4.4 Fisheries and Aquatic Biology

338 Pages·2000·1.75 MB·English

4.4 Fisheries and Aquatic Biology
4.4 FISHERIES AND AQUATIC BIOLOGY
4.4.1 INTRODUCTION TO FISHERIES AND AQUATIC BIOLOGY
This section of the EIR identifies the fisheries and other aquatic resources that could potentially be
affected by the operation of Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s hydroelectric generation facilities.
This section also evaluates the impacts to these resources that may occur as the result of the
proposed auction of assets. Potential project affects on invertebrates and amphibians is dicussed in
the Terrestrial Biology section (Section 4.5).
Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s hydroelectric generating system extends over a broad
geographical area that encompasses portions of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River basin and the
coastal drainage of the Eel River. This vast system includes 99 reservoirs and related facilities that
influence environmental conditions in hundreds of miles of natural stream channels. Of the 97
freshwater fish species recorded for California’s inland waters, 60 species (62 percent) occur in
streams and reservoirs influenced by hydroelectric system operations. Table 4.4-1 summarizes the
distribution of these fish species by regional bundle.
Of particular interest and importance is the distribution of chinook salmon and steelhead spawning
and rearing habitat in relation to Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s hydroelectric projects. All
chinook salmon runs (i.e., fall, late fall, winter, spring) and steelhead runs (Central Valley ESU)
are State and/or Federally listed as threatened, endangered or of special concern due to declining
numbers. Figure 4.4-1 illustrates the occurrence of chinook salmon and steelhead spawning and
rearing habitat in the Central Valley and the Eel River. Prior to the construction of the major dams
in the Central Valley, an estimated 6,000 miles of spawning and rearing habitat was accessible to
chinook salmon and steelhead. Currently, an estimated 95 percent of this habitat has been blocked
by dams or other obstructions (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1998). Five Pacific Gas and
Electric Company Projects have the potential to directly affect spawning and rearing habitat for
these species. These projects are: Kilarc-Cow Creek, Battle Creek, DeSabla-Centerville,
Narrows, and Potter Valley.
The environmental effects of hydroelectric projects on aquatic resources have been studied for
decades and it is not the objective of this section to review the vast literature on this topic. For
evaluation purposes it is convenient to separate the environmental effects of hydro projects on
aquatic resources into two categories: (1) those effects associated with reservoirs; and (2) those
effects associated with streams.
Reservoirs are created to store and/or divert water for use by the hydroelectric system. As artificial
impoundments they differ from natural lakes in that the stored water can be readily manipulated on
demand. For reservoirs, the most obvious result of water manipulation is a change in water surface
elevation resulting in drawdown or filling. The timing, magnitude, frequency and duration of water
level fluctuations in reservoirs are the most important factors affecting aquatic resources. Water
November 2000 4.4-1 Hydrodivestiture Draft EIR
4.4 Fisheries and Aquatic Biology
level changes, in turn, influence the physical environment of the reservoir, including water quality
and the availability of habitat. The quality of the physical environment, in turn, influences the
dynamics of all biological resources in the reservoir. As described later in this section, the EIR
focuses on evaluating how reservoir fluctuations impact the living space (i.e., volume of water)
during the growing season for fish in Pacific Gas and Electric Company reservoirs, and for those
reservoirs supporting warmwater sportfish, how fluctuations influence reproduction and the
viability of fish populations.
The link between reservoirs and streams is direct and important. Reservoirs in many Pacific Gas
and Electric Company hydroelectric projects have sufficient storage capacity to influence or control
discharge downstream.
As with reservoir water level fluctuations, the timing, magnitude, frequency and duration of
releases from reservoirs to streams affects the aquatic resources of the streams by influencing
physical habitat and water quality. The physical and chemical environment of a stream influences,
in turn, the dynamics of biological resources. As described later in this section, the EIR focuses on
evaluating how reservoir releases impact the living space (i.e., physical habitat) of aquatic
resources and the water quality to which those resources are exposed in streams influenced by
Pacific Gas and Electric Company project operations.
During the scoping process of this EIR various issue areas were identified related to fishery and
aquatic resources. Table 4.4-2 lists these issue areas and indicates if the issues are relevant to each
of the 29 hydroelectric projects operated by Pacific Gas and Electric Company. These issues are
discussed in the Environmental Setting and/or Impact Analysis, as is appropriate for each project.
