Ranchers, Conservation Communities Celebrate Dam Removal Project On Shasta River

Contact:
Amy Hansen, (530) 859-3814, Shasta Valley RCD

MONTAGUE, Calif., May 30, 2008—The Shasta Valley Resource Conservation District (RCD), along with local landowners and other conservation partners from private, state, local and federal agencies today celebrated the completion of the removal of Araujo (pronounced AH-ROO-JA) Dam, a small water diversion structure on the Shasta River.

"The Shasta River is important to the livelihood of Siskiyou County ranchers and it also serves as a major tributary for Chinook and Coho salmon spawning and rearing," said Richard Kuck, Board Chairman of the Shasta Valley RCD, whose agency oversaw and managed the project. "This restoration project vastly improves the way water is delivered to ranchers, while allowing for year around fish passage and improved water quality in the river."

The Araujo Dam was one of six "flashboard" dams used seasonally on the Shasta River. Three of these dams have been removed, and another dam is slated to be replaced later this year. Flashboard dams are used from April to October.

Flashboard dams on the Shasta River allow water to be diverted from the river and directed through ditches to fields throughout the Shasta Valley. When in place, flashboard dams, block passage for Coho and Chinook salmon and negatively affect habitat and water quality.

"We are here to celebrate what can be achieved through collaboration between the Department and the ranching and conservation communities," said Donald Koch, Director of the California Department of Fish and Game, whose agency provided funding for the project. "Together, we made this day possible. The Araujo project is a restoration success story that illustrates how team work, hard work, and new technologies can mutually benefit a variety of interests."

Despite a summertime climate that is warm and dry, the Shasta River provides a unique and historically productive habitat for Coho and Chinook salmon. One reason for the river’s productivity is the numerous underground springs originating from the 14,000 foot volcano, Mt. Shasta, which looms above the valley to the south. These cold water springs that feed the Shasta River are vital to fish survival.

In addition to blocking fish passage, irrigation flashboard diversion dams cause the natural river channel to widen and impede natural flows, creating warmer water and decreasing the amount of dissolved oxygen. These characteristics make it difficult for the Shasta River’s native species—salmon, steelhead and trout—to survive.

"The goals of this project were to design a more efficient irrigation system, remove barriers to fish passage and improve water quality, while continuing to supply agriculture water to the ranchers that had been using the Araujo Dam for over 100 years," said Ed Burton, NRCS State Conservationist, whose agency also provided significant seed money and technical assistance to jump start the project. "We have met each of those goals, and I congratulate the ranching and conservation communities on a job well done."

The abundance of Klamath and Shasta River salmon stocks have suffered drastic declines in recent years. In 1964, the Shasta River supported a spawning escapement of 30,700 Chinook. In 2007, about 2,000 adult Chinooks were counted. Biologists say that improved water quality and access to habitat will be of vital importance to restoring these runs.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also provided funding for the project and was integral in facilitating the early stages of project planning and design.

"Restoration projects in the Klamath Basin that improve water quality and access to habitat will in turn help with the recovery of one of the most important salmon fisheries on the West Coast," said Steve Thompson, Regional Director of the Service's California and Nevada Region. "This project is good for the health of the Shasta River, and that is good news for Klamath River and the salmon that depend on a clean and healthy watershed."

Funding for this project was provided from over $2.8 million of grants acquired by the Shasta Valley RCD from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the California Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the State Water Resources Control Board.

The Shasta Valley RCD will begin removing the Shasta River Water Association diversion dam, which sits upstream of the Araujo site later this year. This dam supplies 160 small ranches, but seasonally impedes fish passage and has negative impacts on water quality.

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