Update: Since we first posted this article and screencast, the McCloud Dam relicensing project has moved forward, albeit slowly. Fortunately, the flow regime we discussed below remains the preferred alternative, and the relicensing process is now in the hands of the State Water Resources Control Board for review. But there is a twist; federal agencies are considering the reintroduction of Chinook salmon into the McCloud and Upper Sacramento Rivers (via “trap and truck” methods).
How this would affect relicensing and the preferred flow regime is unclear, especially as the reintroducion remains a fairly nebulous project. Click here to read CalTrout and Trout Unlimited’s joint comments to the Water Board regarding this issue and how it affects the FERC relicensing.
In this short, informative screencast, CalTrout Conservation Director Curtis Knight uses hydrographs (generated from data collected in prior years) to explain the benefits of CalTrout’s proposed new flow regime for the McCloud Dam Hydro Relicensing project (which controls flows in the Lower McCloud).
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/23926698[/vimeo]
The McCloud River is one of California’s most popular (and perhaps one of the world’s most beautiful), and McCloud Dam — which controls much of the flow down the lower McCloud — is undergoing a relicensing. The flow regime established here will remain in place for 40-50 years, so it’s important that it’s done correctly.
There have been a lot of questions asked about the McCloud relicensing, and we think using actual flow data to contrast and compare the old and new flow regimes — and explain the benefits of the new plan — remains the best way to address those concerns and counter some of the rumors and misinformation finding their way to fishermen.
For more information, view the screencast, or read our previously posted article on the McCloud Dam relicensing.
