accountability and progress. We have a very valuable bi-national resource in the Great Lakes; to protect and restore them we require the best possible public and government actions along with the required resources. Only then will the obligations under this Agreement be fulfilled.

Construction Starts on Two Dry Creek Fish Habitat Projects

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(Healdsburg, CA) During the next week, construction will start on the first phase of a six-mile habitat enhancement project in the Dry Creek Valley. The purpose of the project, which is being conducted by the Sonoma County Water Agency (Water Agency) in cooperation with private landowners and by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), is to provide habitat for endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead and Chinook. During the first phase of this multi-year project, an estimated 560 tons of boulders and 202 trees, root wads and logs will be used to create backwaters, side channels and shady habitat for the young fish that live in Dry Creek during the summer.

“This is a massive enhancement project that will provide big benefits for fish on the brink of extinction in our area,” said Sonoma County Supervisor and Water Agency Director Mike McGuire. “Dry Creek Valley farmers deserve tremendous thanks for their partnership and willingness to move this project forward.”

“We are excited to be starting construction on a project that should provide immediate help to the coho and steelhead raised at hatcheries at Warm Spring Dam and released into Dry Creek and its tributaries,” said Lt. Col John Baker, commander of the USACE San Francisco District. See the dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

The habitat enhancement is required by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to help restore endangered and threatened fish to the watershed. The first phase of Dry Creek habitat enhancement involves two projects, as follows:

• The Water Agency Dry Creek Demonstration Project is centered on Lambert Bridge and is nearly one-mile in length. Construction in 2012 will take place at Quivira Winery and Vineyards. The Laytonville-based firm Bio-Engineering Associates is conducting the work at Quivira, which will be complete by mid-October. Work on the majority of the Dry Creek Demonstration Project will take place during 2013.

• The USACE project (known as the “Reach 15” project, for its location directly below Warm Springs Dam) is 1,400 feet long and is located on property owned by USACE. Contractor Services Group is overseeing construction which will take place through mid-October and during summer 2013.

Elements of the projects include bank stabilization to reduce erosion, boulders and anchored log jams to provide refuge and to slow the water, constructed backwaters and side channels to give the young fish places to escape summer and winter high flows, and native plants to reduce erosion and create shade.

“The habitat enhancements fit into Quivira’s holistic approach to grape growing and wine making. By improving Dry Creek, we improve the health of the land, helping both people and fish,” said Quivira Winery representative Ned Horton.

The majority of work on the Water Agency’s Dry Creek Demonstration Project will occur in 2013, and involves several landowners including Amista Vineyards, Dry Creek Vineyard, Rued Winery, Seghesio Family Vineyards and Yellow Dog Vineyards. The demonstration project also includes individual landowners Doug Lipton and Cindy Daniels, Carole and Geno Mascherini, Peter and Marian Van Alyea and Ron Wolmer.

When complete, the Dry Creek Demonstration Project and Reach 15 Project will serve as the first mile of habitat enhancement of the six miles required in NMFS’ Russian River Biological Opinion. The Biological Opinion was issued in 2008, and requires the Water Agency and the USACE to improve habitat for juvenile coho and steelhead in Dry Creek as an alternative to reducing summertime flows in the creek. (The high velocity of water flowing in Dry Creek in the summer was found by NMFS’ biologists to be detrimental to the survival of young coho and steelhead.)

“By breaking ground for this project the agency partners and landowners are reaching an important milestone on the road to conservation of our Russian River coho salmon and steelhead. This investment will not only benefit our fisheries, but is also an investment in the overall health of our watershed,” said Dick Butler, National Marine Fisheries Service.

Since nearly all of the 14-mile Dry Creek is privately owned, the required six miles of habitat enhancement is dependent on cooperative landowners. The demonstration project and the Reach 15 project will allow landowners, the Water Agency, the USACE, NMFS and California Department of Fish and Game to observe how enhancements work on a smaller scale.

“The coho broodstock program and stream enhancement projects in the Russian River watershed, including these important projects in Dry Creek, contribute greatly to coho salmon conservation. By enhancing and creating this habitat, we are improving conditions for coho and providing people more opportunities to enjoy and participate in coho habitat restoration successes,” said Scott Wilson, Acting Regional Manager, California Department of Fish and Game.

Dry Creek residents who notice any problems or who have immediate concerns regarding construction issues are urged to contact the Water Agency public information officer, Ann DuBay at (707) 524-8378, ann.dubay@scwa.ca.gov , or the USACE onsite engineer, Carlos Hernandez at (707) 431-4550 orCarlos.R.Hernandez@usace.army.mil.

Laytonville-based Bio-Engineering Associates specializes in construction of creek restoration and habitat enhancement features that also help reduce erosion. Several of the firm’s projects have been on major creeks located within vineyards.

Contractor Services Group, located in West Sacramento, is a full-service contracting company with experience in conducting large-scale restoration projects.

To learn more about NMFS’ Biological Opinion and Dry Creek requirements go to http://www.scwa.ca.gov/drycreek/. For additional details on the demonstration project, go tohttp://www.scwa.ca.gov/files/docs/projects/rrifr/DryCreek-Habitat.pdf.

Sonoma County Water Agency provides water supply, flood protection and sanitation services for portions of Sonoma and Marin counties. Visit us on the Web at www.sonomacountywater.org.

Ann DuBay

Public Information Officer
Office: (707) 524-8378
Mobile: (707) 322-8185
Email: ann.dubay@scwa.ca.gov

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