Cosumnes, American, Bear and Yuba IRWM (implementation stage)
The CABY IRWM Plan identifies broadly-supported goals, objectives, strategies, actions and projects within the CABY region to address long-term water supply needs, protection of water quality, and enhancement of environmental and habitat resources. The IRWM Plan, initially informed by the various pre-existing plans in the region, will provide an integrated approach to water management across the region’s four watersheds: Cosumnes; American; Bear; and Yuba (CABY). Based on technical knowledge and endorsed by a united community, the resulting CABY IRWMP actions and projects will have significant opportunities to attract local, state and federal grants and other financial support.
For more information about the CABY IRWM implementation projects and its IRWMP, please visit the CABY IRWM website.
2014 Accomplishments:
1. Completing our CABY IRWMP update
2. Earning two implementation grants for projects in our region, totaling more than $12 million in new funding
3. Participating in the Sierra Watershed Working Group
2015 Goals:
1. Implementing grant programs
2. Strengthening governance structure
3. Updating website to include project information
REGIONAL DESCRIPTION
The CABY region consists of four watersheds (Cosumnes, American, Bear, and Yuba) and 12 subwatersheds situated within California’s northern central Sierra Nevada region. The area extends from the northern parts of the Yuba River watershed in Yuba, Nevada, and Sierra Counties to the southern part of the Cosumnes River watershed in Amador County. The CABY region land area comprises 4,351 square miles, or about 30 percent of the Mountain Counties Area as defined in the State of California Department of Water Resources Water Plan Update (DWR 2009). All four watersheds include headwaters that drain large volumes of water into the Sacramento and Mokelumne Rivers, ultimately serving the Sacramento Delta ecosystems. The CABY region encompasses 2.4 percent of California's total land base and is an economically and ecologically significant region for the state. Further, it is a significant source-water contributor to out-of-region uses, including Delta ecological needs.
The CABY region is geographically diverse, with a broad range of elevation, slope, aspect, and soil characteristics. The area ranges in elevation from 400 feet at Folsom Reservoir at the western border to over 9,000 feet at the crest of the Sierra Nevada at the eastern border. The region’s geographic diversity, combined with variations in average temperatures and precipitation support a wide variety of vegetation communities. Many of these habitats are considered ecologically sensitive; the region supports 121 species and nine habitats of special concern.
The CABY region consists of 2,786,285 acres and encompasses all or part of nine counties. Four counties make up the largest portion (77%) of the CABY planning area: El Dorado (36%), Placer (23%), Nevada (18%). Five remaining counties include smaller portions of the CABY region: Sierra, Yuba, Plumas, Amador, and Alpine. From a watershed perspective, CABY’s northern, eastern, and southern boundaries are coterminous with the watershed boundaries of the Cosumnes, American, and Yuba Rivers. The CABY IRWMP region borders were based on the similarities in the physiography of the watersheds, socioeconomics, hydrology, geology, hydrogeology, water storage and delivery infrastructure, and land use. The area also has similar or closely related policy issues and management entities. In addition, water purveyors within the CABY region are tied together by water delivery infrastructure. The rationale behind the establishment of boundaries for the CABY region is directly related to the physical rather than political attributes of the area.
The CABY IRWM region contains minor overlap with three adjacent IRWM regions: the Mokelumne-Amador-Calaveras IRWM to the south, the American River Basin IRWM to the west, and the Yuba Region IRWM to the northwest. These are strategic overlaps, and an approach for coordination has been negotiated with the overlapping regions. At the same time, the CABY region provides significant economic resources to the entire state, serving as the source headwaters and contributing a significant portion to California’s water supply, including flows for the Bay-Delta system, the Central Valley Project, and the State Water Project. Moreover, the CABY watersheds generate thousands of megawatts of hydroelectric energy serving communities far beyond the region through California's electrical grid system. CABY does not receive water supplied from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The CABY region supplies and provides flood control benefits to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
YUBA RIVER WATERSHED
The Yuba River has three forks (North, Middle, and South Yuba) that converge northwest of Nevada City/Grass Valley. The North Yuba and the Middle Yuba Rivers converge below New Bullards Bar Reservoir and form the main stem of the Yuba River. The Yuba River flows into the north arm of Englebright Reservoir, while the South Yuba feeds the south arm. The Yuba River flows west out of Englebright Reservoir, and eventually out of the CABY region and into the Feather River at Marysville. The Feather River is tributary to the Lower Sacramento River, which eventually flows into the San Joaquin Bay-Delta. The Yuba River watershed, from the crest of the Sierra Nevada to the confluence at the Feather River, near Marysville, is approximately 1,340 square miles; elevations in the watershed range between 9,100 feet to 30 feet above sea level. The portion of the Yuba River watershed within the CABY region is over 900,000 acres, or roughly one-third of the CABY region. Fordyce Lake, Lake Wildwood, Jackson Meadows Reservoir, Merle Collins Reservoir, New Bullards Bar Reservoir, Lake Spaulding, and Englebright Reservoir are some of the more prominent water bodies in the watershed.
