Salmon count at Red Bluff Diversion Dam is down

Salmon count at Red Bluff Diversion Dam is down

by Dan Bacher

The federal government has counted 109 Chinook salmon going over the Red Bluff Diversion Dam on the Sacramento River since June 15, down from last season’s count of 162 fish to date.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported 10 salmon on June 26, 11 salmon on June 25 and 12 salmon on June 24.
Red Bluff Diversion Dam, on the river about 2 miles southeast of Red Bluff, diverts water from the Sacramento to the Corning and Tehama-Colusa canals.

However, Bill Poytress, supervisory fishery biologist for the Service, cautioned that this is too early in the salmon season to determine any trend in the run this year.

“The numbers of salmon counted are typically low until mid August,” said Poytress. “Right now we’re seeing a mixture of early fall-run fish, late winter-run salmon and some spring-run fish. The counts are not a very good indication of what the season’s total will be until August when the fall run numbers go up.”

On the average, 11 percent of the season count would have typically passed through the dam gates by July 15 and 26 to 27 percent by August 15. September was historically one of highest months for salmon counts, but the dam gates have been lowered in September in recent years.

“It it hard to make conclusions at this time,” added Poytress. “The dam gates are up for a shorter period than they were historically, plus there is a lot of variability in the timing of the runs.”

Fishermen are disappointed, but hopeful

So far this season, overall fishing has been tough for recreational and commercial salmon fishermen in northern and central California, with the exception of some short spurts of good action off Monterey and Bodega Bay. Salmon fishing was closed off the coast of California and southern Oregon in 2008 and 2009 due to the unprecedented collapse of the Central Valley fall-run chinook run – and this is the first year when a normal recreational and commercial season has been in place.

Federal and state officials blamed the collapse on “ocean conditions,” while fishermen, Tribes and environmentalists pointed to increased water exports out the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, declining water quality and Central Valley dam operations as key factors behind the dramatic decline of fall-run Chinook.

Federal biologists have forecasted an ocean abundance of 730,000 Sacramento River fall run Chinook in 2011, far above the number needed for optimum spawning this fall of 122,000‐180,000 fish. Unfortunately, the Central Valley winter run and spring run Chinook populations continue to decline.

“The numbers of fish passing the dam to date are disappointing, but it is probably too early to conclude anything about this year’s fall run,” said Dick Pool, administrator of Water 4 Fish and Secretary Treasurer of the Golden Gate Salmon Association (GGSA). “As we get into mid to late July, the numbers should become more meaningful, since the vast majority of fish will be fall run.”

“The ocean salmon season so far has also been disappointing,” emphasized Pool. “The bad news is that anglers have not seen many larger chinooks so far this season. The good news is that there are lots of shakers (undersized) fish showing, pointing to a good season in 2012. My hope is that like last year, good numbers of larger fish will show off Duxbury Reef, Bodega Bay and other areas outside the Golden Gate starting around mid-July.”

Fish passage improvement project slated for completion by 2012

The gates will be closed on the diversion dam for only about 2-1/2 months this year for agricultural purposes and then will open the remainder of the year “to provide unimpeded fish passage for salmon, steelhead and sturgeon,” according to Pete Lucero, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spokesman. Lucero said it is anticipated that this will be the last year for filling Lake Red Bluff.

“The new Red Bluff Pumping Plant is expected to supply the needed diversions after May 2012,” said Lucero. “Also, for construction purposes, Lake Red Bluff will operate one foot lower than past years.

On March 23, 2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike Connor broke ground at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam as part of the largest Department of the Interior (DOI) economic stimulus project in the nation.

The ground breaking marked the beginning of construction of the Fish Passage Improvement Project at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam, a $5.25 million cooperative agreement that is part of the $109 million going to Red Bluff under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), according to a news release from DOI.

“Through the use of economic stimulus funds, we are protecting the region’s farming economy and jobs while helping to provide safe passage for fish,” Secretary Salazar said. “This is a win-win project for both people and the environment and represents a vital component of the Obama Administration’s effort to help the people of the Central Valley and other areas in California.”

The construction was authorized as part of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA). Reclamation’s partner, the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority (TCCA), received the $5.25 million in ARRA funds to construct an interim screened pumping plant to deliver irrigation water while the gates are raised, thus providing unimpeded fish passage, according to Kendra Barkoff of the Department of Interior.

Barkoff said a construction contract for the bridge and siphon was awarded for $21.45 million and a supply contract for pumps and motors was awarded for $6.96 million. An additional $76.2 million in ARRA funds will be provided at a later date to construct a permanent pumping plant.

Total project cost estimated at $230 million

The Project will be completed in multi-phases by Reclamation, TCCA, and the State of California. The total Project cost, estimated at $230 million, is being paid for partially by the $109 million in ARRA money. Construction of the Project began in summer 2010 and is expected to be completed in 2012.

The Red Bluff Diversion Dam’s gates are lowered to form Lake Red Bluff, which enables the gravity diversion of water from the Sacramento River into the Tehama-Colusa and Corning Canals to irrigate 150,000 acres of high-value cropland, more than half of which are planted in permanent orchards.

“However, when lowered to provide irrigation water, the gates block threatened and endangered salmon, steelhead and green sturgeon, as well as other fish species, from reaching their spawning grounds,” noted Barkoff.

The 24 hour recording number for fish counts over the diversion dam is 530-527-1408.