4.4.2 SYSTEM-WIDE REGULATORY CONTEXT
Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s hydroelectric system stretches from the Pit River basin in
Shasta County in the north to the Kern River basin in Kern County to the south, and from the crest
of the Sierra Nevada in the Mokelumne River basin in Alpine County on the east to the Eel River
basin in Mendocino County to the west. The aquatic resources of this vast region are managed by a
variety of private (e.g., conservation organizations), local (e.g., county fish and game
commissions), regional (e.g., CALFED), State (e.g., California Department of Fish and Game) and
Federal (e.g., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) entities and agencies. Only a few of the government
agencies, however, have regulatory authority over topics related to aquatic resources such as water
quality. These agencies derive their respective mandates from an often diverse collection of
statutes, legislative policies, executive branch directives, and implementation of regulations.
Twenty-six of Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s hydroelectric projects are regulated through
Federal licenses issued by the FERC. The FERC has broad authority over almost all aspects of
hydroelectric projects. There are two exceptions related to aquatic resources where the State of
California has regulatory authority. The first is compliance with the water quality certification
Hydrodivestiture Draft EIR 4.4-2 November 2000
4.4 FisheriesandAquaticBiology
Hydrodivestiture EIR
Figure 4.4-1
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4.4 Fisheries and Aquatic Biology
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Hydrodivestiture Draft EIR 4.4-4 November 2000
4.4 Fisheries and Aquatic Biology

Table 4.4-1 Distributional Checklist of the Fishes Potentially Affected By Pacific Gas and
Electric Company’s Hydroelectric System
Native or Regional Bundle
Family Name
Introduced
Common Name (Scientific Name) Kings Crane -
Speciesa Shasta DeSabla Drum Motherlode
Helms
Petromyzontidae (Lamprey Family)
Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata) Native X X
River lamprey (Lampetra ayresi) Native X
Pacific brook lamprey (Lampetra pacifica) Native X
Pit-Klamath brook lamprey (Lampetra
Native X
lethophaga)
Kern Brook lamprey (Lampetra hubbsi) Native X X
Acipenseridae (Sturgeon Family)
White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus)
Green sturgeon (A. medirostris)
Clupeidae (Herring Family)
Threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense) Introduced X
American shad (Alosa sapidissima) Introduced X X
Osmeridae (Smelt Family)
Wakasagi (Hypomesus nipponensis) Introduced X X
Salmonidae (Salmon and Trout Family)
Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Native X
SR, WR,
Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)b Native FR, SR FR FR
FR, LFR
Kokanee (Oncorhynchus nerka kennerlyi) Introduced X X X X
Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus) Native X X X X X
Steelhead - Central Valley ESUc (Oncorhynchus
Native X X X
mykiss irideus)
Eagle Lake trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss
Introduced X
aquilarum)
McCloud River redband trout (Oncorhynchus
Native X
mykiss ssp. 2)
Columbia River redband trout [Kamloops trout]
Introduced X
(Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri)
Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki
Introduced X X
henshawi)
Brown trout (Salmo trutta) Introduced X X X X X
Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) Introduced X X X X X
Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) Introduced X X
Cyrinidae (Minnow Family)
California roach (Hesperoleucus symmetricus
Native X X X X X
symmetricus)
San Joaquin roach (Hesperoleucus symmetricus
Native X
ssp. 1)
Pit roach (Hesperoleucas symmetricus mitrulus) Native X
Hitch (Lavinia exilicauda) Native X X X X
Speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus) Native X X X X
Tui chub (Gila bicolor) Native X X X X
November 2000 4.4-5 Hydrodivestiture Draft EIR
4.4 Fisheries and Aquatic Biology
Table 4.4-1 Distributional Checklist of the Fishes Potentially Affected By Pacific Gas and
Electric Company’s Hydroelectric System
Native or Regional Bundle
Family Name
Introduced
Common Name (Scientific Name) Kings Crane -
Speciesa Shasta DeSabla Drum Motherlode
Helms
Hardhead (Mylopharodon conocephalus) Native X X X X X
Sacramento pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus grandis) Native X X X X X
Carp (Cyprinus carpio) Introduced X X X X
Goldfish (Carassius auratus) Introduced X X
Golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) Introduced X X X X
Fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) Introduced X X
Lahontan redside (Richardsonius egregius) Introduced X X
Catostomidae (Sucker Family)
Sacramento sucker (Catostomus occidentalis) Native X X X X
Tahoe sucker (Catostomus tahoensis) Introduced X X X
Ictaluridae (Catfish Family)
Brown bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus) Introduced X X X X X
Black bullhead (Ictalurus melas) Introduced X X
Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) Introduced X X X X X
White catfish (Ictalurus catus) Introduced X X X X
Poeciliidae (Livebearer Family)
Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) Introduced X X X
Gasterosteidae (Stickleback Family)
Threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) Native X X
Percichthyidae (Temperate Basses Family)
Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) Introduced X X
Centrarchidae (Sunfish Family)
Sacramento perch (Archoplites interruptus) Introduced X
Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) Introduced X X X X X
Green sunfish (Lepomus cyanellus) Introduced X X X X X
Warmouth (Lepomus Lepomis gulosus) Introduced X X
Redear sunfish (Lepomus microlephus) Introduced X
Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) Introduced X
Black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) Introduced X X X X
White crappie (Pomoxis annularis) Introduced X
Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) Introduced X X X X X
Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) Introduced X X X X
Spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) Introduced X X
Redeye bass (Micropterus coosae) Introduced X
Percidae (Perch Family)
Bigscale logperch (Percina macrolepida) Introduced X
Embiotocidae (Surfperch Family)
Tule perch (Hysterocarpus traski) Native X X
Cottidae (Sculpin Family)
Prickly sculpin (Cottus asper) Native X X
Pit sculpin (Cottus pitensis) Native X
Hydrodivestiture Draft EIR 4.4-6 November 2000
4.4 Fisheries and Aquatic Biology
Table 4.4-1 Distributional Checklist of the Fishes Potentially Affected By Pacific Gas and
Electric Company’s Hydroelectric System
Native or Regional Bundle
Family Name
Introduced
Common Name (Scientific Name) Kings Crane -
Speciesa Shasta DeSabla Drum Motherlode
Helms
Bigeye marbled sculpin (Cottus klamathensis
Native X
macrops)
Rough sculpin (Cottus asperrimus) Native X
Riffle sculpin (Cottus gulosus) Native X X X X
Total Fish Taxa 66 34 31 46 27 29
a California species occurring out of their native range are listed as “Introduced.”
b SR=Spring-run
FR=Fall-run
LFR=Late fall-run
WR=Winter-run
c ESU=Evolutionarily Significant Unit

requirements of section 401 of the Federal Clean Water Act. The State Water Resources Control
Board implements this regulatory program on behalf of the Federal government. Second, the
California Fish and Game Commission sets State angling regulations. There are no regional or
local agencies that have the authority to regulate any aspect of Federally licensed hydroelectric
projects related to aquatic resources.
The foregoing discussion does not apply to the aquatic resources of the three unlicensed projects
located in the DeSabla Regional Bundle (i.e., Hamilton Branch, Lime Saddle and Coal Canyon).
There is no FERC regulation of these projects because they do not fall under the jurisdiction of the
Federal Power Act. These three projects occupy private land and are subject to local, regional and
State regulation, as may be applicable. The same is true for all private Pacific Gas and Electric
Company lands that are not included within the boundaries of the FERC licenses. The aquatic
resources of lakes and streams on these lands are primarily regulated by the California Fish and
Game Commission with implementation responsibility through the California Department of Fish
and Game. Aquatic habitat management of lands not within the boundaries of the FERC licenses
may be overseen by Federal land management agencies (e.g., U.S. Forest Service) if the land is
Federally controlled, or by private, local or State agencies if privately owned. When Federal lands
are involved, the Federal land management agency is responsible for habitat management and the
California Department of Fish and Game is responsible for management of the fish and wildlife
populations (California Fish and Game Commission, Management and Utilization of Fish and
Wildlife on Federal Lands, 1999).
Given this jurisdictional context, the following narratives provide a summary of statutes, policies,
directives and associated regulations that have a direct bearing on the management of aquatic
resources and their habitats at hydroelectric projects. The agencies responsible for implementation
are identified.