This largely forested watershed has been impacted by historic mining, timber harvest, high road density (compared with other, more rural western forests), dams and diversions, and residential development. There are over 100 ‘jurisdictional’ dams (impoundments over 25 feet tall and that hold more than 50 acre-feet of water) or diversions, which convey water to local users and to users in the Bear River and the North Fork American River watersheds. A large amount of water is diverted from Lake Spaulding on the South Fork for irrigation and power generation. In addition, the patchwork of land ownership in the watershed presents other resource management challenges. Several potential or actual impaired water bodies are listed in the Yuba River watershed. The Upper Yuba is also considered a ‘priority watershed’ for action by the State under the California Unified Watershed Assessment.
BEAR RIVER WATERSHED
The 75-mile-long Bear River originates at about 5,000 feet elevation roughly 20 miles west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada in northern Placer County, just southwest of Spaulding Lake. Its general course through the CABY planning area is southwest and west to the Feather River. The Bear River forms the boundary between Nevada and Placer Counties for much of its course. The watershed is wedged between two much larger watersheds, the Yuba to the north and the American to the south, and consists of 220,000 acres. Over 990 miles of streams, creeks, and rivers lie within the Bear River watershed. The watershed also contains over 2,000 miles of roads; consequently, approximately 45 percent of the streams in the watershed are within 100 meters of a public road. The Bear River watershed is heavily managed for water conveyance and is considered the region’s hydraulic workhorse, conveying water for consumption and energy generation from the Upper Yuba, Upper American, and from its own headwaters and tributaries into the Middle and Lower Bear, Lower American, and the associated foothill creek-ravine region. Areas of this watershed have been severely degraded by historic hydraulic mining and mercury contamination. Four waterways within the watershed are listed under the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) for mercury contamination (Lake Combie, Camp Far West Reservoir, Upper Bear River, and Rollins Reservoir – largely because mercury is captured in sediments behind dams), one for bacteria (French Ravine), and one creek (Wolf) is listed for fecal coliform.
AMERICAN RIVER WATERSHED
The American River watershed drains almost 2,000 square miles and includes portions of Placer, El Dorado, and Sacramento Counties. The American River originates at the crest of the Sierra Nevada just west of Lake Tahoe, within the Tahoe and El Dorado National Forest boundaries. The American River has three forks: the North, Middle, and South that originate in alpine areas and flow generally west through the Sierra foothills and converge east of Sacramento where the main stem fills Folsom Reservoir. Below Folsom Reservoir, the American River flows southwest through Sacramento and into the Sacramento River.
COSUMNES RIVER WATERSHED
The Cosumnes River, the most southerly river in the CABY region, flows for over 80 miles (50 miles within CABY) from its headwaters in the Sierra Nevada west to the Mokelumne River, and eventually the San Joaquin Delta. This 390,340-acre watershed has three main forks: the North, Middle, and South. The elevation of the watershed ranges from nearly 8,000 feet in the upper Sierra Nevada to less than 400 feet in the east where the Cosumnes exits the CABY region. The upper reaches of the Cosumnes River are in the Eldorado National Forest, while the lower reaches flow through one of the most biologically rich regions in California's Central Valley consisting of riparian forests, wetlands, vernal pool-dotted grasslands, and blue oak woodlands. The entire Cosumnes River is listed on the EPA’s 303(d) list because of contamination by exotic species.
