March 10-13, 2010 - Redding,
CA
28th
Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference and the
44th Annual American Fisheries Society Cal-Neva Conference
Join the BCWC for a
tour of Battle Creek on Thrusday, March 11, 2010
Registration
Form
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For Release
On: November 25, 2009
Reclamation Awards Contract for the Battle Creek Salmon
and Steelhead Restoration Project
The Bureau of Reclamation has awarded the second construction contract
for the Battle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project (Restoration
Project). This contract is for placement of fish ladders and screens on
North Battle Creek Feeder and Eagle Canyon Diversion Dams on the North
Fork of Battle Creek. The area is located within 5 miles of Manton, California,
in Shasta and Tehama Counties. The contract was awarded on October 28,
2009, to Syblon Reid in the amount of $10,813,000.00. Construction is
planned to begin in February 2010.
This CALFED Bay-Delta Program Restoration Project will enable naturally
produced salmonids to safely access high- quality spawning grounds, thereby
contributing to their population growth and recovery. The species that
will benefit include threatened and endangered Chinook salmon and Central
Valley steelhead trout.
At the same time, the Restoration Project will minimize the loss of renewable
energy produced by the Battle Creek Hydroelectric Project owned and operated
by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). The Restoration Project
will be accomplished through the modification of PG&E’s Hydroelectric
Project facilities and operations, including instream flow releases. On
August 25, 2009, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) amended
PG&E’s hydroelectric license approving the facilities and operational
changes.
In 1999, Reclamation received $28 million in Federal funds from CALFED
for the Restoration Project. PG&E is contributing to the Restoration
Project in the form of forgone energy generation, voluntarily pursuing
an amendment to the Hydroelectric Project’s FERC license, and transferring
certain water rights to the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG).
Despite the reduction in renewable electricity resulting from the restoration
effort, PG&E fully supports this habitat restoration project and the
changes to its operations that are required to ensure the success of the
Restoration Project. The Packard Foundation, via The Nature Conservancy,
is contributing $3 million to the overall Restoration Project for adaptive
management. Specific to this construction contract, Federal funds are
being provided by the Iron Mountain Mine Trustee Council; State funds
are being provided by DFG and the California Department of Transportation.
Battle Creek offers an extraordinary restoration opportunity because of
its geology, hydrology, and habitat suitability for several anadromous
species. The overall Restoration Project will be among the largest cold-water
anadromous fish restoration efforts in North America, restoring approximately
42 miles of habitat in Battle Creek and an additional 6 miles of habitat
in tributaries of Battle Creek.
Via a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in June 1999, Reclamation,
the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
DFG, and PG&E initiated work on the Restoration Project. In addition
to the MOU partners, the Restoration Project has been developed in collaboration
with various resource agencies, including the California Wildlife Conservation
Board,and in conjunction with valuable participation from the public,
stakeholders and landowners, including the Greater Battle Creek Watershed
Working Group and the Battle Creek Watershed Conservancy (http://battle-creek.net/index.htm
). The public, stakeholders and landowners have received frequent updates
and communication regarding this project throughout its development; as
a result, they have been actively involved since the start. Please visit
the Restoration Project’s website at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/battlecreek/index.html
for additional information.
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For Release On: September 9, 2009
Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Connor Announces Contract
Award for Removing Wildcat Dam on Battle Creek
The Bureau of Reclamation has awarded the first construction contract
for the Battle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project (Restoration
Project) – the removal of Wildcat Diversion Dam and associated conveyance
systems on the North Fork of Battle Creek, located within 5 miles of Manton,
California, in Shasta and Tehama Counties. The contract was awarded on
September 1, 2009, in the amount of $2,062,555.00, to Contractor Services
Group, Inc., of West Sacramento, California.
The principal work under this first contract includes removing Wildcat
Diversion Dam and Pipeline to allow for flows to remain in the creek and
not be diverted for hydropower production. Construction is planned to
begin in November 2009. Additional Restoration Project contracts, including
a contract to install fish screens and ladders on the North Battle Creek
Feeder and Eagle Canyon Diversion Dams, are scheduled to be awarded in
2010.
The CALFED Bay-Delta Program-supported Restoration Project will enable
naturally produced salmonids to safely access high quality spawning grounds
thereby contributing to their population growth and recovery. The species
that will benefit include threatened and endangered Chinook salmon and
Central Valley steelhead trout. At the same time, the project will minimize
the loss of renewable energy produced by the Battle Creek Hydroelectric
Project owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).
The Restoration Project will be accomplished through the modification
of PG&E's Hydroelectric Project facilities and operations, including
instream flow releases.
“Battle Creek offers an extraordinary restoration opportunity because
of its geology, hydrology, and habitat suitability for several anadromous
species,” said Reclamation Commissioner Michael Connor. “The overall project
will be among the largest cold water anadromous fish restoration efforts
in North America, restoring approximately 42 miles of habitat in Battle
Creek, and an additional 6 miles of habitat in tributaries of Battle Creek.”
Reclamation, in cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Game,
and PG&E, began work on this project in June 1999.
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Battle Creek Country
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Vulcan's Castle and Chaos Crags in the headwaters
of North Fork Battle Creek |
New offerings:
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Draft
Lassen National Forest Dry Hills Project Documents -
January, 2010
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Interim
Federal Action Plan for the California Bay-Delta
- December 22, 2009
(Page 17 highlights Battle Creek Restoration efforts) |
LNF's
Dry Hills Forest Restoration Project
- October, 2009
Proposal for restoration of select sites in the National Forest land within
the Battle Creek Watershed |
BCWC
August, 2009 Newsletter |
The
Hydrology of Climate Change on Battle Creek and the North Fork Feather
River
- July, 2009 |
Battle
Creek Stream Conditioning Monitoring Plan
- September, 2008 |
Battle
Creek September 2008 Presentation
- September, 2008
Presented by Mary Marshall, Bureau of Reclamation, at the
BCWC 2008 Annual Meeting |
Revised
BCWC Community Strategies
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Life in the watershed
A
Fall-run Chinook on her redd in mainstem Battle Creek - Oct 16,
2009 |
Taking the children for
a stroll |
A
new generation of frogs and toads emerge in the upper watershed |
Baldwin Creek, a tributary to Battle Creek |
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FIRE
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| Wildland
Fire Use Risk Assessment In Lassen Volcanic National Park |
Lassen
National Park Fire Management Plan |
Fire
Hazard Abatement Ordinance for Tehama County
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Wildland
Fire in Ecosystems - Fire and Nonnative Invasive Plants
- September, 2008 |
Long
Term Fire Assessment for Northern California
- August 3, 2008 |
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Battle Creek Fall-run Chinook - October, 2009