Feather River Watershed

James Wilie

CE 296B

May 12, 1998

Overview(Lower Feather River Watershed)• Description of Watershed

• Land Use / Land Cover

• Flow Characteristics

• Beneficial Uses

• Sources of Pollution– Point Sources– Non-point Sources

• Best Management of Non-point Source

Marrysville

Oroville

Land Area by County(Lower Feather River)

COUNTY LAND AREA (acres)

Butte County 1,049,340

Sutter County 385,720

Yuba County 403,490

TOTAL 1,838,550

Land Use / Land Cover

Land Use/Cover % of TotalLand Area

Area (acres)

Orchards, Vineyards,Nurseries

14 257,397

Cropland & Pasture 24 441,252

Urban/Suburban 7 128,699

Forest Land 38 698,649

Rangeland 17 312,554

TOTAL 100 1,838,550

Land Use / Land Cover

Land Use/Cover % of TotalArea

Urban / Suburban 7

Agriculture (Cropland &Pasture; Rangeland;Orchards, Vineyards,Nurseries)

55

Undeveloped (Forest Land) 38

Marrysville

Oroville

Flow Characteristics(Hydrologic Record 10/64 to 12/83)

StationName

DrainageArea(sq. miles)

AnnualAve.Discharge(cfs)

DryWeather(June-Sept) FlowRate (cfs)

WetWeather(Oct-May)Flow Rate(cfs)

Oroville 3,624 1,984 944 2,494

Gridley 3,676 5,471 3,480 6,479

Yuba City 3,974 5,875 3,560 6,997

Nicolaus 5,921 9,302 5,124 11,457

FeatherRiver

Ave. (cfs)= 5,658 3,277 6,857

Daily Mean Discharge for Feather River

0

100000

200000

30000010

/1/6

4

10/1

/65

10/1

/66

10/1

/67

10/1

/68

10/1

/69

10/1

/70

10/1

/71

10/1

/72

10/1

/73

10/1

/74

10/1

/75

10/1

/76

10/1

/77

10/1

/78

10/1

/79

10/1

/80

10/1

/81

10/1

/82

10/1

/83

Date (Mon/Day/Year)

Flo

w R

ate

(cf

s)

Oroville

Gridley

Yuba City

Nicolaus

261,000 cfs

Beneficial Uses

Beneficial Use Achievement of Beneficial Use

Municipal &DomesticSupply

Orroville, Marrysville, & YubaCity

AgricultureIrrigation

Richvale Irrigation District, Biggs-West Gridley Water District, SutterExtension Water District, SutterButte Canal Co.

Beneficial Uses(cont.)

Beneficial Use Achievement of Beneficial Use

Recreation Fishing, Bedrock Park, OrovilleWildlife Area, ThermalitoAfterbay, O’Connor Lakes, &Abbott Lake

Fresh-WaterHabitat

Feather River Fish HatcherySpawning Riffles: Hatchery Riffle,Bedrock Park Riffle, Mathew’sRiffle, Weir Riffle, & GridleyRiffle

Beneficial Uses(cont.)

Beneficial Use Achievement of Beneficial Use

WildlifeHabitat

Bedrock Park & Oroville WildlifeArea

PowerProduction

Principal Hydroelectric Plants:Oroville Dam, Edward HyattPowerplant, & Thermolito Afterbay

Point Sources • Industrial

– Mathews Readymix, Inc. (South of Oroville)

– High Sierra Pine, Mills

– Olive Products Co. & Coronet Olive Oil Co.

– Stokley Cannery

• Airports

– Yuba County

– Sutter County

• Sewage Treatment Plants

– Oroville, Gridley, Yuba City, Marysville

• Oroville City Dump

• Fish Hatchery

Non-point Sources

• Agriculture (55% of Land Use)– Over application of Fertilizers– Over application of Pesticides– Irrigation

Overview Non-point Source Management

• Management – Nutrient– Pesticide– Irrigation

• Authority– Various Partnerships involving Multi-

Agency Resources and Jurisdictional Authority (Federal, State, & Local)

Non-point Source Management(Nutrient Management)

• Nutrient Management– Apply nutrients at rates necessary to achieve

realistic crop yields

– Improve the timing of nutrient application

– Use agronomic crop production technology to increase nutrient use efficiency

Non-point Source Management(Nutrient Management)

• Authority– Federal - Provide techn. & financial assistance

to growers relative to nutrient manag. & proper fertilizer application (Natural Resource Conservation Service, Consolidated Farm Service Agency,…)

– State - review all fertilizer formulations & issue a license before product use (Department of Food & Agriculture)

– Local - important role in delivery of approp. info. to growers (Resource Conservation Districts, Farm Advisors, Water Districts,…)

Non-point Source Management(Pesticide Management)

• Pesticide Management– Evaluate pest problems, previous pest control

measures, and cropping history– Evaluate the soil & physical characteristics of

the site including mixing, loading, & storage areas for potential leaching or runoff

– Apply pesticides efficiently and at times when runoff losses are unlikely

– Periodically calibrate pesticide spray equipment– Use anti-backflow devices on hoses used for

filling tank mixtures

Non-point Source Management(Pesticide Management)

• Authority– State - DPR (Department of Pesticide

Regulation) is the lead agency for pesticide regulation with primary responsibility for the protection of public health and the environment from the risk of pesticides while regulating all aspects of quality, sales, and use.

– Local - pesticide use enforcement in the field (County Agricultural Commissioners)

Non-point Source Management(Irrigation Management)

• Irrigation Management– Operate the irrigation system so that the timing

and amount of irrigation water applied match crop water needs. This will require at a minimum:

• 1) accurate measurement of soil-water depletion volume of irrigation water applied

• 2) uniform application of water

– When chemigation is used, include backflow preventers for wells, minimize the harmful amounts of chemigated waters that discharge from the edge of the field, and control deep percolation.

Non-point Source Management(Irrigation Management)

• Authority– State - California has had an effective

Agricultural Water Conservation Program since ‘80 which is administered by DWR (Department of Water Resources)

– Local - counties use ordinances to protect groundwater supplies (Ventura County,...)

Conclusion

• Beneficial Uses for Lower Feather River Watershed are Realized

• Primary Non-point Source Pollution Is Agriculture

• Key to Best Managed of Non-point Source Pollution is Various Partnerships involving Multi-Agency Resources and Jurisdictional Authority

Point Source

• Point Source [40 CFR 122.2]– “any discernible, confined, and discrete

conveyance, including but not limited to, any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feeding operation, landfill leachate collection system, vessel or other floating craft from which pollutants are or may be discharged. This term does not include return flow from irrigated agriculture or agricultural storm water runoff.”

Point Source (cont.)

• Point Source [Sierra Club v. Abston Construction Co., Inc., 620 F.2d 41 (5th Cir. 1980)]– “changing the surface of land or establishing

grading patterns on land will result in a point source where the runoff from the site is ultimately discharged to waters of the United States.”