The majority of the watershed is in El Dorado County with a small portion extending into Amador County. The Cosumnes watershed is home to many towns and unincorporated areas, including all or portions of Plymouth, El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Pollack Pines, Shingle Springs, and Diamond Springs. All of these communities (excluding Plymouth) are located in the northern portion of the watershed and straddle the boundary between the American and Cosumnes watersheds.
Contact:
Elizabeth Martin
Chief Executive Officer, The Sierra Fund
(530) 265-8454 x211
For more information about the CABY IRWM implementation projects and its IRWMP, please visit the CABY IRWM website.
2014 Accomplishments:
1. Completing our CABY IRWMP update
2. Earning two implementation grants for projects in our region, totaling more than $12 million in new funding
3. Participating in the Sierra Watershed Working Group
2015 Goals:
1. Implementing grant programs
2. Strengthening governance structure
3. Updating website to include project information
REGIONAL DESCRIPTION
The CABY region consists of four watersheds (Cosumnes, American, Bear, and Yuba) and 12 subwatersheds situated within California’s northern central Sierra Nevada region. The area extends from the northern parts of the Yuba River watershed in Yuba, Nevada, and Sierra Counties to the southern part of the Cosumnes River watershed in Amador County. The CABY region land area comprises 4,351 square miles, or about 30 percent of the Mountain Counties Area as defined in the State of California Department of Water Resources Water Plan Update (DWR 2009). All four watersheds include headwaters that drain large volumes of water into the Sacramento and Mokelumne Rivers, ultimately serving the Sacramento Delta ecosystems. The CABY region encompasses 2.4 percent of California's total land base and is an economically and ecologically significant region for the state. Further, it is a significant source-water contributor to out-of-region uses, including Delta ecological needs.
The CABY region is geographically diverse, with a broad range of elevation, slope, aspect, and soil characteristics. The area ranges in elevation from 400 feet at Folsom Reservoir at the western border to over 9,000 feet at the crest of the Sierra Nevada at the eastern border. The region’s geographic diversity, combined with variations in average temperatures and precipitation support a wide variety of vegetation communities. Many of these habitats are considered ecologically sensitive; the region supports 121 species and nine habitats of special concern.
The CABY region consists of 2,786,285 acres and encompasses all or part of nine counties. Four counties make up the largest portion (77%) of the CABY planning area: El Dorado (36%), Placer (23%), Nevada (18%). Five remaining counties include smaller portions of the CABY region: Sierra, Yuba, Plumas, Amador, and Alpine. From a watershed perspective, CABY’s northern, eastern, and southern boundaries are coterminous with the watershed boundaries of the Cosumnes, American, and Yuba Rivers. The CABY IRWMP region borders were based on the similarities in the physiography of the watersheds, socioeconomics, hydrology, geology, hydrogeology, water storage and delivery infrastructure, and land use. The area also has similar or closely related policy issues and management entities. In addition, water purveyors within the CABY region are tied together by water delivery infrastructure. The rationale behind the establishment of boundaries for the CABY region is directly related to the physical rather than political attributes of the area.
The CABY IRWM region contains minor overlap with three adjacent IRWM regions: the Mokelumne-Amador-Calaveras IRWM to the south, the American River Basin IRWM to the west, and the Yuba Region IRWM to the northwest. These are strategic overlaps, and an approach for coordination has been negotiated with the overlapping regions. At the same time, the CABY region provides significant economic resources to the entire state, serving as the source headwaters and contributing a significant portion to California’s water supply, including flows for the Bay-Delta system, the Central Valley Project, and the State Water Project. Moreover, the CABY watersheds generate thousands of megawatts of hydroelectric energy serving communities far beyond the region through California's electrical grid system. CABY does not receive water supplied from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The CABY region supplies and provides flood control benefits to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
YUBA RIVER WATERSHED
The Yuba River has three forks (North, Middle, and South Yuba) that converge northwest of Nevada City/Grass Valley. The North Yuba and the Middle Yuba Rivers converge below New Bullards Bar Reservoir and form the main stem of the Yuba River. The Yuba River flows into the north arm of Englebright Reservoir, while the South Yuba feeds the south arm. The Yuba River flows west out of Englebright Reservoir, and eventually out of the CABY region and into the Feather River at Marysville. The Feather River is tributary to the Lower Sacramento River, which eventually flows into the San Joaquin Bay-Delta. The Yuba River watershed, from the crest of the Sierra Nevada to the confluence at the Feather River, near Marysville, is approximately 1,340 square miles; elevations in the watershed range between 9,100 feet to 30 feet above sea level. The portion of the Yuba River watershed within the CABY region is over 900,000 acres, or roughly one-third of the CABY region. Fordyce Lake, Lake Wildwood, Jackson Meadows Reservoir, Merle Collins Reservoir, New Bullards Bar Reservoir, Lake Spaulding, and Englebright Reservoir are some of the more prominent water bodies in the watershed.