November 2000 4.4-7 Hydrodivestiture Draft EIR
4.4 Fisheries and Aquatic Biology
Table 4.4-2 Summary of Aquatic Resource Issue Areas Relevant to each Pacific Gas and Electric Company Hydroelectric Project
Issue Area
Project Name and FERC
Minimum Instream Fish Passage or
License Number Anadromous Fish Special Status Fish Ramping Rate Wild Trout Maintenance Water Quality
Flow Requirement Screening
Present? Present? Problems? Designation? Stocking Practiced? Problems?
Problems? Problems?
Shasta Regional Bundle
Hat Creek Project
No Yes No No No Yes No No
(FERC 2661)
Pit 1 Project
No Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes
(FERC 2687)
Pit 3,4 and 5 Project
No Yes No No No No Yes No
(FERC 233)
McCloud-Pit Project
No Yes No No No Yes No No
(FERC 2106)
Kilarc-Cow Creek Project
Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes No
(FERC 606)
Battle Creek Project
Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No
(FERC 1121)
Desabla Regional Bundle
Upper North Fork Feather
River Project No Yes No No No No Yes No
(FERC 2105)
Bucks Creek Project
No No No No Yes No Yes No
(FERC 619)
Rock-Creek Cresta Project
No Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes
(FERC 1962)
Poe Project
No Yes No No No No No No
(FERC 2107)
Hydrodivestiture Draft EIR 4.4-8 November 2000
4.4 Fisheries and Aquatic Biology
Table 4.4-2 Summary of Aquatic Resource Issue Areas Relevant to each Pacific Gas and Electric Company Hydroelectric Project
Issue Area
Project Name and FERC
Minimum Instream Fish Passage or
License Number Anadromous Fish Special Status Fish Ramping Rate Wild Trout Maintenance Water Quality
Flow Requirement Screening
Present? Present? Problems? Designation? Stocking Practiced? Problems?
Problems? Problems?
DeSabla-Centerville Project
Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes
(FERC 803)
Hamilton Branch
Powerhouse No No No No No no Yes No
(non FERC jurisdictional)
Lime Saddle Powerhouse
No No Yes No No No No Yes
(non FERC jurisdictional)
Coal Canyon Powerhouse
No No No No No No No No
(non FERC jurisdictional)
Drum Regional Bundle
Drum-Spaulding Project
No No No No No No Yes Yes
(FERC 2310)
Narrows Project
Yes Yes No No No No Yes No
(FERC 1403)
Chili Bar Project
No No No No No No No No
(FERC 2155)
Potter Valley Project
Yes Yes No Yes No No Yes Yes
(FERC 77)
Motherlode Regional Bundle
Mokelumne River Project
No Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes
(FERC 137)
Spring Gap-Stanislaus
No Yes Yes No No No Yes No
Project
November 2000 4.4-9 Hydrodivestiture Draft EIR
4.4 Fisheries and Aquatic Biology
Table 4.4-2 Summary of Aquatic Resource Issue Areas Relevant to each Pacific Gas and Electric Company Hydroelectric Project
Issue Area
Project Name and FERC
Minimum Instream Fish Passage or
License Number Anadromous Fish Special Status Fish Ramping Rate Wild Trout Maintenance Water Quality
Flow Requirement Screening
Present? Present? Problems? Designation? Stocking Practiced? Problems?
Problems? Problems?
(FERC 2130)
Phoenix Project
No Yes No No No No Yes No
(FERC 1061)
Merced Falls Project
No Yes No No No Yes Yes No
(FERC 2467)
Kings Crane-Helms Regional Bundle
Crane Valley Project
No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes
(FERC 1354)
Kerckhoff Project
No Yes No Yes No No No Yes
(FERC 96)
Helms Pumped Storage
Project No No No Yes No No Yes No
(FERC 2735)
Haas-Kings Project
No Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes
(FERC 1988)
Balch Project
No No No No No No No Yes
(FERC 175)
Tule River Project
No Yes No Yes No No Yes Yes
(FERC 1333)
Kern Canyon Project
No Yes No No Yes No No No
(FERC 178)

Hydrodivestiture Draft EIR 4.4-10 November 2000