Redwood Reader

There is a lot of talk about removing existing dams to improve fish habitat. I recently received a CD from a group that successfully lobbied for and won removal of Edwards Dam on the Kennebec River in Maine. While an interesting CD, it contains little another group could carry over. Edwards Dam is 170 years old but the topography is different and sedimentation probably lower than here.
The Times Standard article on June 14 about removing Klamath dams is another interesting look into landscape destruction. While the Klamath has maintained its fisheries to some extent, it now appears the dams acted as sediment traps; hiding the impacts of poor land management practices. We know timber and road building occur throughout the region. It becomes unclear what is the best way to proceed as whatever course is followed will call for dealing with a huge amount of sediment that may or may not be industrially contaminated. We salute the coring studies to determine the content of the sediment. If it is clean there are far more options than if not. I do recall a friends Dad, on the Board of Ventura County Water being invited to speak in the Oregon Klamath region in the 1980’s. I remember the issue was plywood glue. I have no idea what it contains but the loggers essentially got out of line before the conference, in the bar, and he left without giving his presentation. He was steaming as he relayed the story on his way home.
Mattole Restoration Council won another large grant to continue its work. The Mattole is more impacted and less impacted as the Klamath at the same time. Without dams and in the high rainfall areas sediment was trapped in all the pools and the estuary, essentially destroying the fishery. The mouth of Middle Creek has a thirty acre alluvial plain created by sediment not likely to be fixed anytime soon. But we can see why the Klamath continued to enjoy healthy fisheries- the dams were in place before tractor logging became popular. Part of the problem with dams is that sediment reduces the volume of available water behind the dams.
An article on June 28thn said Federal water officials were buying Trinity water from farmers to send down the river for fisheries. This is a complete puzzle as DOI has refused to send mandated water to Humboldt. It is incredible that millions of dollars have been paid to farmers when agreements to that water have never been satisfied. Talk about a waste of tax dollars! And again, as long as there were fish, little happened. Hopefully some sanity can return to the region.
Finally, Sanctuary Forest is sponsoring a Low Flow conference. Again they browbeat us with threats of federal regulation of small landowners. I remember the SOS people coming to tell us about TMDL’s. All kinds of bad scenarios were presented about nitrogen from stock and phosphate from detergents.. But the Mattole has little industry and proactive cattlemen and so the only contaminant in abundance is/was sediment. Much of that was from legacy damage from logging decades before, and a possibly accelerated rate of wildfires in the last century. Another similar issue is “taking”, the removal of private lands from activity when a species of concern (Endangered, threatened or of special concern) is identified
All of these issues benefit from a general understanding of glomalin. Rivers and fisheries are dependant on clean water filtered through the ecosystem. Runoff is not filtered and carries a lot of material with it. The need to reduce runoff and replace it with infiltration not only reduces sediment, it keeps the water in the landscape for a longer period, translating into summer flows without precipitation, and better upland wildlife habitat.
The recent decision be the State Water Quality Control Board to overrule its regional Board in regard to Elk River/Freshwater watersheds shows they mean business concerning sediment. All the parties involved have received several emails pointing out the need to preserve the glomalin in order to prevent sedimentation. It is not clear if anyone is actually becoming informed but it would seem that PL should take the scientific lead and reduce clear cutting and road building. Too much precipitation makes any clear cut and most roads deliverers of sediment.
We have called for a glomalin task force to study this together with all agencies and timbermen as well as restorationist workers. In a few years the entire landscape could be healing including fisheries. After twenty years and a lot of money and work, PL is getting ready to cut in the Mattole again. PL holdings make up about 10% of Mattole lands. Unfortunately, they are in some of the high rainfall areas and near the mouth of the river, meaning that any sediment will further impact the already marginal water quality in the estuary and in spite of upstream restoration efforts. We can also say the loss of trees will lead to summer low flows, increased instability in wet weather and much less fog drip captured, an uncounted but vital function of these forests.