This largely forested watershed has been impacted by historic mining, timber harvest, high road density (compared with other, more rural western forests), dams and diversions, and residential development. There are over 100 ‘jurisdictional’ dams (impoundments over 25 feet tall and that hold more than 50 acre-feet of water) or diversions, which convey water to local users and to users in the Bear River and the North Fork American River watersheds. A large amount of water is diverted from Lake Spaulding on the South Fork for irrigation and power generation. In addition, the patchwork of land ownership in the watershed presents other resource management challenges. Several potential or actual impaired water bodies are listed in the Yuba River watershed. The Upper Yuba is also considered a ‘priority watershed’ for action by the State under the California Unified Watershed Assessment.
BEAR RIVER WATERSHED
The 75-mile-long Bear River originates at about 5,000 feet elevation roughly 20 miles west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada in northern Placer County, just southwest of Spaulding Lake. Its general course through the CABY planning area is southwest and west to the Feather River. The Bear River forms the boundary between Nevada and Placer Counties for much of its course. The watershed is wedged between two much larger watersheds, the Yuba to the north and the American to the south, and consists of 220,000 acres. Over 990 miles of streams, creeks, and rivers lie within the Bear River watershed. The watershed also contains over 2,000 miles of roads; consequently, approximately 45 percent of the streams in the watershed are within 100 meters of a public road. The Bear River watershed is heavily managed for water conveyance and is considered the region’s hydraulic workhorse, conveying water for consumption and energy generation from the Upper Yuba, Upper American, and from its own headwaters and tributaries into the Middle and Lower Bear, Lower American, and the associated foothill creek-ravine region. Areas of this watershed have been severely degraded by historic hydraulic mining and mercury contamination. Four waterways within the watershed are listed under the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) for mercury contamination (Lake Combie, Camp Far West Reservoir, Upper Bear River, and Rollins Reservoir – largely because mercury is captured in sediments behind dams), one for bacteria (French Ravine), and one creek (Wolf) is listed for fecal coliform.
AMERICAN RIVER WATERSHED
The American River watershed drains almost 2,000 square miles and includes portions of Placer, El Dorado, and Sacramento Counties. The American River originates at the crest of the Sierra Nevada just west of Lake Tahoe, within the Tahoe and El Dorado National Forest boundaries. The American River has three forks: the North, Middle, and South that originate in alpine areas and flow generally west through the Sierra foothills and converge east of Sacramento where the main stem fills Folsom Reservoir. Below Folsom Reservoir, the American River flows southwest through Sacramento and into the Sacramento River.
COSUMNES RIVER WATERSHED
The Cosumnes River, the most southerly river in the CABY region, flows for over 80 miles (50 miles within CABY) from its headwaters in the Sierra Nevada west to the Mokelumne River, and eventually the San Joaquin Delta. This 390,340-acre watershed has three main forks: the North, Middle, and South. The elevation of the watershed ranges from nearly 8,000 feet in the upper Sierra Nevada to less than 400 feet in the east where the Cosumnes exits the CABY region. The upper reaches of the Cosumnes River are in the Eldorado National Forest, while the lower reaches flow through one of the most biologically rich regions in California's Central Valley consisting of riparian forests, wetlands, vernal pool-dotted grasslands, and blue oak woodlands. The entire Cosumnes River is listed on the EPA’s 303(d) list because of contamination by exotic species.
The majority of the watershed is in El Dorado County with a small portion extending into Amador County. The Cosumnes watershed is home to many towns and unincorporated areas, including all or portions of Plymouth, El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Pollack Pines, Shingle Springs, and Diamond Springs. All of these communities (excluding Plymouth) are located in the northern portion of the watershed and straddle the boundary between the American and Cosumnes watersheds.
Contact:
Elizabeth Martin
Chief Executive Officer, The Sierra Fund
(530) 265-8454 x211
